Finding the perfect wedding venue is just as important as finding a recommended Melbourne wedding photographer to capture your special day.
We really enjoy couples out with their planning and always have some great suggestions for venues that help to create those special wedding photographs that you’ll still be enjoying in years to come.
In no particular order, these are some of our favourite wedding photography locations in Melbourne:
Montsalvat, for it’s unique and quirky vibe. It’s a great location for really atmospheric wedding photography in Melbourne as it evokes an artisan community of somewhere in Europe. Quite a special and unusual place! Wedding packages also include photography permits in the grounds of the property. The Great Hall, ornamental pond and bluestone chapel are all worth viewing.
The National Trust’s Labassa in Caulfield is a unique heritage listed building with embossed wallpaper, stained glass windows, opulent furniture and a spectacular staircase. Melbourne wedding photography doesn’t get more impressive! Permits and access do need to be organised in advance. From memory, it costs around $500 for one hour’s access.
Melbourne’s GPO building is not only great for shopping, but it’s gorgeous arches and classic style of architecture lend it to a wedding photography location perfectly. Soft in colour with it’s neutral tones, couples look stunning here in the afternoon light. This is also a good spot for shelter on a rainy day.
The Hotel Windsor is an iconic Melbourne landmark that needs no introduction. With it’s imposing entrance and grand stature, it makes a great backdrop. The interior staircase is also incredibly grand, with many corridors leading off it for some good options.
Carlton’s Royal Exhibition Building is not only one of Melbourne’s most prominent buildings, but it’s also a UNESCO world heritage listed building and more importantly one of our favourite locations for wedding photography in Melbourne. With it’s beautiful dome, manicured gardens, avenue of trees and impressive fountains, it has several impressive locations within a small area – perfect for tired feet or on a hot day.
It doesn’t matter which part of Melbourne your wedding day is held, we’ll always find interesting and artistic wedding photography locations for your photos.
Beauty can be found almost anywhere – sometimes it can just mean the cropping of ‘messy’ backgrounds to keep the balance of the photograph intact or embracing graffiti or a dark dingy laneway for moody shots.
We will discuss suitable locations prior to your wedding day and constantly scout during your shoot – keeping our eyes open for points of interest.
Where we shoot can sometimes depend on the weather. If it rains on your wedding day, we’ll have a back-up plan and have already compiled a list of undercover wedding photography locations in Melbourne.
What are the most popular wedding photography locations in Melbourne?
In no particular order, here are some of the most popular wedding photography locations around Melbourne:
- Victoria Barracks
- The Yarra Boatsheds
- Brighton Beach Boxes
- Parliament of Victoria steps and building
- Melbourne Zoo
- Hosier Lane / ACDC Lane & nerarby graffiti laneways
- Melbourne Aquarium
- Luna Park, St Kilda
- Williamstown – Nelson Place, Pier & Boatsheds
- Treasury Gardens
- Fitzroy Gardens
- Fed Square
- Bridges over the Yarra River
- Melbourne Botanic Gardens (permit required)
- Windsor Hotel
- Flinders Street Station
- Fitzroy Town Hall
- South Melbourne Town Hall
- Port Melbourne beach
- St Kilda pier
- St Patrick’s Cathedral
- Studley Park & Boathouse
- Melbourne University (permit required)
- Exterior of ACCA
- Luxury boutiques and stores on Collins street
- St Paul’s Cathedral, Flinders St
- Melbourne Aquarium (needs to be organised in advance)
Although we don’t love all the locations listed above, they are definitely popular with alot of couples. Feel free to ask which ones we think would work best with your wedding plans.
We’re always open to new ideas so if there is somewhere special to you, or something you’ve seen that you’d like to incorporate into your own wedding photos then please feel free to suggest it.
What if my wedding venue doesn’t have a photography location?
There are a few tricky spots around Melbourne, which don’t have an immediately obvious place for photos between ceremony and reception locations, but here we list a few of the not-so-hidden gems that we have discovered over the years, that might be useful on your wedding day:
East Melbourne/Richmond
Photography locations around Fenix can be a bit uninspiring at times, especially if you’re short on time. The Yarra, doesn’t always work well in that area as it’s hard to get a good angle on it, and space is limited due to the width of the path along the river.
There are two spots which couples who have hosted weddings at Fenix have enjoyed using for their photos; the first being the vacant bush block next to the apartments which are adjacent to the restaurant. The long grass can make it look like you’re in the Yarra Valley rather than inner Melbourne which is a nice contrast to all the city photos.
Secondly, and again nearby to Fenix, is Burnley Gardens. The gardens are part of the University of Melbourne’s Burnley campus and close to Yarra River. Fortunately there is no permit required to take photos here, and plenty of good options for photos with well kept gardens and several older style buildings.
North Melbourne/Moonee Ponds
Moonee Ponds is a tricky area for wedding photography, but does have one location which has come to the rescue on several occasions – Queens Park.
Adjacent to St Monica’s Catholic Church it serves well as a location for both family photos and also for photos with just the couple. See the link above for samples of wedding photography in Queens Park, Moonee Ponds.
A little further over to the west is Pipemakers Park, which has a few interesting locations for photos, but not much in the way of shelter, if it’s either raining or a very hot day.
Brighton/Beaumauris/Bayside
As lovely as this area and it’s beaches can be, it does, on first sight, seem to be lacking in wedding photography locations.
Fear not, we have a few suggestions for you.
If you’re close to Elwood or hosting your wedding at Elwood Bathers and you don’t wish to make use of the beach or would prefer a building to work with or use as a backdrop (or need some shelter), Star of the Sea school/ANZAC hostel in Kamesburgh Gardens is a pleasant spot, with elegant columns on the building, a small terrace, fountain and towering palm trees.
Across the road at the St James Catholic Parish Primary School is a more historic building which works well for wedding photos, although it’s not always accessible so get your wedding photographer to scope it out first.
Weddings at Sandringham Yacht Club can be lovely, but if it’s blowing a gale and you’d prefer something other than the beach in your photos, there are a couple of good locations in Sandringham that have fresh, untagged graffiti that runs for about 20 metres in total.
A little further down the bay towards Mentone and Beaumauris is Half Moon Bay & Red Bluff, with it’s vibrant orange coloured sandstone cliffs that really pop in wedding photos. Be warned that it can be quite a busy sport during the summer months so you may be sharing it with swimmers in their budgie smugglers.
Williamstown/Newport/Altona
Williamstown obviously has it’s beautiful Botanic Gardens, which look great in wedding photos, but do require a permit from the local council. With that said, I shot some wedding photos there without realising and nobody stopped us so it’s probably worth taking the risk and saving a few dollars!
On Simcock Avenue in Newport there is a wall of well kept and fun graffiti that runs for about 100 metres in total and has a variety of styles, ranging from abstract to divers and sea creatures. A great spot and doesn’t seem to be very popular for wedding photos to date, and is perfect for weddings at Two Birds Brewery or Scienceworks as it’s just around the corner.
The beach at Altona is also a good option for photos at sunset, with plenty of beach and bush area to work with. I shot some photos there recently and really enjoyed the location. Also, you won’t be overrun with other wedding groups as there is plenty of space for everyone.
Do you have a suggestion for a wedding photography location in Melbourne? We’d love to hear it!
