asterisk photography | the wedding blog

In a quiet, out-of-the-way spot on the top level of The Strand Arcade is a restaurant that will knock your socks off!

The Restaurant Pendolino has only been open since 2008 but already it has made a name for itself.  Receiving rave reviews from the critics, it’s not hard to see why it has had such an impact.

The loving creation of ex-Otto chef, Nino Zoccali, Pendolino’s regionally-inspired Italian cuisine is made using only the finest ingredients, including organic flour and eggs and extra-virgin olive oils.

Canapés can be enjoyed from the top floor of The Strand Arcade overlooking the prestige boutiques where oodles of natural light pours in from the vaulted ceiling.  This building also doubles as the perfect venue for some bridal party location photographs,  or if they have happened elsewhere, perhaps a few shots of the bride & groom while they take a moment to share some time together.

When you enter the restaurant the feeling is wonderfully intimate with dramatically black painted walls and wrought-iron fittings.  Unusual though it is, it really works well, especially during the middle of the day when the sun might be blazing as the blinds will be drawn.

As a wedding reception venue, there’s plenty of room for over 100 guests with a dance floor to kick your heels up.  And we love how you can see the kitchen staff busy at work through the opening in the wall.  In fact, all of the staff at Pendolino’s will take care of you like you’re one of the family.

As a bonus, in a small room off to the left are shelves upon shelves of the most amazing extra-virgin olive oils for sale.  There’s quite an array and it would be hard to leave without something for the larder at home or a small gift for a dear friend.

Interestingly, although the pendulum in their logo is clearly the Italian meaning of the word “Pendolino”, the close association with the word “pending” conjures up for us images of “eager anticipation”, hence the title of this post.

After all, we can’t wait to visit again!

Kim*

The Restaurant Pendolino

On a hot & dry Saturday morning, with the mercury nudging 40 degrees, I found myself driving through the lush countryside of the Hunter Valley passing vineyards left, right and centre on my way to Margan Family Winegrowers & Restaurant.  You’ll find it out along the Broke Rd, past all the big name wineries in Pokolbin, which leads to the quieter, more tranquil area of Broke Fordwich.  A pleasant 1 1/2 hour drive from Sydney’s north up the F3, I believe it’s worth every minute of the trip!

Whenever I’m visiting the Hunter Valley I prefer to avoid the larger wineries choosing instead to drop in to the smaller, family-owned cellar doors of Marsh Estate, Margan, Petersons and Scarborough.  They are incredibly passionate about their wines and the whole wine-making process, seeing it as more of an art form and less of a commercial enterprise, despite their well-deserved success.

Not surprisingly, the Hunter Valley is a very popular destination for weddings with couples choosing to get away from the big smoke, opting instead for a relaxed country wedding.  There are countless wineries that cater for wedding ceremonies & receptions and Margan Family Winegrowers & Restaurant is one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of photographing.

Secreted away at the foot of the Brokenback Range, Margan is a stylish venue that will impress the minute you crunch up the gravel driveway.  The open area out the back provides a large venue for your wedding ceremony, with a view across the burgeoning grape vines to the Brokenback Range.

Once the ceremony is over and the candid shots of the guests and pre-requisite family group photographs have been captured, the bridal party can then stroll through the vineyard for their wedding location photographs.  The late afternoon sun warms the landscape casting shadows on the painted wall of the large chook-house with it’s rustic, iron filigree windows conjuring romantic images of Tuscany.

However, a lone eucalypt, typical of this countryside, brings you back home.  Mind you, it does provide another feature to the scenic expanses, ideally juxtaposed with a bridal party enjoying light conversation and genteel laughter between celebratory sips of the local Margan wine.

Of course, no visit to a vineyard is complete without a stroll through the furrows between the vines and if they are covered in fruit and vibrant, green foliage then all the better.  Just watch your step if you’re walking in high-heels!

The courtyard of the restaurant provides additional locations for the bride & groom with the sandstone Margan sign and the bench in front of the lavender.  Even the tasting room with it’s beautiful artwork makes a great alternative for photographs. 

Inside the restaurant is the huge, high-ceiling Barrel Room where wedding receptions are generally held.  As the name would suggest there are barrels and barrels lining the walls providing an atmosphere entirely appropriate to the down-to-earth festive occasion.  Yet despite the vastness of the interior it still feels intimate and friendly, like you’re sharing an enormous banquet with family & friends.

Attentive, delightful staff serving well-prepared, exceptionally delicious food just makes the whole setting perfect – cheers! 

Kim*

Margan Family Winegrowers & Restaurant

There is certainly no shortage of wonderful beaches in Sydney’s north.  Select from any one of a dozen or more and you’re bound to have a picturesque location for wedding photographs.  But what would be great is to find a restaurant at one of those beaches that has more than just pretty views and easy access to the sand & sea.

Fortunately there are a number of excellent restaurants suited to wedding receptions, one of them being Pilu at Freshwater.

It should come as no surpise that Pilu at Freshwater is located just north of Manly at Freshwater Beach, situated at the southern end of the beach with panoramic views through large windows as the surf lazily crashes on the shore below.

The venue has a distinctly welcoming, home-like feel to it, as if you’re staying at a friend’s place whilst holidaying on the coast.  A courtyard surrounded by hedges is available for your wedding ceremony should you choose to have a relaxed, relatively informal event.  And if the weather doesn’t go to plan you can always use the restaurant as an undercover option.

Down on the beach there are several places to utilise for your wedding location photographs.  The southern end is well sheltered from a southerly should the breeze prove to be a little too strong.  However, it can be nice to have the bride’s veil gently caught by the wind in photographs.

Stroll along the good sized but not too long beach over to the northern end near the Harbord Diggers and you’ll find some sparkling rockpools and an outdoor saltwater swimming pool.  A little further on is a large rock shelf that gives yet another protected spot for location photographs.

Before returning to the restaurant there are some sand dunes that work well for bridal party photographs, just near the Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club.

Back at the restaurant and you’ll be treated to some deliciously fine cuisine.  The Italian food is defintely biased towards seafood but then what would you expect from a seaside restaurant.  Yet the Sardinian flavours are so mouth-watering you’ll want to come back on another occasion so you can try all the dishes you missed.  I guess two SMH Good Food Guide chef’s hats puts them up there with the best.

Interestingly, it’s the fun all the guests were having on the dance floor that I remember the most from the last wedding we photographed at Pilu at Freshwater.  For such an intimate venue there is still plenty of room for a small band or a DJ and a good-sized, enthusiastic crowd to bop the night away.

Kim*

Pilu at Freshwater

There’s a place in the city that is a garden of tranquility in a sea of chaos.  Quietly tucked away amidst the hustle & bustle of the busy City of Sydney is the Chinese Garden of Friendship conveniently located on the Cockle Bay Wharf side of Darling Harbour opposite the Sydney Convention Centre.

The area of Darling Harbour is littered with countless shops and restaurants making it as much a local haunt as it is a tourist destination.  Therefore it’s nice to find somewhere to take time out from the frantic pace of your work day or sightseeing.

For much the same reason, the Chinese Gardens makes a wonderful venue for both wedding ceremony and location photographs.

There are numerous venues within the Chinese Gardens where your wedding ceremony can take place.  The most popular include the courtyard in front of the Dragon Wall, the Water Pavilion of Lotus Fragrance and the Peace Boat Pavilion.  All have their different benefits such as the number of guests who will be able to watch proceedings or the back-drop during your ceremony.

Go for a wander through the gardens and discover little nooks & crannies for your wedding location photographs.  Many of the tracks make for great candid shots with bamboo and rocks bordering the pathways. 

Then there are spots to stop and have the Lake of Brightness in the background.  And choose the right time of year and there will be everything from Azaleas, Port Wine Magnolias, Gardenias and Camelias flowering brilliantly in the shots. 

Close to the Teahouse Pavilion you’ll find a small waterfall that cascades down translucent black rocks with brilliant green foliage that is perfect for an intimate bride & groom photograph.

Many of the pavilions provide good cover for the bridal party photographs should it be a wet day with some of the pillars adorned with Chinese characters - a nice touch that gives context to the images.

But our favourite spot is the bridge that zig zags across the lake.  There is a Frangipani that smells heavenly with a back-drop of these enormous Weeping Willow trees.  All this and more with another splash of colour when the lillies are in flower.

Sublime, exquisite, serene!

Kim*

Chinese Garden of Friendship, Darling Harbour

Rose Seidler House is an unusual venue for your wedding location photographs but the images will definitely stand out from the crowd.

Located in the upper north shore suburb of Wahroonga, it is surrounded by tall eucalypts that are in stark contrast to the building’s strong architectural lines.  Built by the famous architect, Harry Seidler, for his parents between 1948-50, and named after his mother, it was exceptionally modern for it’s time.

The house itself is dominated by a ramp leading up to the living areas.  The geometrics are particularly striking as black & white images and are nicely juxtaposed with natural garden and bushland setting.

Walking up the ramp to the landing finds you facing a wonderfully intense painted wall full of incredibly bold colours (a mixture of reds, blues, greys, browns and yellows) intersected by curved black lines and dots that makes a fantastic back-drop for bridal party photographs.  Apparently, all the colours link in with materials and other walls & doors throughout the house.

The timber boards here also work well in black & white looking out across to the bush or use the funky chairs as a feature to add yet another splash of colour to the scene.

Inside are furnishings in dominant oranges, deep browns and brilliant mid-blues together with walls & doors that make yet another statement.  With lots of large glass windows looking out over the property it is possible to get some exquisite window light gently falling upon the bride & groom.

The kitchen itself is a clean, eclectic mix of whites & chrome together with red, blue & yellow cupboard doors.  The kitchen utensils were the most modern of their time and now lend a real nostalgia to that post-war era.

The historic house is generally open to the public on Sundays and although we have used it as a wedding location for bridal party photographs in the past, it is necessary to check with the caretaker to see whether or not they will allow such photographs and what sort of fees may need to be paid.

Understandibly, this is not your average wedding location but it will certainly allow your photographs to say something about you; your past, your present and your intended future life together as husband & wife.

Kim*

Rose Seidler House

As much as we love to photograph weddings in Sydney, it’s nice to have a change of scenery and travel somewhere outside of the metropolitan area that’s not too far away.  One such place is Killcare on the NSW Central Coast.  And it may just be the perfect alternative for your wedding guests to enjoy.

Only a short drive from Sydney’s north, about an hour or so up the F3, you’ll find Bells at Killcare.  They describe themselves as a boutique hotel, restaurant and bar as well as a world-class destination and quite frankly we believe they more than live up to that reputation.

Drive up the gravel driveway and you could be mistaken for thinking you’re holidaying in the European countryside.  Set amongst extensive grounds is the big & beautiful main house where guests can dine and relax.  Yet the decor and furniture has a decidely coastal feel to it with clean whites and striking blues dominating.

The accommodation is made up villas and suites that are well-appointed and tastefully decorated to ensure you relax the minute you walk through the door.  Combine that with the warm & friendly welcome you’ll receive from the staff and you will not want to leave!

The dining room is well-suited to smaller wedding groups seating up to 70 people but the wide open space of the lush, green, manicured lawns permits about 200 guests to enjoy a cocktail wedding ceremony and reception.

There are also a number of spots for the bridal party to slip away for some location photographs including a garden near the cabins with a small pond.  You’ll just have to mind the mosquitos if your photographs are at dusk.  Of course, choose the right time of year and there are magnificent flowering trees to add a vibrant splash of colour.  And the well maintained hedges near the fountain add yet another back-drop.

The house itself boasts yet more places to take photographs inside and out.  One in particular is the balcony with round pillars bordered by a hedge.

And you’re only a stones throw away from Putty Beach, Pretty Beach, Killcare Beach and the jetty at Hardys Bay.  But who wants any of those locations when all you need is at Bells at Killcare.

After all, they are blessed with the incredible talents of Stefano Manfredi in the kitchen, the well-renowned chef who used to be at the amazing bel mondo in Sydney once upon a time.  And with two SMH Good Food Guide chef’s hats they must be doing something right.

Quite simply, this place is your home-away-from-home!

Kim*

Bells at Killcare

Enter Killara Golf Club and immediately you feel like you’ve gone back in time to that 19th Century era of charm and sophistication.  Established in 1899, a couple of years before Federation, it’s architecture oozes the sort of character that many venues lack due to modern blandness.  However, this is a wedding venue with history and a heritage that makes any function a grand event.

Step out onto their balcony and enjoy the views of the wide open expanses of the groomed fairways that are incredibly well looked after.  Enjoy cocktails & canapés as you watch the sun set in a blaze of glory beyond the tall trees as the attentive wait-staff look after the needs of you and your guests.

Nestled amongst the old stately homes of Killara in Sydney’s leafy upper north shore yet sprawling as far as the eye can see, this is a golf course that warrants a closer look when planning your wedding.  Not only is it a terrific wedding reception venue but it is also an ideal spot for your wedding ceremony and location photographs.

Interestingly, despite being an older and very well established golf club, they are incredibly up-to-date in their thinking.  For example, one particular wedding we photographed at Killara Golf Club was a little unusual as the bride’s arrival was upstaged by the big entrance of the groom and his groomsmen.

Having gained permission from the club, they arrived by helicopter touching down in sight of all the guests.  The brilliant, bold red colour of this ultra-modern piece of machinery was quite a contrast to the lush, green fairway where it landed.  Mind you, the poor pilot had to negotiate a hail storm that threated to put a dampener on proceedings.  Fortunately, Killara Golf Club has the option of an indoor space should the weather take a turn for the worst.

As it turned out, the rain held off and the bridal party were able to enjoy their time on the golf buggies as we shuttled from one great location to the next.  The course boasts tall eucalypts that catch the late afternoon sun, devilish sand bunkers on the edge of putting greens, and vibrant flowering trees all of which enable the bridal party to relax and enjoy their time away from the formal proceedings amongst stunning back-drops.

Back at the club house the family groups can be photographed on the first tee with some tall trees in the background.  And a large group shot with all the guests’ faces seen clearly is achieved by having them all stand around the practice green and shooting down from the balcony.  This area is also nicely maintained with a bed of brilliant, colourful flowers.

But it’s not all about the photographs.   The service is excellent and the food delicious – always an important consideration at any wedding.

Kim*

Killara Golf Club