Goblets and red proteas
Kathy’s morning started at Serenity Healesville, with the bridesmaids in navy pyjamas, Kathy in white, fluffy slippers all round and green goblets with a strawberry perched on each one. We caught them together on the gravel path outside, grinning in the soft shade of the trees. Then the details: the ring resting on the invitation beside red roses and an orange bloom, and Kathy’s hand on a bouquet of proteas, red roses, gum leaves and gumnuts. Deep reds like these photograph best out of direct sun, so we kept every detail frame in open shade.
A pale blue jacket
Meanwhile Kyle was doing up his cuffs in a pale blue jacket, dark waistcoat and green tie, standing beside tall curtains where the window light fell softly across his face. He turned towards the glass and broke into a grin. Then the groomsmen crowded in, all in matching blue jackets, and the glasses came up for a toast that ended with one of them doubled over laughing. Window light is a groom’s best friend: one soft source from the side, no flash, and every bit of texture in the jacket shows up.
A silver convertible
Outside, a silver vintage convertible was parked in front of the homestead’s steep bluestone gables, and the groomsmen leant against it like they had owned it for years, one pointing a bottle off into the distance. We shot the first frames with the sun just above them for a touch of flare, then turned everyone around so the hills sat behind the car. When a car joins the photo, we keep it low and to one side of the frame, so it adds style without ever stealing attention from the faces.
Pink velvet and a big bouquet
Back with Kathy, the gown was on: off the shoulder, lace all the way to a long train, with a little crown of flowers tucked into her braid. She sat on a pink velvet sofa beside a dark timber stair rail, her bouquet spilling across her lap, and the bridesmaids squeezed onto the bed around her in navy, each holding her own armful of proteas. A loved one and a bridesmaid leant in to kiss her cheeks at the same moment, and Kathy could not stop laughing. She finished with a quiet minute on the window seat.
A hug at the arbour
The ceremony was set on the lawn under festoon lights, with timber benches, wine barrels and a timber arbour draped in white and topped with red flowers, the hills of the valley right behind it. The bridesmaids came down the grass one at a time in navy, then Kathy’s dad walked her in. When they reached the arbour he wrapped Kyle in a long hug, and Kyle’s face said everything. We stood just off the aisle for that one, close enough to read the emotion and wide enough to keep Kathy in the frame.
Vows and a lot of laughter
Kathy and Kyle read their vows into a microphone, and the benches kept bursting into laughter. An older couple near the front were in fits, and the rows behind them were not much better. They sealed it with a kiss under the arbour as the guests clapped, then signed the register at a white iron table on the grass with the bridesmaids and groomsmen lined up on either side. The afternoon light on this hilltop lawn was clean and even, so the valley stayed crisp behind them in every frame.
Groups with the valley behind
Everyone squeezed in for one big group photo on the lawn with the ranges behind, then we worked through the family groups at the arbour, a wine barrel of flowers framing each side. The bridesmaids threw their bouquets in the air with a leg kicked high, and the groomsmen gathered round while Kyle swept Kathy off her feet. Up by the verandah, the groomsmen and a few guests laughed so hard beside a giant four in a row game that drinks nearly went flying. A written family list keeps that whole section short and cheerful.
Willows and a golden paddock
As the sun dropped we walked Kathy and Kyle down a rough farm track under the willows, where puddles sat in the tyre ruts and Kyle simply carried her across. Beyond the trees the paddock was glowing. We put the sun behind them for a rim of light on Kathy’s hair and lace, and they danced, kissed and shared a sip from their glasses while the hills went soft and gold. These are the Riverstone Estate wedding photos we would build a whole timeline around, and in autumn that window is short.
Fairy lights on the verandah
The night carried on at the homestead, and for the first dance we found Kathy and Kyle on the covered verandah, strings of blue fairy lights twinkling behind the glass and warm festoon bulbs overhead. They stood back to back for a moment, hands linked, before turning to dance. We placed a single light behind them so the edges of Kathy’s lace and hair glowed against the dark, then finished close in on the two of them laughing, foreheads almost touching, with the whole reception carrying on around them.
