Rippon Lea Estate wedding photos: Cydnee and Darren stand among potted plants on patterned tiles inside the arched glass conservatory in Melbourne
Home/Weddings/Rippon Lea Estate, Elsternwick
Real heritage wedding · Elsternwick, Melbourne

Rippon Lea Estate Wedding Photos: Cydnee & Darren

Rippon Lea Estate · 192 Hotham St, Elsternwick VIC · Melbourne

Garden Wedding · Heritage & Historic Venue Wedding · City: Melbourne · Venue: Rippon Lea Estate

A blush pink gown in the morning, a ring of white paper flowers on the Central Lawn and a cathedral veil trailing down a carved timber staircase. Cydnee and Darren’s wedding at Rippon Lea Estate in Elsternwick had a bit of everything: soft grey skies for the vows, a glass conservatory full of plants, a sparkling trio in the ballroom and a dance floor spinning with colour before the night portraits. We were with them from the first bow tie to the last kiss in the dark.

The gallery
Darren and two groomsmen in black tie and bow ties stand smiling in front of a big bright window before the wedding.
A tall bearded groomsman wraps Darren in a hug by the window, both grinning in matching black tuxedos.
Darren stands shoulder to shoulder with a groomsman in black tie, smiling beside a bright window.
Darren folds his arms and smiles in his black tuxedo and satin bow tie against a plain white wall.
In black and white, Darren stands with arms folded in his tuxedo, a relaxed groom portrait against a pale wall.
Darren sits in a pale patterned armchair beside a sliding glass door, gazing out in soft window light.
Darren relaxes in the armchair by the glass door with his legs crossed, in black and white window light.
Darren smiles and looks toward the window, seated in his tuxedo with a drum kit softly blurred behind.
A close black and white portrait of Darren seated by the curtains, smiling sideways in his bow tie.
Silver crystal and pearl jewellery, a jewelled hair comb and a chain headpiece laid on black velvet around the wedding invitation.
Cydnee in a blush pink embroidered gown and silver jewellery stands with a bridesmaid in dusty blue against floral wallpaper.
Cydnee and a bridesmaid in a dusty blue gown smile at each other in front of bird and rose wallpaper.
Cydnee smiles down in a silver chain headpiece and drop earrings, her blush pink sleeve covered in silver embroidery.
Cydnee looks back over her shoulder, the full blush pink skirt and sheer drape falling behind her in the bedroom.
Cydnee swirls her blush pink skirt and sheer drape, laughing in front of pale blue floral wallpaper.
Cydnee peeks over her hands, silver hand chains, rings and stacked bangles framing her eyes.
Cydnee fastens a silver earring with her eyes lowered, stacked bangles glinting softly in the foreground.
Cydnee strikes a playful pose with one hand above her head and the other on her waist, grinning.
Cydnee frames her smile with her bangled arms, silver bracelets blurring softly across the foreground.
A man in a grey waistcoat bows to kiss Cydnee's hand as she laughs in her blush pink gown.
Cydnee stands arm in arm with a white haired loved one in a red embroidered velvet jacket, both beaming.
Cydnee links arms with a loved one in a black and gold sequinned jacket beside the floral wallpaper.
Cydnee sits in a white studded wingback chair under a gilt oval mirror, looking toward the window light.
Cydnee touches a silver earring, stacked bangles and silver embroidery catching the light on her blush pink bodice.
Inside the Rippon Lea Mansion bridal suite, a bridesmaid in dusty blue pins Cydnee's hair beside a carved heritage dressing table.
In black and white, Cydnee waits very still as her bridesmaid fixes her hair in the historic bridal suite.
Cydnee lifts her hands to her hair while a bridesmaid settles the veil, getting ready for her garden ceremony.
A black and white moment of Cydnee touching her hair, a leather chesterfield and timber panelling behind her.
Her brother and a loved one watch from the doorway as a bridesmaid arranges Cydnee's veil in the bridal suite at Rippon Lea Estate.
A wide black and white view of the historic bridal suite, Cydnee's lace edged train spread across the floor beneath a chandelier.
Cydnee looks down at her long veil as a loved one in a sequinned jacket smiles, minutes before the garden wedding.
Cydnee gathers her cathedral veil in black and white while a loved one in a sequinned jacket looks on.
Two flower girls in white with blue flower crowns carry wicker baskets down the Central Lawn aisle beneath tall old trees.
Two page boys in black tie carry white ring cushions down the petal strewn aisle of the garden ceremony.
Cydnee walks on her brother's arm as two bridesmaids carry her train across the lawn below the heritage tower of Rippon Lea Estate, Elsternwick.
A bridesmaid in dusty blue walks the white aisle with a pale blue dried bouquet, the old trees of the gardens behind her.
The second bridesmaid in dusty blue walks the aisle as Cydnee follows on her brother's arm across the historic grounds.
Her brother walks Cydnee down the aisle, her face veiled and a pale blue bouquet in hand, for their garden wedding.
Darren waits at the end of the aisle, eyes shining, with his groomsmen and page boys lined up beside the paper flower arch.
Her brother hands Cydnee to Darren beside a white umbrella, guests standing on the lawn of the heritage gardens.
Both bridesmaids in dusty blue hold pale blue and white bouquets on the lawn, palms and garden beds behind them.
Cydnee and Darren hold hands inside a ring of giant white paper flowers in front of the historic Rippon Lea Mansion.
Groomsmen and page boys grin beside the paper flower arch, a tiled roof pavilion in the gardens behind them.
Guests on gold chairs smile through the garden ceremony, a woman in a teal watercolour gown beside a flower girl in a blue crown.
Darren grins as he holds Cydnee's hands, her veil soft in the foreground and the celebrant blurred behind.
Guests in black tie and dark dresses stand watching the vows beneath a white umbrella and dark garden trees.
Cydnee and Darren face each other holding hands beneath the paper flowers, the heritage verandah ironwork behind them.
A wide view of the garden ceremony on the Central Lawn, guests seated between two white umbrellas under a soft grey sky.
Cydnee laughs beneath her veil at their garden wedding, seen through the soft blur of the white paper flower arch.
Darren reads his vows into a microphone as his groomsmen smile behind him.
The groomsmen grin and laugh as Darren speaks, Cydnee's veil a soft blur in the foreground.
Cydnee and Darren kiss framed by the paper flower ring, the patterned heritage brick of Rippon Lea Estate behind them.
In black and white, the ceremony kiss inside the paper flower ring with the historic mansion facade rising behind.
Petals fly as Cydnee and Darren raise their hands walking back up the aisle at Rippon Lea House and Gardens.
Guests shower petals over a laughing Cydnee and Darren as they leave the garden ceremony, the mansion tower behind.
Darren steals a kiss halfway up the aisle, the heritage mansion tower and white umbrellas behind them.
Every guest gathers with Cydnee and Darren on the Central Lawn for one big group photo below the historic mansion.
The whole crowd waves and cheers in the all guest photo, palms and old trees of the gardens around them.
Cydnee and Darren with a loved one in a red velvet jacket for garden portraits beside a golden conifer.
A family group with her brother on the lawn at Rippon Lea House and Gardens, a stone pavilion and golden conifer behind.
A larger family group lines up with Cydnee and Darren beside a golden conifer and the small stone pavilion in the gardens.
Cydnee and Darren with a woman in a pale blue watercolour dress, a man in black tie and a flower girl on the heritage lawn.
Cydnee and Darren pose with a woman in a pale blue watercolour gown during family garden portraits by the stone pavilion.
Darren stands with a smiling woman in a pale blue watercolour dress on the wide lawn of the historic estate gardens.
Darren rests his hands on a flower girl's shoulders, both grinning on the lawn with tall garden trees behind.
The page boys and a young woman in a blue paisley dress join Cydnee and Darren in the gardens at Rippon Lea Estate, Elsternwick.
Cydnee and Darren beam beside an older man in a grey suit and striped tie on the lawn after the garden wedding.
Cydnee, Darren and the bridal party laugh as they walk across the Central Lawn past a heritage garden pavilion.
The bridal party strolls a gravel path lined with palms, ferns and ivy through the estate gardens.
Darren and Cydnee stand among potted plants on patterned heritage tiles in the arched glass conservatory at Rippon Lea Estate.
Darren kisses Cydnee's cheek under the fan window of the historic conservatory, her train spread across the tiled floor.
The bridal party lines up in the conservatory, bridesmaids in dusty blue beside groomsmen in black tie.
Cydnee looks back from the grand staircase of the Rippon Lea Mansion, her train pouring down the steps below stained glass.
In black and white, Cydnee's long train spills down the historic staircase beneath tall stained glass windows.
Darren folds his arms at the foot of the carved timber staircase as Cydnee poses above him at Rippon Lea Estate, Elsternwick.
A black and white portrait of Darren at the newel post with Cydnee on the heritage staircase above.
Darren leans over the carved balustrade to kiss Cydnee on the staircase inside Rippon Lea House and Gardens.
The staircase kiss in black and white, damask walls and a historic carved balustrade around them.
Darren takes Cydnee's hand from the stairs above as she smiles up at him on the landing at Rippon Lea Estate.
In black and white, Darren reaches down for Cydnee's hand on the heritage staircase landing, her train swirling on the floor.
Cydnee and Darren skip down a short flight of pale stone steps from the Rippon Lea Mansion into their reception.
Darren kisses Cydnee's cheek as they cut their tall white cake in front of pink lit drapes.
Three singers in beaded fringed dresses perform on the ballroom stage at Rippon Lea Estate, framed by pink lit curtains.
Cydnee in her blush pink gown dances with performers in swirling red, green and gold skirts under the heritage ballroom cornices.
Cydnee spins with her arms out as guests crowd the edge of the dance floor in the ballroom at Rippon Lea Estate, Elsternwick.
At night, Cydnee and Darren touch foreheads in a glowing stone doorway on the historic estate, eyes closed.
The same night forehead touch in black and white, lit softly from behind, a quiet close to the garden wedding.
Darren kisses Cydnee's forehead inside a weathered heritage doorway of the Rippon Lea Mansion at night, her train across the tiles.
In black and white, the forehead kiss framed by layered stone doorways, her ruffled train spread over the tiled floor.
Darren twirls Cydnee beside a stone balustrade at night, a lit glass dome of Rippon Lea House and Gardens behind them.
In black and white, Darren twirls Cydnee by the balustrade, a glass dome glowing in the heritage gardens behind.
Darren kisses Cydnee's shoulder as she gazes into the camera during violet lit night garden portraits at Rippon Lea Estate.
Darren holds Cydnee close and kisses her shoulder in black and white, a pale historic building glowing behind them.
The wedding story

Our Rippon Lea Estate wedding photos: a paper-flower ring on the Central Lawn, a train down the grand staircase and a twirl in blush pink

Getting ready in black tie and blush pink · Bridal suite at the mansion · Central Lawn ceremony · Every guest on the lawn · Conservatory and grand staircase · Ballroom reception and night portraits

Read the full story

Tuxedos by the window

We started with Darren and his groomsmen, all in black tie, lined up in a bright room with a big window behind them. It was an easy, cheerful warm up: arms folded, big grins and a bit of teasing about bow ties. Then Darren settled into a shell-patterned armchair beside a sliding door and gazed outside while we stepped back and let the window do the work. Side light from a big pane of glass is our favourite for groom portraits, because it shapes a face without any fuss. We kept one of those frames in black and white.

Silver and blush pink

At Cydnee’s, her jewellery was laid out on black velvet beside the invitation, which carried a little drawing of the Rippon Lea mansion. We always photograph details like these first, before anything gets worn. Then Cydnee stepped out in a blush pink embroidered gown, with silver jewellery and a jewelled headpiece, against a soft floral wallpaper. A bridesmaid in dusty blue laughed beside her, Cydnee swirled the skirt out for us, and an older family member bowed to kiss her hand. A loved one in a red velvet jacket joined her for a portrait, both of them beaming.

Changing in the bridal suite

Then it was on to Elsternwick, where Cydnee changed into her white gown in the bridal suite on the estate. The room is all dark timber panelling, leather chesterfields, a red carpet and a crystal chandelier, a rich frame around all those layers of tulle. A bridesmaid in dusty blue settled the long veil over her shoulders while Cydnee stood very still by the old dressing table. We shot wide first to show the room, then came in close on the veil, because a heritage interior tells everyone exactly where you are without a single sign.

Across the Central Lawn

Guests sat on gold chairs either side of a white aisle runner on the Central Lawn, with white umbrellas set up beside them. Flower girls in white led the way, scattering petals, and the bridesmaids followed in dusty blue with pale blue bouquets. Before the aisle, two bridesmaids carried Cydnee’s train across the grass with the mansion’s tower behind them, a frame we love for the sense of scale. Her brother walked her down the aisle and handed her to Darren. The sky was a soft grey, and that even light kept every face open and squint free.

Vows inside a flower ring

The ceremony arch was a big circle of oversized white paper flowers, placed so the patterned brick of the mansion filled the background. We moved behind it for a few frames and shot through the petals, letting them blur softly around Cydnee’s smile. Darren could not stop grinning, and his groomsmen were laughing right along with him. When the kiss came we were square on to the ring, with the house framed inside it. Then the petals flew as they walked back up the aisle, and Darren stole another kiss halfway along.

Every guest in one frame

Cydnee and Darren wanted one big photo with every guest on the Central Lawn, so we gathered the whole crowd straight after the ceremony with the mansion rising behind them. Doing the biggest group first is our standard advice: everyone is already there, and nobody has drifted off to the drinks yet. Then we moved to family groups in front of a golden conifer and a small stone garden pavilion, a calm backdrop for all those blues and whites. A flower girl got her own portrait with Darren, his hands on her shoulders, both of them very pleased with themselves.

Conservatory and grand staircase

For portraits we walked a garden path lined with palms and ferns, the bridal party chatting all the way. Inside the glass conservatory, with its arched roof, patterned tiles and pots of bright foliage, we lined everyone up, then gave Cydnee and Darren a quiet kiss among the plants. Then up to the grand staircase, where a stained glass window lights the landing, gold damask covers the walls and a carved timber balustrade curls all the way down. We shot from below so the train poured down the steps. It is our favourite indoor spot for Rippon Lea Estate wedding photos, rain or shine.

A trio, a cake and a twirl

The ballroom glowed in pink and amber. Three singers in sequinned, beaded dresses performed on a stage framed by pink curtains, and Cydnee and Darren came bounding down a short flight of white steps, Darren pointing the way like a showman. They cut a tall white cake in front of those pink drapes, cheek to cheek. Later Cydnee changed back into her blush pink gown and joined a troupe of dancers in swirling, colourful skirts, while guests crowded the edge of the floor and cheered. We stayed low at the edge of the floor so the skirts filled the frame as they spun.

Night portraits by the terrace

After the dancing we took Cydnee and Darren back outside. A stone doorway lit from within gave us a glowing frame for a forehead touch, one we also kept in black and white. On the terrace the garden behind them was lit in warm and violet tones, and Cydnee lifted her skirt for a little dance step as Darren twirled her. The last frames were close and quiet, the two of them wrapped together in the dark. A single small light off the camera is all a night portrait needs here, because the pale heritage walls bounce it back so softly.

Photographer's venue notes

Rippon Lea Estate, Elsternwick: paper flower vows, a staircase train and night portraits by the terrace

Read the venue notes

Moving through the estate

Cydnee arrived in her blush pink gown and changed into white in the bridal suite inside the house, so the whole afternoon stayed on the estate. The vows were on the Central Lawn with the mansion and its tower behind the flower ring. The all-guest photo and family groups followed right there, then a palm-lined garden path took the bridal party to the glass conservatory and back indoors to the grand staircase. The ballroom held the reception, and once the dancing was done we slipped outside to the terrace and a lit stone doorway.

Grey sky by day, colour at night

A soft grey sky sat over the lawn ceremony, which suited a white gown and dark tuxedos beautifully: the lace held its detail and nobody’s eyes disappeared into shadow. Inside the conservatory the glass roof gave the same gentle light, so the potted plants and patterned tiles stayed rich in colour. After dark everything flipped. The ballroom glowed pink and amber, the garden behind the terrace was lit in warm and violet tones, and a glass dome shone behind them as Darren twirled Cydnee by the balustrade.

Where the frames came from

Shooting through the paper flowers gave the ceremony a soft, layered foreground, and standing square on put the patterned brick right in the middle of the ring. For the family groups we used the golden conifer and the little stone pavilion, which kept the background quiet behind all those blue dresses. On the grand staircase, the landing window and the damask walls did the framing while Darren waited at the newel post below. At night, the stone doorway lit from inside turned into a natural frame for a forehead touch.

Tips from Cydnee and Darren’s day

Arriving in one outfit and changing on site worked well. Cydnee had her blush pink gown for the morning portraits and again for the dancing, and the bridal suite meant the white gown went on fresh, right before the aisle. Our second tip is to save a little energy for after the reception. The night portraits only took a short walk outside, and the lit garden, the dome and the terrace gave a completely different look from the grey afternoon.

Keep exploring

Rippon Lea Estate weddings

Every Veri wedding at this venue

Melbourne weddings

More real weddings across the city