Blush tulle in the window
Skye’s gown was hanging in the bay window, the light pouring through soft blush tulle, while a bridesmaid in a floral dress sat on the pink velvet sofa below it with a glass of bubbles. Once the dress was on, we used a tall mirror to show off the lace back, and a loved one knelt to buckle Skye’s metallic sandals beside the dark timber stair rail. Then Skye sat on the edge of the bed with her veil down and her bouquet of blush roses and soft blue flowers in her lap, all smiles.
Groomsmen at the window seat
Kane had a bright room of his own with a deep window seat and sheer curtains, and he sat there reading a card before the groomsmen piled in. Navy suits, patterned ties, pocket squares, and not one of them able to stand still: arms round shoulders, a pulled face, a squeeze for the camera. White curtains behind a group act like a giant soft box, so even backlit faces stay clean and bright. We finished with a calm portrait of Kane on the window seat, hands clasped, looking straight down the lens.
Every shade of blue
The bridesmaids wore their own shades of blue, from steel to teal to navy, one in a beaded dress and another with bright pink and blue hair, and they squeezed onto the bed around Skye with their posies. We photographed each of them with Skye in front of a mirrored panel and a potted fig, an easy corner that gives a clean background without moving a stick of furniture. Then Skye’s dad came in. He bent to kiss her hand, and she leant her head against his shoulder, laughing.
Across the lawn with her dad
The ceremony lawn sits on the brow of the hill, with festoon lights strung overhead, wine barrels at the edges and the hills of the Yarra Valley rolling away behind the guests. Skye’s dad walked her across the grass, her veil and long train trailing behind her. Big clouds were moving over the ranges that afternoon, and they did us a favour: a bright overcast sky is kinder to faces than full sun, and it gives the mountains shape instead of haze. Skye and Kane signed the register at a white iron table with the valley behind them.
Every hand in the air
Walking back up the aisle, Skye threw her head back laughing as guests reached in from both sides to touch their arms and clap. Then we gathered everyone on the lawn for one big group photo, and on the count of three every hand went up. Family groups followed on the grass beside the wine barrels, older relatives and little ones included, and Skye and Kane clinked glasses with the hills behind them. At Riverstone we shoot family groups wide and slightly from above, so the valley fills the whole background.
Down the dirt track
The groomsmen lined up on the lawn with their hands in their pockets, the bridesmaids swirled around Skye, and then we took the two of them away on their own. A dirt track runs down from the hill through long grass and trees, and it gave them privacy only a few minutes from their guests. Skye and Kane held each other close in the grass, then walked off together while we pulled right back for a wide frame. These are the Riverstone Estate wedding photos that feel like a farm, not a function.
Vines, little ones and a veil
Among the vines, Skye sat on the grass with the flower girl and two little boys in ties, and all three of them wrapped around her at once. Kane had a portrait of his own between the rows, and Skye had one on the freshly striped lawn. To finish, we brought them in close and lifted her veil over both of them, letting warm late light glow through the tulle as Kane kissed her forehead. Then it was back up the hill for the reception and the rest of their evening at Riverstone.
