Yarra Ranges Estate wedding photos: Yolanda and Matt laugh under a clear umbrella between the green vine rows in the Dandenong Ranges
Home/Weddings/Yarra Ranges Estate, Monbulk
Real winery wedding · Monbulk, Melbourne

Yarra Ranges Estate Wedding Photos: Yolanda & Matt

Yarra Ranges Estate · 39 Coulson Rd, Monbulk VIC · Melbourne

Mountain Wedding · Winery & Vineyard Wedding · Region: VIC - Dandenong Ranges · City: Melbourne · Venue: Yarra Ranges Estate

Clear umbrellas raised high in the vine rows, a walk down a red brick staircase to a rose-lined aisle and a cake cut on an old wine barrel. Yolanda and Matt’s wedding at Yarra Ranges Estate in Monbulk, up in the Dandenong Ranges, was all blush dresses, bright blue suits and soft grey skies. Then came a reception full of speeches, happy tears and a dance floor Yolanda waved everyone onto. We were there for every laugh.

The gallery
Wedding invitation for Yolanda and Matt's celebration at Yarra Ranges Estate, Monbulk, propped among silvery green sprigs
Two wedding rings, one plain and one set with small stones, resting beside a white rose on white fabric
A smiling loved one in a beaded navy dress fixes a white rose buttonhole while a man in a bow tie looks on
A loved one pins a white rose buttonhole to the lapel of Matt's bright blue suit beside a window
Matt sits by the window in his bright blue suit and white rose buttonhole, grinning as he waits
Close portrait of Matt smiling in his bright blue suit, navy tie and white rose buttonhole
Matt and his two groomsmen in blue suits stand together on a gravel drive under tall leafy trees
Matt clinks beer bottles with his two groomsmen in bow ties on the gravel drive, all grins
Matt laughs with a family group, including a baby in a white bow, in front of a wall of green trees
Matt beams in the middle of a smiling family group as a baby sits on a loved one's hip
Matt in his blue suit stands full length with four loved ones and a baby on the lawn
Matt stands on the grass beside a grey-haired man in navy and a woman in a beaded grey dress
Matt and a woman in a beaded dress share a laugh as a grey-haired man in navy grins beside them
A woman in a beaded grey dress smiles up at Matt as a grey-haired man laughs behind her
A woman in a beaded dress smiles past Matt, his white rose buttonhole soft in the foreground
Matt lifts a baby in a white bow high above his head and she gazes down at him
Matt stands with three loved ones on the gravel drive in front of tall green trees
Matt and his groomsmen stride across in a line in their bright blue suits against tall green trees
Matt grins as he walks down a grassy slope with his two groomsmen following behind
Matt glances down in profile under overhanging leaves, white rose buttonhole on his blue lapel
Yolanda's lace wedding gown hangs in a window that looks out onto a leafy, flowering garden
Bouquets of blush and white roses with soft green leaves resting on a polished timber table
Nude block-heel bridal sandals set on a timber stool beside potted ferns and a leafy plant
Wedding stationery for Yarra Ranges Estate laid out on dark timber with teardrop earrings and the engagement ring
A square perfume bottle and a sparkling bracelet beside a spill of tiny green leaves on a timber table
Yolanda in a floral robe lifts her lace gown down from the curtain rail by the window
Two bridesmaids in matching floral robes smile from a doorway, waiting to see the bride
Yolanda and her bridesmaids in matching floral robes laugh as they clink glasses on the couch
A bridesmaid in a floral robe fastens the back of Yolanda's strapless lace gown
Close detail of a bridesmaid's hands doing up the buttons down the back of Yolanda's beaded lace gown
Yolanda smiles down in profile, a sparkling comb tucked into her low bun, as her gown is fastened
Yolanda glances over her shoulder with a wide smile in her strapless lace gown in front of the couch
Yolanda turns to look back, holding her blush and white bouquet, her lace train spread across the floorboards
Yolanda smiles to one side with her bouquet of white and blush roses held at her waist
Yolanda smiles at the camera in her strapless beaded gown, her bouquet of pale roses in hand
A bridesmaid kneels on the floorboards to fasten Yolanda's sandal as she perches on the couch arm in lace
Yolanda lifts the scalloped lace hem of her gown to check her strappy nude sandal
Yolanda sits quietly on a grey chair by the curtains, her bouquet resting in her lap
Yolanda stands at a tall timber-framed window holding her bouquet, looking out at the leafy garden
Soft window light falls on Yolanda as she gazes out through the glass with her rose bouquet
Yolanda looks down at her bouquet against a bright window, in black and white
Yolanda and her two bridesmaids in blush slip dresses laugh together at the window, bouquets held low
Yolanda stands with a bridesmaid in a blush slip dress by the curtains, both holding bouquets of roses
Yolanda and a bridesmaid smile arm in arm beside a tall window, their rose bouquets held side by side
Yolanda bends to gather her long lace train from the polished floorboards, bouquet in her other hand
Yolanda stands between her bridesmaids in blush dresses on a leafy side path in the Dandenong Ranges, holding white rose bouquets
Close portrait of Yolanda and her bridesmaids smiling over a froth of white and blush roses at the mountain winery
Yolanda and her bridesmaids smile softly behind a blur of white and blush rose bouquets in the Dandenong Ranges
Yolanda lifts her lace train along a brick path past ferns and leafy plants at the Dandenong Ranges winery
Guests gather under the timber veranda of a gabled building at Yarra Ranges Estate in the Dandenong Ranges, with hazy hills beyond
Paper cones of rose petals for the confetti toss wait on a timber tray among leafy plants at the mountain vineyard
Matt waits inside with his groomsmen, glimpsed through the black-framed windows of the winery
A groomsman in a bow tie peers out through a black-framed window as the others wait inside before the mountain wedding
An oval mirror on a timber-panelled wall reflects a bridesmaid adjusting Yolanda's gown in the room at Yarra Ranges Estate
Yolanda clasps her hands in front of a wide timber-framed window in the Dandenong Ranges, white chairs either side
Yolanda walks off with her bouquet beside a loved one in a blue dress and white jacket, past the winery's whitewashed brick
Guests in white folding chairs laugh before the ceremony, the gabled glass buildings of the Yarra Ranges Estate winery behind them
Guests wait in white chairs on the vineyard lawn below the row of gabled glass pavilions in the mountains
Guests fill white chairs and stand along the rose-lined aisle under grey skies at the Vineyard Pathway at Yarra Ranges Estate
Matt waits teary-eyed at the timber arbour with his groomsmen, vineyard slopes and tall trees behind him
A bridesmaid in a blush dress walks down the red brick staircase from a gabled glass building at Yarra Ranges Estate in the Dandenong Ranges
A bridesmaid starts down the red brick stairs under timber rafters, white roses framing the vineyard aisle below
Matt watches from the arbour gate as Yolanda appears at the top of the red brick stairs of the mountain winery
Yolanda and a loved one in blue and a white jacket appear at the top of the brick stairs in the Dandenong Ranges
Over Matt's shoulder, Yolanda walks down the gravel aisle in the Dandenong Ranges on the arm of a loved one in a blue dress
Matt grins at the arbour as his groomsmen stand beside him on the lawn by the vineyard, tall Dandenong Ranges gums behind
Yolanda and a loved one in blue walk arm in arm down the Vineyard Pathway at Yarra Ranges Estate, Matt blurred in front
Matt hugs the loved one who walked Yolanda in at the aisle's end, the winery's iron gazebo behind
Matt beams as he steps forward to Yolanda and the loved one in blue at the top of the aisle in the mountains
Yolanda hugs the loved one in blue at the aisle as Matt grins nearby, guests standing by white chairs on the Dandenong Ranges lawn
The loved one in blue wipes away happy tears among standing guests on the winery lawn in the Dandenong Ranges
Wide view of the vineyard wedding ceremony at Yarra Ranges Estate, the flowered arbour set against rolling vines and distant mountain ranges
Yolanda and Matt hold hands under a flowered timber arbour as the celebrant reads, the vineyard and hills behind
Two bridesmaids in blush dresses hold their bouquets on the lawn in front of the Dandenong Ranges vines
Two groomsmen in blue suits and bow ties stand by the arbour with the forested Dandenong Ranges hills rising behind
Guests watch Yolanda and Matt hold hands at the flowered arbour, vine rows sloping behind at the Vineyard Pathway at Yarra Ranges Estate
Yolanda smiles up at Matt during the vows as her bridesmaids look on, the green mountain vines soft behind them
A woman in a beaded navy dress smiles beside a grey-haired man in a navy suit as they watch the vows at the winery
Yolanda reads her vows to Matt, framed through the wrought-iron arbour gate at the mountain vineyard
Guests watch from white chairs, a few under clear umbrellas, below the gabled glass buildings of the Yarra Ranges Estate winery
Front-row guests laugh during the Dandenong Ranges ceremony as clear umbrellas pop up among the white roses
Seated guests line the aisle beside standard white roses, a domed iron gazebo behind them at Monbulk's Yarra Ranges Estate
Matt grins as he reads his vows from a card, his groomsmen beside him on the rose-lined pathway in the Dandenong Ranges
A woman in a beaded navy dress smiles towards the couple at the mountain ceremony, her hands clasped with the grey-haired man beside her
The loved one in a blue dress and white jacket holds back tears in her white chair during the vineyard vows
Older guests in the rows smile as they listen to the vows in the Dandenong Ranges, one man in a bright patterned tie
Matt slides the ring onto Yolanda's finger, the green vineyard slopes of Yarra Ranges Estate in the Dandenong Ranges blurred behind
The celebrant reads as Yolanda and Matt face each other under the rose arbour, vines and blue mountain ranges beyond
Yolanda and Matt share their first kiss under the flowered arbour as the wedding party cheers in front of the vineyard
Yolanda and Matt hold each other under the flowered arbour on the Vineyard Pathway at Yarra Ranges Estate, vines and distant mountain peaks behind
Guests clap and cheer from white chairs on the mountain winery lawn as clear umbrellas open behind them
Smiling guests applaud beside the white roses and the domed iron gazebo of the Yarra Ranges Estate winery
Matt hugs a loved one under the winery's wrought-iron gazebo as Yolanda is embraced beneath a clear umbrella
Yolanda signs the register at a round iron table among white roses in the Dandenong Ranges, a loved one holding a clear umbrella
Matt signs the register at the iron table under the gazebo of the mountain winery, white roses behind him
A woman in a beaded navy dress leans over the iron table to sign the register beside white roses in the Dandenongs
The loved one in a white jacket beams as she signs the register next to Yolanda among white roses
Matt and Yolanda kiss over the signed register at the iron table, framed by climbing white roses at the vineyard
Yolanda and Matt stand under the domed wrought-iron gazebo with two loved ones at Monbulk's Yarra Ranges Estate
The bridal party of four lines up with Yolanda and Matt under the wrought-iron gazebo in the Dandenong Ranges
Yolanda and Matt turn to walk back up the Vineyard Pathway at Yarra Ranges Estate as the wedding party claps by the arbour
Yolanda and Matt laugh hand in hand up the aisle of their mountain wedding through a shower of petals, guests under clear umbrellas
All the guests cheer with arms raised around Yolanda and Matt, the vineyard sloping away behind at Yarra Ranges Estate in the Dandenong Ranges
Yolanda and Matt stand with the loved one in a blue dress and white jacket under the long timber pergola at the winery
Yolanda with her bridesmaids and the loved one in blue on the gravel under the timber pergola, lavender beside them in the Dandenongs
A family group gathers around Yolanda and Matt under the repeating beams of the timber pergola at Monbulk's Yarra Ranges Estate
Yolanda and Matt pose with the bridesmaids and two older loved ones beneath the mountain winery's pergola beams
Yolanda and Matt with bridesmaids, groomsmen and loved ones on the gravel path under the timber pergola in the Dandenong Ranges
Yolanda and Matt line up with four women, one in a green wrap, by the lavender in the gardens of Yarra Ranges Estate
Yolanda and Matt stand with three loved ones beneath the pergola beams in the Dandenong Ranges, lavender at their feet
Matt and Yolanda with a family group and a baby in a white bow under the long timber pergola at the mountain vineyard
Yolanda and Matt smile between a woman in a beaded dress and a grey-haired man in navy under the winery pergola
Yolanda and Matt with two loved ones and a baby on the gravel beneath the timber pergola at Yarra Ranges Estate in Monbulk
Matt and his mates line up with drinks in hand beside a wine barrel, the Dandenong Ranges vineyard slope rising behind
The bridal party raise clear umbrellas among white roses and lavender in the mountain estate gardens
Yolanda, Matt and the bridal party stroll between the vine rows under clear umbrellas in the Yarra Ranges Estate vineyard
Groomsmen throw peace signs as the bridal party laughs under clear umbrellas, vines and forested Dandenong Ranges hills behind
Low view of Matt, Yolanda and the bridal party laughing under clear umbrellas against a soft grey mountain sky
Matt holds a clear umbrella over Yolanda and they burst out laughing between the vine rows in the Dandenongs
Two groomsmen lean in to kiss Yolanda and Matt on the cheek under clear umbrellas among the vines at Yarra Ranges Estate, Monbulk
Matt scoops Yolanda up in his arms as two groomsmen hold clear umbrellas among the mountain vines
Matt kisses Yolanda as he carries her, a groomsman kissing her shoulder in the Dandenong Ranges vine rows
Yolanda and Matt stand between the bridesmaids in blush slip dresses under clear umbrellas in the Yarra Ranges Estate vineyard
Yolanda and Matt walk hand in hand with the laughing bridesmaids under clear umbrellas across the grass in the Dandenong Ranges
The bridesmaids and Matt hold clear umbrellas high above Yolanda beside a timber fence and vine rows
From behind, Yolanda and her bridesmaids walk up a grassy row under clear umbrellas, vines either side at Monbulk's Yarra Ranges Estate
Yolanda laughs with her bridesmaids as they walk between tall green vineyard rows in the mountains, bouquets in hand
Matt and his groomsmen walk hand in hand down a grass track between the vines, grinning
A groomsman flashes a peace sign and another strikes finger guns as Matt laughs between them in the mountain vineyard
Yolanda and Matt stand tiny under a clear umbrella beside a sweeping vineyard slope at Yarra Ranges Estate in the Dandenong Ranges
Yolanda smiles back over her shoulder in her backless lace gown, her train spread along a vine row in the Dandenong Ranges
Yolanda and Matt smile nose to nose, framed by a soft blur of green vineyard leaves
Yolanda and Matt walk away arm in arm under a clear umbrella down a grassy vine row in the Dandenong Ranges
Matt and Yolanda kiss under a clear umbrella between the leafy rows of the vineyard
Matt grins down at Yolanda in the mountains as she smiles at her bouquet of white and blush roses with long green leaves
Matt beams at Yolanda over her bare shoulder, a tie bar on his navy tie and her white roses soft in front
Yolanda smiles at the camera with her bouquet as Matt walks beside her along a vineyard row in the Dandenongs
Yolanda and Matt stand nose to nose under a clear umbrella on the lawn, tall gums and vines behind at Yarra Ranges Estate
Matt leads Yolanda by the hand across the grass, her lace train trailing in front of the mountain vine rows
Yolanda glances back with a smile as Matt leads her by the hand past a wall of vines at the Dandenong Ranges winery
Yolanda and Matt walk hand in hand across the open lawn, the gabled buildings of the Yarra Ranges Estate winery behind them
Matt and Yolanda smile hand in hand at the top of the slope, the forested Dandenong Ranges hills behind
Wide view of Yolanda and Matt walking under a clear umbrella below the vine-covered hill in the Yarra Ranges Estate vineyard
Yolanda lifts her skirt as she and Matt walk up the open vineyard lawn towards a tall mountain forest
Yolanda and Matt smile under a clear umbrella behind a bank of pink and white roses in the gardens of Yarra Ranges Estate
Matt and Yolanda kiss under a clear umbrella in the Dandenong Ranges, pale pink roses and lavender blurred in front
Guests look out from under the grapevine across the lawn to the Yarra Ranges Estate sign on a corrugated iron wall
Guests mingle under the timber veranda of a long corrugated-roof building, tall Dandenong Ranges gums above
A calligraphy welcome sign for Yolanda and Matt with olive leaves and a glowing tea light in the Yarra Ranges Estate reception room
A white wishing well with a copper bucket sits on wine barrels by a black-framed winery window in the Dandenong Ranges
White daisies and snapdragons in jars on timber slices run down a long table with olive leaves in the mountain winery
A centrepiece of white daisies and baby's breath in twine-wrapped jars glows by the glass walls at Yarra Ranges Estate, Monbulk
Apothecary jars of pink and white sweets and candy cane lollipops fill the lolly bar beside pink blooms in the Dandenong Ranges
A framed sweet ending sign stands behind jars of pink and white lollies and swirl lollipops at Monbulk's Yarra Ranges Estate
A tea light on a timber slice beside daisies in jars and a bottle of wine on a mountain winery reception table
A two-tier semi-naked wedding cake with a caramel drip and white and mauve roses sits on a timber slice at the winery
Long white tables with timber chairs and olive garlands run beneath timber trusses and glass walls at Yarra Ranges Estate
Six guests in bright dresses and suits pose by black-framed windows on the brick floor of the mountain winery
Guests laugh and chat along the long tables as their reception in the Dandenongs gets going under the glass walls
A bridesmaid and groomsman dance into the reception past the seating chart on a wine barrel at the Yarra Ranges Estate winery
A groomsman waves as he dances in with a bridesmaid, Yolanda and Matt following under the corrugated iron of the Dandenong Ranges winery
Guests turn in their chairs and cheer along the long tables of the reception room at Yarra Ranges Estate as the bridal party arrives
Yolanda and Matt walk in hand in hand past the timber winery bar as standing guests clap at their mountain wedding
Older guests rise and applaud as a beaming Yolanda and Matt make their entrance under the timber trusses at Yarra Ranges Estate, Monbulk
A woman in blue lace and a grey-haired man holding a baby in a white bow smile at their table in the Dandenongs
The loved one in a white jacket smiles with a woman in a beaded navy dress in the mountain reception room
Smiling older guests sit at a white-clothed table with red wine before the tall windows at Yarra Ranges Estate in Monbulk
Grinning men in open-necked shirts share a laugh over drinks at a flower-dressed table in the Dandenong Ranges
A woman in a beaded navy dress lifts a laughing baby in a white bow beside the long winery tables
A woman in a beaded dress kisses a baby in a white bow at the long table of the mountain reception
Two smiling older women in red and black sit at their table, the cake on a wine barrel behind at the Yarra Ranges Estate winery
Three young men in pale shirts grin from their chairs at a flower-dressed table in the Dandenongs
A woman in a beaded navy dress hugs two grinning men in dark suits by the tall winery windows
A grey-haired man in a navy suit smiles as he walks up between the mountain winery tables with his speech notes
A grey-haired guest speaks into the microphone by a stone wall as the bridesmaids listen at Yarra Ranges Estate, Monbulk
Yolanda, Matt and the groomsmen listen at the bridal table in the Dandenong Ranges under a framed vine print on corrugated iron
A grey-haired guest gives a speech with the microphone as the bridal table listens in the reception room at Yarra Ranges Estate
A woman in a beaded navy dress smiles towards the speeches from her table by the winery's glass walls
The loved one in a white jacket and a woman in a beaded dress clap during the mountain wedding speeches
The loved one who walked Yolanda in gives her speech, microphone in hand, by a dark timber post in the winery
Yolanda, Matt and the bridal party smile up at a speaker from the bridal table, white flowers in the window
Yolanda presses her lips together, moved, as Matt smiles beside her at the bridal table in the Dandenong Ranges reception room
The loved one in a white jacket raises her glass to the bridal table beside a wine barrel at the Yarra Ranges Estate winery
Yolanda holds back happy tears as Matt sits smiling beside her, a tall white arrangement in the winery window behind
Yolanda and Matt stand with a woman in a beaded grey dress and a grey-haired man by the glass walls of the mountain winery
Guests crack up at the long table as one films on his phone, wine bottles shelved behind the bar at Yarra Ranges Estate in Monbulk
Matt and five mates grin arm in arm on the mountain winery's red brick paving under the grapevine
Mist hangs over the vine-covered hill and the timber post-and-rail fence at Yarra Ranges Estate in the Dandenong Ranges
Yolanda and Matt kiss at the glass walkway railing with misty Dandenong Ranges hills beyond at Yarra Ranges Estate, Monbulk, in black and white
Two young women in blush and navy dresses smile arm in arm beside the timber bar of the mountain winery
A young woman in blush and a young man in a blue bow tie pose by the lolly bar in the Dandenongs
An older woman in red hugs two seated men at their table, fairy lights strung across the dark glass walls at Yarra Ranges Estate
A grey-haired man in navy and a young man in a dark suit smile at their table after dark at the winery
Matt leans over his two seated groomsmen in bow ties at the bridal table in the mountains
Yolanda stands behind her two seated bridesmaids at the bridal table, Dandenong Ranges gums and fairy lights in the window
The two bridesmaids give their speech at the flower-lined bridal table as Yolanda and Matt look up
A bridesmaid speaks into the microphone as Yolanda glances up at her and Matt smiles at the bridal table at Yarra Ranges Estate in Monbulk
A groomsman reads his speech while another holds the microphone for him, Yolanda and Matt watching at the mountain winery
Yolanda beams and Matt laughs during the groomsmen's speech in the Dandenongs, fairy lights twinkling behind the bridal table
Guests laugh at the speeches around white tables with olive garlands, fairy lights along the dark glass walls at Yarra Ranges Estate, Monbulk
A woman in a red patterned top, a grey-haired man in navy and a woman in a beaded dress laugh together in the Dandenong Ranges
Matt grins at the speeches beside a smiling Yolanda, white flowers in a barrel planter at the winery window
Yolanda leans in laughing with her bridesmaids as Matt smiles at the flower-covered bridal table of their mountain wedding
A groomsman shakes Matt's hand after his speech as Yolanda and the bridesmaids clap in the reception room at Yarra Ranges Estate
A groomsman grins with the microphone as he hands over his notes, a wine barrel behind him in the Dandenong Ranges winery
Matt laughs with a hand to his brow as Yolanda and her bridesmaids smile, fairy lights glowing in the winery behind them
Matt reads his speech into the microphone as Yolanda stands beside him under strings of fairy lights at Yarra Ranges Estate, Monbulk
A grey-haired man in navy and a woman in a beaded dress listen to the speeches by the dark glass of the mountain winery
A woman in blue lace and a young man in a dark suit turn in their chairs to listen in the Dandenongs
The bridesmaids smile up from their seats as Matt speaks beside Yolanda in the fairy-lit reception room at Yarra Ranges Estate
Yolanda and Matt stand to give their own speech as the groomsmen sit and listen under the framed vineyard print
Yolanda looks on, close to tears, as Matt reads from his notes into the microphone at their mountain wedding
Matt smiles into the microphone during their speech in the Dandenong Ranges as Yolanda listens, fairy lights twinkling behind
Yolanda and Matt laugh as they cut the semi-naked caramel drip cake on a wine barrel at the Yarra Ranges Estate winery
Yolanda and Matt pose behind their cake on the wine barrel at the edge of the mountain winery dance floor
Guests raise their glasses and phones for a toast along the fairy-lit tables of the reception room at Yarra Ranges Estate
Yolanda waves everyone onto the dance floor beside a grinning Matt, the winery's stone walls and timber panelling behind
A bridesmaid and groomsman dance hand in hand on the brick floor in the Dandenongs as another bridesmaid sports giant pink glasses
A bridesmaid in oversized pink novelty glasses dances by a stone wall and a wine barrel at the mountain reception
A groomsman throws a peace sign with a drink in hand as another dances beside him under a framed painting in the winery
A woman in a coral dress dances among guests as coloured lights speckle the dark tiled floor at Yarra Ranges Estate in Monbulk
A bridesmaid laughs mid-dance as red lights and haze fill the dance floor in the Dandenong Ranges
A bearded guest in a floral shirt and bow tie sings as he dances under coloured lights at the winery
A woman in a beaded dress dances with a grinning man in a checked shirt on the lit dance floor of the mountain winery
Yolanda dances in a ring of guests on the brick floor beside a stone wall and white drapes at Yarra Ranges Estate
Matt jokingly points to himself as a bald, bearded mate hugs him under purple dance lights in the Dandenongs
Guests dance and sing in the haze as coloured beams sweep across the dance floor at Monbulk's Yarra Ranges Estate
Seen from behind, guests dance through red and green light and haze late into the mountain night
Yolanda and Matt embrace at the end of the walkway under the grapevine at dusk in the Dandenong Ranges, white flowers in front
The wedding story

Our Yarra Ranges Estate wedding photos: red brick stairs to the aisle, clear umbrellas in the vines and speeches with happy tears

Getting ready in floral robes · Red brick stairs to the Vineyard Pathway · Signing under the iron gazebo · Groups under the pergola · Clear umbrellas in the vines · Speeches, dusk and dancing

Read the full story

Beers on the gravel drive

Matt’s morning started with the small things we always photograph first: the invitation propped among sprigs of green, and the wedding rings resting beside a single white rose. A loved one pinned a matching rose to his lapel, and he settled by the window with the calm grin of a groom who was ready early. Outside, Matt and his two groomsmen clinked beers on a gravel drive under tall trees. Then came the family photos, and the best one was Matt lifting a baby high above his head while she gazed down at him from up high.

Floral robes and lace

Meanwhile, Yolanda’s gown hung in the window beside a bouquet of blush and white roses, with her heels, perfume and earrings set out around the stationery. She and her two bridesmaids raised a glass in matching floral robes before the lace came out. A bridesmaid buttoned the back of the gown, another knelt to fasten her shoe, and Yolanda turned towards the glass. One big window is all we need for this part of the day: it lights the lace from the side, and we kept one quiet frame of her in black and white.

Down the red brick stairs

At Yarra Ranges Estate, Yolanda lifted her train past the ferns while Matt waited out of sight. We caught him through the black-framed windows, then found Yolanda in an oval mirror in a timber-panelled room. Guests filled white chairs along a gravel path lined with standard white roses, with a flowered timber arbour at the end. The bridesmaids came first, down the red brick staircase from the gabled building, then Yolanda on the arm of a loved one in a blue dress and white jacket. We framed that walk over Matt’s shoulder, so his reaction and her arrival sit in the same photo.

Vows and an iron gazebo

Yolanda and Matt said their vows under the arbour with the vines rolling down to a timber fence and the hills stacked up behind. The sky stayed soft and grey all afternoon, which we love for a ceremony: no squinting, no harsh shadows, and every guest’s face lit evenly in the front rows. Matt slid on the ring, the kiss got a cheer, and they signed the register at a round iron table under a wrought-iron gazebo dome. Then they walked back down the aisle under a shower of petals, Matt grinning from ear to ear.

Everyone on the lawn

Before anyone wandered off, we gathered all the guests on the lawn for one big cheering group photo, with the vineyard sloping away behind them. Family groups came next, lined up under the long timber pergola beside the lavender. Pergolas are a gift for groups: the repeating beams lead the eye straight to the couple and give a tidy frame for big families. Yolanda and Matt had their list of family and close guests ready, so the groups ran quickly. Then Matt’s mates and the groomsmen piled in for a row of grins of their own.

Clear umbrellas in the vines

Clear umbrellas came out, and the bridal party took them for a walk among the white roses and down into the vines. Clear ones are our favourite for wedding photos on a grey day: they keep everyone dry without shading faces or hiding the dresses. Yolanda and her bridesmaids raised theirs high, the groomsmen threw peace signs, and Matt scooped Yolanda off her feet between the rows. Nobody stood still for long. For a bridal party of four, a vineyard gives you space to move, so nobody ends up stiffly standing in a line.

Two in the rows

Then it was just Yolanda and Matt. We stepped back to show them tiny among the vines on the hillside, then came in close and shot through the leaves so a blur of green framed their faces. The laughter came easily out there. They walked hand in hand down the grass track, paused at the top of the slope with the valley opening up behind them, and wandered across the lawn with her train in her hand. We finished among the pink and white roses, where they kissed under a clear umbrella, flowers filling the foreground of every frame.

Speeches in the reception room

Inside, a welcome sign, a wishing well, a lolly bar and a semi-naked cake with a caramel drip set the scene beside long tables under timber trusses and glass walls. The bridesmaids and groomsmen danced in ahead of Yolanda and Matt, and the room was on its feet. The speeches came in rounds. An older guest spoke first, then the loved one who had walked Yolanda in raised her glass, and later the bridesmaids and groomsmen took the microphone. Matt laughed until he wiped his eye. Yolanda and Matt finished with a speech of their own, side by side.

Dusk, cake and the floor

Yolanda and Matt had asked for sunset photos, so between speeches we slipped outside. In the glass walkway under the grapevine, with soft white flowers in the foreground, the hills fading into the dusk behind them, and a kiss at the railing became our favourite black and white frame of the night. Back inside, they cut the cake on a wine barrel. Then Yolanda stepped onto the dance floor and waved everyone up, and the bridal party went first. Coloured lights came on, and the Yarra Ranges Estate wedding photos ended where the best ones do: everyone dancing.

Photographer's venue notes

Yarra Ranges Estate, Monbulk: red brick stairs, clear umbrellas in the vines and a dusk kiss on the walkway

Read the venue notes

From the stairs to the pergola

Yolanda and Matt kept everything within a few steps of each other. Her entrance came from the gabled glass building at the top of the red brick staircase, so guests seated along the rose-lined Vineyard Pathway saw her the moment she appeared. After the vows, the register moved only a few paces to the round iron table under the wrought-iron gazebo, and the big cheering crowd shot happened on the lawn right beside the aisle. Family groups then went under the long timber pergola by the lavender, and the bridal party walked straight from there into the vine rows.

A soft grey sky all day

Cloud sat over the Dandenong Ranges the whole afternoon, and by evening mist hung on the vine-covered hill. For us that is easy light: no hard shadows under the eyes, white roses that hold their detail and bright blue suits that stay true in colour. The one thing a grey sky changes is the background, which can turn flat and white, so we kept our angles low and let the green slopes and dark gums fill the space behind Yolanda and Matt instead of the sky.

Where we stood for the best frames

The brick stairs reward patience at the arbour end, because the bride steps down towards the lens with the building framing her. The domed gazebo gives a ready-made arch for the signing, and the pergola beams turn a long family list into neat, even rows. Out in the vines we shot through the leaves for a blur of green across faces, then stepped well back so the couple sat tiny against the slope. Between speeches, the glass walkway under the grapevine gave us a railing to lean on and the misty hills behind.

Tips for a grey day in the hills

If the forecast looks grey, pack clear umbrellas rather than coloured ones; these kept faces bright and turned into props once the bridal party started playing with them. Have someone ready to call out each family group, so the pergola session runs quickly while the light is still even. And if you would love dusk portraits, tell us which gap in the speeches suits you, so we can slip outside for ten minutes and have you back before the next toast.

Keep exploring

Yarra Ranges Estate weddings

Every Veri wedding at this venue

Melbourne weddings

More real weddings across the city

Dandenong Ranges weddings

Real weddings across the region