The Grounds of Alexandria – a very popular wedding reception venue in Sydney’s creative hub. I’ve photographed several Grounds of Alexandria Weddings, including Natalia and Matthew’s show-stopper of an afternoon (linked here), and Grace and Daniel’s party to the moon and back (linked here), to name a couple. Most of the time, I’d say, the weather in Sydney plays its part. However in the summer of 2021-22, La Niña is causing havoc for wedding celebrations, and the weather Bureau is forecasting several more months of precipitation. With this in mind, I thought that I’d share this wet weather wedding at the Grounds of Alexandria. After shooting their pre-wedding portrait session (linked here), Carolyn and Robert trusted me to think a little outside of the box, and we took a different approach to capture wet weather wedding photos on this occasion. Read on to see our plan of attack…
Chinese Wedding Door Games and Tea Ceremony
Carolyn and Robert’s morning essentially comprised of getting ready, in preparation for some hilarious door games. I’m a huge fan of door games! Ok, so the premise here is that the bride and her bridesmaids are kept away inside a home. The groom’s task (with his Groomsmen) is to approach the bride’s house and gain entry to the house by performing several outrageous tasks to the satisfaction of the bride and her bridesmaids. In the past, I have seen these games get outrageous and almost to the point of being competitive.
I’ve seen grooms have to take shots of ‘interesting’ substances, and in some cases have to drink straight lemon juice, fish sauce, and other strange liquid concoctions that the bride creates the weeks beforehand. I’ve seen grooms and their groomsmen have to lick “baby poo” (i.e., Nutella) off a baby diaper. Strange things, indeed. If the guys fail, they pay in red envelopes containing cash. Simple. You’d want to have a strong stomach and be fairly fit on your wedding day.
Wet Weather Wedding photos in our Photography Studio
Carolyn and Robert ideally wanted to shoot their wedding portraits at Centennial Park. Unfortunately due to the weather, this wasn’t possible. So, I thought, why don’t we shoot wedding photos in our photography studio? Studio photography isn’t typically used for wedding photos because normally there is some other favourable location in the great outdoors that a couple prefers.
Take a look at some frames below. We created an awesome, intimate setting with some props. We used some of our confetti canons to create fun and captured a great set of portraits for Carolyn and Robert with their bridal party.
Wedding photos in a photography studio do create some challenges because working with strobes (flash equipment) can be difficult to endure for members of the bridal party. After a while, fashion models need a break from the flash exposure, and this would be amplified at a wedding due to the volume of frames I normally shoot.
The great thing about our photography studio is that we have couches for guests to chill and enjoy a drink. There are also ample facilities including a makeup station, bathrooms and a kitchen! These are small indulgences but it makes a difference on your wedding day – remember, I want you to enjoy yourself!
Wedding Reception at The Grounds of Alexandria
The Grounds of Alexandria, as I’ve mentioned before in several blog posts, is a favourite amongst newly engaged couples looking for rustic charm in a wedding reception venue. A wedding at the Grounds of Alexandria will suit those who love the inner Sydney location, balanced with exposed timber beams, vintage and rustic decor, but a good menu that widely appeals.
I think every time I photographed a wedding at The Grounds, couples have chosen to do a night shoot. Carolyn and Robert also wanted to capture the evening colour in a night setting, so between speeches, we ducked off into the laneway to shoot 10 minutes’ worth of evening portraits.
After Carolyn and Robert’s first dance, and shooting some dance floor action, we wrapped up. If you would like more information about natural wedding photos or your wedding at The Grounds of Alexandria, please reach out via the contact page on this site.
… And before I forget, check out the film we produced for Carolyn and Robert’s wedding below. Enjoy!
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