Weddings at Maleny Retreat
Maleny Retreat at Booroobin is a most magical venue for a wedding. A pleasant country drive through Maleny and past rambling farmhouses and paddocks with mooing dairy cows brings you to a manicured hidden paradise with views that will take your breathe away. Maleny Retreat is a perfect blank canvas to create your dream wedding with a marquee and stylist or DIY styling. Accommodation is available on site and the host , Joy, is delightful and very helpful. Joy even drives the bride and groom and their photographer on a buggy around the property and to nearby vantage points for location wedding photos, which is fantastic.
I photographed Tegan and Emmanuel’s ” Surprise ” wedding over two days at Maleny Retreat on a cool and rainy weekend in March. Great atmosphere- I love the mist in the mountains. Invitations had been sent out to guests for ‘Tegan and Emmanuel’s Paddock Party’ at Maleny Retreat to celebrate their engagement. Little did anyone know what was planned. Tegan and Emmanuel love an element of surprise and doing things a little differently and their surprise announcement made until over lunch on Friday that they were getting married that afternoon meant family had no time to plan, it was swing into action time. Tegan had arranged for hair and makeup artists to be at the cottage the girls were staying in at Spicers Tamarind Resort and for me to photograph events as they unfolded. Meanwhile Emmanuel and the boys set up the ceremony site at Maleny Retreat with simple rustic vintage styling. The idea was to have a stressfree low key wedding with only a select few chosen people and to have a shin dig of a celebration party with many friends the following day. A red bedouin style marquee from Nomadic Tents was perfect for the ‘ paddock’ wedding party celebration. There were lots of personalised decor items (including vintage doors and windows and sunflowers from Emmanuel’s Mother’s garden and hay bales from Tegan’s parents’ farm ) and hired items inluding rustic furniture, Morroccan rugs and lamps, icecream and pop corn machines and games including jenga and croquet items and a food van for catering which created a carnivale atmosphere.
The actual wedding sevice with celebrant Margarita Prori Smith took place in the company of a small group of special friends and family . Tegan’s Mum couldn’t stop crying the whole time .After the simple ceremony we went on a photoshoot with Joy on the buggy and she drove us around Maleny Retreat and up the road to have photos with some cows. It was a quite warm afternoon , mid thirties. The next day the weather turned cool and rainy. It was a mystery drive for guests to get to Maleny Retreat with foglights and low visibility. When the fog lifted everyone was treated to a magical reveal of the Glasshouse Moutains and valley below.Totally spectacular.
The entire weekend was so relaxed and so much fun . I was made to feel like a welcome guest and I had a great time at this very special wedding. What will always be memorable for me as a photographer is the slideshow of the ‘secret wedding’ photos I took projected on a burlap ‘screen’ tied with rope slung along with bunting between tent poles amonst the hay bales. When the bride and groom did their ‘ big reveal’ as a witty epilogue to a game of trivia at the party, guests were blown away by the images and it was wonderful to experience their reaction . Emmanuel and Tegan’s love story is a very romantic one but this may have to wait till another blog post.Marion Jonkers Photography is recommended by Maleny Retreat as a preferred photographer . Book a site inspection with Joy on 0449 287 762 contact Maleny Retreat
Weddings at Maleny Retreat vintage style, french doors haybales
the weather was cool and drizzly, which makes for a beautiful atmosphere in the mountainsthe red marquee at Maleny Retreat is visible from a distance on the drive approaching the property along Mears Lane.Bali flags line the driveway which makes a spectacular entrance staement for a wedding venuehow the family found out about the wedding! Emmanuel pegged this sign up on the lawn whilst the family was gathered on the verandah for lunch. They were quite shocked as they all thought it was just an engagement partythe girls got ready at Spicers Tammarind Resort in MalenyTegan wore her grandmother’s brooch as ” something borrowed”view of the on site ‘tents’ from the guest house verandahJoy drives guests from the carpark to the ceremony sitethe grass is like a golf course, so well kepthaybales from Tegan’s parent’s farm and sunflowers from Emmanuel’s mother’s garden.what a view!there are many beautiful places for photos at Maleny Retreatjust up the road is a dairy farmJoy provided transport for the photoshootBack at Maleny RetreatGuest Housesimple family gathering for dinner after the wedding at the guest house which comfortably accommodated everyonethe next day, saturday……when guests arrived they thought they were coming to an engagement party. They were not told until after a game of Trivia at 7pm that the couple had actually tied the know the day beforeOnce again Joy transported guests from the carparkMarquee is from Nomadic TentsNomadic Tents alos hired out teh rugs, the pews belong to Maleny RetreatHaybales for extra seating provide a country feelthe weather. Minimal visibilitythe marquee provided a cosy shelterteams for the Trivia quizzcroquetTegan jmping for joy , having fun with her girlfriendTegs got Muzza to jump toowethe illuminated bar was quite spectacularjenga anyone?photobooth funthe bar was a real showpiece featureHome brew with labels featuring the bride and groomthe brewersthe big announcement- ” we actually got married last night!” and here are the photos…….just love the makeshift burlap screenIt was quite a party and it continued well into the night, as most guests were accommodated on site.
