Starline Alpacas Farmstay: Hunter Valley Wedding Venue & Photography Guide

By Thierry Boudan Photography

When couples start looking beyond traditional winery and hotel venues, places like Starline Alpacas Farmstay often come up. It offers something different from the usual Hunter Valley wedding locations — open countryside, on-site accommodation, and a relaxed farmstay setting that works well for smaller, experience-driven weddings.

As a Hunter Valley wedding photographer who has worked across everything from luxury estates to rural properties, I look at venues in terms of how they function on a real wedding day — light, space, guest movement, wet-weather options, and how easily we can create natural, stress-free photos. Starline Alpacas ticks a lot of those boxes, especially for couples who want something casual, personal and unpretentious.

This guide walks you through what it’s like to photograph a wedding here, what works well, and what couples should consider when planning.

What Starline Alpacas Farmstay Offers

Starline Alpacas is a working alpaca farm combined with accommodation and event space. It sits in open Hunter Valley countryside rather than the winery belt, which gives it a more private, rural feel.

For weddings, this appeals most to couples who:

Want a weekend-style celebration
Prefer a laid-back atmosphere
Are hosting smaller to mid-sized guest numbers
Want guests to stay on-site

It’s not a formal estate venue — and that’s exactly why some couples choose it.

A Photographer’s Perspective

From a photography point of view, the property works well because it gives us:

Open paddocks for wide landscape shots
Trees and farm structures for texture and variety
Quiet space away from public traffic
Plenty of natural light

The alpacas also add a genuine talking point — they create relaxed, spontaneous moments that feel natural in photos rather than staged.

Because the venue isn’t crowded or commercial, couples tend to be more comfortable, which usually leads to more natural expressions and less camera-awareness.

Ceremony & Portrait Locations

Most ceremonies at Starline Alpacas are held outdoors, usually with the paddocks or hills in the background. This keeps the focus on the couple rather than the venue styling.

After the ceremony, we typically use:

Open fields for couple portraits
Tree-lined areas for softer light
Farm buildings for a rustic contrast
Nearby paddocks for wide shots

It’s a flexible location, meaning we can adapt easily to time of day, weather and group size without feeling rushed.

Light Through the Day

One of Starline Alpacas’ strengths is natural light.

Morning & getting ready
Accommodation spaces generally have good window light, which makes prep photos clean and flattering.

Afternoon & ceremony
Open skies mean soft, even light for ceremonies and group photos.

Golden hour
As the sun lowers, the paddocks and rolling hills pick up warm colour — ideal for relaxed couple portraits.

Evening
Outdoor and farm-style lighting gives a calm, informal feel that works well for documentary-style reception photos.

Wet-Weather Considerations

Because Starline Alpacas is primarily an outdoor venue, couples should think about rain plans. Covered areas, verandahs and indoor spaces are usually used if needed, and they photograph well in soft light

That said, overcast and rainy days often produce very soft, flattering light, and the rural setting still works well visually.