What are some good undercover places to take wedding photos in Melbourne?

Rain on a Melbourne wedding day is honestly one of the most common worries we hear, and the good news is the city is built for it. The wet weather backups the others have mentioned are solid, but here is the thing we'd add as the people actually shooting it: undercover does not have to mean dark or flat. The arched verandahs and big windows around Flinders Street, the colonnades at the State Library, and the covered walkways through Melbourne Uni all give you beautiful soft, directional light that wraps around your faces. A bit of overcast or rain actually kills the harsh shadows you get in summer, so your photos often look softer and more even than they would in full sun.

Our favourites for staying dry and still getting variety: the Block Arcade and Royal Arcade for that grand old-world feel, the GPO and Manchester Unity foyer, Hosier and the laneways with their awnings, and the undercroft and overhangs around Federation Square and NGV. If you want something a bit different, a good hotel lobby or the bar at your reception venue can be gold, and we'll often duck out for ten minutes between showers because Melbourne weather usually clears as fast as it rolls in.

The real trick is building flex into your run sheet rather than locking in one outdoor spot. We always plan a wet weather plan A and B with our couples before the day, keep an eye on the radar, and make the call on the fly. A clear umbrella or two in the car is never a bad idea either, since reflections on wet cobblestones at night look incredible. Because we edit everything in-house ourselves, we can also lift and warm up those grey-sky shots so they never look cold or washed out. Don't let the forecast stress you. Some of the most atmospheric wedding photos we've taken have been in the rain.