Yarra Valley Estate wedding photos: Kyle and Sarah each stand in a white window frame of the open air chapel, tall gums behind, Yarra Valley
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Real country wedding · Dixons Creek, Melbourne

Yarra Valley Estate Wedding Photos: Sarah & Kyle

Yarra Valley Estate · Dixons Creek VIC · Melbourne

Country Wedding · Region: VIC - Yarra Valley · City: Melbourne · Venue: Yarra Valley Estate

A floral tie knotted by the window, wattle-print socks laid out on the deck and three bridesmaids in navy who could not stop laughing. Sarah and Kyle’s wedding at Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek stayed on one bush property in the Yarra Valley, from vows under the white frames of the open-air chapel to a long-table dinner and golden-hour portraits on the stepping stones. We were there for every grin, including Kyle’s when Sarah’s dad walked her in.

The gallery
Wattle-print socks, pocket squares, a tie clip, a ring and two protea and banksia buttonholes laid out on the timber deck at Yarra Valley Estate.
Kyle knots his floral tie in soft window light at the country estate while a friend in braces waits behind him.
Kyle in a cream jacket holds hands with a smiling loved one in a dark patterned dress.
A loved one with silver hair smiles as she pins an orange native buttonhole to Kyle's cream jacket.
Kyle and a bearded groomsman in a navy jacket, both in floral ties and orange buttonholes, smile on the country veranda.
Kyle and a red-bearded groomsman grin side by side under the corrugated veranda roof at Yarra Valley Estate, Dixons Creek.
Kyle leans on the veranda rail beside a groomsman in navy, gum trees and bush blurred behind them.
Kyle in cream stands with his three groomsmen in navy jackets and floral ties on the veranda.
Kyle in glasses and a cream jacket stands with his hands in his pockets by a tall timber window.
Kyle sits by the window looking out over the grounds of Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek, a protea buttonhole on his lapel.
Sarah's lace gown hangs from a balcony rail against the grey weatherboards of her room.
Two open wooden ring boxes sit beside a daisy-topped perfume bottle and the trailing greenery of the bridal bouquet.
Sarah in a navy lace-trimmed robe smiles as a woman in a face mask brushes on her make-up.
Four women in matching navy robes with lace trim raise glasses of bubbles on a country balcony.
Laughing women in navy robes share bubbles under the veranda roof, bright bush behind them, at Yarra Valley Estate.
Sarah fastens an earring in her lace gown by a curtained window in her room at the country estate.
A smiling man in a grey suit stands by a leadlight door in a timber-lined room at Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek.
A bridesmaid in navy kneels to fasten Sarah's white sandals as she sits on the couch in her room.
A bridesmaid in navy laughs as she settles Sarah's veil, a protea and gum leaf bouquet in her lap.
Sarah beams toward the window light with her protea, paper daisy and eucalyptus bouquet in her lap on the morning of her country wedding.
In black and white, Sarah lifts a hand to the sparkling veil falling over her face by a window.
The white timber frames of the Open-Air Chapel at Yarra Valley Estate, hung with red and orange flowers before towering gums.
Guests take their seats under the white gabled frames of the chapel as tall Yarra Valley gums rise behind.
Sarah and her dad wait on the country gravel by a grey weatherboard building, a golf buggy behind them, at Yarra Valley Estate, Dixons Creek.
A bridesmaid in a navy halter gown walks the stepping-stone aisle across the country lawn.
Another bridesmaid in navy smiles as she walks the lawn aisle with her native posy past soft green hedges.
A smiling bridesmaid in a long navy gown carries a protea and wattle posy along the stepping stones.
Kyle grins and clasps his hands as he waits beside a flowered white frame of the Open-Air Chapel at Yarra Valley Estate.
Sarah's dad walks her down the stepping-stone aisle of her country wedding beneath tall green trees.
Sarah smiles on her dad's arm as her long lace train trails across the lawn aisle.
At the front of the chapel, Sarah's dad turns to shake Kyle's hand before letting her go.
Sarah and Kyle face each other between flowered white frames as guests and the wedding party look on at Yarra Valley Estate, Dixons Creek.
The celebrant in a navy lace-shouldered top holds her ceremony folder before the flowered frames of the country chapel.
Three bridesmaids in navy halter gowns hold native posies and smile during the ceremony beside the white frames.
Three groomsmen in navy jackets and floral ties stand with hands clasped beside the white frames.
A silver-haired guest in black smiles beside a man in sunglasses and a striped tie in the white chairs.
Guests in white chairs smile under the white frames of Yarra Valley Estate's Open-Air Chapel, a woman in green in the front row.
A guest in a blue hat sits beside a woman in mustard in the sunlit chapel seats.
Sarah gazes at Kyle as two bridesmaids in navy look on, red and orange flowers spilling from the chapel frames.
Sarah and Kyle hold hands and gaze at each other during the ceremony in the Open-Air Chapel at Yarra Valley Estate.
Gum branches from the surrounding bush hang over the white gabled frames as Sarah and Kyle hold hands before their small gathering.
Sarah slides a ring onto Kyle's finger as the celebrant smiles between them in the chapel.
Sarah and Kyle share a kiss beside a flowered white frame, tall bush gum trunks behind them.
Sarah and Kyle smile at each other in an embrace under the towering gums at Yarra Valley Estate.
Sarah signs at a table wrapped in a greenery garland, Kyle watching beside her, by the chapel.
Kyle signs at the garland-wrapped table as Sarah looks on, white blooms behind them.
A bridesmaid in navy leans in to sign as a witness while Sarah watches at the garland table.
A red-bearded groomsman crouches to sign as a witness beside Sarah at the garlanded signing table.
Sarah and Kyle hold up their signed certificate with a groomsman and a bridesmaid smiling behind them at their country wedding.
Guests in the white chairs clap as Sarah and Kyle turn to face them inside Yarra Valley Estate's Open-Air Chapel.
Sarah and Kyle kiss on the stepping stones in front of the chapel, her native bouquet in hand.
Everyone gathers on the lawn with Sarah and Kyle for a full group photo in bright sun at Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek.
The wedding party and guests cheer with their hands raised in a playful group photo on the country lawn.
Sarah and Kyle stand with six loved ones in a family group on the sunny lawn of the rural estate.
Sarah and Kyle with a woman in green and two men in dark suits on the stepping stones.
Sarah and Kyle pose with a woman in a green gown and a man in a grey suit on the rural lawn.
Sarah and Kyle stand with a silver-haired woman in black and two men in suits for a family photo.
Sarah and Kyle with a silver-haired woman in black and a man in a striped tie at the country estate.
Sarah and Kyle stand between two men in floral ties, one in navy and one in black, on the lawn.
A groomsman lunges with his arms flung wide as Sarah, Kyle and a friend laugh on the lawn.
Sarah and Kyle stand on the stepping stones with three groomsmen in navy jackets, a laid-back country wedding line-up.
Sarah and Kyle with three bridesmaids in navy gowns holding native posies on the stepping-stone lawn at Yarra Valley Estate.
The full wedding party lines up in navy beside Sarah and Kyle on the sunny lawn.
Sarah and Kyle stroll the lawn with their wedding party in navy, a relaxed country wedding moment.
The wedding party in navy lines up with Sarah and Kyle in front of Yarra Valley Estate's Open-Air Chapel, gum branches overhead.
The wedding party raises bouquets and cheers as Sarah and Kyle kiss beside the chapel.
Sarah and Kyle hold hands and smile at each other under the white gabled frames, gum leaves hanging overhead.
Sarah and Kyle kiss between two garlanded window frames of the Open-Air Chapel at Yarra Valley Estate, a tall gum rising behind.
Sarah and Kyle hold hands and smile at the camera beside a garlanded white frame of their country chapel.
Kyle kisses Sarah on a fallen log, her long veil streaming in the breeze, by a weatherboard building at Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek.
Sarah and Kyle walk hand in hand across dry country grass past a grey weatherboard veranda.
Sarah carries her red protea bouquet as she and Kyle stroll across the grass under tall trees.
Kyle grins back at Sarah as they hold hands and walk the shaded country lawns.
Sarah and Kyle walk hand in hand down the long tree-lined gravel drive at Yarra Valley Estate, Dixons Creek, forested Yarra Valley hills behind them.
Kyle in his cream jacket stands on the gravel drive with a soft green tunnel of bush behind him.
Sarah looks back over her shoulder on the gravel drive, her cathedral veil pooling behind her.
In black and white, Sarah lifts the edge of her veil and smiles on the sunlit gravel drive at Yarra Valley Estate.
Kyle kisses Sarah's forehead on the country gravel drive, a green tunnel of trees and a timber fence behind them.
Sarah and Kyle smile on the gravel drive, her red protea, wattle and gum leaf bouquet held low.
In black and white, Kyle rests his head on Sarah's under the gums, a quiet country wedding moment.
Sarah and Kyle kiss in long golden paddock grass by a weathered rail fence, a country wedding portrait at Yarra Valley Estate, Dixons Creek.
Kyle lifts Sarah's veil as she smiles in the paddock, distant Yarra Valley hills behind them.
Sarah and Kyle stand with their wedding party, everyone else in matching patterned face masks, on the lawn.
Sarah and Kyle cut a stacked cheese-wheel cake on a dark timber sideboard in the timber-lined country dining room.
Guests at the long white-clothed table clap in the window-lit dining room during a relaxed country wedding reception at Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek.
A smiling guest in a floral dress and a bearded man in a white shirt pose at the long table.
A woman in green and a man in a grey suit smile at the country reception table, a piano behind.
A bridesmaid in navy and a man in a floral tie smile by an old carved sideboard.
A bald, bearded guest in a white shirt pulls a groomsman in a floral tie into a hug at the table.
A man in a white shirt and a silver-haired woman in sparkly black smile by a big window at Yarra Valley Estate, Dixons Creek.
A guest in a hat and blue shirt sits close to a woman in mustard at the long country table.
Two bridesmaids in navy halter gowns hug and grin over their dinner plates by the window.
Two groomsmen in matching floral ties sit arm in arm at the long table, green trees through the glass.
A bearded groomsman and a woman in a pearl necklace sit arm in arm before tall windows.
Sarah and Kyle sit at the long table with three groomsmen standing behind them in the dining room.
Three bridesmaids in navy stand behind Sarah and Kyle as they raise glasses of bubbles at the table.
Sarah and Kyle stand behind a seated woman in green and a man in grey by timber shelves at Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek.
Sarah and Kyle stand behind a seated man in a dark jacket and a silver-haired woman in black by big windows.
Kyle rests a hand on a silver-haired woman's shoulder as they share a laugh at the window-lit country reception table.
Sarah and a silver-haired woman in black laugh with heads thrown back, a seated man grinning between them.
Kyle hugs a man in a grey suit and native buttonhole in the timber-lined dining room at Yarra Valley Estate.
Sarah hugs a woman in a green gown as a man in grey looks on by timber shelves.
Sarah and Kyle walk hand in hand across the lawn past a long veranda building in soft light at Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek.
Sarah laughs up at Kyle on the stepping stones before the chapel as late Yarra Valley light softens.
Kyle and Sarah dance playfully along the stepping-stone aisle before the white chapel, tall gums of the bush glowing behind.
Kyle takes Sarah's hand for a dance on the lawn below the white chapel frames and tall Yarra Valley gums at Yarra Valley Estate.
Kyle dips Sarah for a kiss on the stepping stones in front of the white timber frames, tall gums behind.
Sarah throws her head back laughing as Kyle lifts her off her feet below the white chapel.
Kyle and Sarah each stand in a white window frame of Yarra Valley Estate's Open-Air Chapel, towering gums rising behind them.
Kyle strikes a playful pose in one white frame as Sarah laughs in the other under tall gums at the edge of the bush.
Kyle puts an arm around Sarah as they walk back across the grass toward a building where guests gather.
A groomsman reads his speech from a handwritten card in front of the glass doors.
Guests clap and cheer around the long table as the big windows frame the bush outside at Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek.
A silver-haired guest laughs at the long table among glasses of red wine, a man in a white shirt beside her.
Mid-speech, a groomsman spreads his arms with a deadpan look before the glass doors and green country lawn.
A woman in a green gown smiles beside a glass of red wine in the dining room.
Kyle and Sarah grin from the long table as a guest in a blue shirt stands to speak.
Sarah laughs as Kyle leans in grinning at the reception table, a dark carved sideboard behind them.
A man in a grey suit laughs by timber shelves as a woman in green bows her head.
A man in a white shirt and gold watch claps against the warm timber-lined wall of the dining room at Yarra Valley Estate.
Sarah and Kyle listen from the long table as a guest in a pale shirt stands to speak at their country reception.
A guest speaks by the open doors as dusk turns the Yarra Valley bush blue.
The speaker raises a finger to make a point, a groomsman listening beside him, before the dusky open doors.
Sarah and Kyle smile across the table during the speeches in the softly lit dining room at Yarra Valley Estate, Dixons Creek.
The wedding story

Our Yarra Valley Estate wedding photos: a stepping-stone aisle, a hand-over under the gums and a dip in the golden hour

Getting ready on the estate · Vows in the Open-Air Chapel · Group photos on the lawn · Gravel drive and paddock portraits · Long-table dinner · Golden-hour chapel portraits and speeches

Read the full story

Wattle socks and native buttonholes

Sarah and Kyle had stayed on the estate the night before, so our morning started without a single car trip. Kyle’s details were already laid out on the timber deck: wattle-print socks and pocket squares, a tie clip, his ring and two buttonholes of protea, banksia and paper daisy. We shoot flat lays on whatever surface the place gives us, and decking boards make lovely lines. Inside, Kyle knotted his floral tie by the window, then a loved one in a dark patterned dress pinned his buttonhole and held his hand for a moment.

Groomsmen on the veranda

Out on the veranda Kyle lined up with his groomsmen, all navy jackets, floral ties and orange buttonholes beside his cream one. A covered veranda is one of our favourite places for groom photos in summer: the roof blocks the hard overhead sun, the open side throws soft light on faces, and the bush behind falls away into a pale green blur. There was a lot of grinning and a fair bit of shoulder slapping. We finished with Kyle alone by a tall window, looking out over the grounds, the calm before the busy part.

Robes, bubbles and lace

In Sarah’s room the mood was all navy robes with lace trim and glasses of bubbles. The bridesmaids lined up laughing in the doorway light while Sarah had her make-up finished. Her lace gown hung from the balcony rail outside, which gave us a clean frame against the weatherboards. Then the dress went on. Sarah fixed her earrings at the window, a bridesmaid knelt to fasten her shoes, and the veil came down over her face for one soft black and white frame. Her bouquet of proteas, banksias and gum leaves sat in her lap like a small bonfire of colour.

Down the stepping-stone aisle

The Open-Air Chapel is a row of white timber frames shaped like a house, with old window frames hung with red and orange flowers and a stepping-stone aisle across the lawn. Tall gums stand behind it, so the white reads crisp against dark green. Sarah waited with her dad on the gravel by a weatherboard building, a golf buggy parked behind them, while three bridesmaids in navy walked the stones ahead. Kyle could not hold his grin. Sarah’s dad walked her down, and at the front he turned to Kyle and shook his hand before letting her go.

Vows under the gums

This was a small ceremony, eighteen people all up, and that changes how we work. Every guest is close enough to read, so we moved around the edges with a longer lens and stayed out of the aisle. The celebrant spoke from beside the flowered window frames, guests in white chairs leant in, and Sarah and Kyle held hands the whole way through. They swapped rings, kissed with the gums towering over them, then signed at a table wrapped in a garland of greenery while the wedding party crowded round to witness. Kyle got a second kiss under the frames.

Family groups and face masks

Group photos happened right on the lawn in front of the chapel, which made them quick: everyone was already there. We started with the whole crowd on the stepping stones, then worked through family combinations while the light was still high and even. The groomsmen threw in a lunge or two, the bridesmaids held their bouquets in a tidy row, and the whole wedding party cheered with their hands up under the white frames. One round came with matching patterned face masks, purely for the laugh. With a group this size, a full family list takes about twenty minutes.

Gravel drive and long grass

Then it was just us and the two of them. We walked them along the lawns past a fallen log, where Sarah’s veil caught the breeze and stretched out behind her. Yarra Valley Estate wedding photos love that long gravel drive lined with trees: we stood well back and let the couple shrink into the frame, two small figures walking hand in hand under the gums. Closer up, the drive gave us a soft green tunnel for a forehead kiss. Past a timber rail fence the paddock grass was long and golden, and Sarah laughed while Kyle helped with her train.

A cheese cake and a long table

The reception was one long table under white cloths in a room with timber-lined walls, a piano and big windows over the lawn. With a small guest list, a single long table means everyone can talk to everyone, and it makes our table photos easy because no one is hidden at the back. Sarah and Kyle cut a stacked cheese-wheel cake on an old timber sideboard, then went round the table for a photo with every couple. There were hugs, a big laugh shared with a loved one at her chair, and plenty of red wine.

Golden hour and a few speeches

Between courses we borrowed Sarah and Kyle for ten minutes as the sun dropped and the lawn turned gold. Back at the chapel they danced along the stepping stones, Kyle dipped Sarah for a kiss, and each stood in one of the white window frames with the gums glowing behind. Short golden-hour breaks like this are worth planning in summer. Inside, a groomsman read his speech from a handwritten card, a guest spoke by the open doors as dusk turned the trees blue, and Sarah and Kyle laughed through every word.

Photographer's venue notes

Yarra Valley Estate, Dixons Creek: a small chapel ceremony, a long-table dinner and golden stepping stones

Read the venue notes

One property from morning to speeches

Sarah and Kyle never left the estate. Kyle got ready with his groomsmen around a veranda, Sarah in a weatherboard room with a balcony, and both were a short walk from the Open-Air Chapel on the lawn. Groups followed right there on the stepping stones, portraits wandered along the gravel drive and out to a paddock, and dinner was one long table in the timber-lined dining room. We slipped back out to the chapel between courses for golden hour, then came inside again for the speeches.

Summer light under the gums

This was a bright summer afternoon, and the tall gums behind the chapel did a lot for us: they framed the white timber against dark green and kept the background calm while the lawn sat in full sun. That high, even light suited the family groups straight after the vows. The paddock grass had dried to gold, and it glowed once the sun sat lower. The real reward came during dinner, when the light over the stepping stones turned warm, and by the speeches the bush outside the open doors had gone blue.

Spots we chose for Sarah and Kyle

The veranda roof shaded the groomsmen and let the bush fall away softly behind them. At the chapel we stayed off to the sides of the stepping-stone aisle, so the flowered window frames sat in the foreground of the vows. The gravel drive looked best from a long way back, with the trees closing in over the two of them, and the timber rail fence by the paddock added a country edge. Having them stand in a white window frame each made a playful closing portrait.

Ideas for an intimate estate wedding

With a small guest list, one long table means every guest can feature in the table photos, so we went round with Sarah and Kyle and grabbed each couple in turn. Staying on site the night before removes the transfers and hands that time back to relaxed portraits. And if you love the idea of the white chapel in warm evening light, build a short pause into dinner and let us steal you for ten minutes while your guests enjoy their wine.

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