Brindabella Hills Winery Canberra Wedding - Phoebe and Jiawen
Some weddings follow a formula. This one followed a feeling.
Phoebe and Jiawen didn't want a standard wedding day. They wanted their day - built around the places they love, the food they order on a Tuesday night, the city that shaped them. As a doctor and nurse who met and built their lives in Canberra, every stop on their wedding day told a piece of their story.
And what a story it was.
The Ceremony - Brindabella Hills Winery
The day began at Brindabella Hills Winery - one of Canberra's most beautiful cellar doors, nestled in the foothills of the Brindabella Ranges. The ceremony was heartfelt, unhurried and completely them. The kind where you forget there's a photographer in the room because everyone is too busy feeling every single word.
Phoebe was radiant. Jiawen was barely holding it together. In the best possible way.
The Espresso Martini Stop - Devil You Don't
After the ceremony, because every great wedding day needs a detour, the couple and their nearest people headed to what was then Hijinks Bar, now reborn as Devil You Don't - for espresso martinis. Their favourite bar. Their favourite drink. On the best day of their lives.
It was perfect.
Portraits - National Gallery of Australia
From there, we made our way to the National Gallery of Australia for portraits. The NGA's grounds offer some of Canberra's most extraordinary backdrops - sweeping sculpture gardens, dramatic architecture and that unmistakable sense of being somewhere genuinely significant.
The Wedding Dress Change
For the reception, Phoebe changed into a traditional Chinese wedding dress - and the room completely transformed. It was one of those moments that catches everyone off guard in the most beautiful way. Two cultures, one extraordinary woman, one very proud Jiawen.
The Reception - Lamshed's
The evening wound up at Lamshed's - the restaurant Phoebe and Jiawen love most in Canberra, booked out entirely for their celebration. Great food, great wine, great people - and the kind of reception energy that only happens when everyone in the room genuinely loves the couple at the centre of it.
A Day Entirely, Beautifully Theirs
Phoebe and Jiawen's wedding was a reminder of what a wedding day can be when you stop trying to meet expectations and start building something true to you.
Every stop meant something. Every moment was intentional. Every photograph tells a piece of a story that is completely, uniquely theirs.
"Kirsten is outright amazing at her job. Kirsten is so fun, relaxed, accommodating, and just the best photographer to have around on the day. We couldn't be happier with our photos - she is just so talented. Cannot recommend Kirsten enough!" Phoebe & Jiawen
Venues
Ceremony: Brindabella Hills Winery, Murrumbateman ACT
Drinks: Devil You Don't (formerly Hijinks), Canberra ACT
Portraits: National Gallery of Australia, Parkes ACT
Reception: Lamshed's, Canberra ACT
Planning a Canberra wedding?
Canberra is one of Australia's most underrated wedding destinations - incredible venues, beautiful light and a city that knows how to celebrate. I'd love to be your Canberra wedding photographer.
Kirsten Cunningham is an Orange NSW based wedding photographer shooting across Canberra, Tharwa, Braidwood, Mudgee, Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains, Dubbo and regional NSW.