Photos at Maccas? The Aussie couples ditching the traditional wedding shoot

When most of us think of a wedding photoshoot, we probably see it in a manicured park, a sun-soaked vineyard, or perhaps a white sand beach. But Kate Marizza and Jacob Trowbridge always envisioned something a bit more personal – and a lot closer to home.

The Melbourne couple decided to capture their special day in March inside their own pad, nestled up beside their beloved dog. They then ventured into their suburb, Carlton, taking photos outside of Cinema Nova’s vintage photo booth, inside a local Japanese restaurant, and while buying a drink inside a convenience store. They even got some shots on their local tram, which was jam-packed with people at the time.

“We wanted our photos to be personal and authentic to us,” Marizza says. “Weddings can feel like a lot of pressure, they can be stressful. So, I think more people are trying to find ways to make the day for them – so they can enjoy themselves and do it entirely their way.”

Taking the photos in such a familiar environment also eased their nerves, she says, something most brides and grooms would embrace on such a full-on day.

Many other Australian couples are also veering away from traditional wedding photoshoots. Chief executive of the Wedding Planning Association of Australia Hannah Medellin says she’s seen a huge uptick in couples designing their photoshoots to reflect their personalities and values.

People are being photographed in laundromats, on industrial rooftops, in skate parks, even underwater.

“One couple had their shoot in the pouring rain without umbrellas – wet, windswept and joyfully themselves,” Medellin says. “This shift is likely due to a mix of social media influence, a desire for authenticity, and a broader cultural movement towards individual expression.”

It also helps a couple’s photos to stand out in the sea of typical wedding albums, she adds.

This was certainly the case for Maddey Butcher and her husband Ben, a couple from Sydney’s Campbelltown who wed a few years ago in the Southern Highlands. While travelling from their church ceremony to the reception, they stopped at a nearby McDonald’s for a bite to eat and a few extra snaps.

“There was just one person in there, he was a tradie who had stopped for lunch. He asked us to take a selfie with him. He just thought it was so lovely,” Butcher says.

The Maccas run was more than a pit stop, though. The couple met while working as crew trainers at the fast-food chain, so the photoshoot was a full-circle moment. It was so special, in fact, that Ben still has one of the shots as his phone’s lock-screen years after the wedding.

“I always joked to my mum about having our photos done at Maccas, but she said it was tacky,” Butcher says. “But on the day, I was like, ‘you know what? I’m really tired, and I was up at five o’clock this morning. I’m just going to get into it’.”

Butcher didn’t want to “commercialise” their wedding, or look as if it were “done for the ’Gram”. While she understands each couple’s priorities differ, it was important for them to capture something more organic.

Much of the photos’ authenticity, Butcher says, came down to their photographer and videographer, Cass and Craig Turner of Puzzleman Productions. Their motto is “do your day your way”.

“The weddings we see now are nothing like the traditional format from even six or seven years ago … People are moving away from ‘you have to do this because mum, dad, great auntie said so’,” Craig says.

“We recently had one of our couples do a meat raffle and a trivia night at the reception because that’s their favourite pastime every Tuesday night at their local pub … You can do whatever the f--- you want.”

Granted, unconventional wedding photoshoots come with certain considerations. Craig says some areas will require permits and location fees, so it’s always best to contact them ahead of time (especially if you intend to have photos taken in privately owned businesses).

Public areas could also be busy, he notes. Marizza and Trowbridge said it was slightly awkward being photographed on a packed tram at first, with some people shuffling away to avoid getting in the shots.

“A lot comes down to the photographer’s style and ability to work in different environments,” Craig notes. “Making a train station look like a work of art, or turning a busy city street into an intimate setting, takes real skill. This is why setting expectations with your photographer is so important.”

Krisna Alcaraz and his wife Shayla Pham quickly learned this when taking their wedding photos in Sydney’s bustling Chinatown in May. As fun as it was capturing them drinking bubble tea in front of claw machines and neon lights, it was impossible to filter out every stranger around them.

“We encountered some challenges, but Frankie [their photographer] used them to our advantage,” Alcaraz says. “Due to the busyness and congestion in the area, Frankie decided to take photos of us while people were crossing and create such a unique shot … every photo feels like it has its own little story and memories that will last forever.”

Traditional wedding photoshoots haven’t disappeared, says marriage celebrant Elizabeth Shaw. It’s simply that more people feel free to reinvent tradition to suit themselves.

This coincides with a shift away from religion. In the 1970s, Shaw says nearly 90 per cent of weddings were officiated by ministers of religion. In 2023, that number was just 17 per cent. More couples are now leaning towards creativity and flexibility rather than the traditional elements of a religious wedding.

“Weddings are ... more about expression and storytelling now. Couples are expecting vendors to be collaborators, not just service providers,” she says. “That’s changing the way ... photographers work – co-creating something unique with each couple. That’s really exciting for the industry. It keeps us all on our toes and ensures no two weddings are ever the same.”

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