Elegant September Wedding at Beautiful Gorse Hill.

Gorse Hill Hotel from the Garden Suite

It was a delight to photograph this beautiful wedding at Gorse Hill Hotel. It is such a stunning local venue.

Groom Prep

The wedding took place on a gorgeous autumn day at the end of September. It really felt like it was mid summer, as the sun beamed down. The groom and his groomsmen arrived dressed and ready for the wedding day. They just had to pin on their buttonholes and enjoy a quick drink in the bar before the guests arrived for the ceremony.

dapper groom in a grey suit arrives in his blue sports car
a groomsman helps another guest with his wedding buttonhole
The groom stand s at the hotel door, wearing a pale grey suit and black waistcoat

Bridal Prep

Meanwhile the bride was getting ready upstairs in the hotel, with her two bridesmaids and mum. She did her own make up and her uncle did her hair into a lovely soft chignon. I photographed her details including her wedding dress, shoes, flowers and handbags. The couple only wanted candid photographs of their day so there was no posing (except the family formals later), just natural documentary photography.

sleeveless wedding dress hanging in on the doorframe in a hotel corridor
diamond engagement ring nestled in white hydrangea bouquet
woman looks at laptop on the bed
the bride smiles as she look into the mirror and chats to her hairdresser
the bride fixes her lipstick as she looks into a round mirror
the bridesmaid gets the bride's earrings out of the box
the bride laughs and looks out of the hotel window as the guests arrive downstairs at the hotel
the bride, bridesmaids and her uncle celebrate with champagne before the wedding
detail of the bride's dress buttons being done up
the bride looks at her reflection in a long mirror as her bridesmaid does up her wedding dress
the bride puts on her wedding shoes as she sits on the end of the four poster bed
the father of the bride sees his daughter in her wedding dress and veil for the first time

The Ceremony

The day was very relaxed and intimate, with only 30 guests for the ceremony and wedding breakfast. Small but very definitely perfectly formed! The bridesmaids preceded the bride and her father down the aisle to the waiting groom, supported by his best man. The ceremony went off without hitch. Immediately after the happy couple celebrated at the front door of the hotel with a glass of champagne. Then it was time to go out to the garden and the assembled guests.

the groom shares a laugh with his best man as they wait for the bridal party to arrive
the bride walks down the aisle with her father at Gorse hill
the bride and groom share a laugh during their wedding ceremony at gorse hill
the bride and groom laugh together during their wedding ceremony
the best man hands the groom the wedding ring for the bride
the bride and groom laugh as the bride struggle sto put the groom's wedding ring on his finger
the bride and groom share their first kiss during their wedding at gorse hill hotel
the wedding guests smile and clap as they sit watching the couple get married
the bride and groom walk back down the aisle a married couple
the bride and groom say cheers to each other with their champagne after their wedding service
the bride and groom share a kiss as they stand holding their glasses of champagne of the front doorstep of gorse hill hotel

The Drinks Reception

As always the confetti was great fun, made even better with a couple of surprise confetti cannons. Since the weather was so hot the guests were able to take advantage of the gardens and patio for the drinks reception. And there was some rivalry and a lot of laughter as they enjoyed the garden games.

confetti cannons on either side of the bride and groom as they come out of the hotel into the sunshine where the wedding guests are waiting
the best man greets the bride with a hug
smiling female wedding guests chat with the bride on the patio at Gorse Hill after the wedding ceremony
the bridesmaids laugh with the bride during the drinks reception
the smiling wedding guests congratulate the groom with raised glasses
the smiling groom chats with his wedding guests during the drinks reception
laughing wedding guests on the patio at gorse hill
the bride shares a laugh with her bridesmaid in the gardens at Gorse Hill
the smiling bride chats with wedding guests on the patio at Gorse Hill
wedding guests play giant connect four in the garden during the wedding drinks reception
wedding guests laugh hysterically with the groom in the gardens at Gorse hill
wedding guests sit and chat in the gardens at the hotel
the bride and groom pose for a group photo with the groomsmen

Then after the formal photos I had 10 minutes to capture some relaxed photos of the couple in the gardens.

the bride and groom look back over their shoulders in the gardens at Gorse Hill
the bride and groom walk and chat with heads close together in a lush garden
the bride looks down to the bouquet in her hand as the groom holds her waist and kisses her head
the groom walks ahead of the bride and holds her hand as they walk back towards the hotel

The Wedding Breakfast

The dining room was beautifully decorated for the wedding breakfast, with whites and greens. The couple had paid lots of attention to detail and the settings were stunning.

the dining room at gorse hill hotel is set for an intimate wedding breakfast, decorated with white and green foliage and gold details
white hydrangeas and green eucalyptus foliage adorn the top table
white and green foliage with gold lanterns on the wedding breakfast tables
the wedding breakfast tables are set with white linen, gold rimmed chargers and eucalyptus name places

Since the bride is Italian, the couple followed the Italian tradition of standing up and kissing every time the guests shouted “Bacio, bacio!” (“kiss, kiss!”) and there was much hilarity during the speeches too.

the newly weds stand and kiss during the wedding breakfast
The bride and groom are welcomed into the wedding breakfast with cheers and clapping from their guests
the best man stands and talks to guests at their tables
guests laugh at the jokes during the wedding speeches
the groom laughs at his father-in-law's joke during the wedding speeches
a bridesmaid wipes away her tears of laughter as she sits and enjoys the wedding speeches
the groom and top table raise their glasses to the bridesmaids during his speech
a table of female wedding guests raise their glasses and clap at the end of the speeches
a wedding guest claps his hand to his mouth as he hears the joke, while another guest films the wedding speech

After dinner the guests wandered down to the Garden Suite ready for the evening party and the arrival of the evening guests. Meanwhile the bride and groom took ten minutes to themselves to freshen up and I was able to get a couple of photos of them on the balcony of the bridal suite.

the bride waves to friends in the garden down below, as she stands on the balcony of the bridal suite
the bride and grrom look out at the sunset and view from the balcony of an upstairs bedroom

The Evening Party

The evening reception took place in the Garden suite and many guests sat outside in the covered patio area to enjoy the beautiful warm weather. Inside they had a sweet table and a photo booth. But the main event was the dancing with another confetti cannon, filled with red love hearts, and the traditional Italian music. After that I left them to party the night away.

the bride and groom cut their four tiered wedding cake
the bride and groom have their first dance as love heart confetti rains down on them
a close up of the bride and groom dancing their first dance
female wedding guests dance and laugh together
female wedding guests swing each other round on the dance floor
the bride and groom swing each other round on the dance floor in the garden suite at gorse hill hotel
Gorse Hill Hotel at night from the garden

Are you getting married at Gorse Hill? I’d love to photograph your wedding! Pop over to my portfolio to see more of my work or contact me to check my availability for your wedding date. Or visit my Gorse Hill Weddings Page.

If you want to visit the hotel go to Gorse Hill Hotel

WELCOME TO THE BLOG

Mercedes Evans Photographer

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