I was lucky enough to be asked to take part in a styled bridal shoot on Sunday at the most stunning Bed & Breakfast Ana Mandara right here in Port Macquarie.

Ana Mandara is not only the most beautiful place to stay if your needing somewhere to get ready on your wedding day or just a quick night away together but they are also offering a more imitate ceremony and cocktail reception venue and who wouldn't want the amazing water views in the back ground of their ceremony and the gorgeous sunsets.

A huge thank-you goes out to all the local businesses and models that took part in this styled shoot and a huge thank-you to the lovely Kristy from Big Fat Kiss Events for putting it all together.

If you like anything you see please see these vendors:

Ana Mandara Bed&Breakfast Accommodation ( Located in Port Macquarie )
Big Fat Kiss Events ( for all your wedding day or special function styling )
Photography By Melissa Lee ( Provided the Photography )
Patrice Makeup ( Provided the ladies makeup )
Beverleys Bridal Boutique ( Provided wedding gowns & ladies formal dresses )
Stellar Weddings Hair and Makeup ( Provided the hair styles )
Park Lane Jewellery with Katrina Carney ( Provided the Jewellery )
Living green indoor plant hire ( Provided the plants )
Street Smart Clothing and Mens Foraml Hire ( Provided the men's suits )
Wauchope Colonial Florist ( Provided the bouquets )

Models: Ellen, Jana, Jaimie, Tom, Jonothan & Mitch

For links to their pages please head to www.facebook/photographybymelissalee as I have shared links to the businesses there.

In March I was honored to photograph the wedding of Louise & Michael on a gorgeous private property at Tom's Creek NSW.

The day started out sunny with clouds, a beautiful warm day, just want you'd want for your outdoor wedding ceremony, as the ceremony & family portraits went on the skin started to get darker and darker, so we rushed off to get some bridal portraits before the rain was to set in.

As I followed the car in front of me winding around the dirt roads and the rain starting to sprinkle on my windshield, I thought "oh please just let me get a chance to get some photo's in". We soon turned into a property and up we went, up up up, I keep thinking WOW look at this view its is amazing :-)

We finally reached our point at the very top "The Ridge" they referred to it and all i could see 360 degrees was mountains, property and the most stunning landscape. That soon came to a stop when I realized its is about to bucket down lets get these shots done. I've never shot my bridal portraits in such quick time I think we were up there for about 15/20 minutes and just as we jumped back into the car it poured and by poured I mean bucketed down, as we were driving back to the main road, roads were starting to go under same with bridges, the gorgeous location they had just gotten married in was starting to go under and all I could think was "oh my gosh I am going to get stuck out here, and I hope not as they need to make it to their reception were their guests are waiting".

We got out and the closer I drove to Wauchope the rain eased off until I had hit just outside of Wauchope and the rain completely stopped, you wouldn't of even thought it had just been raining that much.

Thank-you Louise & Michael for allowing me too share in your special day, to their family and friends here is a small snippet of their special day.

Ceremony Tom's Creek

New Years Eve 2016 had me spending a few hours with this amazing couple Skye & Brock.

All though it has to be one of the hottest weddings i've ever photographed, they all did so well to get through the heat ( including me ) and come out the other end were they could all kick off their shoes, party and bring in the new year all while they celerbrated these two becoming husband & wife.

The stunning wedding was on a gorgoues property just the other side of beechwood followed by their beautiful stylish reception held at the Beechwood bar & cafe ( their first one yet ). The room looked amazing and I highly recommend anyone thinking of reception venues to pop out and check it out.

Thank-you for allowing me to share in your special day.

Mel xo

I have been wanting too get this blog up since I first had my website built but with the craziness of the last few months I haven't had a chance, but finally here it is.

Last year I had the opportunity to shoot so many amazing weddings and meet so many wonderful couples, this once stuck out the most, as I was ask to shoot a very small imitate wedding to take place on a Monday, I was surprised and excited as id only ever done large weddings and had never experienced anything like this. 

The day came around and there were storm clouds everywhere, my heart sank as it was too take place at the top of North Brother Mountain in Laurieton NSW, down through the forest lookout (I had never seen this lookout before and I had gone up this mountain loads of times), as the time approached for the time for the ceremony to start and I walked with their family down the forest path too the lookout I was in awe of this beautiful place, and thought "how can I off lived her for so long yet never known this place was here", we arrived down too the lookout and my gosh it was breath taking even with the storm clouds and rain threating too cancel it there and then, but all went ahead.

I watch the beautiful Cheryl walk down the rainforest path with her dad on her arm to the man of her dreams and husband too be Angus, and with only 13 people on total to watch these two become husband & wife it was magic, I am pretty sure I cried along with the family as I too experienced the joy, love, laughter and all the emotions their family felt, I felt truly blessed too be there and be apart of this.

Once the ceremony had finished we than had enough time too grab a couple of family photos and than that was it, it started pouring so off we rain into the shelter of the rainforest, camera and umbrella in hand. Although we all got drenched and so did my camera I managed to capture the most stunning pictures of this couple so every deeply in love with each other. When than made the bolt for it back up the path through the pouring rain to where their families were waiting, with my though being "were are we going to go now since the beach is out of the question"! Yes of course the old historical building in Laurieton it not only offered us shelter but some beautiful old vintage charm which went perfect with the rest of the theme of their wedding, but just as we were about too leave the heavens stop raining long enough for us too grab some photo's on the mountain road and WOW is all I can say, this most an amazing experience and I loved it. 

Thankyou to both Cheryl & Angus for allowing me to share in and capture your very special day.

Mel x

Last year I had the chance to shoot the most amazing weddings and watch time after time lovers become husband & wife and life partners, it's truly such an amazing and Hubble experience for me, knowing that one day that will be me up there declaring my un-dyeing love to the man of my dreams, my partner and best friend for life, and all though there are many out there that will say or tell you "its just a piece of paper", their wrong! Its not it you standing there in front of your closest family friends telling them and everyone else that this is the person you have chosen to spend the rest of you life with, to have and too hold in sickness and in health until death do you part all long as you both shall live, so no its not just a piece of paper, its sharing the love you have for one another for a day, it is the most beautiful thing as a couple we can do (besides becoming parents, but that's another story)  




So in saying that as I only had my website built this year I haven't had a chance too blog a full wedding, so I am super excited to blog this very special couple's wedding Angel & Chris, I have know them both for years now, not as close friends but have still know them for this time, and I have had the pleasure to witness and watch their love grow for each other and bring too beautiful little girls into the world (two of the cutest girls you have ever seen might I add), so when they asked me to photograph their wedding I jumped at the chance, it was so much fun, they are both such a fun vibrant couple so of course their shots had too show this, Chris has Angel flying around everywhere throwing her all over this beach while doing so, and with both Chris' best friends by his side and Angel with her two sisters they couldn't of asked for a more perfect day.




I have now decided that my most favourite part of the day besides the groom seeing his bride for the first time ( of which we did a "first look" OH MY GOSH" talk about heart stopper and beautiful moment, scroll done you will see), so back to where I was my most favourite moment is the speech's this is the time I get too learn the most about the couple they are shooting, their past, how they met, their friends point of views and funny stories, the parents stories and how the couple feel about each other and I am just any of there guest there I laugh & cry along with it, it is truly special to be apart of, and after being to so many I am pretty sure I have my wedding already planned to a T, Now just to get the ring.

Ok as I am getting of subject I'd like to take this chance to thank Angel & Chris and all my bride & grooms for allowing me the chance to share in your special day and capture these special memories and moments for you too look back on.

I'd like to also thankyou Steve from Fab Photo's for helping me shoot this wedding and for getting the photo's of the boys getting ready.

I hope you both like and love your blog sneak peek

Mel x