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Bre & Daniel, Elwood Bathers

What a cracker my last wedding of the summer was, and didn’t Melbourne turn on the weather!

Bre & Daniel’s wedding ceremony was held on the beach at Elwood, just in front of their reception venue Sails on the Bay (now renamed as Elwood Bathers) on a perfect sunny Sunday afternoon.

Following the relaxed ceremony with friend and family we made use of the beach and floral arch for family photos before scooting off to the nearby Kamesburgh Gardens with the bridal party for photos.

The sun had just dropped below the horizon by the time we returned to Elwood beach but we managed to squeeze in a quick shot in the fading light.

Bre was pregnant with her first child at the time so I was a bit wary of her clambering over rocks in the dark for a photo, but she assured me it was all good in her bare feet. Not much phases Bre – parenthood is going to be a breeze!

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Renee & Cam

When I scout out a wedding venue for photography locations to use with the couple during their portrait session, I always keep the weather in mind. I usually have a plan for good weather and then formulate a Plan B with undercover options or umbrellas should there be any rain or high winds.

I was excited to photograph Renee & Cam’s wedding at the Sandringham Yacht Club and had several spots in mind for photos around the venue as well as the stunning sandstone cliffs slightly further away near Black Rock and Red Bluff.

The wedding day was wet. Very wet. Growing up in the UK, I saw plenty of rain, but this was Australian RAIN, and bloody loads of it! Sometimes, even Plan B is useless…

This was one of those rare Melbourne days where the rain was relentless. The planned outdoor ceremony was moved inside and when the time came for photos it was still raining.

Fortunately, in the last 10 minutes of light the rain eased and we scooted outside to grab what we could of the available light.

I kept an eye on the weather during the reception and between courses we ventured into the boatyard for a few minutes to grab a few more shots amongst the yachts.

The photos weren’t part of my initial plan, but you can only plan so much for a wedding day, which is one of the reasons I enjoy photographing them – you never quite know how things will pan out! That, and meeting lovely couples like Renee & Cam, who are game enough to venture into dark boat yards with me at night!

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Choosing between all the Melbourne Wedding Photographers

So, you’ve made the decision to get married and have put the date on the calendar in very large letters. Possibly surrounded by hearts, possibly with the biggest most Sharpie you could find. Either way, you’re pretty flippin’ excited…. So, now comes some of the hard word before you can enjoy your day.

How and where to find recommended wedding photographers, celebrants, florists, car hire, make up artists, a venue… I could go on, but suffice to say, there is rather alot to get sorted, and most of it probably hasn’t been encountered before.

Well, I know you’re thinking – cut to the chase man! – how DO we do it? Your friend and mine, Google.

Personally I would ask around all my friends first for personal recommendations on wedding suppliers in Melbourne, and then I would jump on google to fill in the blanks and double check some of those recommendations for a mate of a mate who knows somebody else that does this or that cheaply.

Sure, I love a bargain too, but I also know you sometimes get what you pay for… So, you google the words ‘best wedding photographer melbourne‘ and are bamboozled by the 310,000 results that are delivered. Let’s just hope that one of your aforementioned friends had a name they could offer. If they didn’t, then it’s time to dive in and start sorting the wheat from the chaff. Trust me, there will be more chaff than wheat!

Want a tip? Check out the reviews for recommended wedding photographers in Melbourne, as these will be a great guide for discovering what others have to say. When a photographer has several decent reviews, you know you’re on the right track. If they have more than ten, and they all look to be 4 or 5 stars then there is a good chance you have scored a winner! Pick up the phone and get going with the enquiry, as quality wedding professionals are often booked up more than a year in advance.

OK, maybe your search criteria is a little different – perhaps your priority is the budget, so you’re searching for an affordable Melbourne wedding photographer instead. Well, they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and disguises. You’ll need to check out the reviews for the budget end of the market – some of the work is pretty average and again, you get what you pay for. We’re not advising against it, simply saying be careful!

Concentrate on one supplier – perhaps the ‘key’ people who you feel are important to your day. Once you have them locked in then, the chances are that they will be able to recommend other wedding related businesses.

For instance, we have a handful of trusted celebrants that we have worked with previously and love to hand out their details as we know they do a great job and clients love them.
They also know how to work with photographers and videographers which keeps us happy too so everyone ends up being a winner! If you need some names of quality celebrants in the Melbourne area – just ask!

Hopefully that has given you some food for thought

How long should my wedding photography take?

When meeting new clients who are in the process of planning a wedding, one of the most often asked questions is “How long should we allow for wedding photography?”

One of the key factors for a couple to decide, is how long they are prepared to leave their guests for between the ceremony and the reception.
If it’s a winery wedding in the Yarra Valley, most guests will happily sample the local wines whilst the bride and groom dash off amongst the vines for photos. An hour, and it’s all shot, with the couple maybe dashing out between entrees and mains to catch the last of the light in summer before rejoining their guests to continue the celebrations (usually without many of them noticing the happy couple were missing for 10 minutes!).

If the ceremony and reception venues are separate then this offers a window of opportunity to take off and get a head start on your guests. By the time the guests find their cars and negotiate the city traffic, we will already have shot our first location.

It makes sense to create a route from the ceremony location to the reception venue which is as direct as possible but also manages to include a selection of the best that Melbourne or Yarra Valley has to offer. In these circumstances, 2 hours is a perfect amount of time for photos as it allows us to get the shots we need, whilst your guests can enjoy leisurely trip across the city or region, maybe even taking in a quick refreshment en route, and not feel cheated that you’ve abandoned them. Also, it enables us to gain a selection of photos from various locations without having to charge around spending 5 minutes in each place.

I’ve been to weddings where the couple have disappeared for 3 hours and I really didn’t enjoy it – 3 hours of milling around waiting for the wedding to get going again can be a bit annoying. That said, if you’re going to leave your guests at a Yarra Valley winery enjoying the views and sampling the finest reds whilst listening to some great music and nibbling at a local cheese plate they’ll be happy for you to take your time!

In terms of the number of locations, we suggest 4 or 5 within close proximity within the city area. It makes it even easier if the locations are close together so we can walk between them and have the car pick up after so we’re not constantly in and out of cars – it never helps a wedding dress look good!
I’m also a believer in the ‘less is more’ theory, where we aim to cover one or two locations really well and in a relaxed way rather than trying to reach every corner of the city. Taking time and making the photography relaxed and enjoyable definitely gives a more relaxed and natural looking set of photos.

It’s a delicate balance planning out the days schedule, especially when you involve photography and video, so to make it easy for you, here is what we recommend as the minimum amount for wedding photography in Melbourne:

Ceremony and reception in one place: 1 hour

Ceremony and reception both within city : 2 hours

Obviously, I love to take photographs and would love to spend 3 or 4 hours with a couple, but I also realise that this is rarely feasible so whilst I have given you the figures above, do feel free to double the amounts – we’ll be to give you far more than you expect and you’ll arrive at the reception happy, relaxed and assured of some great wedding photos.

Last updated by candid wedding photographer Simon Woodcock

Details details

To tell the complete story of a wedding with photography your Melbourne wedding photographer should really endeavour to include some detail shots from the day.

These could include flowers, jewellery, details on the dress or notes between the bride and groom. Often, I find the father of the brides, bride’s or groom’s speech will have a lovely little detail that gives us a flavour of the speech or a hint at what was said during the ceremony without giving too much away.

Invariably, the last minute or hand written speeches are the best as they are works in progress and amongst the scrawl, you get a lovely word or two just standing out amongst the biro chaos. I have to say, it’s more common with the groom’s speech, but you had already probably guessed that!

Simon Woodcock is a Melbourne based Wedding Photographer with a relaxed and candid style of photography, and avoids all weddings involving a pink Hummer!

Review for Melbourne wedding photography services

Steph & Lon have been kind enough to leave me some feedback on Truelocal this week.

Here is what they had to say:

Simon was very professional and down to earth. He made us feel comfortable for our wedding photos, which unfortunately took place on a very hot day! We were extremely pleased with the photos, which were beautifully composed. We would definitely recommend Simon to anyone looking for natural, candid photos, for any occasion.

I’ll post some of their pics soon. Even if I do say so myself, they are very nice indeed!

Teresa & Alex

December 2012 brings Santa and his reindeer but, more importantly, it brings the first wedding anniversary of Teresa and Alex. Woo hoo!

I can’t believe it’s been 11 months since I photographed their wedding on a scorching Melbourne summer day. Their ceremony was held at the stunning St Ignatius Church in Richmond, and the reception followed with fantastic food, enthusiastic dancing and much laughter at the Brighton International. We squeezed in several hours of relaxed and candid Melbourne wedding photography as well as a few formal photos around Melbourne, including Parliament, Royal Exhibition Buildings, Carlton Gardens and Melbourne University.

You may wonder why you’re seeing plenty of the best man Chad in the photos. Well, it’s probably because Alex and Chad have been almost inseparable for years. If you asked Chad whether he was sad to be ‘losing’ Alex to Teresa, he’d most likely to tell you that, on the contrary, he was happy as he was gaining a wife! It was great fun to have such an enthusiastic best man in the wedding party – thanks Chad!

Thanks Teresa & Alex (and Chad, of course!), I hope the first year has been fantastic!

Chat to Simon Woodcock of Melbourne wedding photographers Wedding Snapper

Looking for a Melbourne CBD restaurant for your wedding?

Well, I might have just solved your problem!

Sarti, just off little Collins Street is one of those great restaurants that is big enough to accommodate a large crowd whilst still feeling intimate, and perhaps most importantly for a restaurant, serves fantastic food to keep even the toughest critics happy.

Even if you’re not looking for a wedding venue, it’s a great place for an authentic Italian feed!

Gill & Ross’ wedding at Sticks Winery, Yarra Valley

When Gill & Ross booked me in for their Yarra Valley wedding photography I knew were pretty relaxed, but they proved exactly how laid back they really are during our photo session near Yarra Glen when I had them clambering over barbed wire AND electric fences!

Some brides wearing a Mariana Hardwick wedding dress and hovering over the barbed wire whilst her new husband disconnected the power would tell me to get stuffed and find a new location for photos, but these two adventurers took it all in their stride.
As Ross pointed out in his speech, it wasn’t the most traditional wedding photography session, but it was “very Ross & Gill!”.

Maybe they were so calm because they knew they would shortly be returning from this OH&S nightmare, back to their reception venue at Sticks winery, where they knew there would be a crowd of their closest friends and family from around the world enjoying some cracking wines and fantastic food?

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Jenna & Tim’s engagement shoot…..with animal heads

Jenna & Tim didn’t want the straight forward engagement shoot, so instead decided to get hold of some over-sized animal heads.
As you might know, I prefer things to be a little off-kilter so jumped at the chance to photograph it for them.

We took in some of the often used sights around Melbourne for engagement and wedding photography, but with the heads, they seem to take on a different, almost surreal feel!

Their cute little Pug came along for some of the shots too. What a smart little fella he looked in that jacket!

By Simon Woodcock of Melbourne Wedding Photographers Wedding Snapper

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