The Top 10 Wedding Photographers in Melbourne

I’ve compiled a list below of the Melbourne wedding industry’s best wedding photographers to help make sure that your wedding day is perfectly captured.

You’ve found the love of your life and are locked in the venue for THE day. Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life. And you want to find the best photographer to translate your love story into beautiful images.

‘What next?’ I hear you whisper.

You need someone to capture your big day for all eternity. A picture does paint a thousand words, after all. Whether it’s destination weddings or local Melbourne VIC ceremonies, you’ll need the best creatives to turn your beautiful memories and candid moments into wedding photographs that will last forever.

Since it’s the second biggest investment you’ll make on your special day (the first being your venue), this is a pretty important decision! Here are the best Melbourne wedding photography companies and photographers who can turn your beautiful moments into immortalised stills.

1. Sarah Godenzi Photo

Sarah takes on a ‘journalistic’ style of wedding photography and aims to shoot the day with minimal intrusion. She asks couples to do what reflects them so that she can truly capture the emotion and meaning of the day and turn it into a unique story. Sarah’s ‘golden hour’ shots are simply breathtaking.

Investment: Prices start at $4400 for 8 hours

Best for: That perfect ‘golden hour’ shot

Website: sarahgodenzi.com

Instagram: @sarahgodenziphoto

2. Dezine by Mauro

With a section on their website titled “Dare to Be Different,” Dezine by Mauro is your go-to if you want some creatively staged and beautiful photos of your day amongst the mix. Some highlights in this section in their gallery includes shots of a wedding cake on top of a Mini Cooper, a bride and groom with their heads in lampshades, as well as another happy couple pretending to be laughing clowns in a sideshow game. Of course, Dezine by Mauro can still slay the more traditional wedding photos, but if you want something more dramatic and different, they’re the ones for you.

Best for: Dramatic and creative snaps

Investment: Contact via the website for pricing

Website: dezinebymauro.com

Instagram: @dezine_by_mauro

3. Free The Bird

With images that are self-described as raw and quiet, Jai from Free the Bird perfectly captures the emotion of your special day. Beautiful, dark tones create an element of warmth and mystery in the story that his pictures tell.

Best for: Modern romantic photography

Investment: From $5000

Website: freethebird.com.au

Instagram: @freethebirdweddings

Added bonus: Free the bird are also the crew behind Heartbreak Hotel Booth – an in-house-designed photo booth with unlimited prints and customisable decorations to fit your wedding theme perfectly.

Website: heartbreakbooth.com.au

Instagram: @heartbreakbooth

4. Gold and Grit

Stina brought her candid wedding photography style from Sweden to Melbourne about 8 years ago. Her wedding photography mantra is ‘real, epic and quirky’ and her photos are just that.

Fun fact: Stina has a wedding bucket list on her website, so be sure to contact her if you’re planning a wedding with either animals, crazy hair colours, tattoos, a picnic (and more!)

Best for: Quirky, candid photography

Investment: $3300 – $4600

Website: goldandgrit.com.au

Instagram: @goldandgrit

5. Elsa Campbell

This red-headed bombshell’s pictures beautifully capture the uniqueness of each couples wedding day, with highlights being pops of colour and surprised grins.

Best for: Capturing those grins of true happiness

Investment: From $3800

Website: www.elsacampbellphotography.com

Instagram: elsacampbellphotography

6. Pierre Curry

Despite having a French name, he is, in fact, not French. But, his wife is. He takes the stunning pictures in the most unobtrusive manner, and she designs them into beautiful wedding albums. He goes with the flow of the day and makes sure the pictures show the story perfectly.

Best for: Assisting with an easy going, relaxed day and blending in so you don’t even know he’s there

Investment: Contact Pierre for pricing

Website: pierrecurry.com

Instagram: @pierrecurry_

7. The White Tree

Founded by two great friends in Melbourne in 2009, the White Tree is the only company that offers photography, wedding videos and live music under the same umbrella. Each wedding that the white tree captures is different, reflected in the varying styles of photography.

Contact White Tree to check out their photography and videography packages.

Best for: One stop shop for photos, film and music

Investment: Enquire online

Website: thewhitetree.com.au

Instagram: @thewhitetree

8. Finder Seeker

Dee’s natural style of photography radiates authenticity. Not just catering to big Melbourne weddings, she has a special package for elopement weddings of less than 20 people. Reach out to this amazing professional to ask for her photography packages.

Best for: Natural shots

Investment: Enquire on Dee’s website

Website: finderseekerphotography.com

Instagram: finderseekerphotography

9. She Takes Pictures He Makes Films

This dynamic duo does exactly what their name says – Lucy takes incredible wedding pictures, whilst Alastair makes films. They have a way of giving everything that magic, romantic feeling that will make you want to get married again and again.

Best for: A duo who work seamlessly together for all of your photo and film needs

Investment: Multiple packages starting at $3000; full details on the website.

Website: shetakespictureshemakesfilms.com

Instagram: shetakespictureshemakesfilms

10. Chloe May Photography

Chloe May creates timeless, romantic images with an emphasis on natural light.

Best for: Making use of natural light

Investment: From $3100

Website: www.hellochloemay.com

Instagram: @hellochloemay

Honourable Mentions

Need more options to check out? Here are some more professional wedding photographers you can check out.

Ateia Photography

Lavan Photography

SMC Studios

Phenomena Photography

Tree Studio

Tips on selecting A Melbourne wedding photographer:

Now you’ve got a sample of just how incredible your photography can be, here’s my must-have steps for finding the perfect photographer for YOU and your love:

Define your style

Start by thinking about the style of your wedding. What are you going for – Relaxed? Formal? Quirky and different? Be sure to seek out professional photographers who are going to reflect your vibe.

Consider your wedding location

You also want to find a team who knows their way around some of the region’s top wedding photo location options so they can create and direct stunning shots. It could be in Albert Park Lake, Yarra Valley, the Fitzroy Gardens, Parliament House, Birghton Beach, or the Morning Peninsula. A talented team or photographer will know their way around!

Decide how long you want them for

Define what time commitment you want from the photographer on the day. Do you want someone to cover the day from the start of getting ready to the call of last drinks? Or just for the ceremony and the start of the reception? Do you want two photographers to make sure no moment is left uncaptured?

What do you want back from them after the wedding?

Think about what finished product you’re wanting from the photographer – Is it digital photos only? (and how many? 200? 2000?)? An album? Physical Prints? Personalized photo books to give to every member of your family?

Is there anything else you really want from your photographer?

Is there anything else that’s particular about your wedding or venue that you’d like your photographer to be all over? When I got married, my husband I wanted the photographer to have shot at our venue before. We knew we wanted to have a really short break between the ceremony and reception so it was helpful that our photographer had been there before to know all of the spots for great shots. For you, it might be that you know you want a drone shot, the perfect golden hour shot, or a staged shot of you and your dog!

Set your budget

Lots of people don’t budget enough for photography. Remember – this is the only physical memento of your day that you’ll keep forever. Good work takes time and should be valued. Make sure that you and your partner are clear on your budget before you start shortlisting photographers.

Search and list

Use the above criteria to search and make a shortlist of photographers. Good places to start are my list (of course) Instagram, your wedding venue, or friends who are already married.

Be strict in the use of your criteria- if they don’t fit your criteria, don’t shortlist them, (or, if you just can’t move past them, note down to ask them if they’d be willing to flex their packages for you so that they DO fit your criteria) I’d recommend shortlisting 3 photographers at a maximum to start with, otherwise, you’ll head into analysis paralysis.

Make contact

I know it seems old school to call rather than email or submit an online enquiry, but pick up the phone and call the 3 shortlisted vendors. This will give you a much better indication of whether you think that you’ll work well together. You want to get good vibes from them – they will be sharing some of the most special moments of your day. Not to mention that the perfect photographer is also like a wise marriage guru. When I got married the photographer was an integral part of planning our day; he recommended other vendors, helped us with planning the running of the day, suggested timings for things to ensure the best light and made recommendations on what he had seen work well (and not so well) to ensure the day ran as smoothly as possible.

Lock and load

Once you’ve agreed on the perfect match – lock them in! Most photographers will require a deposit to secure your date and then you’re good to plan the next step of your happily ever after.

Questions, comments, feedback? I’d love to hear from you. If there’s anyone that you think needs to be included in this list, pop them in the comments below.

Whilst you’re planning for the special day you might also be interested in my guides on some of the best wedding venues and wedding cake makers in Melbourne.