Laura and Matthew's Al Ru Farm wedding

Over the weekend, we had the privilege of shooting the gorgeous garden wedding of Laura and Matt at Al-Ru farm in Adelaide.

We arrived just before 3pm to be greeted warmly by Laura’s father before taking some pics of the bride and bridesmaids. Ky’s been shooting weddings for around 7 years now, but strangely enough, whilst our senior photographer, Tony has been at this wedding venue many times, it was the first time Ky had ever shot there. 

We started the shoot, from the gorgeous guest house which opened up to a field of blooming little white flowers which was the perfect backdrop. As Ky was shooting, we had a couple of free range chickens wander on by and pecked around him as we shot.

Both Laura and her bridesmaids looked amazing. Her bridesmaids were gorgeously dressed in matching pastel purple and pink long flowing skirts and her little flower girl Ava dressed in a dress which was made for spinning. As that side of the shoot was wrapping up, Laura casually (but quite amusingly!) asked her bridesmaids to ‘de-poop’ the bottom of their skirts as they had stepped into chicken poop  - what troopers these girls were! From that moment onwards, we knew we were in for a fun day!

We then walked over to meet up with the boys for a few pics before the ceremony. They were all huddled up under the shade of some trees in the carpark, making sure that they were out of the girls view. Matt was adamant that the first time he wanted to see his beautiful bride, was when she walked down the aisle.

The weather was forecasted to be in the mid 20s but it was definitely warming up for the garden ceremony at 4:30pm, so we were conscious of keeping the bridal party out of the sun as much as possible.

It was evident that Laura and Matt had spent a lot of time planning the finer little details of this wedding, from an ice bath of cold water for ceremony guests, to a drinks and fairy floss station (much to the delight of both the page boy and flower girl!) in the gorgeous gardens following the ceremony. Guests were all invited to relax in the shade with drinks and canapés whilst we whisked the bridal party off for photos.

With not much time for photos in between the ceremony and reception, Al-Ru farm was the perfect wedding venue. After some family pictures, we headed into the reception room to allow the bridal party to cool down a bit. We were amazed with the gorgeous setting. A little golden animal held up each place card and whilst we were getting ready for the shoot, Laura found herself re-arranging some of the place cards, letting us know that there were particular animals chosen for particular people! A guest book was set up in the corner with an instax Polaroid camera and little questionnaires for her guests to fill out and stick into the book alongside of their photos. Alongside of this, a candy bar was set up to fulfill any sweet tooth’s craving! There was also a scotch and cigar station set up outside for the guests!

What we did notice during the wedding shoot was the impeccable service from Al-Ru farm, constantly ensuring that the bridal party had enough food and drinks the whole time we were shooting in between the ceremony and reception. Now that’s service for you! But they extended this warm hospitality to us as suppliers as well asking if we wanted any food or drinks to get us through till our meals were served. Whilst it’s really a no brainer for wedding venues to look out for their couples, the team at Al-Ru farm goes above and beyond and it’s very rare that we’ve seen such service. From that initial greeting when we first stepped foot on the premises, we felt very welcome and well looked after and it truly didn’t go unnoticed from a wedding supplier's perspective. 

We then headed out of the wedding reception room, to be greeted by Blossom, the cutest little white calf you have ever seen. Laura jumped at the opportunity to feed her some milk but it was well and truly all guzzled by this time so we quickly snapped away before she got agitated. “Bridal party – get in the shot – quick – all look at the calf and talk to her” joked Ky!

We were soon running out of time for more pics, but it was only a short little stroll and we had another gorgeous backdrop for some more photos. All these different settings all in the one location is a wedding photographer’s dream really! There aren't many Adelaide wedding venues quite like it. 

As we walked back to the venue, we searched for the house dog Rosie. Wow – this dog was seriously as big as the calf, if not bigger and was by far the biggest dog we’d ever seen, but such a gentle giant and so obedient in taking a snap with our couple.

We then wandered back to the wedding reception room, but on the way walked past Blossom’s home. A gorgeous light filled glass house with open windows. We couldn’t let this opportunity pass so we sought permission from Ruth and our couple to take some pics inside. What an unforgettable photo opportunity! Laura and Matt had full trust and gave Ky full creative reign for the day, so if that meant stepping into cow manure for the pic – that they did! Did I mention the word of the day was ‘de-poop’?!? Animal photography on a wedding day at it's finest! 

During the quieter moments of the ceremony whilst guests were eating, Ky went wandering around in the dark finding the perfect spot for some night photos. We snuck the couple out for a few photos with them wondering where the heck we were taking them as we were walking into a pitch-black field. We sat them down  and asked them to relax on a bench seat. Ky clicked the shutter and asked them to stay still – 2 seconds later, they both start humming, not realizing we were shooting them on long exposure. Not really wanting to spoil their moment, we politely asked Matt to shhuushhh and be still. The result was breathtaking!

As Laura and Matt returned to mingle with their guests, Ky wandered down another path in the dark and before we knew it, we were prying the couple away from their friends for another photo… there’s always just that one more shot isn’t there?! The view of the starlit sky was sooo clear and amazing and whilst most of you might think it’s all part of a days work for Ky, he truly gets excited when he’s got such a beautiful backdrop to work with. We then shone our light on the shed with hay bails and before we knew it, Laura jumped up, almost looking like she was planking when she was half on and half off. As she maneuvered herself up, we were beside ourselves in laughter and in total awe of what this girl has been willing to do for us today! In hindsight I wish we weren't so busy laughing and took a photo to capture such a candid photography moment. Ky asked her to dangle her feet off the edge but funnily enough she heard ‘head’ and before we knew it she was laying tummy down with her head off the edge looking over at us, ready for us to take the shot. Hahaha! This girl was willing to do anything for Ky and didn’t question a thing! 

We even ended up with a little apprentice (the page boy) to recruit by the end of the night! 

Laura and Matt – thank you for trusting us to capture your beautiful wedding. We hope you love this sneak peek as much as we loved shooting it. Both of your commitment to getting the perfect shot (from Ky’s eyes) was second to none (yes – he is very indecisive some days in getting that perfect picture but your patience didn’t go unnoticed hahah!). And to the team from Al-Ru farm – thank you for your warm hospitality and allowing us some time with your beautiful Blossom!