Olinda Tea House wedding photos: Jasmine and Ben sit close inside a carved timber garden pavilion framed by a round wooden arch, Dandenong Ranges
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Real mountain wedding · Olinda, Melbourne

Olinda Tea House Wedding Photos: Jasmine & Ben

Olinda Tea House · 86A Olinda-Monbulk Rd, Olinda VIC · Melbourne

Garden Wedding · Mountain Wedding · Rainforest Wedding · Region: VIC - Dandenong Ranges · City: Melbourne · Venue: Olinda Tea House

Sunflowers tied along a timber deck, a cloud of bubbles over the first kiss and a pair of alpacas wandering up to the fence for a look at the bride. Jasmine and Ben’s wedding at Olinda Tea House kept the whole day on one leafy Dandenong Ranges property, from vows above the forest to portraits by the pagoda and the curved rammed earth wall. Then came laughter, speeches and a slow dance behind the big glass doors, and we loved being part of all of it.

The gallery
Jasmine winks beside her dad in the forecourt, sunflower and white rose bouquet in hand, before her Dandenong Ranges garden wedding.
Jasmine smiles up at her dad as he hugs her close, the rainforest canopy soft behind them.
Jasmine with her bridesmaids in fuchsia and champagne and three young girls in white and mint holding little flower baskets.
Flower girls lead the bridesmaids, Jasmine and her dad past the curved rammed earth wall of Olinda Tea House.
Ben waits by the sunflower railing with his groomsman and a man holding a folder, rainforest rising behind the deck.
Guests seated on the timber deck smile for the camera while a guitarist plays behind them at the mountain wedding.
Older guests in a bow tie and cream lace sit with young women on the deck as the garden ceremony gathers.
Guests stand and turn as Jasmine reaches the top of the aisle with her dad at Olinda Tea House in the Dandenong Ranges.
Jasmine and Ben hold hands at the deck railing, framed between two guests with the forest glowing behind.
Jasmine reads her vows from a card on the mountain deck as Ben grins and a bridesmaid in fuchsia covers her face.
Ben and Jasmine hold hands and smile at each other during their rainforest ceremony on the covered deck.
An older guest in a purple waistcoat and bow tie watches the vows, Dandenong Ranges forest beyond the deck posts.
Ben slides a ring onto Jasmine's finger at their garden ceremony, rainforest green beyond the railing.
Jasmine places a ring on Ben's finger beside sunflowers on the railing, the mountain forest soft behind them.
A guest in a blue floral dress holds Jasmine's sunflower bouquet as family watch from timber chairs on the deck in the Dandenongs.
Jasmine throws her arms around Ben's neck as the ceremony ends on the deck at the Teahouse, rainforest behind them.
An older guest in a black suit and bow tie shakes Ben's hand after the vows, both beaming beside a hedge in the gardens.
Guests crowd the round end of the deck behind Jasmine and Ben for a big group frame at Olinda Tea House & Restaurant.
Guests blow bubbles as Jasmine and Ben kiss in front of the crowd, the rainforest canopy behind them.
Jasmine and Ben grin at each other through drifting bubbles while a boy blows more at their mountain wedding.
Jasmine and Ben's hands with their new rings rest on the signed certificate beside the sunflower bouquet in the garden pavilion.
Jasmine and Ben sit side by side at the timber signing table in the garden pavilion at Olinda Tea House.
A groomsman and a bridesmaid in fuchsia join Jasmine and Ben at the signing table, the gardens green behind them.
Jasmine and Ben sit inside the timber pavilion at the Teahouse, framed by a big round archway with rainforest beyond.
Jasmine and Ben with two older couples on the deck for family photos at their garden wedding.
Jasmine hugs her bridesmaid in fuchsia beside sunflowers on the railing, rainforest trees soft behind them.
Jasmine and Ben with an older man in a purple waistcoat and an older woman in cream on the deck in the Dandenong Ranges.
Jasmine leans cheek to cheek with her bridesmaid in champagne satin and pearls, the bouquet held between them.
Jasmine and Ben stand with the older pair in purple and cream between sunflower railings, mountain rainforest behind.
Jasmine and Ben with family, her dad in a floral shirt among them, on the deck at Olinda Tea House in the Dandenong Ranges.
Jasmine and Ben smile with her dad, a woman in dusty pink and an older pair for garden wedding family photos.
Jasmine and Ben with a girl in a mint dress and her dad between posts tied with sunflowers, the rainforest behind.
Jasmine stands between Ben and her dad on a Dandenong Ranges deck lined with sunflowers.
The full bridal party in fuchsia, champagne, grey and white lines up on the deck at Olinda Tea House & Restaurant.
Jasmine and Ben with a guest in a dusty pink satin halter dress, sunlight striping the deck and the forest bright behind.
Jasmine and Ben smile with the guest in dusty pink between sunflower posts at their Dandenong Ranges wedding.
Jasmine and Ben with a young man in a black suit, the guest in dusty pink and the bridesmaid in champagne at their rainforest wedding.
Jasmine and Ben with her bridesmaid in fuchsia, sun striping the timber deck high in the Dandenongs.
Jasmine and Ben with a boy in a blue shirt, a flower girl in a flower crown and the guest in dusty pink, rainforest behind.
Family and friends gather around Jasmine and Ben on the deck, Dandenong Ranges forest rising behind them.
Family and friends line up with Jasmine and Ben on the timber deck at Olinda Tea House, tall trees soaring behind.
Jasmine and Ben with a bearded groomsman in a matching grey suit and red tie for garden wedding portraits on the deck.
Ben and his groomsman laugh at each other in matching grey suits and red ties beside the sunflowers at the mountain wedding.
Jasmine and Ben with the groomsman and a woman in a floral print dress, the rainforest green behind them.
Jasmine stands between a guest in a dark floral dress and her bridesmaid in champagne, all three smiling high in the ranges.
Jasmine and Ben with a family of four between sunflower posts, sun haze over the rainforest at the Teahouse.
Jasmine laughs as the guest in dark florals and her bridesmaid in champagne turn to her during garden portraits in hazy sunlight.
Jasmine and Ben with a family of four, a boy giving a thumbs up beside the sunflowers at their garden wedding.
Family and friends crowd around Jasmine and Ben on the deck, two boys in matching checked shirts in front, tall rainforest behind.
Extended family stand in a long row with Jasmine and Ben on the deck at Olinda Tea House in the Dandenong Ranges.
Jasmine with a guest in a black dress and a red haired guest in a patterned maxi dress, rainforest trees behind.
Jasmine and Ben with an older man in a black suit and an older woman in black and white florals, mountain forest behind.
The whole extended family gathers on the deck around Jasmine and Ben for one wide group frame at their garden wedding.
Jasmine sits inside the hexagonal pagoda with its tiled roof while Ben leans on a post at Olinda Tea House.
Jasmine gazes up at Ben as he smiles down, his arm around her, soft Dandenong Ranges greenery behind them.
Jasmine and Ben stand hand in hand on the gravel path before the pagoda in the gardens of Olinda Tea House & Restaurant.
Jasmine and Ben look back smiling as they walk the gravel garden path hand in hand, a fern frond at the edge.
Jasmine looks up at Ben as they hold hands beside a timber bench in the leafy Dandenong Ranges gardens.
Jasmine closes her eyes as Ben leans in nose to nose inside the pagoda, glossy garden leaves behind them.
Jasmine smiles at Ben as they sit close inside the pagoda in rainforest shade, his rose buttonhole bright against grey.
Jasmine's hand, her ring set with a deep red stone, rests on Ben's hand and his plain band on his knee.
Jasmine and Ben smile at each other, seated close in the pagoda during their garden portraits.
Jasmine and Ben rest their foreheads together, eyes closed and smiling, in the pagoda's shade high in the Dandenong Ranges.
Jasmine and Ben kiss between tall hedges during garden portraits, framed through soft green leaves.
Jasmine and Ben stand nose to nose holding hands on a leafy path between dark green hedges in the gardens.
Jasmine and Ben kiss on the gravel path between tall hedges and old tree trunks at the Teahouse.
Jasmine and Ben stand hand in hand on the hedge path, smiling at the camera in rainforest shade.
Jasmine and Ben look back over their shoulders at the camera among glossy hedges in the gardens.
Jasmine and Ben walk hand in hand along a grassy path beside the post and wire fence at Olinda Tea House in the Dandenong Ranges.
Jasmine smiles up at Ben by the paddock fence, flowers tucked in her hair, the rainforest bright behind them.
Ben twirls Jasmine on the dirt path by the fence, her sequinned gown swirling under tall mountain trees.
Jasmine and Ben watch two white alpacas wander up to the paddock fence below the rainforest at Olinda Tea House.
Ben reaches over the fence to a pale pony as Jasmine leans down, two alpacas behind in the mountain paddock.
Jasmine looks back over her shoulder with Ben on the gravel path beside a big leafy shrub in the Dandenong Ranges gardens.
Jasmine and Ben walk hand in hand across the sunlit lawn at Olinda Tea House & Restaurant, the pagoda and forest behind them.
Jasmine and Ben embrace in front of the venue's name on the curved rammed earth wall at their mountain wedding.
Jasmine and Ben embrace on a little timber bridge before the rammed earth wall of Olinda Tea House in the Dandenong Ranges.
In black and white, Jasmine and Ben embrace on the little bridge, branches framing the curved wall and the rainforest.
Jasmine and Ben hug and smile at the camera on a gravel path between big leafy shrubs at their garden wedding.
Jasmine and Ben embrace beneath the Olinda Tea House lettering on the rammed earth wall, pink flowers blurred in front.
Jasmine and Ben stand nose to nose as sunlight filters through the rainforest, alpacas grazing behind the fence.
In black and white, Jasmine and Ben stand nose to nose in hazy mountain light, alpacas grazing by the fence behind.
Ben waits alone at the timber stair railing outside the frosted glass doors of the Teahouse, rainforest leaves framing the view.
Ben leans on the deck stair rail with a half smile, the lawn, paddock and tall Dandenong Ranges forest behind him.
Jasmine walks across the lawn lifting her sequinned gown, a tall clipped hedge behind her in the gardens.
Jasmine smiles with her eyes closed against a wall of variegated leaves, a garden portrait showing the open back of her gown.
Jasmine and Ben hold hands walking past a huge clipped hedge wall at Olinda Tea House & Restaurant.
Jasmine stands behind Ben and his groomsman at the rainforest wedding reception, arms around them both, all three smiling.
Jasmine laughs and leans into Ben at the top table of the mountain reception, her bridesmaid in fuchsia beside her.
An older guest in a purple waistcoat gives a speech before tall glass doors at Olinda Tea House in the Dandenong Ranges.
An older guest in cream with a gold necklace smiles during the speeches at the mountain wedding reception.
Jasmine and Ben hold hands and smile at the top table as the speeches go on at their rainforest wedding.
A guest in dusty pink reads a speech beside an older man in a black suit before the glass doors at Olinda Tea House.
Jasmine and Ben dance with foreheads together under warm light, her arms wrapped around his neck at their Dandenong Ranges wedding.
The wedding story

Our Olinda Tea House wedding photos: sunflowers on the deck, a cloud of bubbles and alpacas at the fence

Arrival at the Tea House · Vows on the timber deck · Signing in the garden pavilion · Pagoda and hedge path portraits · Alpacas and the rammed earth wall · Speeches behind the glass

Read the full story

Sunflowers in the forecourt

Our day began in the forecourt at Olinda Tea House, where Jasmine stood with her dad under tall trees, her bouquet a bright burst of sunflowers, white roses and silvery leaves. He had an arm around her and the two of them could not stop laughing, which is exactly the mood we hope for before an aisle. The bridesmaids and flower girls gathered in close, the youngest in white with little baskets on their arms. The light under the canopy was soft and even, kind to faces, so we could work anywhere without chasing shade.

Past the rammed earth wall

The flower girls led the way past the long curved rammed earth wall with the Tea House name across it, the bridesmaids following in fuchsia and soft champagne pink. Out on the covered timber deck Ben waited in a grey three piece suit and red tie, sunflowers tied along the railings and the forest falling away behind him. Guests filled the timber chairs under the roof. Then Jasmine appeared on her dad’s arm at the top of the aisle and every head turned. We stood ahead of the procession so we could catch both the entrance and the faces watching it.

Vows on the timber deck

Jasmine read her vows from a card, Ben listening with a grin he could not hide, while a bridesmaid in fuchsia pressed a hand to her face. They held hands for the rest of the ceremony, then exchanged rings with the sunflowers glowing on the rail beside them. A covered deck is a lovely place to marry: the roof keeps faces in open shade while the trees behind stay bright and green. We exposed for faces and let the forest fall a little light, which keeps skin tones true and the background airy rather than heavy.

A cloud of bubbles

When the kiss came, Jasmine threw her arms around Ben’s neck and the deck erupted. An older guest in a tuxedo was first in to shake Ben’s hand, beaming. Then everyone crowded onto the round end of the deck for one big group frame, and we climbed up high to fit them all in, faces lifted towards the lens. As the couple kissed again in front of the crowd, guests blew bubbles that drifted across the whole scene. Bubbles are a great idea for a confetti moment: cheap, cheerful, no clean up and they catch the light beautifully.

Signing in the garden pavilion

The signing moved into a timber pavilion in the garden, with a big round archway framing the table. A groomsman and a bridesmaid joined Jasmine and Ben to sign, and we leaned in close for the details: their joined hands, the new rings and the certificate beside a sunflower. Then we stepped back so the round archway could do the framing work, with the two of them sitting side by side at the timber table and the bouquet resting on top. A structure like this gives a signing photo real character, so it is worth asking where the table will be set.

Family along the railings

Family and group photos stayed right on the deck, with the sunflower railings and the forest canopy as a backdrop for every combination. Older family members in their finest, teenagers, little ones in bow ties and the full bridal party in fuchsia, champagne and grey all took their turn, finishing with one wide frame of the whole extended family. We like groups in a spot like this: no one has to walk anywhere, the roof edge gives open shade, and the trees behind look the same in every frame. Bring a written list of groups and a helper who knows everyone.

The pagoda and hedge paths

Portraits began at a hexagonal pagoda with a tiled roof, Jasmine seated inside in her beaded cap sleeve gown and Ben standing beside her. Inside it they leaned in, foreheads touching, and we caught the light catching her new ring as she rested a hand on his knee. Then we wandered the gravel paths between tall hedges, where we shot through the leaves to frame them with soft green blur. These are our favourite Olinda Tea House wedding photos for colour: the deep greens around them make the white gown and Ben’s red tie sing.

Alpacas and a twirl

Along the post and wire fence Ben spun Jasmine into a twirl, and then the locals arrived: two alpacas and a miniature pony strolled up to the fence to inspect the bride. Jasmine leaned down to say hello while Ben reached over for a pat. Later, with the sun low and filtering through the trees, we caught them kissing with the alpacas grazing behind, and kept one of those frames in black and white. We finished at the rammed earth wall with the venue’s name, pink flowers in the foreground and the two of them wrapped in a quiet embrace in the warm light.

Speeches behind the glass

Ben took a quiet moment of his own by the deck stairs, and Jasmine took her own turn walking across the lawn. Inside, the reception room opened onto the deck through floor to ceiling glass doors. Ben and a groomsman were in fits at the table while Jasmine wrapped her arms around them both. Speeches came with the forest glowing outside the glass, an older guest laughing at every line, and the couple holding hands at the table. Then came a slow dance under warm light, foreheads together, the perfect close to a day full of smiles.

Photographer's venue notes

Olinda Tea House, Olinda: vows on the sunflower deck and a late visit to the alpacas at the paddock fence

Read the venue notes

Deck, pavilion and gardens

Jasmine and Ben kept every part of their day within an easy stroll. The procession came past the curved rammed earth wall and out onto the covered timber deck for the vows, then the signing moved across to the timber pavilion with its round archway. Family groups went straight back onto the deck, portraits wandered out through the pagoda, the hedge paths and the paddock fence, and the night finished in the reception room behind the tall glass doors. Nobody needed a car all day, so every spare minute went back to the guests.

How the forest light behaved

Under the tall canopy the light stayed soft for most of the afternoon, which made the forecourt and the deck easy places to work. As the day went on, sun began to slip through gaps in the trees and lay bright stripes across the deck boards during the family groups, with a gentle haze over the forest behind. By the time we reached the paddock the sun was low and filtering sideways through the trunks, the warmest light of the whole day, and it suited the rammed earth wall beautifully.

Where we stood for this couple

For the pagoda we worked from the gravel path so the tiled roof and posts framed Jasmine seated inside, then stepped in close once Ben sat down beside her. Between the hedges we shot through the leaves, letting the nearest branches melt into a green wash at the edge of the frame. At the fence we kept low and quiet, because the alpacas and the pony came over in their own time. The little timber bridge in front of the rammed earth wall gave us one last layered frame, with branches across the foreground.

Tips for a similar day

Leave the paddock fence until late, when the sun sits low behind the trees, and give the animals an unhurried few minutes rather than a quick stop. If bright stripes start crossing the deck during groups, a step back under the roof line evens out every face. A beaded or sequinned gown glows against the deep green of the hedges, so ask for a few minutes on those paths. And keep a moment for each of you alone, the way Ben took his by the deck stairs while Jasmine crossed the lawn.

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