Daylesford weddings
Daylesford is about an hour and a half from Melbourne, and the country around it is some of the best wedding light in Victoria. Open paddocks, old trees, bluestone, long summer evenings.
I am a Melbourne wedding photographer and videographer, and I travel to Daylesford and the Central Highlands for weddings. This guide is what I tell couples planning a wedding out there, from the light to the timeline to the travel.
By Jiaxi Wang, an editorial wedding photographer and videographer in Melbourne. I photograph fashion-forward, design-led and intimate weddings on digital, 35mm, 120 and Super 8 film. Updated November 2026.
Country light
The Central Highlands sit higher than Melbourne, and the land is open. That changes the light. In summer the middle of the day is hard and bright, with very little shade in the paddocks. The last two hours before sunset are the opposite, low and warm, coming in flat across dry grass.
If you are planning a Daylesford wedding, build the day around that last light. A ceremony at three or four in the afternoon leaves time for family photos in the shade, then portraits in the paddocks as the sun drops. In winter, sunset comes early, so everything moves forward by a few hours.
Where couples marry
Daylesford weddings tend to be in two kinds of places. Farm and country venues outside town, and smaller spaces in and around Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. Country venues give you space and sky. In-town venues are easier for guests without cars.
I photographed Betul and Eamonn at Scrub Hill in Newlyn, on the Ballarat-Daylesford Road, a short drive from Daylesford. A bluestone chapel, old trees on the lawn, gold paddocks in January, and a dance floor laid straight onto the grass. It is a good example of what country venues near Daylesford do well. The ceremony, portraits and reception are all a few minutes apart, so no time is lost in cars.
Planning the day
Most country weddings run longer than city weddings, because nobody is rushing to a second venue. For a full day in Daylesford I would plan getting ready from late morning, a mid-afternoon ceremony, and portraits in the hour before sunset. Leave twenty minutes in the timeline for the walk out to the paddocks and back.
If your guests are driving up from Melbourne, give them a ceremony time that allows for the drive. Ninety minutes on a clear day is not ninety minutes on a Saturday in summer.
Coverage for a country wedding
For Daylesford weddings I recommend full-day coverage. Eight hours covers getting ready, the ceremony, family photos, sunset portraits and the first hour of the reception. With video, a photographer and a videographer work from the same plan, so the portraits and the wedding film are made in the same twenty minutes of light.
Travel within 20 km of Collingwood is included. Beyond that it is $2 per kilometre, so a Daylesford wedding adds a travel fee I will quote with your package. See the packages for full details.
Daylesford wedding questions
Do you travel to Daylesford for weddings?
Yes. I photograph and film weddings in Daylesford, Hepburn, Newlyn and the wider Central Highlands. A travel fee is quoted with your package.
What is the best time of year for a Daylesford wedding?
Late summer and autumn give the warmest evening light. Winter is quieter and colder, with early sunsets, which suits smaller weddings indoors.
Do you shoot film in the country?
Yes. Every collection is shot on digital and film. Open country and low sun suit 35mm and 120 very well.
How far ahead should we book?
Summer Saturdays go first. Six to twelve months ahead is safest for a Daylesford wedding in peak season.
Tell me about your day
Dates for 2027 are open.
Wedding photography and video collections begin at $5,000 for six hours.
The eight-hour Signature collection is $5,900. Photography-only collections begin at $2,200.