Dean & Tracey - Spring Stanthorpe Wedding at the Happy Valley Retreat

Dean & Tracey like to do things a little bit differently and decided to have their Stanthorpe Wedding as a little get away to enjoy with their family and friends. Being based in Toowoomba, it was close enough for their local friends, and a little bit of an adventure for their interstate family to enjoy. I had never been to Stanthorpe before, but enjoyed the road trip from Sydney up the New England Highway, taking in the beautiful landscapes along the way. I was lucky enough to also enjoy a few days in the Stanthorpe area to explore and scout for the wedding day (as well as hang out with Dean, Tracey and the guests).

Dean & Tracey stumbled upon the Happy Valley Retreat when looking for Stanthorpe wedding venues, and loved how it brought everything together in one place. Stanthorpe and the surrounds are in the granite belt of southern Queensland and it is quite a remarkable place. The landscape is littered with outcrops, rocks, valleys and is amazingly picturesque. After the long drive from Sydney, I settled in and explored a little of Girraween National Park before meeting up with everyone as the venue was setup and the guests from Toowoomba and interstate started to arrive. Late in the afternoon the light was particularly lovely, so I grabbed Dean & Tracey and headed into the state forest near Happy Valley for some portraits in the bush. It was a great way to get some candid moments between them both, have a big catch up and give them some time alone before the big day.

Like many of my clients, I had crossed paths with Dean a few years ago through our shared interest in photography. With a mutual friend in Tim Swinson (a great Toowoomba based photographer); we got chatting when Dean & Tracey started looking at photographers. As I have found, there are no boundaries as to where I can travel to document a wedding day. When given the prospect of heading up to Stanthorpe, I jumped at the chance to capture some amazing memories for Dean & Tracey. I always love the challenge of capturing a wedding for a clients who love photography, it pushes me even more to think outside the box and capture something special for them.

As I find with all my destination weddings, I was welcomed with open arms and treated like a friend of the family. It was lovely meeting Dean & Tracey’s family and close friends, learning more about how they came to find each other, the family history and the memories of those that are no longer with us. This is always such an important part of weddings, it is the story behind the photos.