About

Overview & Vibe

Melissa works from a home base in Melbourne and photographs intimate weddings and elopements, mostly a long way from a reception room. Her galleries run to a boatshed on Dove Lake below Cradle Mountain, a couple in rust and lace disappearing into fog on Mount Hotham, a picnic rug and a bottle of wine on the sand at Lorne, and Joshua trees at dusk. Closer to home there are garden ceremonies under floral arches, confetti aisles and a homestead verandah, so the range runs from two people on a mountain to a full Melbourne wedding.

Style & Approach

She describes her style as a bit moody, encompassing the warmth of passionate connection, and the pictures bear that out — low light, weather left in rather than edited away, and a lot of frames where the landscape takes up most of the room. She delivers images based on the moments that unfold rather than a shot list, and is candid that half of what a couple receives is the careful curation of the gallery and her editing. One couple wrote that her approach was so informal they all but forgot they were being photographed.

Ideal For

Couples eloping, or marrying somewhere hard to get to. Travel is included anywhere in Australia with no hidden fees, and she covers New Zealand on the same basis, so a couple choosing a mountain or a coastline rather than a venue does not pay for the privilege. Also for Melbourne couples with flexible dates — there is a weekday collection for Monday to Thursday that opens the door at a lower price. She runs photography retreats as well, and offers a planning guide, timeline preparation and vendor recommendations alongside the photography.

The Need-to-Knows

Melbourne weekday weddings start at $3,000; weddings and elopements generally start at $5,000; and the largest collection, covering Australia and California, is $9,995 and includes a twenty-five spread heirloom album with expenses covered wherever a standard plane and a two-wheel-drive can reach. Every collection delivers a curated online gallery with unlimited downloads, high-resolution files for printing and personal printing rights, at roughly fifty to eighty images an hour. Sneak peeks arrive within a week. The booking retainer is non-refundable but moves to a new date with three months’ notice, and she answers enquiries within forty-eight hours.

Standout Feature

Travel included, stated without small print — *no hidden fees* — anywhere in Australia and New Zealand. For an elopement that is the line that decides whether a couple can afford the location they actually want, and she has removed it entirely.

Albums & Prints

Heirloom Album. Price: Included in the Australia and California collection at $9,995. Description: Twenty-five spreads.

Appointment Policy

Fill in the contact form and she replies within forty-eight hours.

Areas Serviced

Home base in Melbourne, photographing weddings and elopements anywhere in Australia and New Zealand with travel included, and worldwide for a travel fee.

Booking & Deposit

A non-refundable retainer is paid at booking; it can be put towards a new date given three months' notice.

Hours of Coverage

No details available.

Nearby Landmarks

St Kilda and Port Phillip Bay – Beach, pier and palm-lined foreshore, and the setting of one of her published weddings.
The Royal Botanic Gardens and Fitzroy Gardens – Melbourne's central gardens, long-standing ceremony grounds.
The Macedon Ranges and Sunbury – Homestead and vineyard country an hour north-west, including Emu Bottom Homestead.
The Mornington Peninsula – Coastline, vineyards and lavender an hour south-east.
The Great Ocean Road and Lorne – Surf coast about two hours south-west, and the setting of a published elopement.
Mount Hotham and the Victorian Alps – Alpine country north-east, and the setting of a published elopement.

Photography Packages

Melbourne Weekday Weddings. Price: From $3,000. Description: Available Monday to Thursday and only in Melbourne, with smaller coverage times to suit off-peak booking days, a curated online gallery and planning assistance.
Weddings and Elopements. Price: From $5,000. Description: A curated online gallery with high-quality files for printing and lower-resolution files for sharing, a planning guide, and planning assistance for a stress-free timeline and locations. The Australian elopement version adds a free consultation, a questionnaire and planning check-ins at three, six and one month, with coverage anywhere in Australia and travel included.
Australia and California. Price: $9,995. Description: The largest collection, including a twenty-five spread heirloom album, with expenses covered for any location reachable by standard plane and two-wheel drive; alternative travel arrangements on request.

Photography Style

moody

Price Notes

Weddings held Monday to Thursday in Melbourne are offered at a lower rate than weekend dates.
Travel is included anywhere in Australia with no hidden fees; worldwide coverage adds a travel fee.
The booking retainer is non-refundable, but it moves to a new date given three months' notice.

Services Offered

Wedding Photography
Elopement Photography
Engagement And Couple Sessions
Photography Retreats

Starting Price

From $3,000

Travel & Destination

Travel is included anywhere in Australia and New Zealand with no hidden fees; worldwide locations are covered for a customised travel fee.

Turnaround Time

Sneak peeks arrive within a week of the day, and within forty-eight hours on the elopement collections.

What You Receive

A Curated Online Gallery With Unlimited Downloads And Shares
High-Resolution Files For Printing And Lower-Resolution Files For Sharing
Personal Printing Rights
Approximately Fifty To Eighty Images Per Hour Of Coverage
Sneak Peeks Within A Week Of The Day
Vendor Recommendations And Timeline Preparation

Similar businesses

Melbourne, Victoria

Contact

Website: melbadseyco.com

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Melbadsey Co