Evelina Katarzynski
written by
A Beresford Estate Wedding with Amelia and Will
A Traditional and Elegant McLaren Vale Wedding at Beresford Estate
Amelia and Will married at a church in Willunga before the day moved to Beresford Estate, where the reception sat under a black marquee on the Pepper Tree Lawns, enveloped by a quintessential McLaren Vale vista. Structured, clear-panelled roof, a checkerboard dancefloor beneath filled with beautiful details and the newlyweds loved ones.
Beresford Estate At a Glance
- Venue: Beresford Estate, McLaren Vale
- Ceremony: Saint Joseph’s Church in Willunga
- Style: Traditional, timeless, elegant
- Featured in: Together Journal
They met the way a lot of good things happen; almost by accident. Amelia’s boss was married to Will’s boss, the two decided their employees should meet, and a double date was arranged involving bowling and pasta. No pressure, no performance. Just easy conversation from the first night, which Amelia and Will both point back to as exactly how the relationship went from there.
Their vision for the day was traditional, timeless, elegant. Three words, and they meant them.
Getting Married at Beresford Estate
Beresford Estate is less than an hour from Adelaide, located in Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, built with clean, modern architecture rather than anything converted from historic roots. I’ve photographed weddings here several times now, enough to know the property well across different seasons and different light. What draws me back to it isn’t the vineyard at all. It’s the hedging and the run of conifers across the grounds, which reads as considerably more European than the surrounding wine country, closer to a walled garden in the south of France than anything typically ‘Australiana’. For a couple wanting that sensibility without leaving the state, Beresford is one of the few places in McLaren Vale that delivers it well.
Amelia and Will chose Beresford Estate for their reception, holding their church ceremony separately in Willunga. It’s a structure worth knowing about if you’re planning your own day here: Beresford works beautifully as a celebration venue on its own terms, without needing to double as your ceremony location.
The Pepper Tree Lawns
The rear lawn sits against a geometric wall that does most of the styling work when utilised a ceremony backdrop; providing clean, modern lines and real structure. This rear lawn space is enveloped by dense hedging, giving the lawn a luxe European feel that sets it apart from most other McLaren Vale venues. This structure makes for an incredible an open-air reception setting, and where the weather allows, I encourage couples to treat it as their first choice over bringing in a marquee or moving indoors. This is the largest space on the property, holding up to 300 seated or 500 standing for a cocktail-style event.
The Bell Tower Deck
Between ceremony and reception, guests are ushered up to the Bell Tower for cocktail hour, an elevated deck used for drinks and canapés that overlooks the tiered vineyard. It’s a natural pause in the day for guests to unwind while bathed in softer, late afternoon light before the reception commences. The tower houses an 1894 bronze bell, cast in St Louis and inscribed “Frieden Auf Erden” (peace on earth) which sat unused for decades in a German church before it found its way to this property.
The Gallery Room
Beresford also has an indoor reception space, the Gallery Room, with a neutral palette, which works as a wet-weather backup or as the more sensible choice for a wedding in the cooler months. Where the rear Pepper Tree Lawn and its geometric wall already do a lot of the visual styling when chosen as the ceremony backdrop, the Gallery Room indoor space is closer to a blank canvas, ready to be shaped however a couple wants. Bi-fold doors open the room straight onto the adjoining courtyards, and it seats up to 160, or 200 standing for a cocktail event.
Accommodation at Beresford Estate
Beresford’s on-site accommodation is extensive enough to build an entire wedding weekend around. The Grand Reserve Suites sit directly among the vines with their own private plunge pools, and the Reserve Suites line the estate’s older Shiraz plantings with their own outdoor terraces. For the couple and close family, the Shiraz Villa offers a private, ultra-modern retreat, while the Grenache Villa, a remodelled nineteenth-century cottage that sleeps six across three bedrooms, suits a bridal party wanting to stay together rather than spread across separate rooms.
For couples wanting something smaller, Beresford also runs a dedicated micro-wedding and elopement package, set among the vines for an intimate celebration without the scale of a full wedding reception.
A Dress Twenty Years in the Making
Amelia’s dress was designed by Liza Emanuele, a family friend she has known since she was eight years old. Liza also remade Amelia’s mother’s wedding dress, weaving elements of it into the bridesmaids’ attire, and built the flower girls’ dresses from the same thread of family history. Three generations, one gown lineage, worn in the same afternoon.
Amelia wore her grandmother’s wedding gloves from 1961. A lace bolero, a lace scarf, a lace clip, pearls layered close at the throat, and a red lipstick change for the reception, small transformations built into one dress across one day. Will proposed with his mother’s engagement ring. His suit carried a Scottish tartan lining, sewn in quietly, with the wedding date engraved inside it where only he would know to look.
There were limoncello shots at the reception, made to Amelia’s grandfather’s own recipe, the one he carried with him to Australia. Not a toast for show. A drink that belonged to someone who wasn’t in the room anymore but was, in every other sense, still there.
What the Day Was Actually For
Both Amelia and Will told me, going in, that they were nervous about being photographed. Most couples are. By the sunset session, that nervousness had turned into something else entirely, closer to spending time with friends who happened to have cameras. That shift is the part of the job I never get tired of.
They didn’t want the day built around perfection. They wanted to be present in it, surrounded by the people who mattered, and looking back, that’s exactly what they got. Laughter, a few tears, a bouquet caught mid-air by Amelia’s best friend, and very little concern for whether any of it was flawless.
Louise Woodhouse Flowers built the florals soft and layered against the black steel of the marquee. Behind the Veil ran entertainment. Beresford handled catering in-house, one less thing for a couple already managing a church ceremony and a reception thirty minutes apart.
Amelia and Will’s advice to couples planning their own day is simple: focus on what actually matters to you rather than what’s expected, since the meaningful choices are usually the personal ones rather than the polished ones. Looking back, they’ve said no one remembers whether every detail was perfect. They remember how it felt.
Amelia and Will’s wedding was lovingly featured in Together Journal.
Amelia and Will’s Wedding Vendors
LOCATION Beresford Estate, McLaren Vale, South Australia, @beresfordestate BRIDE Amelia, @amelia___griffin GROOM Will PHOTOGRAPHER Evelina Katarzynski, @evelinakatarzynski VIDEOGRAPHER KMS Visions, @kmsvisions FLORIST Louise Woodhouse Flowers, @louisewoodhouseflowers ENTERTAINMENT Behind the Veil, @behindtheveilmusic CATERING Beresford Estate, @beresfordestate CAKE Rebecca’s Cakes, @rebeccas.cakes STATIONERY & SIGNAGE Memory Lane, @memorylaneadelaide RINGS James Thredgold, @james_thredgold BRIDE’S DRESS Liza Emanuele, @lizaemanuele BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Layered pearls and pearl earrings, lace bolero, lace clip, lace scarf MAKEUP Brooke Makeup, @brookemakeup.au BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE COCO – Chanel, @chanelofficial GROOM’S SUIT Institchu, @institchu GROOM’S SHOES Julius Marlow, @juliusmarlow GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Guilty – Gucci, @gucci
Beresford Estate Wedding: Frequently Asked Questions
Most on-site ceremonies use the rear lawn, set against a geometric wall that acts as the main backdrop. The same space also works well as an open-air reception setting when the weather is favourable.
Yes. The Gallery Room is the indoor reception space and works well as a reliable wet-weather backup, or as the preferred option for weddings held in cooler months.
Yes, and it’s extensive. Options range from the vineyard-side Grand Reserve and Reserve suites through to the private Shiraz Villa and the six-person Grenache Villa, making it possible to house a bridal party and close family on the property for the full weekend.
Yes, catering is run in-house by the estate, which simplifies vendor coordination for couples already managing multiple locations across the day.
It depends on the space. The Pepper Tree Lawns hold up to 300 seated or 500 standing, the Gallery Room seats up to 160 or 200 standing, and the Bell Tower Deck holds up to 200 standing for cocktail hour.
Beresford Estate is located at 158 Ingoldby Road, McLaren Flat, South Australia. Visit the official Beresford Estate website for wedding packages and availability.
For more South Australian venues with this kind of European sensibility, see my post on the best European-inspired wedding venues in SA.
