Latest notes:
Atlas notes: the blog.
May 8, 2024
Have you gotten engaged recently? While lost of couples can wait 12-18 months or more from the point of getting engaged, you’re here because you want to know how to get married quickly in Australia: you can’t bear the bollocks, you just want to get it didded’ and get it done. Sometimes, it’s even related to health, travel, or work.
Or maybe it’s for a VISA situation. We’re not here to judge. We’ll walk you through the quickest way to get married in Australia, with references to celebrants, add-ons and more.
What’s the quickest way to get married in Australia?
30 days is normally the quickest turnaround time to get married in Australia, because you need to submit a NOIM (notice of intent to marry) form to your local government, and the laws require that this is done one month before your planned wedding date.T
There are some tricks to make things happen quicker (see further below), but here is the quickest way to get married in Australia normally:
1. Submit a Notice of Intended Marriage application
This is number one, because a minimum of one month before you intend to marry, you need to lodge your NOIM (Notice of Intent to Marry) to your celebrant. They then use this notice to interface with the government.
You can download your Notice of Intent to Marry here.
2: Select your marriage celebrant
If you’re planning on getting married in Melbourne for example, this would mean you would either select a Wedding Celebrant if you want a specific character to your ceremony. Your other option, is to instead register it at the Victorian Marriage Registry, or with a small alternative venue such as The Altar Electric or I Do Drive Thru (see here for more amazing small wedding venues): each of these can provide you with a marriage celebrant and assist in getting you married quickly.
If you are unable to be mobile for your ceremony, ensure you query your potential celebrant on the options available for where you can get married – which include your home.
3. Pick your marriage ceremony date
Knowing that you need a minimum of one months notice, after you have worked out where you are getting married in Australia and by what celebrant, you will then ask them what their availability is like, and how soon they can marry you.
How quickly you can get married in Australia is limited by your celebrants availability. Then you book your date with them.
4. Turn up, sign stuff, get married
Your Authorised Wedding Celebrant will run you through all of the paperwork needs, as well as other requirements that you need to meet before marrying quickly (such as, you know, not being already married, and not attempting to marry your sibling).
You must also have two witnesses present, each over the age of 18: your Wedding Celebrant can be one, and your photographer can be the other.
What is the quickest way to get married in Australia?
In Australia, the quickest that you can get married through the standard process is one month from the moment that you decide you want to wear the eternal shackles of undying love to your future betrothed.
This can also be done quicker – read on.
To get married, apart from ideally needing to be in a relationship that’s withstood some of the sands of time with someone you (ideally) like, there’s really only a few moving parts that are actually happening: having a short ceremony witnessed, and signing some papers.
The rest of what we associate with “getting married” are really just shiny things that we throw on top: that to be fair, are fun and awesome, and you can also sprinkle a bit of radness on top in various ways.
How can I get married quickly in Australia in less than one month?
You can get married quickly in Australia in less than one month, by filling out a special form to expedite the process, which has specific requirements you must meet. Go here for the form.
Special circumstances where you might shorten the notice period to get married
- If you’ve made an error in giving notice to get married (see the NOIM information up above)
- If you are in the middle of legal proceedings
- Medical reasons
- Getting married around other wedding or event committments
- Employment reasons
- Travel reasons
You will still need to find an authorised marriage celebrant that is available to marry you when you wish to get married, so you should make a shortlist of celebrants to cross check availability with as soon as you can.
Oh, and pick up something radical from a wedding florist in Melbourne.
Three extra things to think about if you’re wanting to get married quickly in Australia
You’re here because you want to get married quickly, but that’s no reason to not splash a bit of the good stuff on top of it. You can still have a short, sweet and quick ceremony, while also enjoying it.
1. Hire an elopement photographer
Find a local wedding photographer to hang out with you, even if just for an hour. We regularly photograph small weddings and elopements all over Australia and it can be a beautiful opportunity to get some beautiful images of you hitting the city or whatever environment you got married in, including your home or a local park.
2. Plan something fun afterwards
If the papers are worth signing, that’s worth celebrating over a wine/ginger-beer/milkshake/insert preferred beverage here. Refer back to point #1 – this can be a beautiful moment to capture you two just hanging out. Pick a restaurant, cafe, or activity to enjoy afterwards. It doesn’t have to be big and bombastic either, it can be slow, calm and simple.
If you’re in Melbourne, you might be signing the papers at the Treasury building on Spring St, and there are plenty of options nearby:
3. Spread the love
Celebrate with your community via a facetime hookup, or reach out to Bottlebrush Films, who can arrange your elopement ceremony to be live-streamed.
And off you go.
Getting married quickly is easier done, than… said.
Find a great wedding venue or hire us as your Melbourne wedding photographer.
May 12, 2021
Make it move, with style: these are the best wedding videographers in Melbourne. The days of cringe-inducing, cheesy wedding videos (where everyone in the lounge room looks like they would rather go and do their tax return than sit through another cliched waltz through a field set to a millennial whoop) are well and truly over: these Melbourne wedding videographers bring style, sass, a sensitivity to you as a couple, and often, industry-awarded backgrounds in other creative pursuits that have led them to be some of the most unique and sought after wedding videographers on the planet, let alone Melbourne.
To see their work scroll down, and also be sure to check out the cheat sheet. Feature film below by Humdrum Films.
Wedding Videographer Melbourne: Top 5 (not in order):
Wedding Videography can be a last-minute inclusion, but when you see the work these maestros produce you’ll agree that it’s something to prioritise a little higher, as these incredible artists balance journalism with an artistic, creative twist on your wedding day. These 5 motion marvels are the most sought after wedding videographers in Melbourne.
Say no to cheese, no to cringe, and yes to bringing someone along for the ride who will be incredible fun on the day, and make you something that you’ll love for years to come.
And I mean “proper” love, not “your mates telling you they love it but really they want to run away and watch paint dry” love.
Anyway – here is a handful of the best: creative, beautiful humans, and a thoughtful, relaxed inclusion to your day that will create you something you’ll want to look at and not stuff under the bed gathering dust.
Needless to say – picking your Melbourne wedding videographer carefully and thoughtfully will be one of the best decisions you make for your day.
If you don’t believe me – just check out every “I wish I…” post where folks look back at their wedding day. In #1 spot each and every time – is those that didn’t hire a great videographer, wishing they had.
Photographs are all well and good, but when push comes to shove, there’s nothing like having your loved ones preserved in movement and sound by the absolute genius artisans on this page.
A good melbourne wedding videographer does more than just hit record on an expensive camera.
You’re going to be spending an entire day together, so at a minimum, you want to like each other. There’s a fine line between affable, and downright intrusive, and as through all of life, you never really know what someone is like until you’ve had to either spend a morning at the supermarket together, or spend the day in front of their lens. So as a public service gesture, all of the videographers on this page are so perfectly tuned in, aware, and certified as utterly brilliant company.
Secondly, and this goes without saying, they have to be a master of their craft. Anyone can wave a camcorder around, and just as your uncle Bobs footage will be so marvellously perfect in it’s own right, over the fence is what these maestros create: art.
So, here we go – what I believe to be Melbournes most unique and creative wedding videographers and cinematographers.
1. Wedding Videographers: Bottlebrush Films
Some of the more unique wedding videography Melbourne has on offer, these two characters wouldn’t look out of place on the character-rack of Tarantinos writing-room. But luckily for us (you), we instead get them all to ourselves. Master crafts-folk and hilarious to boot, Bottlebrush Films are the power couple to end all power couples. Or if not end them – ride with them on a unicorn into an alternate galaxy. Etc. Whatever. Just go follow these two on Tik Tok. Now.
Bottlebrush Films Website – https://bottlebrushfilms.com.au/
Bottlebrush Films Feature – https://briarsatlas.com/bottlebrush-films/
Instagram: @bottlebrushfilms
Address: Greater Melbourne
Phone: 0439 495 004
2. Melbourne Wedding Videographer: Humdrum Films
The most debonair, dashing craftsmen in the game. Jared, Jacob, and their impossibly perfect haircuts swoon around weddings carefully out of the way, with a look of curiosity on their face that you later realise has translated into the most impossibly unique way of seeing what’s in front of them. Small wonder they are quite literally flown around the entire planet filming love across all cultures, because no-one else beats to their drum.
Humdrum Films feature
Hudrum Films Website – https://humdrumfilms.com.au/
Instagram: @humdrumfilms
Address: 23 Balmain St, Cremorne
3. Wedding Videographer: The Beginning
Helmed by the Luke, The Beginning studio are producing some of the most progressive work out there, effortlessly fusing the most cutting edge in tasteful editing styles, with slick editorial glamour. The Beginning work all over Australia and beyond, and are frequently available to service Melbourne.
The Beginning website
https://thebeginning.com.au/
Instagram: @thebeginningstudio
4. Super 8 Wedding Videographer: Supergreat films
Maybe the grittiest, quirky wedding videography Melbourne has going. I’m slightly biased here – as Supergreat Films is the cinematography arm of Briars Atlas. Supergreat Films shoot wedding videos just like the old days: on beautiful Super-8 film straight out of the 1970’s, with some classic 90’s VHS to boot.
As far as wedding videography, a super 8 wedding film is about capturing the feel, not the story: no sound is recorded, no speeches, and the guarantee isn’t a chronological order of what went down, but a wild, anarchic representation of what went down using some of the most beautiful ways of recording moving image that us clever little humans ever developed. With all that said, it’s recommended to hire a proper end-to-end videographer that also records sound and speeches, and hire SuperGreat as a unique addition.
Supergreat films website:
https://www.instagram.com/supergreatfilms/
5. Rustic wedding films: True Story Wedding Films
Armed with an infectious smile, wardrobe full of amazing shirts and some of the best videography skills in Melbourne, Tearlach (Tea, for short) will have you covered with some of the most brilliantly uplifting and colourful coverage imaginable.
Supergreat films website:
https://www.truestoryweddings.com/
I’ve been super fortunate to work with all of the highly sought after and creative Melbourne wedding videographers on this page, and if you’re after something out of the ordinary, you can’t go past any of these, and they come at my highest recommendation.
Wedding videographer Melbourne: Cheat-sheet
| Melbourne wedding videographer | Servicing | Style | See their feature | Contact | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottlebrush Films | Melbourne and greater Victoria | Quirky, rock n’roll | Bottlebrush Films | Contact form | Website |
| Humdrum Films | Melbourne and greater Victoria | Luxury, artistic | Humdrum Films | Contact form | Website |
| The Beginning | Melbourne and greater Victoria | Down to earth, creative | Together Journal | Contact form | Website |
| Supergreat Films | Melbourne and greater Victoria | Gritty, analogue | Super-8 wedding films | Website | |
| Truestory Wedding | Melbourne and greater Victoria | Fun, classy | Coming Soon | Contact form | Website |
Wedding Videographer Melbourne FAQ
You’ve probably never hired a videographer or your own cinematography team before (not altogether unusual), so it’s natural to have a whole lot of questions. Here’s a handful of the most common ones.
Yes. A wedding videographer who is great at their job seamlessly blends with your community, and creates a brilliant record of the day, with no boring bits. If you don’t believe me, you MUST check out what Humdrum Films do – pure magic.
The average cost of a good wedding videographer is $4000 to $8000. You have to remember that you’re not just hiring them for the day – you’re hiring them as a professional service including about a week of editing in post production. Imagine the costs associated with, for example, hiring a senior tradesperson for 6 full days, and that’s around what your wedding videographer will cost. If you want to know whether it’s worth it, then you just have to look to the work of someone like Bottlebrush Films to see how brilliant and creative you wedding video can be.
You only need one, maybe two wedding videographers. Any more and your wedding day starts to resemble a bad Hollywood set, and your guests are there to see you, not see you covered by a swat team holding cameras. A good wedding videographer needs no more than two people in their team.
You hire a good wedding videographer (5 of them listed on this page – just for you).
Your wedding videographer will usually have a lapel mic to mic you up for speeches and your vows. Be sure to ask them in advance how they work. You must take a look at the incredibly creative ways that Bottlebrush Films and Humdrum Films use audio in their wedding films for you.
Yes. By not hiring a wedding videographer, you’re missing out on creating a record of the sound and movement of your loved ones. Wedding photography is great, but there’s nothing quite like seeing your loved ones in motion. Just see what it looks like when you have the genius of someone like Bottlebrush Films on your team.
The average wedding video is around 4-8 minutes long. In the old days, we were forced to sit through hours of unedited footage (which is great to have anyway). Now, your wedding video that you’ll share with your family and friends, is edited with “Watchability” in mind: short, punchy, containing all the good bits. Don’t believe me? Have a look at the incredible catalogue of films by Humdrum Films.
If you’re looking for analogue wedding videos, check out this super 8 wedding film.
Book me to photography your wedding alongside your favourite Melbourne wedding videographer
If you’ve already booked one of these legendary Melbourne wedding videographers and want me to come along for the ride on stills, you can make an enquiry here.
Dec 29, 2020
Unique Wedding dresses Melbourne and beyond
- Brooke Tyson Ritual
- Suzanne Harward
- Alex Perry
- KYHA Studios
- Paolo Sebastian
- Jaime Lee Major
- Mariana Hardwick
- Le Louvre Bridal
Looking for the most unique wedding dress Melbourne has on offer? Whether you’re looking for unique wedding dresses boho, long sleeve, white or colourful (check out this incredible Suzanne Harward songbird gown), on this page you’ll find some of the most brilliant modern wedding dress designers.
I’ve been lucky to photograph love and ceremony on all continents, which means seeing so much of the worlds most unique wedding dresses and bridal designers on brilliant lovers in all kids of places: these are 7 of the best unique wedding dresses and wedding dress shops in Melbourne that i’ve had the pleasure of working with.
Be sure to read to the bottom to discover the final 5.
Melbourne unique wedding dresses: a dress comparison chart
| Wedding dress designer | Wedding Dress Style | Wedding Venue location | You might also like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooke Tyson Ritual | Ethereal | New Zealand | About Phaedra |
| Suzanne Harward | Cutting edge classy | Collingwood | Paolo Sebastian |
| Alex Perry | Unique brutalist | Collingwood | Le Louvre Bridal |
| KYHA Studios | Sequinned glory | South Melbourne | Mariana Hardwick |
| Paolo Sebastian | Fairytale | Adelaide | Suzanne Harward |
| Jaime Lee Major | Detailed majestic | Melbourne | About Phaedra |
| Mariana Hardwick | Wispy classic | Thornbury | Suzanne Harward |
| Le Louvre Bridal | Classic Melbourne | Richmond | Alex Perry |
| About Phaedra | Inimitably natural | Footscray | Brooke Tyson Ritual |
| Bluebell Bridal | Classical | Melbourne CBD | Le Louvre Bridal |
| Raffael Ciuca | Melbourne classic | Brunswick | Mariana Hardwick |
| Anna Campbell | Romantic classy | Armadale | Suzanne Harward |
| Gwendolynne | Vintage inspired | Fitzroy | About Phaedra |
| Cathleen Jia | Romantically creative | Moorabbin | Le Louvre Bridal |
When you look at how Australian and New Zealand designers have to fight for a place at the table with smaller markets and at a geographical disadvantage to the rest of the world, it’s no surprise then that some of the most brilliant and forward-thinking designs have actually come from this corner of the globe as they place tradition a gentle second, and innovation first, pushing the craft of design past the edges.
And so, incidentally, these designers are all from Australia and New Zealand!
As an art-lover, a beautiful and thoughtfully designed gown is captivating to look at and brilliant to photograph.
This is a run-down of 5 of the most beautiful gowns i’ve had the pleasure of photographing: from the wedding dresses long sleeve genius Alex Perry has designed, through to wedding dresses boho designers like Paolo Sebastian have created.
1. Unique Short Wedding Dress: Brooke Tyson Ritual
Looking for wedding dresses boho and beyond? Check out Brooke Tyson. Brooke Tyson Ritual is what happens when you have a curious kiwi, captivated by the world of cinema and nostalgia and with a childhood spent playing dress-ups, cast her hand to the fine art of bridal couture.
Brooke Tyson’s Ritual gowns shown here are the Flora gown, and the Luna gown, photographed on Franc on film (find a film wedding photographer here), on a volcano in New Zealand. You can also view a full feature on Brooke Tyson Ritual here. If you’re looking for wedding dresses long sleeve or medium sleeve, the Flora gown below might be just what you’re after. It’s flowy long sleeves create brilliant shape and coverage, while still being light enough to move comfortably in.
These unique wedding dresses styles might be unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.
Find Brooke Tyson Ritual online:
2. Unique Wedding Dresses with colour: Suzanne Harward
Suzanne Harward is a designer i’ve had the good fortune of working with several times, and you can see a feature on 3 of the best Suzanne Harward wedding dresses here too.
Suzanne Harward is an icon of the Australian bridal design scene, with a rich long history while always staying two steps ahead of the trends. Check out the impossibly brilliant songbird gown.
If you’re looking for unique wedding dresses australia and beyond, it’s hard to go past Suzanne Harward.
Incredible unique wedding dresses: Suzanne Harward songbird gown.
Wedding dresses designer in style: Suzanne Harward
3. Long Sleeve Wedding Dress Melbourne: Alex Perry Bridal
Looking for a long sleeve wedding dress or a unique wedding dress with sleeves? Alex Perry isn’t necessarily a name synonymous with bridal design – and this isn’t even a piece from his bridal collection – but that didn’t stop the forward-thinking Liv from adapting one of his other pieces for her wedding to Adam. Wedding dresses designer Alex Perry has brought something unique and modern to the table (whether he intended to or not).
These two marvels are featured on Together Journal, where you can see even more glorious images of their day, her incredible sense of style, and that inimitable long sleeve wedding dress by Alex Perry.
Find Alex Perry Bride online
4. Modern Boho Wedding Dress Melbourne: KYHA Studios
Looking for wedding dresses boho in style? KYHA studios is right at the front of incredible, innovative boho wedding dresses. Founded by Kyha Simpson after tying the knot and wanting to bring something new to the industry, KYHA Studios.
Designed and handmade in Melbourne, KYHA Studios are one of the early frontrunners of doing things differently, and as a result have inspired an industry-wide shift in risk-taking designs. See more of this Kyha Studios wedding dress.
Wedding dresses boho in style: KYHA Studios (Boho wedding dress Melbourne)
5. Unique Wedding Dress: Paolo Sebastian
I hope i’m not the only one who, based on the brand name, initially thought Paolo Sebastian was some kind of lavish octogenarian European designer with over half a century of brilliant work under their belt.
Nope – it’s the work from the genius mind of an impossibly young designer, Paul Vasileff, straight out of Adelaide, Australia. Designers like Paolo Sebastian push the edges of classy couture that leans in to the future of the genre.
Paolo Sebastian gowns blend a nod to tradition offset (speaking of offset… take a peep at the new wave of Offset portraits) with something resembling the top end of the Disney playground of fantasy designs.
Hannah wears Paolo Sebastian. The Royal Mail Hotel wedding of Hannah and Ben, alongside the inimitable Humdrum Films, is featured on Farewell Fiance. See more of this over on Paolo Sebastian Wedding Dress, and at this Hindmarsh Island wedding.
Wedding dresses boho in style: Paolo Sebastian
6. Wedding dresses Perth: Jaime Lee Major
Check out these unique wedding dresses Perth has available. Jaime Lee Majors designs are from another planet. The Fremantle / Perth designer made a name for herself cutting cloth for every celebrity under the sun, beginning initially with an epic gown for Kimbra right around the time of her career take-off.
Since then, Jaime Lee Major has used her progressive, artistic inspired approach to design gowns that push bridal to the very edge. Check out this incredible piece from the Fremantle wedding of Sarah and Dave. See more over on the feature on Jaime Lee Major.
If you’re looking for wedding dresses Perth or nearby, Jaime Lee Major is your designer.
Find Jaime Lee Major online
Jaime Lee Major on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaimeleemajor
While you’re here, take a peep at these incredible modern wedding jumpsuits.
7. Wedding dresses Melbourne: Mariana hardwick
Looking for unique wedding dresses lace and elegant? Mariana Hardwick is an iconic Melbourne wedding dress designer. Check out this incredible gown on Elisha at Zonzo Estate. This lace wedding dress is light, flowy, and elegant.
If you’re after wedding dresses vintage in vibe but with an elegant modern twist, Mariana Hardwick is hard to go past.
Find Mariana Hardwick
Mariana Hardwick website: https://marianahardwick.com.au/
While you’re here, take a peep at this Mariana Hardwick wedding dress on Elisha at this Zonzo Wedding showcase.
8. Wedding Dress Melbourne Designer: Le Louvre Bridal
Looking for wedding dresses vintage in style? You must check out this Le Louvre classic, unchanged for nearly a century. Melbourne bridal designers Le Louvre have been around for 95 years, but that doesn’t mean that this classic Le Louvre Wedding Dress, worn here by Bianca, looks like anything other than one of the most incredible designs on the planet.
If you’re looking for wedding dresses vintage in style, this sleeved gown is one of the most unique designs you’ve ever seen and hard to go past. Maybe you’ve seen these two in Together Journal? If not, pick up a copy of issue #19 to see more of this incredible unique wedding dress on Bianca.
Wedding dresses elegant in style: Le Louvre
Le Louvre Bridal website: https://www.lelouvre.com.au/
Unique wedding dress Melbourne: 5 frequently asked questions
You can buy a wedding dress from any of the 7 incredible wedding dress designers on this post.
A good wedding dress might cost anywhere from $2000 to $20000. There can be hundreds and hundreds of hours involved in creating a wedding dress, so we recommend making an enquiry with all of the incredible Melbourne wedding dress designers on this page to find out yourself.
The best wedding dress Melbourne has on offer might be anything by Suzanne Harward, KYHA studios or Le Louvre. Incredible designers right on our doorstep.
In my opinion, the best new wedding dress is About Phaedra. You can go to their website here: https://www.aboutphaedra.com.au/
Head up and to see incredible wedding dresses with sleeves by Le Louvre, Alex Perry, and Brooke Tyson.
If you’re looking for a unique wedding dress in Melbourne, check out Suzanne Harward, KYHA studios or Le Louvre. Unique designs available right in Melbourne.
Wedding dress Melbourne: 6 more wedding dress designers you might not know about:
9. About Phaedra – https://www.aboutphaedra.com.au/
10. Bluebell Bridal – https://www.bluebellbridal.com/
11. Raffael Ciuca – https://www.raffaeleciuca.com.au/
12. Anna Campbell – https://www.annacampbell.com.au/
13. Gwendolynne – https://www.gwendolynne.com.au/
14. Cathleen Jia – https://www.cathleenjia.com.au/
Hire me to photograph your wedding (if you want)
Wedding photographer Melbourne – Briars Atlas: Enquire
Dec 21, 2020
6 amazing wedding bands, DJ’s and singers: short and sweet
- Like this Band
- Tobi Tobi Music
- Lark Music
- Just Me Plus One
- One More Song Entertainment
- Melbourne Entertainment Company
From small, intimate duos, to full, scaleable big-bands. Here is a roundup of the best wedding music in Melbourne, including DJ’s, wedding singers, bands and musician duos. I’ve seen each of these wedding bands perform at weddings all over Melbourne and Victoria, and they’re magic, and tick every box you didn’t imagine needed ticking with this sort of thing.
Booking a wedding band or musician has a little more gravitas on it than you might imagine. Far more than being just background music – it’s the difference between your guests having a ripping time at your wedding or not, and in no small way, they are often the glue between all of the other elements you’ve booked.
If you’re going to book wedding music, they might as well be top of the tree and genuine lovers of what they do: music!
No-one wants to sift through an enormous confusing list, so here’s 5 Melbourne wedding bands that make incredible wedding music – read on for a little more detail:
1. Melbourne Wedding Band: Like This Entertainment
Like This entertainment leverage something entirely unique that can’t be bought or imitated: they’re all real-life friends, and have played together as a unit since forever. Don’t take too much from the word “corporate” in “Like This Corporate” – they’re anything but a bunch of stiffs.
What this means for you, is this: no awkward referring to sheet-music or scenarios with band members not being in sync with each other, which is far more common than you might imagine, and affects how authentic and on-point the music comes across to your guests. And this translates to them partying hard.
Like This Entertainment are a well-oiled machine, and having seen them perform at several weddings, it’s something special to see.
When you book Like This Entertainment:
Expect an immersive experience, where the members are joining guests in the middle of the dance-floor for sax-solos, sing-alongs, and the most incredible musicianship available in Melbourne. Scaleable from large to small, they can take a post at any point of your wedding.
Something that Like This Entertainment offer that no-one else can:
Their lead vocalist and pillar of charisma, Cadeyrn, can literally morph his vocals to sing, anything. From Sinatra, to Nick Cave, to John Mayer, over to every classic imaginable, you will absolutely be doing a double-take and wondering if the real deal is in the room. If you haven’t yet heard Like This, this can’t be overstated enough: Like This don’t cover other artists, they BECOME them.
Make an enquiry with Like This Entertainment
https://www.likethisentertainment.com.au/
2. Melbourne Wedding Duo: Tobi Tobi Music
Renee and Jamie, also known formally as Tobi Tobi Music, with have you swooning over their ethereal soundscapes, filling the air with what should be impossible with just two people. Because of this, these two are commissioned all over the world to cast their craft as the backdrop to wedding ceremonies and canapés.
When you book Tobi Tobi Music:
Expect an experience where your guests are doing double takes at how Renee and Jamie are interpreting every type of song under the sun, and making it their (and your) own at your wedding.
Something that Tobi Tobi Music offer that no-one else can:
Renee has a voice that softly cuts through a gathering and just has to be heard to be believed, and the way Jamie and herself weave songs into something far beyond what you know them as, is just out of this world.
Apart from that, if the Tobi Tobi Music instagram is anything to go by they’re well documented as going to extra lengths to make sure their wizardry waved over your day is not only music but a fully personalised experience that will leave a memorable mark on you and your guests.
I first came across Tobi Tobi Music while working with the inimitable Nathan Kaso at Amy and Bronson’s wedding, and their tunes have stuck with me since.
Make an enquiry with Tobi Tobi Music
3. Melbourne Wedding Band: Lark Music
Led by Luke O’Connor, Lark Music are at the pinnacle of the modular band experience at a wedding. Within Lark Music, you can pick your flavour: from DJ, to duo, to ten-part band and beyond. As a Melbourne wedding band Lark offer a fully customised experience entertaining small intimate weddings, to large wedding armageddons.
When you book Lark Music:
Expect a slick and professional experience that can only come from a seasoned machine that has absolutely seen it all.
Something that Lark Music offer that no-one else can:
With their incredible extended network of musician friends and enormous tight core, if you can forgive me sounding like i’m marketing an I.T firm for a hot minute, they are the epitome of a “scaleable soultion”. Soulution was a typo but i’m damn well leaving it there because it fits.
Make an enquiry with Lark Music
4. Melbourne Acoustic Wedding Band: Just Me Plus One
The head-honcho of Just Me Plus One, Vanessa, is a seasoned songstress with over 1000 (!) gigs under her belt. An incredible body of work like that translates to a wild level of experience and empathy that has her locking in with crowds like, I guess, some kind of well-churned item of dairy produce onto lightly caramelised bread.
When you book Just Me Plus One:
When you book Just Me Plus One, you get a seasoned performer who will not only cast a cracking spell on your guests on the day, but before all that, walk you through the process of either creating a bespoke package for you, or work together with your own recommendations.
Something that Just Me Plus One offers that no-one else does:
Expect the warm, room-controlling presence of someone who can simultaneously walk the professional tightrope of having an impossible number of wildly varied gigs under her belt, while at the same time being a calm, friend next door presence to all in the room.
Make an enquiry with Just Me Plus One
https://www.instagram.com/justme_plusone
5. Best Melbourne Wedding DJ: One More Song Entertainment
When “No More Nutbush” are the first words that hit you on their website, you get a small taste of what you’re in for with this brilliant wedding DJ. Aleks and Eddy are a wedding music partner-duo (in case you haven’t picked up the theme of this post – all of the artists here are either friends or partners!), and i’ve had the wild pleasure of watching Aleks keep a room of the most discerning partyers going late into the evening at a wedding.
When you book One More Song Entertainment:
Expect the best DJ’s in town turning up to turn up. If you want to get a good feel for how their sets weave, they’ve brilliantly included a variety of mixes over on their website linked below.
Something that One More Song Entertainment offer that no-one else can:
Expert crowd-readers, One More Song somehow split their attention between manning the decks and empathetically reading the crowd from top to tail. See their post here on how to plan your wedding music.
Make an enquiry with One More Song Entertainment
6. Whole package – Melbourne Entertainment Company
I can vouch for the “we make memories” mantra on the Melbourne Entertainment Company homepage, as that’s exactly what happened when i saw them dominate a room of party-pants at Melbourne wedding venue favourite, Rupert on Rupert. Not only a brilliant wedding entertainment collective, they’re also trusted as resident DJ’s at Nova. Boom.
When you book Melbourne Entertainment Company:
Expect full service, no holds barred dancefloor anarchy, and musical surprises at any turn. Most importantly, the care and attention of a mob that have a genuine investment in the experience of your guests.
Something that Melbourne Entertainment Company offer that no-one else can:
The whole package. Melbourne Entertainment Co are, literally, the whole package.
Make an enquiry with the Melbourne Entertainment Company
Melbourne Entertainment Company
And there we go. Hopefully this post was a delightfully useful little morsel of an insight into the wedding band options available in Melbourne.
1. Each write a list of your top 10 songs
2. See what the crossover is like, and debate any differences (with a wine in hand)
3. Consult your hardest partying mate (everyone has one) for a second opinion
4. Check out this post on how to plan your wedding music
The top 10 wedding songs are different and unique to each couple. If you’re having trouble working out what yours are, here’s a great post on how to plan your wedding music
A better question to ask is “what songs would I throw on the record player at 10pm with a glass of wine in hand”. Make your wedding song yours, and not picked from someone elses list.
A wedding DJ knows how to read a room, pace your evening, and will stop any fights over the iPod. Book a DJ.
Like This Corporate is the best wedding band in Melbourne. Scroll up to the top of this post to see their incredible Frank Sinatra interpretation, and head over to their website for more examples.
Hire us to photograph your wedding (if you want)
Briars Atlas – melbourne wedding photography
Nov 12, 2020
KYHA Studios is the Melbourne bridal design outfit of Kyha Simpson, formerly operating as One Day Bridal. KYHA Studios are some of the most forward thinking designs, meshing together all sorts of unique wedding dress design sensibilities with a modern edge.
Check out this brilliant KYHA studios dress worn by Matylda at her wedding to Shane, and featured on NOUBA.
While you’re here check out some of the best Modern Wedding Dresses.
Find KYHA Studios
KYHA Studios on Instagram
KYHA Studios website: https://onedaybridal.com.au/
Hire Briars Atlas to photograph your wedding
Australian Wedding photographer – Briars Atlas: Enquire
Sep 27, 2020
Putting “Covid wedding Melbourne” at the front of Adriana and Calebs wedding title seems to relegate the marriage part (the bit we’re actually all here for) to the back seat. Sooooo, let’s reword that: Adriana and Calebs awesome little elopement (which happened to occur in the middle of the Covid pandemic that they thumbed their noses at and got it done beautifully anyway while staying well within all of the rules and regulations currently in place including the wearing of masks, social distancing, and limitations on who can be present).
Better.
Adriana and Caleb had their first date at this park in Coburg, in Melbournes northern suburbs. So that was where they decided to say their vows, and lock it down, with the inimitable Melbourne wedding celebrant Zena Lythgo doing the honours via I Do Drive Thru. I joined up to photograph it and play one of the witnesses.
Since their dogs can’t hold a pen.
I Do Drive Thru is a brilliant, agile initiative out of Melbourne that has enabled couples wanting to get married to get it done in the middle of this coronavirus pandemic, while playing to all the necessary current restrictions around social distancing and the wearing of a mask.
These two marvels got the important bit done – the marriage thing – with themselves and Adrianas mother, and then enjoyed the rest of the day together. Beautiful.
It’s been especially interesting in Melbourne, as our state has been… not playing ball with the restrictions, which has meant the pandemic has had several new clusters of outbreaks, further locking things down.
So the fact that initiatives like I Do Drive Thru and other small wedding venues such as The Altar Electric exist, has been such a brilliant thing for couples putting love and marriage first, and opting to save the party for later.
If you’re looking at getting it done in the middle of the Covid pandemic in Melbourne, head over here for more information on Melbourne City Elopements, and read this article on how to get married quickly in Australia.
More Melbourne Covid weddings
The Altar Electric have been the other frontrunners in this Covid pandemic craziness, and their brilliantly unique wedding venue warehouse space in Collingwood has seen all sorts of celebration playing exactly to all of the rules and requirements in place in the middle of this pandemic.
Book a Melbourne City elopement
Head over and read more here: Melbourne city elopements.
Aug 21, 2020
Hunting for a wedding florist Melbourne or beyond? There are so many incredible florists in our home state, but these maestros really stand out from the crowd and produce some of the best wedding flowers Melbourne has on offer.
It can be a challenge finding a florist to collaborate on your vision (or share their own), and there are so many moving parts, such as logistics, seasonality, and more.
So I thought I’d compile a list of 10 of the most unique florists in Melbourne: scientists, wizards, aliens of the floral game, making things you’d never expect to see at weddings. But this is what we’ve come to expect from Melbourne – innovation, and wedding floristry was never going to be exempt!
Get around these floral masterminds, whether you’re planning a Melbourne City Elopement during Covid 19, a wedding at one of these brilliant small wedding venues or something bigger down the line, these florists Melbourne and beyond have done it all.
Top 10 wedding florists in Melbourne
- Hollingsworth Studio
- Babiana Botanic
- Raven and the Rose
- Good Grace and Humour
- Katie Marx Flowers
- The Flower District
- Bloom Boy
- Sassafras Flower design
- Georgie Boy
- North St Botanical
- Flowers St Germain
Flowers are a significant part of the style and feel of a wedding and in how they shape a space. The bouquets, table settings and accents to the decor all set the tone of a space and have more of an impact on the day than you might imagine.
The incredible photo and ceremony backdrops (especially this slice of genius by Hollingsworth Studio) will be the talk of the town (or at least your mob of mates) for years to come. If you’re going to spend cash you need to spend it with the right people, which means a small crew who are personally invested and creative masterminds in their own right.
The wedding florist you want on your team isn’t just one who can take and enhance your ideas, but throw their own in the ring. With a wealth of experience under their belt, they’ve seen everything under the sun, and if you can lean into fully trusting the wedding florist you hire, you’ll be left with the brilliance that can only come from a professional taking a little insight into your venue and who you are as a couple, and then running with it.
Melbourne wedding florists: a comparison chart
| Wedding Florist name | Florist style | Florist location | You may also like | Florist gallery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollingsworth Studio | Delicate genius | Garfield, VIC | Babiana Botanic | Coming soon |
| Babiana Botanic | Colour fireworks | Melbourne | Hollingsworth Studio | Half Acre wedding |
| Raven and the Rose | Seasonal art | Macedon Ranges | Katie Marx Flowers | Coming soon |
| Good Grace and Humour | Interstellar | Melbourne | Georgie Boy | Coming soon |
| Katie Marx Flowers | Majestic natural | Castlemaine | Raven and the Rose | Coming soon |
| The Flower District | Gloriously sleek | Berwick | Bloom Boy | Coming soon |
| Bloom Boy | Tarantino | Seddon | Good Grace and Humour | Coming soon |
| Sassafras Flower design | Abundant | Yarra Valley | North St Botanical | Coming soon |
| Georgie Boy | Designed | Northcote | Good Grace and Humour | Coming soon |
| North St Botanical | Natural magic | Northcote | Sassafras Flower design | Coming soon |
| Flowers St Germain | Class | Melbourne | North St Botanical | Flowers St Germain |
Best wedding flowers Melbourne: their impact on your wedding photos
For me as a photographer, it’s bloody great when you get a top-notch wedding florist. It can make the photos really come alive and gives me something to play around with. A stunning venue all dressed up with flowers creates such a vibe. The bridal party’s pinholes and the bride’s bouquet transform photos. Adding that floral dash of coordinating colour helps tie it all together, creating that one shot that you can’t stop looking at after the big day.
Where to find a wedding florist in Victoria
I want to let you in to Victoria’s exceptionally exciting floristry scene. We have some of the world’s best wedding floral designers right on our doorstep. These scallywags are the most forward-thinking and talented group of wedding florists I’ve found, and push the boundaries of what’s possible with wedding flowers, mostly using locally sourced and native species, and operating on the edge of the movement towards maximum sustainability.
1. Melbourne wedding flowers: Hollingsworth Studio
Vivien and her team, formerly Flos Botanical, are just the most amazing, colourful, bombastic geniuses around. They are always looking for ways to be more eco-friendly and work sustainably – which is no longer an option, but a responsibility (and as a wedding couple, something you should consider using in your vetting process). Their relationship with their flowers is built on fun and creativity, and forward-thinking synergy with the venues they work in.
I’ve always been really inspired by them. Her gallery is full of life and colour. I can just see the smiles they bring to people from the pictures. If you are dreaming of fun, stylish and vibrant creations give Vivien a call.
Working out of their studio in Melbourne with her husband running around doing deliveries, Vivien runs a truly personal experience.
Hollingsworth Studio website:
2. Florists in Melbourne: Babiana Botanic
I haven’t included this just because the name is fun to say: Anna is a fantastic new kid on the block and one of the most incredibly innovative florists Melbourne has on offer.
You can tell from her incredible pieces that she has a fine art background. Each meticulously designed arrangement is its own piece of art. You and your guests are going to be ogling at them and talking about them way after the party is over, and you can check out her incredible work for Pepe and Sam in the pages of Hello May.
See also: my interview with Babiana Botanic.
Known as a more bombastic Melbourne wedding florist, Anna likes working with colour and really pushing the boundaries of what the flowers can actually do. She has purple palm fans, yellow flower garlands and lush green ferns in her armoury ready to wow anyone that lays eyes on them. If you want a double serve of magic, pair this brilliant wedding florist in Melbourne with these amazing wedding arbours.
Florist Melbourne: Babiana Botanic website:
https://www.babianabotanic.com/
3. Macedon Ranges florist: Raven and the Rose
I first worked with Amy and her Raven and the Rose team at Castle Montsalvat, and she blew me away (or at least into the next stone-walled room). See the Montsalvat Wedding of Kate and Matt.
Amy creates these beautiful, majestic dark moody pieces of art that are on trend, on season and eco friendly. If dark and moody isn’t your thing, she will create your perfect scene out of seasonal flowers whatever the colour scheme.
Amy loves catching up with her clients over a cuppa to get a feel for the day and the person, rather than just giving a generic quote, and the Macedon Ranges is lucky to have her. Call up and then drop in to her shop directly.
Florist Mt Macedon: Raven and the Rose website:
https://www.ravenandtherose.com.au/
4. Wedding florist in Melbourne: Good Grace and Humour
Meg and her team are pushing the boundaries of floral artistry. There’s no ‘floral fluff’ to be seen here, just free flowing, seemingly impossible, pure natural yet futuristic creations. And every single petal is sourced locally from Melbourne flower market.
I personally think she is the Elon Musk of floristry (minus offering flamethrowers for sale on the side… yet). She gets to know you, your themes and colour ideas and she’s curious about every detail, and how that might then fit into some impossibly devised creation.
Good Grace and Humour are located in a warehouse in the inner west of the city (sharing space with the inimitable Good Day Club) but they go out foraging for their special twists on the genre all the time. There’s always a little accent you wouldn’t have thought of that just lifts the whole visual dynamic and transcends everything you thought you knew about floral design.
Wedding florist in Melbourne: Good Grace and Humour website:
https://www.goodgraceandhumour.com/
5. Castlemaine wedding flowers: Katie Marx Flowers
Based well north of Melbourne in Newstead, Katie Marx has her floristry studio and runs ‘Butterland’ venue with her husband Greg. Previously a candle factory, Butterand is also ground zero for this brilliant Castlemaine florists artistry.
The venue runs floristry workshops and hosts gorgeous events year round. Katie is the queen of foraging, and keen to teach you all her tricks. She has an enormously earthy and natural feel to her displays and focuses on native species using interesting pieces her friends at the flower market secretly save for her. Katie also works as a Melbourne wedding florist, sprinkling her genius all over Victoria.
Check out the incredible work of Katie Marx florist below at the wedding of Iro and Alex, held at Butterland.
Katie’s passion for au naturale drives her unique designs. If you’re after a homegrown Australian dream wedding, then take a look at Katie Marx’s work, and check out this Butterland wedding in Newstead.
Florist Victoria: Katie Marx Flowers Website:
https://www.instagram.com/katiemarxflowers
6. Wedding flowers Melbourne: The Flower District
A mother and daughter team working hard to stay sustainable and have minimal waste. They love beautiful things and “extra AF” parties! They are incomprehensibly talented, whilst remaining flexible, and create some of the most unique wedding flowers Melbourne has on offer.
They use flowers to set the mood. If you want romance, you can have the whole room oozing with love. If you want colour, Caroline will make the room explode with excitement. Taking her creative flare from her mother, the two make the perfect team. She has been known to slip a tiny pineapple or disco ball into a bouquet, so watch out!
Florist Melbourne: The Flower District Website:
https://www.theflowerdistrict.com.au/contact
7. Unique wedding flowers Melbourne: Bloom Boy
Previously working in fashion in London, Ross is now a Melbourne-based flower lord: he creates flower arrangements that don’t even look like floristry as you know it, and is a front-runner on wedding floristry innovation.
Bloom Boy has chains, ribbons, spray paint, disco balls and naked men covered in flowers all over the shop: all the things you think of when you think of wedding floristry (naturally – or was that, au naturale).
Check out some of his brilliant work below that was set up at iconic small wedding venue in Melbourne, the Altar Electric.
If you want something with a bit of spice and flare he’s your man. If you had a ‘silly’ idea of hanging flowers across the ceiling, Ross will create the craziest, lushest, most fashion conscious installation you could have dreamed of and that ‘silly’ idea might just be the best one you had.
All photos above taken at Altar Electric – check them out along with some of the other incredible small wedding venues Melbourne has to offer.
Unique wedding flowers Melbourne: Bloom Boy website:
8. Yarra Valley Wedding Florist: Sassafrass Flower Design
Sassafras flower design merges a delicate, sensitive flair for design, with considered selection of florals. Check out these incredible arrangements for the Burnham Beeches wedding of Kate and Alex.
Yarra Valley Florists: Sassafras Flower Design website:
https://www.sassafraswedding.com.au/
9. Melbourne Florist: Georgie Boy
Georgie Boy is Gina Lasker. You know you’re dealing with one of the most unique wedding florists in town when they have their own feature on Melbourne’s leading design blog, The Design Files.
Check out Ginas spectacular work below, creating a jaw dropping installation at Geelong wedding venue, the Fyansford Paper Mill, the patina of which bears a little resemblance to this Higher Ground wedding: https://briarsatlas.com/higher-ground-wedding/
Melbourne Florists: Georgie Boy website:
10. Melbourne Florist: North St Botanical
North St Botanical have been around a while, and it’s no surprise: they stay at the edge of beautiful design, seasonality, and most importantly, making couples over the moon with their brilliant creations. North St can frequently be found at Rupert (see Liv and Dave’s Rupert on Rupert wedding).
Melbourne Florists: North St Botanical website:
11. Melbourne Florist: Flowers St Germain
Flowers St Germain are serial dressers of Stones of the Yarra Valley, and we worked for them on the meticulously crafted wedding (care of wedding planners Weddings of Desire) of Ella and Mack.
Common Melbourne wedding florist questions
Wedding flowers by a professional florist can be anywhere from $500 to $50000 depending on how many pieces and installations you’re having.
The best wedding flower is the one that makes you go “holy batman”. Consider things that are off-trend, and also know that seasonal is always a great way to go to avoid transport miles.
You should consider booking your florist at least one month in advance. This will enable them to plan your pieces properly, as well as make the market trips in advance to do all the materials purchasing.
Wedding flowers can occasionally seem like a bit of a whack to the pocket, but not when you realise the amount of time and effort that goes into creating them. Your wedding florist will spend weeks planning the arrangements, liaising with you about your day, not to mention 3am rises to hit the flower markets. There is so much more work involved than just slapping a few bouquets together.
Final tips for picking your wedding florist Melbourne or beyond:
Like all the pieces of the wedding and events puzzle, it’s a dance between executing your vision, and letting experienced professionals do their thing. Reach out to the florists up there with your ideas, and be sure to take a look at these brilliant alternative Melbourne wedding celebrants, as well as the most unique wedding venues in Melbourne.
Aug 13, 2020
Unique Melbourne Wedding Photo Locations: or informally, a list of the best Melbourne wedding photo locations that aren’t already on every other list out there.
- Melbourne Treasury building
- Treasury Gardens
- Collingwood back streets
- Carlton Alleys
- Thornbury
- Northcote Town Hall
- That Fonda wall
- Portland Lane
- South Melbourne
- Abbotsford
- Fitzroy Gardens
- Carlton Gardens
- Historic Prahran
- Footscray
- Best Melbourne Alleys
Here’s a rundown of some of our favourite Melbourne wedding photo locations, organised by the mood they give, to show you what brilliant variety we have in our own inner city for weddings: from gritty industrial, all the way over to the most incredible nature within a stones throw of the Melbourne CBD. Included in all locations are Google Maps pins.
These are our top 15 Melbourne wedding photo locations (I have plenty more hidden gems, but you’ll just have to head out on foot and go exploring yourself to find them, or book us as your Melbourne wedding photographer).
Be sure to tune in for the very last one – some of our favourite little slices of Melbourne alleys. If you’re getting hitched in the city or inner city or eloping in Melbourne, I know these like the back of our hand as well as a whole bunch of wonderful other little known spots.
These are somewhat more popular locations, but when looking at where to take photos in Melbourne i’ve found they’re ripe for putting a unique spin on each and every time, especially if you’re planning a Melbourne elopement.
1. Classic Melbourne Wedding photo location: Melbourne Treasury Building
The Melbourne Treasury building is the go-to photo location for registry weddings in Melbourne, and one of the most iconic spots for Melbourne wedding photos. With its incredible historic design and layout, it’s one of the best places to take photos in Melbourne. What people often miss though, is that the immediate surrounds of the building have the most brilliant wedding photo locations, perfect for rain-shielded photo sessions, sunset sessions, all of it. If you look closely, you can see some of these at this Fortyfive Downstairs wedding.
I take so many couples around here, and it can’t be overstated how beautifully soft and moody the light is around the structures themselves. Head down Treasury place and explore, it’s all an easy and quick whip around, especially if you’re then heading south to somewhere like The Deck at Circa.
Melbourne Treasury Building photo location on Google Maps.
2. Heritage Melbourne wedding location: Treasury Gardens
Just west of the Melbourne Treasury building, is the Treasury gardens. While the gardens themselves are beautiful and lush, what I personally prefer from this photo location is to use them as context against the treasury buildings behind it.
Walk about halfway up Treasury Place, head down the paths inserting themselves into the gardens, turn around, and you’ve got beautiful lush greenery depending on the time of year, with the incredible heritage buildings right behind you as the backdrop.
Treasury Gardens Photo Location Google Maps pin.
3. Urban wedding photo location: Collingwood back streets
The Collingwood and Fitzroy back streets contain some of our earliest historic houses, since they were the first suburbs inhabited when Melbourne did, well, what we did back then, clear everything and everyone in sight and build lots of stuff.
As a result some of the architecture in the surrounding streets is particularly cute and interesting in equal measure, and make for some of the best Melbourne wedding photo locations.
As a general area, this is a personal favourite and one of the best places to take photos in Melbourne and a go-to for all the best wedding photographers doing their thing.
4. Historical wedding photo location: University Lane Carlton
Something more of a sleeper wedding photo location (ie: more classic, and not immediately striking), Carlton has some understated alleys that are beautiful soft backdrops without fighting the rest of the frame, and an ideal subtle place for Melbourne wedding photos.
Enormous stonework, subtle signage and fittings, the laneways here are worth exploring and just a small dash out of the Melbourne CBD.
One of the best lanes. Find this photo location on Google Maps here.
5. Urban wedding photo location in Melbourne: Thornbury
One of our favourite general areas in Melbourne, and a brilliant wedding photo location to explore. Further north we hit Thornbury, which has an endless amount of textures, historic structures, and all sorts of weird and wonderful signage and exteriors – oh, and Kenny Lover.
30 minutes here will be spent pretty quickly heading up, down and around High St, with art-deco design left right and centre.
See more of Sam and Pauls wedding on Instagram.
6. Art Deco wedding photo location in Melbourne: Northcote Town Hall
Find Northcote Town Hall wedding photo location here on Google Maps.
Northcote Town Hall is a must visit for simple Melbourne heritage vibes, beautiful columns and light. If Fitzroy Town Hall isn’t accessible, then this isn’t a compromise as a wedding photo location, and it provides the same kind of feel, shelter from rain, and beautiful soft light, with no chance of being disturbed, and super close proximity to bars, cafes, and all of the standard Northcote glory.
There’s also plenty of beautiful textures and walls to find on Eastment st and Westbourne Grove, down the side of the town hall.
7. Colourful Melbourne wedding photo location: Fonda Collingwood
This one gets a header all of it’s own. The incredible artwork on the side of the Fonda building is a joy to walk past and pop off some frames in front of, and one of the most distinct wedding photo locations around. Punchy, colourful, geometrically satisfying, this is located just off Smith st, with spades of bars and other historic streets right near it.
A great little stopover if you’re getting hitched at Panama Dining Room wedding a Rupert on Rupert wedding.
Find this Collingwood photo location here on google maps.
8. Quirky Melborne wedding photo location: Portland Lane
I’ve had so many couples stay at the QT Hotel on Russel St, and turning just around to the right of it’s entrance, down Portland Lane, is a no-brainer for some quick portraits when exiting the building to head to the ceremony.
The wall of the Portland Hotel is painted a rich black, and feeds down into deep bluestones below, creating something of an impossible infinity-wall, where it feels like the bluestone is a shelf at the edge of the universe. One of the more unique wedding photo locations in Melbourne.
As if we’re about to lean into the ether, or into Gandalf’s embrace, etc.
9. Green Melbourne wedding photo location: South Melbourne
Until fairly recently, sweeping sections of South Melbourne have somehow managed to mostly avoid being exploited by our general lack of regulation around architectural design for a suburb so close to the city, and so unlike other heritage suburbs, still has plenty of great things to explore without yet looking like a second-year students first foray into geometric design elements.
As a result, as well as easily feeling like it’s a jaunt into the old world, the entire area around the Town Hall, Clarendon St, and industrial back areas have plenty of textures to explore, and is an ideal wedding photo location just 5 minutes out of the Melbourne CBD.
10. Urban Melbourne wedding photo location: Abbotsford
Find this unique photo location on google maps here.
Abbotsford may just be our closest answer to anything resembling the back streets of New York or Brooklyn (see these Melbourne wedding venues). Abbotsford has it all: incredibly close proximity to Yarra Bend Park (which doesn’t seem like it should or could sit so close to the city), old heritage streets, imposing industrial buildings, and everything in between. Abbotsford is a brilliantly diverse wedding photo location.
A 30 minute session in Abbotsford can get chewed up very quickly, and that’s without stopping off at any of the beautiful little cafes littered around the place. One of the best photo locations in Melbourne, at just a short jump outside of the Melbourne CBD itself.
11. Jungle wedding photo location in Melbourne: Fitzroy Gardens
Looking at the map, Fitzroy Gardens almost sounds ripped out of a Tolkien book. The Faeries tree, Tudor Village, Temple of the Winds. These are all great, but the best parts of these gardens aren’t etched on the map.
Enter from the midwestern paths along Lansdowne St, and some of the more incredible tree-tunnels are visible, then head further in to a couple of “secret” little jungle areas with tight greenery, stone stairs and more. Gorgeous wedding photo location resembling a jungle.
One of our favourite places for Melbourne wedding photos.
12. Classic wedding photo location in Melbourne: Carlton Gardens
Carlton Gardens join the Royal Exhibition building. Carlton Gardens are more known for the aisle of trees leading up to said building (and a water foutain) but the best parts of these gardens are actually around the northwestern edge of the exhibition building.
Architecturally there’s a bunch of textural options around there, but what I like most is the setting sun against some of the smaller characterful pieces of garden around there.
Find this Carlton photo location on Google Maps here.
13. Unique Melbourne Wedding Photo Location: Prahran
Prahran isn’t necessarily the first place you’d think of when looking for the best Melbourne wedding photo locations, but when I lived there, I made a point of taking any couples eloping here from overseas there, for two reasons.
Firstly there’s more than it’s fair share of architecturally stunning historical charm, and secondly, while there’s the allure of taking portraits in the CBD, in our opinion Prahran punches above it’s weight, and saves all of the regular hassles associated with parking in the city itself, while allowing folks spending a little bit of time here to explore a neighbourhood they might have otherwise missed.
Also, don’t miss this moody art-deco gem. Add Prahran to the list if you’re planning a Melbourne City elopement.
14. Gritty Melbourne wedding photo location: Footscray
First stop from the Melbourne CBD as we head west, Footscray is a gritty gem, and enormously misunderstood suburb (especially from our dear friends of the east). All the right ingredients for a subversive photo location.
Footscray has buckets of charm in it’s back streets, and as you head over to Seddon (i’d never heard of it either until I moved there), you’re hit with some of the most incredible cottage-style residences you’ll see in Melbourne.
15. Alley Wedding photo location: Melbourne Alleys
The pièce de résistance. Melbourne has bucketloads of beautiful alleys, and the main choices become things like how much heritage do you want, vs graffiti, vs tourists, vs calm.
All of the major alleys have their own character as a wedding photo location, and at any quarter of the CBD there’s a good handful within walking distance, and are usually crowned as the best Melbourne wedding photo locations.
These aren’t necessarily the “main events” here (sorry), i’m instead sharing some of our favourite Melbourne wedding photo locations containing simple light, and simple texture.
For more of our secret ones, keep an eye on our melbourne wedding photography workshops.
Love these Melbourne wedding photo locations? Hire us to photograph your Melbourne wedding
Briars Atlas – Wedding Photographer Melbourne – enquire
Jul 20, 2020
At Sam and Pauls Thornbury wedding (featuring the iconic Melbourne wedding venue, Kenny Lover), I linked up with their DJ’s One More Song Entertainment, who carried a ripping vibe across the day and into the evening. You know you’re on a good thing when the crew carrying your tunes are having the time of their life themselves. The duo are Eddy and Aleks, and they filled me in on what makes for cracking music at your wedding and how to plan your wedding music.
These legends are also featured on my list of the 5 best wedding bands in Melbourne.
Who are you and if someone in a long elevator ride asks you what you do, how do you fill the air with 65 floors worth of words?
65 floors! I feel sorry for them. I could talk about what I do all day. In a nutshell though (and as this is a blog!), I’m a business co-owner (with my partner DJ Eddy Mac) and wedding DJ. Eddy and I run One More Song. We’re not a “booking agency” – we’re a wedding DJ business. Weddings are front and centre for us. We just love them!
As well as DJs, we have awesome musicians like saxophonists who play with us. Both Eddy and I run all aspects of the business and work with clients in the lead up to their big day. If one of us isn’t personally DJing at your wedding, we’ll pick one of our rockstar DJs.
I say we’re not an agency because we only work with a small – but AWESOME – group of entertainers (all experienced in playing at weddings) and we’re both so hands-on with the business. There are no desk-based entertainment managers at One More Song – you’re always dealing with someone who lives and breathes weddings!
What makes you come alive about being a DJ and working with weddings, and what are some surprises that you’ve enjoyed recently with it all?
Is there a better party than a wedding? You have an excuse to get super dressed up, you get fed, watered and spend all night dancing with your favourite people. There is a special energy at weddings that you just don’t get anywhere else. And you definitely feel that behind the decks!
I love DJing at weddings because you get to play epic tunes from all eras and genres. I love so many different types of music – disco, funk, old school RnB, classic house, 90s dance, Motown, 80s synth, hip hop – the list goes on! Getting a pumping dance floor at a wedding involves really mixing it up to get old and young dancing. I truly love seeing people from all walks of life coming together to dance and for those few hours, forget about the mundanities of everyday life.
The one thing that constantly surprises me (but probably shouldn’t) is how much people of all ages love older music. There are just so many artists that have truly stood the test of time (think Queen, Prince, Bee Gees, Marvin Gaye) and always get the party going.
What is your process for working with a couple to create the perfect set for their wedding, and how do you balance their needs with your wealth of experience in keeping the energy high in a room?
We’re always super upfront with our clients about the process so we can set their expectations. We always tell them that there’s only so much we can prepare – 80 per cent of the work is done on the night. Apart from the key moment songs (first dance, etc) and some “must-play” song requests from the couple, we just need an idea of what our clients DON’T want to hear and some genres/artists they love. Also importantly, we ask them what their friends and family will be into as well.
Then it’s up to us on the night! We use our experience to read the room and build the energy at the right level. You can’t go hard with bangers at dinner and then play ambient jazz during the dance floor. You also can’t play one genre all night or guests will fatigue. It’s a fine balancing act!
We’re blessed as our vibe attracts clients who get all of this and are more than happy to leave most of the work to us. Building that trust with them is essential to us doing the best job possible on the day. We have heard of DJs who are provided with a list of 300 songs to play. That just doesn’t get the best results, so we let our brides and grooms know how we operate nice and early!
How much does the fixed nature of a set flex and change in the moment? I mean I’m not asking what happens if someone comes up blubbering “can you play Horses by Braithwaite” but I’m kinda asking, what happens when someone comes up blubbering “Hey DJ can you play Horses by Braithwaite”.
Our gigs are not fixed at all! All of our DJs live mix. Yes, we’re organised – we have thousands of tunes catalogued in every which way (folders for different parts of the evening, different decades, genres, sub-genres, etc), but we’re totally flexible and play to the crowd. Sometimes I’ll cue up a song to play and then 20 seconds before I’m about to mix out, I’ll change my mind – it definitely keeps it interesting!
I’m happy to take requests and happy to play Horses (no Nutbush, Macarena or Chicken Dance though… the line has to be drawn somewhere). BUT the caveat is that the request needs to be a song that the newly married couple will be happy with, and it needs to be played at the right time. If someone drunkenly requests Horses and guests are just finishing their mains, well, it ain’t happening!
I’m a bit of a (ie, a total) neophyte when it comes to the whole DJ thing. I mean, I see flashing lights, buttons, knobs, and an operator that somehow knows what it all is and makes the entire room move with it. What does it all mean, and when our octopus friends raise their IQ into the 3-digit-zone and cultivates good taste in music, are you out of a job?
The flashing knobs and buttons are designed to make us look very skilled, important and intimidate all who try to talk to us. 🙂 No, but really, technology has come such a long way and really helps when it comes to DJing at weddings. For example, we can cue up tracks at different points for key moments like wedding party entrances and use different effects and functions to help smoothly transition between genres – a very important part of being a wedding DJ.
As for the robot with good taste in music, its name is Spotify. The clients I’ve spoken to who had a Spotify play list for their engagement parties have always regretted it. I’ll only be threatened if the robot develops so much that it can read the tiny flicker of excitement in a guest’s eyes when you play a tune they love while they’re still having their entree, or be able to deal with an inebriated uncle who wants you to play The Angels all night. Then MAYBE I’ll be out of a job.
How do couples generally book you and whats the meeting process like?
When a couple enquires with us, they receive our shiny “party pack” – an easy-to-digest information pack that has more about how we work, our sample mixes, videos, etc. Then, some couples will either lock us in or book in a phone or video call (or in-person meeting, depending on what lockdown stage we’re in). During this chat, we talk about everything wedding-related and ask the couple about their wedding timeline, music likes/dislikes, their guest demographic, the vibe they’re after, etc! And of course, we go into more detail about how we work and offer some suggestions. After that, it’s a 50 per cent part payment to lock us in!
How do you navigate a room thats losing it’s energy and revive it, and to the opposite, do you proactively craft the space so that there’s ebbs and flows in how packed the floor is to set context?
A packed dance floor is obviously the ultimate goal, but people do need breaks – they might grab a drink, powder their nose, chat to a friend they haven’t seen in a while – it’s all part of it. And you need to provide something for everyone. Generally we’ll make sure the oldies can enjoy the dance floor earlier on in the night and leave the late night sing-alongs for those who are really letting their hair down. As a wedding DJ, you need to respond to what’s happening in front of you. If you’re about to play the bride’s all-time fave song but see she’s heading off to the bathroom, you better find a different track pronto!
I’ve gotta ask it. If the whole room is screaming your namesake “one more song”, what’s the likely candidate?
This does happen quite a bit (which is why we came up with the name!). It’s hard to pick one track as it really depends on the couple and the vibe, but normally it’s got to be something that has broad appeal, known and loved by both the couple and guests. An upbeat remix of a classic seems to work well – maybe an edit of a disco track. At one wedding last year I played Don’t Leave Me This Way by The Communards and it went off!
How to plan your wedding music: what are your 3 best tips for couples in planning out their entertainment?
- Think about what you DON’T want to hear as much as you what you love
- Use the wedding planning time to throw together some tunes in Spotify/Apple Music/Excel spreadsheet (it doesn’t really matter!) that you both love. This can happen organically as you’re listening to music so it’s more fun than work!
- Don’t forget that although it’s your day, two people on a dance floor does not a rocking dance floor make. So think about music you love that you know others will love too!
Plan your wedding music with One More Song Entertainment.
One More Song Entertainment website: https://onemoresong.com.au/
Bigger picture stuff? Check out these Melbourne wedding planners, and be sure to check out the best wedding duo on the planet, Tobi Tobi music.
Jul 7, 2020
I had a chat with alleged government agent/assassin Carlo, otherwise known as the the genius artistic brain behind Lunar Red Films. We’ve been lucky to work together on the wedding of Pepe and Sam, featured on Hello May, with none less than Nat Sproal, Torte by Mirjana, Killer Queen Creative, and Good Day Club.
With Covid forcing us all indoors and all manner of brilliant doorstep portrait projects happening, I wanted to kickstart some convos with my local community and find out how the time and strange space is being used, as it’s never been more important to stay connected and sharing. First up we have this wicked Melbourne wedding videographer, Carlo, of Lunar Red.
So who the hell is Lunar Red Films, what do your friends think you do, and what do you actually do?
My name is Carlo. My friends think I’m a government assassin (can confirm this is a generally held opinion – BA). Me mum thinks I’m handsome, but really I’m just your friendly, neighbourhood wedding cinematographer.
What excites you most about the culture of weddings in Melbourne?
Melbourne is just chock a block full of wonderful, loved up weirdos, who are willing to break convention and tradition and just do their own thing. It means that each couple has brought a sense of heart and soul into their weddings, and have given it a stamp that is all on their own. I don’t know any other city where that happens.
What do you feel separates Lunar Red Films from those around you in your line of work?
Some people use the term “minimalism” (cue the air wank motion) – I prefer to say “steak and veg”. That’s how I like to shoot – as simple and as free of gimmicks and other fanciful shit as humanly possible. What that leaves me with is me, the camera, and the moment happening directly in front of me. I’m not here trying to manufacture someone else’s feelings, I’m not attempting to set up a moment that isn’t real. Everything I point my camera at is genuine and, hopefully, the couple remembers the feelings they have for each other in the moment as opposed to me yelling at them to behave a certain way.
How have you kept your business healthy during Covid, and how might couples now benefit from it?
I like to cap my weddings per season at a certain number. It means that I’m able to give each wedding my creative focus without being snowed under by work and burn out. When covid hit, I only had a handful of weddings left to shoot down the line, so it gave me a little extra time to edit the weddings I had already shot to perfection.
How do you see the future of celebrations in our city and what mark do you want to leave on it?
I feel like weddings and celebrations will continue to get more and more. unconventional the more couples and future clients realise that they don’t have to do what’s come before to have a good time or to profess their love out to the world. More colour, more rule breaking, more heart. Basically just more of the good stuff.
Find Lunar Red Films online
Jun 30, 2020
In the middle of classic Australian expanse, about 2 hours west of Brisbane as the crow flies, sits Australia’s second largest inland city, and recipient of “most vowels in a city name” award. Welcome, to the gloriously rural region of Toowoomba, Queensland. Known for it’s Carnival of Flowers held annually in September, and having recently installed it’s own airport more and more people are getting to know this hidden gem of a town. Today though, we’re here to focus specifically on the BEST Toowoomba wedding venue, Gabbinbar Homestead.
Read this post if:
- You’re wedding venue-hunting in Queensland
- You’ve heard about Gabbinbar and are curious
- Want to see what it looks like to have me photograph there
Best Toowoomba Wedding Venue: Gabbinbar Homestead
Why is Gabbinbar Homestead the best wedding venue in Toowoomba?
It lives and breathes rustic hospitality.
The majestic diversity speaks for itself. It’s the perfect middle ground between country wedding and city wedding. While Toowoomba isn’t a bustling hub of activity like Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, it has the most endearing rustic charm that you can’t quite find in those larger cities. This rustic charm honestly makes for the most heartwarming, down-to-Earth wedding ceremonies.
It’s a wedding photographer’s paradise: which means brilliant images of you, for you.
Shooting at rural wedding venues like this just make you feel like you’re part of something special: and part of that here owes to the almost total seclusion from the outside world of it’s private garden edges.
I’ve shot at countless wedding venues and no place quite makes you feel at home like the gorgeous Gabbinbar Homestead. There are so many hidden gems scattered throughout the venue, and the mystique of it all is something you have to feel to believe. You find yourself weaving in and out of the trees, snapping pictures of family and friends of the bride and groom in such a relaxed, magical atmosphere. Rural wedding venues just seem to bring out the best in people.
The wedding services are, like the grounds, majestic.
Gabbinbar’s all-inclusive wedding package, aptly titled ‘The Gabbinbar Experience’ is just that. It’s basically everything you need to experience the exact wedding day you want to bring to life. Specifically:
- A personalised wedding planning service.
- Stunning ceremony and wedding photography locations in the surrounding gardens.
- Delectably delicious award-winning food.
- A ‘Bride’s Retreat’ for luxurious pre-wedding preparations.
- A breathtaking reception with friendly staff, dedicated to making your wedding completely awesome.
Plus all of those often overlooked, finer details that go into executing a flawless wedding that come with the territory of having everything in the one place.
Outside of this theres 3000+ rooms a stone’s throw away for guests and family.
So, if you’re thinking of escaping to the country for your wedding, short of the rural expanses of the moon there’s no better place than Gabbinbar Homestead.
Check out their wedding pricing and packages for yourself.
From a Toowoomba wedding venue abundant in charm and heart to a completely unique shotgun-style Melbourne wedding venue, visit this post featuring The Alter Electric.
Jun 29, 2020
I don’t know much about cakes, but I do know that beyond being face-plantingly delicious, there’s a bunch of love that has to be artfully weaved into the process, lest it ends up just resembling an attractive piece of cardboard, and Torte by Mirjana is the local bees-knees of the taste game.
Apart from Mirjana being an absolute magnet personality and culinary wizard, the thing that stood out to me most is that everyone who talks about her work, talks about the taste. That might seem like the most ludicrously obvious talking point when the conversation is about wedding cakes, but it never occurred to me that in a space where so much of the work looks good, what really matters it the drooling gob that it’s ending up in, and what that gob then says about the experience #goblife.
We had a little mid-iso chat, so if you haven’t been introduced to her work stick around and hit up her links at the bottom to check out her majestic work online.
With Covid forcing us all indoors and all manner of brilliant doorstep portrait projects happening, I wanted to kickstart some convos with my local community and find out how the time and strange space is being used, as it’s never been more important to stay connected and sharing.
Sum yourself up in a few words.
I’m Melbourne’s Punky Brewster version of a cake lady
What excites you most about what you get to do?
I get to make a whole bunch of mess in the kitchen, and then somehow miraculously end up bringing an edible art piece into existence.
What do you feel separates you from those around you in your line of work?
I think my ability to make a personal connection with my clients and establish a relationship during the cake designing process its that or the msg version of sweet sugary love I put into each cake.
How have you kept your business healthy during Covid, and how might couples now benefit from it?
Torte took a little break during covid and I grew a new title which was homeschool teacher… didn’t really like that, so I started making mini heart cakes that were inspired by my love of Wes Anderson and all things vintage, and they were a real hit with lovers who were in lockdown – so I’m hoping to see some baby shower cake orders soon!
How would you describe the mark you want to leave on folks gracefully annhilating your work?
Nostalgia you can taste!
Find Torte by Mirjana online
Jun 27, 2020
How to spray a champagne bottle at your wedding: everyone’s seen it, everyone’s had a crack at it, and everyones experience ends with one of “nailed it”, “nearly took my head off”, or “fizzled out to a flaccid wisp like Creeds record contract” (we bought a few of their albums back in the day so this is all fair game, and I guess that makes us fair game).
Also file this under – things you can practice at home in a pandemic. Great for your serotonin levels, not so great for your lounge room walls, so maybe one to take to the streets.
How to do a champagne spray (condensed version):
- Put on your champagne spray face
- Pre-shake bottle, flick off the cork
- Press your thumb firmly over the hole while shaking
There’s a gentle art to the champagne spray, and it’s both easier than you might think in the moment, while at the same time requiring of a bit of careful strategy and forward-thinking so that the proceeds don’t resemble the unfortunate scene of a garden hose with no pressure at a kids water-fight birthday-party in the middle of summer.
Why we do it
Because if we’re gonna have a day of beautiful debauchery and anarchy, contributing to the carbon(ated beverage) atmospheric trust-fund – and surrounding garments – is one of the cheaper thrills we can have on the day, with a mighty power-to-weight ratio as far as thrills gained, and dollars spent on cheap wine.
Fun for everyone – even me as my camera-gear gets gloriously soaked in the stuff (tips for photographers: if you want to get the best champagne shots, sorry – but you need to be right in front of it – and if you don’t come out needing a dry-clean, you haven’t shot it right).
The theory behind the perfect champagne spray
In order to get a wild spray going that lasts as long as the winners ones do on an F1 podium, we need to consult our dusty “armchair teenage physicist” manual, and brush up on the “why” before we get to the “how”.
If you want to know how to spray a champagne bottle at your wedding, the aim is to reduce the gap available to the champagne to flow through, once the cork is off, as soon as we can. The number one reason that a champagne spray does not work, is because that the champagne-spray Director of Operations at the time does not immediately apply pressure once the cork is removed and continue shaking.
This means we need to press our thumb against the hole, as soon as the cork is removed. This in turn keeps extra pressure inside the bottle, which means it’s going to try and force it’s way through the available gap. If the champagne has pressure that is mostly kept in by your thumb, that means that in order to release that pressure, it’s going to have to push it’s way through that gap – and fast.
And when you maintain that while continuing to shake it – that’s where it all starts going beautifully bananas. If I had a dollar for the amount of times i’ve seen folks not immediately apply pressure and then watch the contents dribble out like Sam Newmans Twitter musings, i’d have enough clams to lift his face even higher.
How to spray a champagne bottle in three steps:
Luckily for us, we have everyones favourite rainbow anarchist (well, the other favourite to this wonderful mob) Dee Brinsmead, wedding celebrant and co-owner of The Altar Electric, to help run us through how it’s done.
Step 1: Put on your champagne face
Bring yourself into a state of maniacal glee. This should be fun, you should have your crew around you (if they’re part of it), and you should be prepared to make a mess, take an eye out, blow a hole in the photographers expensive lens, all the good stuff.
Here, a friendly neighbourhood cat takes part.
Step 2: Pre-shake and dislodge
Acquire champagne, twist and remove the wire cap, so just the cork remains.
With your thumb over the cork, pre-shake it enthusiastically.
Begin to undo the cork until it’s nearly off. Brace your thumb against the base of the cork, and flick it into the heavens above, or at your photographers head.
Tip: if the cork is tough to remove, grip it with #intention very tightly, and carefully rotate it and “unscrew it” out with your hand.
Step 3: Immediately apply pressure, and shake.
At this point, you should immediately cover the hole with your thumb: in fact, trying to completely block it – and shake the bottle like a maniac. I promise you the champagne will begin to escape, no matter how robust you think your thumb-bottle sealant game is. This is where a champagne-spray often fails, and this is the step to nail correctly.
Every second of champagne-exit where the hole isn’t blocked, is precious pressure lost.
From here, just gently remove pressure very slightly, in the direction you want to spray, being conscious of where it’s coming out as you pivot your thumb. Continue to shake with maniacal glee.
Tip: As the contents and pressure in the bottle deplete, you can squeeze as much out if it as possible by increasing the pressure you’re creating, and pressing your thumb against it more firmly and closing the gap. The little pressure that’s left in the bottle will be amplified by having the gap made even tighter.
Voila! You’ve successfully emptied the contents of a bottle in the manner in
which was truly intended by the manufacturer, but can’t be claimed as such on fancy champagne labels.
Just know that you’re doing your winemaker countrymen proud.
Special thanks to Dee Brinsmead, one third of Collingwood wedding venue The Altar Electric, for being a most excellent Champagne Spray Scientist today. Hire this legend for your Melbourne elopement, and be sure to check out these unique small wedding venues, or out in ye olde non wedding world head here for a Melbourne music photographer.
Jun 10, 2020
Melbourne is known for its eccentric and eclectic foodie scene. Of all the Aussie states, its probably the most innovative and experimental when it comes to its hospitality industry. Bacon gelato? Yup. Lamington Jafles. Um, hells yeah. You name it, Melbourne is comfortable going gourmet, or going gonzo. In the spirit of amazing, innovative wedding catering, I’ve created a rundown of the best wedding catering Melbourne has to offer. Grab a knife and fork and settle in. Let’s do this.
Melbournes best wedding catering for 2024 onward
1. Melbourne Wedding Catering: Firecracker Event
Much like an actual firecracker, the spreads created by this awesome team absolutely GO OFF! Firecracker Event are pretty much a turnkey operator for all your event needs. They combine styling, service and, of course, food to turn your event into a guaranteed winner. Be sure to check out this feature on Firecracker Event where they chat all things grazing tables)
“Firecracker is built on the concept of Enlightened Hospitality—a term coined by New York restaurateur Danny Meyer. It means that every person you engage feels safe, welcome and at home with you. It’s about going the extra mile and prioritizing relationships over transactions.“
– Firecracker Event
Firecracker Event can cover everything from platters to full service dining. Some of the glorious foods included in their packages are:
- Porcini & Truffle Arancini (GF. V)
- Lemon Curd Tarts With Fresh Raspberries
- Heidi Farm Gruyere
- Organic Dried Fruit & Nuts
- Vegan Gnocchi With Green Pesto & Seasonal Greens
- Slow Cooked Pork Belly With Chargrilled Orange & Fennel
Does that not sound entirely, mouthwateringly delicious to you? It’s a big fat ooft here from me.
Find Firecracker Event online
Firecracker Event website: https://www.firecrackerevent.com/
2. Wedding Catering Melbourne: Fat and Skinny Catering
The bloody wonderful ladies at Fat and Skinny catering are a team of hardworking, hospitality driven human beings who love a good laugh. They’re all for a song and a dance and they can always be counted on to match (if not exceed) the excitement you have about your event, and are some of the best caterers Melbourne has at hand.
They’re fun, they’re friendly and they’re focused on giving you the best food they can possibly muster. I’ve personally seen their head honcho, Naomi, go to excruciatingly loving means to make a surprise dish for a bride that used a unique ingredient that her late father used to produce. Absolutely magic stuff to see.
“Come for the love. Stay for the party.”
– Fat and Skinny Catering
The sheer range of foods available at Fat and Skinny Catering make them one of the best wedding caterers Melbourne has to offer. It’s just a bonus that every single dish they serve up is *chef’s kiss* noice.
Their wedding catering range includes, but is certainly not limited to:
- Chicken Char Siu Dumplings with Black Vinegar & Caramel Dipping Sauce
- Buttermilk Popcorn Chicken, Creamy Mash and Roast Chicken Gravy (vo, gf
- Oregano, Feta & Lamb Burger with Greek Salad and Minty Tzatziki
- Beef Brisket Slow Cooked for 10 hours with Roasted Parmesan Crumble
- Roasted Beetroot, Rocket & Dukkah Crusted Labne (v,gf)
- Nutella and Hazelnut Crunch Cheesecake
Lordy! I simply cannot.
Find Fat and Skinny Catering online
Fat and Skinny Catering website: https://www.fatandskinny.com.au/
3. Melbourne Wedding Cake Maker: Torte by Mirjana
If you want the best wedding cake Melbourne has to offer, this taste-queen is coming at you with some of the best wedding cakes this side of the northernmost tip of the north pole. The finesse and artistry that goes into each and every cake Mirjana creates is out of this world. It seems obvious that wedding cakes should taste great, but Mirjana is time and again the benchmark for giving the same amount of love to their interior as their exterior.
With a Croatian and Serbian heritage, she grew up watching her Baka (grandmother) work as cake decorator and the apple does not fall far from the generational tree.
She’s also a designer by trade which really shows in her delectable dessert creations.
Check out the cake design gallery on her website and you’ll see why she has sealed her place as one of Melbourne’s best wedding cake makers.
To find out a little more about the maestro herself, check out the feature on Torte by Mirjana.
Find Torte by Mirjana online
Torte by Mirjana website: https://www.tortebymirjana.com/
4. Melbourne Wedding Cake Maker: Miss Ladybird Cakes
Another crafty wedding cake maker, Miss Ladybird Cakes is here to kick ass and bake cakes, and she’s all out of asses to kick. Gina makes the best wedding cakes in Melbourne.
Having been in the business for 12+ years Gina, Miss Ladybird herself, is the creative mind behind this amazing cake baking venture, and it’s no small feat being around for that amount of time – which translates to a hell of a lot of happy faces catered for at weddings. She’s always been super creative and is actually a qualified chef.
Miss Ladybird has brought two of her greatest passions together, food and design, to build a beaut business and we get to reap the benefits.
“Our main aim is not to be the best, but to make a product we are proud of, and one which interprets the love we have for an industry we have spent our lives immersed in.”
– Miss Ladybird Cakes
Check out her online gallery here.
Find Miss Ladybird Cakes online
Miss Ladybird Cakes website: http://www.missladybirdcakes.com/
5. Wedding Catering Melbourne: Food And Desire
Now, last but 1000% not least, we’ve got Food And Desire who fully customise the menus for every single event they cater. Like, who has the time or the energy to do that? These maestros are insane.
Their food is sourced from local suppliers and they incorporate only the best seasonal produce into their bespoke menus.“Collaborating with some of Melbourne’s most influential event experts, producers and suppliers, we cater different. We do it awesome, and we love it.”
You can see the kind of menus they’ve created for wedding parties up in lights on their website. Food and desire also helm the inimitable Melbourne Warehouse Wedding venue Half Acre, featured in image below.
Find Food And Desire online
Food and Desire website: http://www.foodanddesire.com.au/
Check out my top 15 Melbourne wedding photo locations for some nuptialistic (is that a word?) inspo, or head to this post for some great ideas on the best small wedding venues Melbourne has going.
Nab one of the incredible caterers up above (unless you’re at Zonzo Estate and enjoying their wizard pizza makers onsite), and link them up with this incredible Melbourne wedding planner.
Also for some incredible catering outside of Melbourne, check out the wood fired wedding pizzas at the Cosmo Hotel near Castlemaine.
Jun 9, 2020
Suzanne Harward is one of Australia’s brightest design minds. Her wedding dress designs have been at the leading edge for nearly 30 years. If you’re getting married in Melbourne (or anywhere for that matter), it’s hard to go past our own hometown maestros, Suzanne Harward wedding dresses, for world-leading bridal design. In this post, we’ll look at a few of the best Suzanne Harward bridal gowns i’ve seen.
Based in Collingwood, the Suzanne Harward team are responsible for some of the most forward-thinking, design-minded pieces that are not only a joy to photograph (I might have a personal bias), but incredibly decadent pieces for brides.
Most importantly, each and every time I chat with a bride about their choice of gown, they end up falling over backwards in adoration for the team, and it’s pretty easy to see why.
While you’re here, be sure to also check out these other incredible unique wedding dresses.
Suzanne Harward Wedding Dresses featured in this post
I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph several fashion-forward brides over the years and got to photograph the best modern wedding dresses around – which much of the time happens to be a Suzanne Harward.
Here, i’ve picked three of them, that offer a quick look at what the Suzanne Harward team can do a across the whole spectrum: from elegantly classic, to something from another planet.
All photographs below captured by and remain copyright of Briars Atlas.
Suzanne Harward Wedding Dress: The Bluebird Gala Gown
Laura and Walker:
Category: From another planet
Gown: The Bluebird Gala gown also: Songbird gown
Laura’s Suzanne Harward gown knocked my socks off as soon as I walked into their Daylesford bridal prep house. Hanging from a rustic door, it was adorned with the most incredibly bright florals etched into it, with gorgeous soft peach/pink tulle layers.
Laura and Walker were married at the Daylesford convent, a beautiful historic location that made for a perfect contrast to Lauras gown.
I’ve just gotta step in here: how incredible is that speckled light above? You can find that yourself by heading to the Daylesford Convent Gallery.
Treats. Always. Win. Laura and Walker invited their beautiful little scallywag Bonnie along, and she stayed for the entire day and partied well into the evening at the Daylesford Convent.
Want to see more of Laura and Walker? They are featured in print, having been published inside issue #19 of Together Journal. Already got your Suzanne Harward gown and want me to photograph it? You can enquire to hire me here.
Suzanne Harward Wedding Dress: Eden
Iro and Alex:
Category: Somewhere from here to there
Gown: Eden (no longer available)
Iro’s stunningly detailed dress is a masterclass in modern classic design. I like to think that I have this gown to thank for this image landing me as a category finalist for International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2018 – a beautiful moment in bridal prep accomodation in rural Victoria, before her wedding to Alex at their Butterland wedding in Newstead (also featured here on this post about Castlemaine wedding venues).
What they won’t necessarily tell you on the Suzanne Harward website, is that no matter how gloriously decadent their gowns are, they are able to withstand a champagne spray from even the most enthusiastic friend.
Want to see more of Iro and Alex? They are featured here in Together Journal. Already got your Suzanne Harward gown and want me to photograph it? You can enquire to hire me here.
Suzanne Harward Wedding Dress: White Look #5
Tash and Jacob:
Category: Elegant modern classic
Gown: White Look 5
Just when you think that you can’t be beautifully surprised by a new take on subtle classicism, Suzanne Harward come out with this sleek, elegant gem. Natasha and Jacob were married at the Melbourne registry office, and we spent a little time traipsing around some of my most favourite, secret spots in the city, with gorgeous soft light that played off against the simple shapes of the gown.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this roundup of the best Suzanne Harward wedding dresses (in my humble opinion – don’t let that stop you poring over their incredible range on their website below).
Where to Find Suzanne Harward Bridal
www.suzanneharward.com
73 Johnston St, Collingwood VIC 3066
All images taken by Briars Atlas.
Book me to photograph your wedding
If you’d like to make an enquiry for me to be your wedding photographer, head here.
Jun 7, 2020
Every now and again in this job you come across art thats just as magic as the humans wearing it. Bridal dress designer Paolo Sebastian takes his cues from a Disney-like fantasy land, and creates some of the most incredible modern bridal couture.
Straight outta Adelaide, Australia.
I photographed Hannah and Ben at their gorgeous Royal Mail Hotel Wedding in the Grampians, and Hannah wore this incredible Paolo Sebastian Wedding Dress.
Hannah and Ben’s wedding was put together by the best Melbourne Wedding Planner, Will and Jac. Head over to their feature to see some of the most forward thinking couples around.
Find Paolo Sebastian Wedding Dresses online
Paolo Sebastian website: https://paolosebastian.com/
More Paolo Sebastian at this Hindmarsh Island wedding
See wedding dresses similar to Paolo Sebastian
Best Modern Wedding Dresses – and for more dress designs like Paolo Sebastian you need to see this piece by KYHA Studios.
Hire us to photograph your wedding
Briars Atlas wedding photography: Enquire
Mar 16, 2020
Melbourne Elopement Photography: what do less stress, more money left in the account, and rampant good times have in common?
They’re just three of the (many) glorious benefits to either having an elopement or small wedding. At Briars Atlas Elopement Photography Melbourne Services Pty Ltd (let’s run with that name for now) i’ve photographed so many beautiful small weddings and elopements in Melbourne and in greater Victoria including the Mornington Peninsula (check out these wedding venues on the Mornington Peninsula) and Yarra Valley.
I’m a Melbourne elopement and small weddings photographer, and one of the great joys of this job is working with smaller intimate weddings, with just you two, and maybe a tiny crew. It’s a chance to enjoy the meaningful part of the whole wedding thing (the marriage bit) with so much more calm and clarity.
The other great thing about a small wedding or elopement in Melbourne or greater Victoria is that there is usually more flexibility to have it all happen any day of the week. Generally though, they happen on a Wednesday through Saturday, but it can of course be any day you like.
If you’re considering a small wedding or eloping in Melbourne or you’re looking for how to get married quicky in Australia, you can see a list of our favourite wedding photo locations in Melbourne that we’ve put together, all with examples of couples we’ve worked with at each of them.
Pair one of our brilliant locations with one of Melbournes best wedding celebrants, and you’re off to a flying start. In my experience, elopements can be anywhere between 1 and 10 hours long, however the average length of elopement photography is probably somewhere around the 2-4 hour mark: enough to capture your beautiful ceremony, and then some portraits and gentle anarchy afterwards.
Take a look at the beautiful couples below, and if you feel like the way I see things could be the right fit for your small wedding or elopement, i’d love to have a chinwag (/shiraz, etc).
Looking for small wedding and elopement photography in Melbourne?
We’ve photographed nearly 200 beautiful weddings of all sizes across Melbourne, the Yarra Valley, Geelong, greater country Victoria, and beyond. I’ve got plenty of advice we’re happy to share.
If you’d like to make an enquiry to us, you can reach us here:
May 5, 2019
In 2018, I teamed up with one of the grooms I’d photographed (who is extraordinarily handy at building things without getting himself electrocuted – you can see his wedding to Kate at their Montsalvat Wedding), and together we came up with a proposition: “so, how about we make wedding arbours, that light-up” – and so came our spin on modern wedding arbours for wedding ceremonies.
Since then we’ve shipped our creations all over Australia in both a retail and a hire capacity, and enjoyed some incredible international press along the way.
We sensed the whole neon arbour trend beginning to reach peak, and yet there was nothing really in the way of neon wedding arbors available that were progressive and modern.
What is a wedding arbour and do I need one?
A wedding arbour is simply a ceremonial statement piece that stands either behind you, above you, or around you at your wedding. A wedding arbour is simply a centrepiece that makes a statement.
And so, we started The Arbourists – modern neon arbours for weddings.
Since beginning The Arbourists, not only have we been fortunate to be the backdrop behind so many couples beautiful wedding days and crazy parties, but we’ve been featured in New York Times award winning author Chris Guillebeau’s podcast, Side Hustle School, we were featured as part of a Xero PR campaign, and we somehow found our silly heads on the very front of the careers section of Australia’s largest newspaper.
But this is all fluff, as the most important thing is that some of the most forward-thinking couples have entrusted us to be involved in their big day, and our Arbours have inspired a shift in design thinking that we’ve seen across the entire wedding styling industry.
See our neon arbours in the hard sun of day at this beautiful Geelong wedding.
Modern Arbours for weddings: The problem
Over the years we’ve seen the most incredibly beautiful arbour installations, painstakingly setup and adorned with florals, only to be taken down not an hour later.
We figured: why aren’t the being used at the reception afterwards? While this is less about materials waste (although the beautiful florals themselves often get discarded immediately), this was more about the labour around it only serving the setup for such a short period of time.
Further, we realised there just weren’t any options out there available for evening ceremonies, as far as an arbour or centrepiece to the ceremony.
Modern Wedding Arbours: The solution
We created geometric modern wedding arbours and chuppahs (and more), that are extraordinarily strong to withstand being fitted with florals, and are able to be portably powered.
Because of this, for any small weddings or elopements, our arbours are able to be set-up, installed, and used absolutely anywhere.
These are the worlds first portable-powered, neon, modern wedding arbours, and we’re super proud to have brought something just a little different to an industry with strong roots in tradition.
We also have our reversible neon crucifixes permanently installed at the incredible Altar Electric in Collingwood, and couples all over Victoria have LOVED using them for their wedding portraits both during the day, and into the evening when the smoke machines and neon is turned on.
Neon Wedding Arbours: Built tough.
Our modern geometric neon wedding arbours are available as a set of triangles, and come in matte-black, gold, or white. Our neon chuppah is available in gold, and crosses in multiple colours.
All neon wedding arbors are able to support dense floral installations, and we’ve been thrilled to have some of our favourite florists, such as Flos Botanical and Babiana Botanic, load them up with their incredible work.
Hire The Arbourists modern wedding arbour for your wedding or elopement by making an enquiry here, and if you want someone to photograph you in front of them we might know a Melbourne wedding photographer who’s done a little bit of that.
See the wedding we worked on of Pepe and Sam featured here: Hello May Wedding Photographer
Apr 10, 2019
Depending on who you ask and what their personal experience has been, raising the question of kids at weddings might be akin to asking “should we invite the early-onset of armageddon or the vertically-challenged apocalypse to our wedding with open arms?”.
It’s a bit of a contentious and polarising one, and a conversation that’s well-documented already out there in internet-land as far as the pros, cons, and how to manage the decision either way: everyone’s had their own experiences, and everyones personal situation is wildly different.
With all that said, having seen my fair share of weddings with the glorious little scallywags where nobody ended up dying, i’m just going to step into the ring as a raving advocate of our dear little humans being present at your wedding, from a different point of view.
Let me explain my heavy bias, over a few key points.
1. Theory of Small-Human Close-Proximity Exponential-Collusion Effect
Due to the scientifically well-documented “Theory of Small-Human Close-Proximity Exponential-Collusion Effect”, If these small humans have access to other small humans within a close range, they simply won’t give a flying focaccia about you or your wedding: they’ll be too busy being dragons or worms.
Straight up – in front of a capable photographer, the magical theatre of vertically challenged humans is a sight to behold, and one of the greatest gifts you can get back in image-form when all is said and done.
Excuse my French, but kids, again, bless them – just don’t give a fuck (or they did, but then came across a certain bright book at the airport bestseller stand when their parents weren’t looking).
This wonderful quality that we systematically try to rid ourselves of as we enter adulthood is responsible for them colluding, doing their thing, and in turn, giving you the photographic gift of this wonderful little human theatre that you were too busy to notice happening.
That’s worth celebrating, and the irony here is that due to the Theory of Small-Human Close-Proximity Exponential-Collusion Effect (sorry, I made this up – if you google it you’ll find nothing – yet), the more kids there are present, the more they’ll be too busy being wrapped up in their own awesome world to cause any trouble.
2. Blackmail and leverage
Your wedding is an excellent place to generate prime blackmail-leverage for the duration of their teenage years, as well as embarrassing content for their 18th or 21st birthdays.
Stake your otherwise rapidly-diminishing claim as household power-holder before your spawn exercise their terrifying muscle of independant-thought by making sure that any moments of cacophony are properly captured and stored.
In this way, if there’s any delusions of grandeur in those teenage years, you’ve always got record of some of some of their not-so-fine moments, should those be displayed at your wedding, or in front of their friends at their 13th birthday party.
3. Look inwards, dear padowan
This one is a little bit of a polarising one: look inwards, put a magnifying glass over what the main negatives seem to be, and ask yourself if you can instead flip it – and celebrate those negatives.
This is also a tool you can really apply to any areas of your wedding.
Worried about getting drenched in the rain? Flip it. Celebrate it. Make sure you have a spare outfit, head out with your photographer, get drenched, and enjoy the awesome images that come from it.
Worried about kids being underfoot? Celebrate it (and keep sharp objects away from the edges of tables).
Worried about them bellowing over the vows? Celebrate the quirk and discord that brings, and know that the little scallywag can almost always be gently taken away and cared for out of earshot.
And before that happens, you’ll have some wonderful images of the glorious little deathspawn in full-flight.
Ultimately, it’s your day: whether kids have a place or not is entirely your decision, and if you do invite them, simply go all the way and make sure there’s enough logistical things that let them fall into their own world. But consider this: where there’s a positive for every negative, there’s also another perspective: looking at that negative, and instead asking – is the day about being perfect, or being memorable in it’s imperfect glory?
For a peek into the level of “baller” that can only come from a 5 year old while delivering the rings, check out this Fortyfive Downstairs wedding.
Apr 5, 2019
More than just the recipients of gold medals in general charm and debonair, Jared and Jacob are Humdrum Films, Melbourne filmmakers with an incomprehensibly detailed eye and progressive style that’s hunted down by the most discerning couples worldwide.
Humdrum Films don’t make wedding films that just show you the play-by-play – their films make you feel, and their films cast an artistic eye over your day that you won’t find anywhere else – one of the perks of them having long-established careers in other arms of arts filmmaking.
Humdrum let their curiosity wander, and turn your already beautiful setting and story into something you probably didn’t quite imagine it could be, in the best possible way.
There’s a good reason that Humdrum Films are in my Melbourne wedding planning guide, as well as nestled atop this list of the best Melbourne wedding videographers, so take a gander at a wedding we worked on together: the wedding of Hannah and Ben, held at the Royal Mail Hotel Dunkeld, in the Grampians.
I picked their brain on how they’re doing during Covid, what they’re changing, and how their talents are being put to use in this wild time.
Hannah and Ben ducking out for the last wisp of sunlight at the Royal Mail Hotel.
Humdrum Films: Hannah and Ben
You can view Hannah and Bens full day, supported by the incredible planning of Will and Jac, published over on Farewell Fiancee.
What do your couples constantly say about you?
Couples always remark how easy we make the whole process, and what a fun day it was. I mean yes you have to know your craft, but technology has really levelled the playing field in terms of technical quality and whats on offer – what we do is almost intangible – so much of what we do is about how we make people feel.
We make people feel at ease and so they relax, they enjoy themselves and they enjoy hanging out with us. That means we’re able to get closer to them and their real story. Its how we ensure our films are authentic and not a remix of the same shit everyone else is doing.
If we do our jobs right, they’ll mean that hug at the end of the night. We may meet us strangers, but we’ll leave as friends.
That and ‘Please leave some canapés for the guests’
What you wish couples said about you
The venue said they’ll feed you straight after the bridal table and treat you like actual human beings.
Are there any nifty things that you found out about yourself in ISO?
That the fall from my second story balcony probably wouldn’t be enough to kill me.
I’ve learnt it turns out doing jump squats in your apartment in a vain attempt to stay fit during lockdown really pisses off the neighbours and results in a passive aggressive note being left at your door.
That and the value of human connection – we’re pretty bloody lucky to do what we do and get to hang out with people on arguably one of the best days of their lives, its a real treat. Makes us miss weddings for sure.
Method of apocalypse aversion and the one movie you’d bring into the bunker to watch forever?
Blatant ignorance. Pretend its not a thing. Carry on as normal etc. Virus? What Virus?
Jacob’s taking Happy Gilmore: ‘the greatest film of all time’
I’d be taking Mission Impossible (the first one) – vintage Tom Cruise suspended upside down unnecessarily from the ceiling? Yes please.
Also, this film by Humdrum has to be seen to be believed – prepare to have any idea of what you think a “wedding film” looks like, gloriously squashed.
Find Humdrum Films online here.
A short list of other vendors that took part in Hannah and Bens wedding, featured on this page working alongside these two maestros:
Photography: Briars Atlas
Videographer: Humdrum
Venue: The Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld
Wedding Planner: will&jac
Celebrant: Megan Thompson
Flowers: Prunella
Music: Rutherford Entertainment
Bridal gown: Paolo Sebastian
Makeup: Tess Holmes
Suit: P Johnson (See another delightful P Johnson creation at this Cutler and Co wedding)
Stationary: Mickey Loves Jacqui
Sperry Tent: UnderSky
Furniture: Place Settings
Whiskey Cart: Good Day Rentals
Book the best wedding planner
Check out one of the best wedding planners specialising in decadent, luxury weddings in Melbourne and beyond, Weddings of Desire.
Book me as your wedding photographer
Briars Atlas – Melbourne Wedding Photography – Enquire
Apr 4, 2019
It’s such a thrill to work with the most discerning couples week in week out, and it brings me enormous pleasure to offer a style of work and personal investment that isn’t available anywhere else, and so on this page are some of my melbourne wedding photographer reviews.
Here’s what some of them have had to say in response to receiving their images.
Lexy and Sean
WOW Oli we just watched the clip. And again. And another time, ha! Absolutely floored by them all. We bow down to the master! So incredible.
Thank you so much.
Also, I absolutely love how much these photos show how much fun we were having that day. It seems like a dream, did it really happen? Can’t wait to see the entire set, absolutely no stress or rush on any of it.
So thankful to have received what you’ve pulled together for us so far. We’re absolutely blown away with them all.
Like seriously, absolutely overwhelmed with how amazing they all are. Thank you so so so much from the bottom of our hearts!
Lachy and Sarah
Where can we start? Sarah and I have just sat down to revisit your marvellous work and we’re stoked that you were there on the day capturing the magic of the land, the people and the joyous moments that flowed.
Thank you so much for giving yourself and your creativity to our party on the hill. It kinda feels like a world ago now, these very photos taken moments before a pandemic was ever on our minds. So many humans in close proximity(!). So thank you, really dig it man.
I’m going to pass it over to Sarah and she is going to share a few words 😉
Oli it was such a pleasure to hangout with you on the first of March 2020!! Thanks for being so down for the barefoot walks and the early morning in Sth Gippsland. Sooo appreciate your Very Generous extra time on the day, too. Adore your work and CAN’T WAIT to get some things printed!!
Bless you and bless your life-giving skillz x x x
Sam and Paul
You Sir are a genius!!! Our world’s aligned for a reason.
You have us two captivated, as you captured every emotion and moment – obviously we’re blubbering messes at the moment! What a marvellous showcase.
The preview was exciting and the main event has blown us away.
You captured us and each and every moment of our Wedding day spectacularly. You are quite the story teller!
Tess and Sam
Oli, we are crying. I think I’ve already ‘previewed’ it 5 times this morning. Thank you for helping us relive it.
We really can’t thank you enough.
Sarah and Andrew (featured on Together)
We are over the bloody moon mate. So many incredible memories and they all came flooding back. Both very emotional. Has absolutely made both of our days.
You did such and amazing job capturing our friends, the architecture, the property and nature, the moments and the feeling. Seriously mate. Cannot wait to see anything else you have.
We particularly love our posed shots. The moody black and whites are amazing. Your colour grading is so beautiful. The way you frame. Just all of it mate!
It was one hell of a day for you starting at 6am till about midnight. I can’t thank you enough for everything you did for us.
You blew all of our expectations and still are. You have given us another shot of wedding love and vibe. Let’s see how long we can stay on this high!
Zoe and Adam
Oli… wow… I knew you were incredible, but that blew me/us away.
Many many tears.
They’re beyond beautiful and we couldn’t have pictured them anymore perfectly. THANK YOU SO MUCH, you fucking maestro. And those film ones, I’m drooling.
These capture everything I love about photos, moments being encapsulated in time and feeling like you’re right there. They’re all beautiful.
And I’m so glad you took film for us because there truly ain’t anything like it!
(I do love shooting film at weddings – read this post on film wedding photography to see why)
For more Melbourne wedding photographer reviews, head to my Google reviews.
Feb 2, 2018
There’s nothing better than a rustic wedding. Surrounded by amazing antiques, homely vibes, and gorgeous Victorian era structures, you can’t help but allow yourself to be entirely engulfed by the country atmosphere. A well-done country-style nuptial celebration can have you feeling like you’ve been dropped right into your own Aussie fairytale. And let me tell you, the photo ops are to die for. Sprawling fields, old wooden sheds and stables, gorgeous native flowers from on-site gardens, delicious local menus – it all comes together to create a truly magical experience. So, without further ado, let’s check out the top 3 best rustic wedding venues Melbourne has to offer!
I’ve thrown in a few sneaky pics too so you can truly appreciate the warm, inviting atmosphere of each of these venues.
Country Victoria wedding venue: The Cosmopolitan Hotel, Trentham
The Cosmo Hotel is one of those classic Aussie pubs that looks and feels like your grandfather might have had his first beer at, back in the day, and maybe one of the most unique modern rustic wedding venue melbourne or beyond.
It is a highly convenient venue for Melbourne-ites to travel to because it’s situated only about an hour out of the CBD. It’s classy yet relaxed and it has a plethora of exciting bits and pieces that are honestly a wedding photographer’s dream.
History
In 2005, the Cosmopolitan was ravaged by a fire that destroyed a huge portion of the venue. Unperturbed, the owners rebuilt the hotel, restoring it to its former glory, with the addition of a few modern features. Although it has been done up in recent years, this historic pub still holds an air of friendly, rustic sophistication. This charm truly lends itself to the bright-eyed, love-filled couples who exchange nuptials here.
Rustic Features
The primary locations for a Cosmopolitan wedding are the Stables and the Gardens. These two locations simply have the most peaceful atmosphere.
The Gardens are impeccably kept and host a wide range of native Australian flora. Due to this, they are the perfect location to exchange vows and capture memorable photos. You may also be lucky enough to find your reception hall at the Stables decked out in some of the native flowers that the gardens have on show.
The Stables are truly breathtaking with their dim lighting, beautiful flowers and rustic decorations. The olden-day style wooden shed works together with these features harmoniously. This creates a mystically rustic setup for both the reception and dinner.
This delightfully quaint barn surprisingly seats up to 125 guests, perfect for a medium sized wedding. Inviting a few extra guests along is easy enough because the space can accommodate more for a cocktail style function.
The Cosmopolitan Hotel wedding packages are all encompassing due to their awesome inclusions like a wedding planner, local food and drink options, access to the entire grounds of the venue and more!
Final Thoughts
The Cosmo exudes such an air of homeliness and warmth that you can’t help but smile no matter where you are on the property. It’s definitely one to consider if you’re looking to venture to truly rustic wedding venues Melbourne adjacent.
Cosmopolitan Hotel Trentham website: https://www.thecosmopolitanhotel.com.au/
Also check out this Cosmopolitan Hotel Wedding.
Country Wedding Venue: Brown Brothers Winery, Milawa
About 3 hours north east of Melbourne CBD sits Victoria’s wine country. This region hosts many historic wineries and vineyards just waiting for travelers and tourists to visit. For many reasons, one that stands out as a truly remarkable wedding venue is the picturesque Brown Brothers Milawa Winery.
History
Since its inception in 1889 Brown Brothers has held its title as one of Australia’s leading family-owned wine companies.
Brown Brothers won the award for ‘Most Loved Brand’ at the 2015 and 2017 Australian Drinks Awards. They received this due to their mix of traditional wine making methods, plus an added innovative flair that supports experimentation. Their mix of old-school and modern techniques spills over into the physical attributes of their winery with expertly designed features. Whilst it is a rustic setting, sparks of contemporary design are scattered throughout.
Rustic Features
This unique venue in the heart of the King Valley boasts sprawling green grounds with gorgeous gardens full of natives. Cottages and heritage sites make themselves known, standing tall on the lawns. Mountains surround the valley and can be seen for miles from anywhere on the Brown Brothers Milawa site.
A nearby forest of tall native gums makes for an epic photo shoot location due to an air of intrigue and mysterious adventure. Check out these bad boys…
Even after years of photography experience, my mind is still blown by how finding the perfect angle can eloquently capture such magnificent moments in time.
The luscious on-site gardens make for a truly heartwarming ceremony with gorgeous native trees and shrubs lending their old-school Australian charm. Large oak trees surround the gardens in order to provide shelter from the elements.
A beautifully restored historic barn is the perfect setting for post-ceremony festivities and a seriously delicious dinner. Decorated to the nines, this venue is the perfect balance of modern sophistication and rustic charm.
Stained wooden features and an old-timey cellar provide a visual contrast from the light and bright wedding decorations and attire. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better venue when it came to capturing phenomenal wedding photos for this couple.
Choose from a range of packages and options including The Bridal Cottage, Prosecco Hour, a custom made wedding cake and a professional wedding planner in order to construct the perfect wedding.
Final Thoughts
Any couple would be #blessed to secure a wedding at this contemporary yet rustic venue. A wide range of wedding package inclusions, stunning grounds and photo locations that are out of this world make Brown Brothers, Milawa one of the best rustic wedding venues Melbourne has to offer.
Brown Brothers Winery website: https://www.brownbrothers.com.au/
Country Victoria wedding venue: Butterland, Newstead
This one-of-a-kind venue is located just under 2 hours out of Melbourne CBD allowing it to be an ideal destination for couples looking for a modern rustic wedding venue Melbourne and beyond. As you may have guessed from the name, Butterland is an old butter factory that has been masterfully refurbished as a rustic event venue (see also, this Butterland wedding of Iro and Alex).
History
Butterland was constructed in 1904 to accommodate an influx of settlers that came to Newstead as a direct result of the Gold Rush. It has been transformed from a dairy to a candle factory and now stands as a unique, multi-purpose venue for country-style weddings and other quirky events.
The red brick exterior, the chimney stack of the original dairy and the front signage have all been restored to their former glory in the recent restoration. Internal features have also been magnificently brought to life to accentuate the historic charm of a structure that has managed to survive throughout the ages.
Rustic Features
The grounds of this stunning old building are nothing short of breathtaking due to the well-manicured lawns, stone walls, wooden structures and charming atmosphere.
A gorgeous garden and several homely veggie patches can be seen on the acre of land this venue calls home. Not only that, there’s a concrete pool hosted by an old sump tank and a disused railway line. These seemingly small features provide a spectacular opportunity to capture both the fun and sincerity of wedding celebrations.
The internal aspects of this repurposed butter factory are just as stunning as the external.
Because the venue is owned by a florist, you can look forward to indoor plants and flowers galore. A wedding with a botanically-forward theme would be perfectly at home here.
Exposed wooden beams and a mish-mash of chairs made from steel, wood and other materials add to the relaxed aura. Long wooden tables extend through the main hall to provide ample seating for guests.
The owners of this homely venue will work with you to ensure every detail of your wedding is truly yours.
Final Thoughts
Butterland isn’t just any wedding venue. It’s a wedding venue with history, personality and a suave charm that’s very difficult to resist. Quirky couples with a country-style wedding in mind will go nuts over this place. Honestly, it’s too much fun for its own good.
Butterland Newstead website: https://www.butterland.com.au/
Of the weddings I’ve been privileged enough to photograph, I often find myself looking back at rustic wedding venues with such fondness.
The simple, country vibe never fails to remind us of the importance of family, friends and home. It’s not just the amazing photo ops that draw me to these weddings. It’s the people, the history and the ability to connect so personally with a venue.
What are your favourite rustic Melbourne based wedding venues? Shout out in the comments!
Check out some pics from Tess and Sam’s stunning Kangaroo Valley wedding if you haven’t already…
For beautiful rustic venues specific to the Castlemaine region, check out these Castlemaine wedding venues, or on the other side of Victoria, if rustic is your vibe then you’ve gotta take a look at these Mornington Peninsula wedding venues.
