There are some beautiful locations to marry in the Hunter Valley, including the Circa 1876 wedding venue. Bound to the west by the Pokolbin State Forrest and the south by the Watagan’s National Park, the Hunter Valley is filled with prime agricultural fields, homesteads, creeks and tree-lined streetscapes. In the central area of the valley, to the north of Cessnock, is an area known as Lovedale. To the west of Lovedale is Pokolbin, and it is within these two beautiful settings that I found myself on a clear, cool Autumn Saturday morning for Kristy and Greg’s Circa 1876 wedding at The Convent, and Lovedale Chapel.
The Hunter Valley – a Picturesque Wedding Region
As a Hunter Valley wedding photographer, I’m lucky that I have the opportunity to shoot some fantastic weddings up here every year, and every time I’ve been here it has been at a new venue. You can have a look at some other weddings I have photographed in the Hunter Valley at Mindaribba House and Wallalong House on my blog.
One reason many couples love a Hunter Valley wedding is that guests can head out of Sydney for the weekend, and enjoy a short trip away with friends. There are lots of hotels and boutique venues to rent and share with your mates. You can join a round of golf at the Oaks Cyprus Lakes or the Crown Plaza, or head to a local spa for a day of relaxation. And in the afternoon it’s easy to find a warm spot by the fire at the multitude of wineries.
Circa 1876 Weddings at The Convent, Hunter Valley
Kristy chose to stay and prepare for her Circa 1876 wedding day at The Convent. The Convent is a delightful and beautifully restored building, once home to the Nuns of Brigidine from Coonamble. The Convent is large with 19 guest rooms and is surrounded by a wrap-around balcony, and decorated luxuriously in dark tones with gold and marble detail.
During the morning, I captured a few details and candid photographs of Kristy and her bridesmaids at The Convent. We used the balcony for some extra variety and also for some portraits with family members.
Greg and his Groomsmen got ready for the day at the Crown Plaza. The Crown is a popular location for groomsmen to spend the night before. It has a good central location with an 18-hole golf course (and plenty of beers!). The rooms on the grounds are a decent size and have good light for morning wedding prep photos.
Wedding ceremonies at the lovely Lovedale Chapel
Lovedale Chapel is a cute, newly built white weatherboard chapel just up the road from Pokolbin. The chapel was built in 2004 but is constructed in a style reminiscent of English churches of centuries past. With a capacity of around 110 guests, it’s a good size for the average Hunter Valley wedding guest list.
Circa 1876 Wedding Photos
Circa 1876 is located in an old restored cottage on the grounds of the Roscrea Estate. The cottage has an old lounge area in the front room, a large dining room at the back for around 150-200 guests, and is surrounded by well-maintained kitchen gardens. After Kristy and Greg’s nuptials at Lovedale Chapel, we returned to Circa 1876 for canapés, an awesome champagne tower and also some locations portraits around the grounds of The Convent Circa 1876 with their bridal party. We also captured some regal images in the front lounge.
As a relaxed natural wedding photographer, I find that location photos around a wedding venue can be laid back and is enjoyable for couples because there are no time pressures to return to a cranky venue manager awaiting your arrival. We just walked around the grounds and shot photos with a variety of nice backgrounds. The staff at Circa 1876 are lovely and were very accommodating to us at Kristy and Greg’s wedding.
The photos below show some of the locations we visited. There was no way I was going to not include the awesome tree-lined drive that leads up to the entrance of The Convent in some Circa 1876 wedding photographs. This was a must-have!
After location photos, we returned to Circa 1876 for a candle-lit wedding reception with a delicious menu. We heard from near friends and family (including some recordings of those who couldn’t make it) before lighting up the dance floor.
Enjoy browsing the images below, and as an extra, check out a neat little slideshow I put together for Kristy and Greg. If you’d like more information about Hunter Valley wedding photography, a relaxed approach to your Circa 1876 wedding at The Convent or natural wedding photos more generally, please reach out via the contact page on this website.
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