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Wedding photographer
Newcastle & the Hunter

(02) 5550 7136

Bells at Killcare wedding photographer: A garden high on Bouddi

A Bells at Killcare wedding takes place in a garden high on the Bouddi Peninsula, with national park all around and the vows said on the lawn beside the fountain. We come down from Cooks Hill for it, and we like it because everything from the ceremony to the last dance happens within a few steps of that one lawn.

Check your date at Bells at Killcare(02) 5550 7136

An arch of dried flowers stands on a hilltop lawn beside a spreading tree, the valley falling away below
From the studio
75 km south-west
Sunset, January
8:08pm
Sunset, June
4:53pm

What makes a Bells at Killcare wedding one of our favourites

Bells is laid out like a small country estate: a main house, a conservatory lined with tall white sash windows, a restored barn, vegetable gardens and a flock of hens, all set among clipped lawn and established planting.

For a photographer that means a change of texture at every turn without leaving the grounds, and the venue's garden hire includes the whole property for your photos.

The Conservatory fills with daylight through those windows, so the reception room photographs as well in the late afternoon as it does at night, and the vine-hung courtyard off its east end takes over once the festoon lights come on.

Getting there

Bells is at 107 The Scenic Road, Killcare Heights, about 115 km from Newcastle.

The drive runs down the M1, off through Kariong and out across the peninsula, and takes about an hour and three quarters, so we leave with room to spare.

If you're getting ready on site, the venue asks that rooms for preparations be booked from the night before, because otherwise a room isn't guaranteed until the 3pm check-in.

The ceremony lawn sits right outside the Conservatory, whose deck opens onto it, so there's no transfer at all between the vows and the reception.

How the day runs

Bells sets the clock. Evening ceremonies are held by the fountain from 4.30pm, with guests seated in the Conservatory at 6pm, and lunch ceremonies run from 11am with everyone seated by 12.30pm.

In midwinter the sun sets at about five, so a 4.30pm ceremony gets the last warm light and the portraits run on into dusk.

Around midsummer it sets close to eight, so we'd do family groups straight after the vows and take the two of you back into the garden for ten minutes during dinner, when the light finally softens.

The area around the pool is kept private for hotel guests, and the venue notes that other guests may be on the property unless you book it exclusively.

Before your day

We'd meet the Bells events team on the lawn a few weeks out, at the same hour as your ceremony, agree which way the chairs face, and walk the route to the courtyard and the barn for portraits.

Around the house and gardens at Bells

  1. The fountain lawn

    The manicured lawn where Bells holds its garden ceremonies, with white chairs set out and the signing table beside the fountain.

    Clipped grass and the fountain give a clean, formal backdrop for the vows and for the whole family in one frame.

  2. The Conservatory courtyard

    Through concertina doors at the east end of the Conservatory is a private courtyard hung with cascading vines and festoon lights.

    It's the place for night portraits once the lights are on, and for a quiet minute together away from the dance floor.

  3. The Library verandah

    The Library has its own verandah, with a fireplace inside. On a cool or showery afternoon the verandah gives covered, even light for portraits, and the fireplace room suits a few close frames before the formalities begin.

  4. The day spa barn

    Bells Day Spa sits in a fully restored two-storey barn with a pitched roof, next to the manor house.

    Its steep roofline gives a country backdrop a short walk from the lawn, though we'd keep clear of the nearby pool, which is private to hotel guests.

Questions about photography at a Bells at Killcare wedding

What time is the ceremony at Bells at Killcare?

The venue holds evening ceremonies by the fountain from 4.30pm, with dinner seated in the Conservatory at 6pm, and lunch ceremonies from 11am. It advises against moving the evening time earlier, so we plan the light around those hours rather than the other way round.

Will we get golden hour photos at Bells?

It depends on the month. Through the middle of the year the sun sets inside or just after the 4.30pm to 6pm window, so the warm light comes on its own. In summer it sets near eight, and we'd agree a short break during dinner with the events team to take you back out to the garden.

Can we get ready at Bells at Killcare?

Yes, in a cottage or suite booked through the hotel, and the venue recommends booking the night before because a room isn't guaranteed until 3pm. Cottages are designed for two people, so with a big bridal party we'd plan the getting-ready photos in shifts and use the garden for the group frames.

Where do the photos happen at Bells if it rains?

Bells has no published rain plan for the garden ceremony, so it's worth raising with the events team at your first meeting. For portraits we'd use the Library verandah, the Conservatory's big sash windows and the courtyard, and step out onto the lawn whenever the rain eases.

Are there parts of Bells we can't use for photos?

Garden hire covers the whole grounds for photos, with one exception the venue spells out: the space around the swimming pool stays private for other hotel guests. Unless you've booked the entire property, other guests may be about too, so we'd work around them quietly.

Is Killcare Heights a long drive for you from Newcastle?

About an hour and three quarters from Cooks Hill, down the M1 and out over the peninsula roads. We leave with spare time and arrive early enough to see the lawn and the Conservatory before your guests do.

Everyone, on the lawn.

Send us your date and whether it's a lunch or an evening wedding, and we'll plan the light around the fountain and the Conservatory.

Check your date(02) 5550 7136

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