Mt Duneed Estate wedding photos: Celeste and Matt share a kiss between rows of olive trees as her long veil trails across the grass
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Real winery wedding · Waurn Ponds, Melbourne

Mt Duneed Estate Wedding Photos: Celeste & Matt

Mt Duneed Estate · 65 Pettavel Rd, Waurn Ponds VIC · Melbourne

Country Wedding · Olive Groves Wedding · Winery & Vineyard Wedding · City: Melbourne · Venue: Mt Duneed Estate

Champagne spraying beside a wine barrel, a veil lifting on a warm summer breeze and an aisle of timber chairs running between rows of olive trees. Celeste and Matt’s wedding brought their people to Mt Duneed Estate at Waurn Ponds, on the southern edge of Geelong, for vows under a rose-dressed arbour and a long, happy night of celebrating. We were right there with them, from the cheeky groomsmen photos at the start to the last quiet portraits in the grove.

The gallery
A diamond engagement ring and wedding band nestled on blush roses and tiny white blooms before the ceremony
Matt fastens his cuff beside white plantation shutters, his reflection caught in a tall mirror as he gets ready
Matt in an oatmeal jacket and dusty blue bow tie looks straight down the lens beside white shutters
Matt and his groomsmen relax on a white outdoor sofa with beers, an inflatable pool and a blue cooler beside them
Matt and three groomsmen in pale jackets and navy trousers laugh over beers under palm fronds in the backyard
A laughing groomsman gives Matt a playful shove under the palms as both crack up in pale jackets and bow ties
Matt busts out a dance move while a groomsman claps along beside palms and spiky orange flowers
A blond groomsman strikes a pose with a hand on Matt's shoulder as Matt laughs with his hands on his hips
A tall blond groomsman wraps an arm around Matt's shoulders as they grin together in the leafy backyard
Matt and a dark haired groomsman stand arm in arm in pale jackets, navy trousers and woven tan shoes
Matt shakes hands with a dark haired groomsman, both laughing in matching pale jackets and blue bow ties
Celeste in navy pyjamas and a Bride To Be sash stands barefoot with her bridesmaids in black satin robes
Three bridesmaids in dusty blue fasten Celeste's lace gown by the window, one kneeling to fan out the train
A bridesmaid buckles Celeste's nude block heel sandals as the scalloped lace train spills across the carpet
Celeste glances back over her shoulder with a smile as her long veil drifts across the frame by sheer curtains
Celeste smiles to the side from a grey tufted armchair, holding her blush rose bouquet with her veil falling behind
Celeste looks down and touches her bouquet of blush roses, white blooms and silvery greenery
A wide view of Celeste in a grey tufted armchair by tall sheer curtains, her lace train and veil across the floor
Celeste gazes out the window from a grey wingback chair, bouquet in her lap and veil draped over the arm
Celeste stands between three bridesmaids in dusty blue, each holding a lush bouquet of blush roses and greenery
Celeste laughs with her bridesmaids while blush roses blur softly across the front of the frame
Celeste beside a bridesmaid with shoulder length hair in a dusty blue halter dress, both holding bouquets by the window
Celeste and a blonde bridesmaid in dusty blue stand side by side with their bouquets against sheer white curtains
Celeste and a bridesmaid with long wavy hair pose with their bouquets, the lace train curling onto the carpet
Celeste sweeps her long veil out to one side, bouquet in hand, standing in soft window light
Celeste and her dad share a smile under the trees at Mt Duneed Estate as a warm breeze lifts her hair
Her dad walks Celeste down a grass aisle toward the olive grove ceremony, guests standing by their chairs at the rural winery
Celeste and Matt hold hands under a timber arbour dressed in blush roses, olive rows opening behind them at Mt Duneed Estate, Waurn Ponds
Celeste and Matt walk back up the grass aisle hand in hand, laughing after their country winery ceremony
Every guest throws their arms in the air for one big group shot among the olive trees at Mount Duneed Estate
Celeste and Matt with her dad, a woman in a print dress and a girl in blue, in the olive grove of a country vineyard
Six family members line up on the grass between long olive rows at Mount Duneed Estate near Geelong
Her dad, Matt, Celeste and a woman in a champagne lace top pose in the dappled shade of the rural winery
Celeste and Matt with a woman in coral and a man in a dark suit, shaded by the olive grove of the country estate
Two young men in suits, a woman in champagne lace and a blonde bridesmaid join the couple on the vineyard estate
A family group of eight gathers with Celeste and Matt in the olive rows at Mt Duneed Estate, her dad among them
Two little ones on hips join Celeste, Matt and family for a portrait in the olive grove of the country winery
Matt and Celeste with a blonde bridesmaid and a young man in a blue check blazer at Mt Duneed Estate, Waurn Ponds
Matt and Celeste with a blonde bridesmaid and a woman in champagne lace, olive trees and dry country grass behind them
Arm in arm and laughing, the bridal party strides through the vineyard estate's olive rows in dusty blue and pale jackets
Celeste sends a champagne cork flying beside a wine barrel and empty ceremony chairs at the Mount Duneed Estate winery
Celeste and Matt kiss as a groomsman gathers up her lace train and two others hug down a long olive row on the rural vineyard
Matt and Celeste with three bridesmaids in dusty blue holding bouquets under the olive trees at Mount Duneed Estate near Geelong
Celeste laughs out loud as she and Matt stride hand in hand down a dry row of the rural winery's olive grove
Matt grins and Celeste laughs as they walk hand in hand between the olive rows at Mt Duneed Estate
Celeste raises her bouquet high in the air, holding Matt's hand in a sunlit country olive grove
Celeste and Matt walk away hand in hand down a long olive row at Mount Duneed Estate, her veil trailing on dry grass
Celeste and Matt share a kiss between two lines of olive trees, her veil trailing across the dry grass of the country vineyard
Celeste and Matt touch foreheads in the olive grove at Mt Duneed Estate, Waurn Ponds, her veil pooling on the grass
Matt and Celeste smile together in the olive rows of the rural vineyard estate, her bouquet held low at her side
Celeste and Matt walk with arms around each other into the olive trees at Mount Duneed Estate near Geelong, her long veil sweeping behind
Celeste smiles up at Matt as they walk hand in hand along a sandy track at the country winery, her veil lifting in the breeze
Celeste and Matt kiss on a sandy path through the olive grove at Mt Duneed Estate, the breeze sweeping her veil sideways
Celeste and Matt rest forehead to forehead beneath her sheer veil, soft hazy light filling the frame at the country vineyard estate
The wedding story

Our Mt Duneed Estate wedding photos: a walk with her dad, an arbour in the olive grove and a veil in the breeze

Getting ready at home · Olive grove ceremony under a timber arbour · Arms up for the whole crowd · Champagne by the wine barrel · Olive row portraits · Reception at Mt Duneed Estate

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Rings on the bouquet

Our day with Celeste and Matt started small: their rings resting on a nest of pale roses and tiny white blooms, a detail we shoot early while the flowers are fresh and before anyone picks them up. Then we found Matt in front of a wall of white plantation shutters, fixing a cuff with a mirror beside him and his oatmeal jacket already on. Shutters are a lovely tool for groom portraits: they soften the daylight and add clean lines without any clutter. He gave us one serious look straight down the lens, then grinned.

Beers under the palms

Out the back, Matt and his groomsmen settled onto an outdoor sofa with a beer each, all in pale jackets, navy trousers and blue bow ties, with an inflatable pool and a cooler parked on the grass beside them. Summer weddings come with props like that, and we love them. Then the boys went full comedy under the palm fronds: dance moves, slow claps, arms over shoulders and plenty of shoving. Bright midday sun is hard on faces, so we kept them in the open shade of the garden, where skin stays even and eyes stay open.

Bride to be in navy

Celeste and her girls lined up barefoot in front of sheer white curtains, the bridesmaids in black robes and Celeste in navy pyjamas with a white Bride To Be sash across the front. Then the lace gown went on, and three bridesmaids worked on it together, one at the laces, one smoothing the bodice and one kneeling to fan out the train. A pair of hands buckled her nude block heel sandals while the lace spilled across the carpet. We stood back for that one, because the shape of a train on the floor tells half the story.

Sheer curtains, soft light

Those curtains did a lot of work for us. Sheer white fabric over a big window turns harsh summer sun into a soft, even glow, and Celeste looked beautiful in it. We sat her in a grey tufted armchair with her bouquet of blush roses and greenery, let the long veil fall around her, and stepped back for a wide frame that shows the whole room and the train. Then her bridesmaids joined her in dusty blue, bouquets together, laughing so hard at one point that we moved in close and let the roses blur across the front of the frame.

Her dad and the grass aisle

At the estate, Celeste stepped out with her dad beside the olive trees, and a warm gust lifted her hair as they looked at each other and laughed. We love a breeze on a wedding day, because it brings movement nothing else can. Then they set off down a grass aisle lined with timber chairs and guests on their feet, her long veil trailing behind. We stayed behind them for that frame on purpose: from the back you see the whole aisle, the guests turning, and the place she is walking into.

Vows under the arbour

Matt waited under a timber arbour dressed with blush roses and greenery, set where a row of olive trees opens up, so the grove ran away behind them like a hallway. It gave us clean backgrounds from every angle, with a bridesmaid in dusty blue on one side and a groomsman on the other. A planning tip: an arbour set against a tree row frames the couple without any extra styling. When it was done they came back up the aisle hand in hand, Celeste turning to look at Matt mid stride, both of them beaming.

Arms up in the grove

Before anyone drifted off, we gathered every guest among the olive trees for one big group photo, and on our call every arm went up at once. That frame takes two minutes and often becomes the most shared in a gallery. Then we worked through family groups of every size under the trees, little ones on hips included, while the dappled shade kept faces soft. Olive trees are ideal for group photos: their canopies are low and silvery, so they block the high sun without throwing the deep, patchy shadows you get from tall gums.

Champagne by the barrel

Then came the moment the bridal party had clearly been waiting for. Beside a wine barrel and the empty ceremony chairs, Celeste and Matt popped a bottle of champagne and sprayed it across the lawn while the groomsmen and bridesmaids cheered with phones up. We stayed wide so the barrel, the chairs and the whole line of friends sat in the frame. Afterwards the groomsmen piled in around the couple, one of them gathering up Celeste’s train, and Matt took his turn in the middle of the bridesmaids in their dusty blue dresses.

Olive rows and a veil

For portraits we walked them down the long, dry rows of the olive grove, hand in hand, Celeste lifting her bouquet high in the air at one point. Some of our favourite Mt Duneed Estate wedding photos come from these rows: shooting straight down a row gives a natural vanishing line, and the trees on both sides frame the couple without us moving a thing. The breeze kept taking her veil sideways, so we let it, and finished under it with the two of them forehead to forehead. Then it was on to the reception and a night with everyone they love.

Photographer's venue notes

Mt Duneed Estate, Waurn Ponds: an olive grove aisle, champagne by a barrel and portraits in the rows

Read the venue notes

Everything in the olive grove

Once Celeste and Matt reached the estate, the olive grove became our whole world. Her walk with her dad started beside the trees, the grass aisle of timber chairs led into the grove, and the arbour stood where a row opens out. Straight after the vows we stayed among the same trees for the big crowd shot and every family group, then the bridal party wandered the rows with us before the couple headed off to their reception.

Summer sun and a warm breeze

It was a bright summer day with dry grass between the rows and a warm breeze that never really stopped. Rather than fight it, we used it: Celeste’s veil kept lifting sideways, and her hair moved in almost every frame among the trees. The olive canopies sat low enough to take the edge off the sun for the groups, and later the light turned soft and hazy for those final forehead to forehead portraits beneath her veil.

Why the rows worked

Olive rows give you two things at once: a long line that pulls the eye to the couple, and silvery trees on each side that keep the frame clean. We stood at the end of a row for the walking shots and let Celeste and Matt come towards us or stroll away, her veil trailing on the grass. The sandy path through the grove gave us a lighter ground for the windswept kiss, and the wine barrel beside the empty chairs set up the champagne spray.

Tips for a grove wedding

Plan a champagne moment between the groups and the portraits, while the chairs are still out and the bridal party is buzzing; a barrel and the empty rows make an instant set. Choose a veil you are happy to see blow about, because on an open estate in summer it will, and the movement is half the magic. Because the grove doubles as your group location, family photos can keep moving quickly with nobody walking far between spots.

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