Our mountain-loving hearts were full when Berna and Tom booked us for their Altitude 261 wedding up in the clouds in the Byron Bay Hinterland. This venue is truly something else and it’s a place we had been wanting to shoot at for a little while. We used to photograph elopements every other weekend one range over, at Koonyum Range Retreat {closed now}, so we know and adore the entire region of Mullumbimby and surrounding ranges. More often than not, it’s misty and dreamy up the mountain and the food and flowers in the local shops are always on point.

The day before the wedding, we parked our caravan on our lush mountain campsite and made sure Amber was settling in well with her sitter. Then it was time to explore and catch up with Berna & Tom at the venue to have a little scout and get organised. Altitude 261 has ‘altitude’ in its name for a reason. It’s way up the mountain, on number 261 on Settlement Road. It’s only a 15-minute drive away from Mullumbimby, down Main Arm Road and then into the mountain via Settlement Road. The last half of the journey gets a bit wild, steep and rocky. We’re used to it and so is our 4WD Touareg. If you’re planning to go up there, just know that it’s a Prado kinda bridal entrance place, definitely not the limo kind. And that’s just the way we like it. We put some music on and crawled up the mountain, also zipping up our raincoats because it was pouring relentlessly.

Groom Tom in the cabin overlooking the Byron Bay Hinterland at Altitude 261. One of my favourite photos from this mountain wedding.

At the top, we were greeted by Berna and Tom as well as their squad of friends and siblings who were half setting up and half having a little pre-wedding fiesta. Doruk and I had planned Berna & Tom’s wedding together via initial emails and then had a longer catchup in person over beers and snacks at our go-to meeting spot, Hope & Anchor in Paddington. Everything was pretty much sorted anyways, but we wanted to wander around a bit to get a sense of the space, check where we would take the group photo, explore bad weather options and find lush rainforest spots for romantic photo time. Frankly, we didn’t have to look around all that much because the place looks epic from most angles and it has everything you need to get great photos. When I saw the little pod-type cabins on-site, I immediately pictured Tom in the window, in a photo that would show off the gorgeous clean architectural lines of the pod against the mountain & cloud backdrop. Doruk understood perfectly what I had in mind for that and nailed that photo the next day when he photographed Tom and his best man getting ready in those cabins. It is one of my favourite photos from the day.

The next day, we arrived back up at Altitude 261 on a very wet and rainy day, so the ceremony was moved inside the main house, which was spacious enough to hold all guests. Granting an unprecedented exception, the family’s Catholic Priest had agreed to hold a wedding ceremony outside of his church grounds and officially marry Berna and Tom up on the mountain. This was a first for everyone and certainly something we will never forget.

We will let our photos do the rest of the storytelling and we hope you enjoy looking through these…

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Berna & Tom - if you can get a Catholic Priest up the mountain to do a wedding ceremony, you can do anything. We know you two will be very happy together and we can’t wait to see how your plans and adventures will unfold. Thank you for your trust in us and also for giving zero forks about the rain. We loved being a part of your day. xx Tina & Doruk

Byron Bay Hinterland Wedding Vendor Team:

Venue: Altitude 261 www.altitude261.com/
Bridal Gown: BHLDN www.bhldn.com
Flowers: Poppy and Fern Flowers www.poppyandfern.com.au
Hair & Makeup: Byron Beauty Bar www.byronbeautybar.com.au
Catering: Byron Bay Café & Catering Luscious Food www.lusciousfoods.com.au
Bridal Jewellery & wedding morning gifts: Molten Store on James St www.moltenstore.com

If you’re currently planning your wedding or if you have any questions, drop us a line via the button below. For editorials, styled shoots, collaborations and winery coverage, please email lovelenscapes@gmail.com.

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