Wedding Photographer

Richard Johnston

At Lonely Hunter, I only photograph a limited number of weddings each year and do book out quite far in advance.
Don't leave it until I'm are already booked before you decide to make an enquiry..

The Woodhouse Wollombi Wedding

As a Hunter Valley Wedding Photographer, Claire & Ryan’s Woodhouse Wollombi wedding was exactly the kind of day I love photographing, relaxed, personal and centred around having a great time with the people they love. After fourteen years together, they weren’t looking to overcomplicate things. They wanted a beautiful day outdoors, surrounded by family and friends, with their golden retriever Ronnie there to be part of it too.

Getting ready at The Woodhouse

The day started at The Woodhouse, with everyone getting ready on the property in seperate areas. Having seperate accommodation onsite is one of the things that makes the venue so easy to work at. There’s no need to organise transport between locations, and the whole day can unfold in one place. It also gives the morning a relaxed feeling. Rather than rushing from one location to another, everyone has time to settle into the day.

The ceremony

The grounds were a big reason Claire and Ryan chose The Woodhouse, and so it was fitting for them to choose the pond at the base of the valley as the backdrop for their ceremony. Surrounded by bushland, their ceremony spot had that secluded, oasis-like feeling they were drawn to when they first visited the venue. It felt natural rather than overly formal, which suited their day perfectly. And, of course, Ronnie had an important role to play.

Portraits around The Woodhouse

One of my favourite things about photographing a Woodhouse Wollombi wedding is that you don’t have to go far to find great locations. The grounds offer so much variety, from the surrounding bush and manicured gardens to the long, tree-lined gravel driveway and the distinctive architecture of The Woodhouse itself.

It meant we could create a really diverse collection of photographs in a relatively short amount of time, without having to spend half the afternoon driving between locations. For Claire and Ryan, that meant less time away from their guests and more time enjoying the people who had come to celebrate with them. That’s something I really value as a wedding photographer. I want to create beautiful, varied photographs, but I never want the couple to be away from their guests for too long.

Into the reception

As the afternoon gave way to evening, everyone made their way inside for the reception. The space has a completely different feel to the surrounding grounds, with a mix of warm timber and polished concrete creating a calm, inviting atmosphere that felt perfect for the next part of the day. There were speeches, dinner, plenty of laughs and eventually the formalities gave way to what Claire and Ryan had been looking forward to: hitting the dance floor with their friends and family. One of the best things about The Woodhouse is that there isn’t an early curfew, so the party didn’t have to finish just as everyone was getting into it.

The party

By the time the dancing started, the formalities of the day were well and truly behind them. Everyone had settled in, the nerves had disappeared and Claire and Ryan could finally relax and simply enjoy being married.

We did, however, take a moment to step outside for some nighttime photographs. It was another opportunity to create something a little different, but more importantly, it gave the two of them a few quiet moments together away from the party. After such a big day, it was a chance to pause, take a breath and let the reality of what had just happened sink in.

The Woodhouse really is a stunning venue and it provided Claire & Ryan with the setting they had envisioned. For me, that’s what makes The Woodhouse Wollombi such a great place to photograph a wedding. You have the surrounding landscape, the architectural facade of the main building, a well designed reception space and enough flexibility for the day to unfold at its own pace.

Scroll through below to see how beautifully Cate & Rob’s Wallalong House wedding came to life.