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Weddings

About

Hi! I'm Melanie, a San Diego wedding and family photographer specializing in creative, fun imagery.

Wedding coverage for 2019-20 begins at $1250 for 4 hours of coverage with Mel; you can add hours and an engagement session to create your own package. Two-photographer options begin at $1650 for 4 hours, so you can choose and customize the right coverage for your big day. You'll receive an online proofing/purchasing gallery and digital download of all final, high-res photos.

Simply put, I love photography. (And you should if it's your job, right?) My husband, Phill, and I had both photographed for fun for much of our youth and early adulthood, but we fell into business quite by accident. After getting married in 2007 and realizing that wedding photography is an incredible opportunity to take photos of people at their happiest, we found ourselves photographing a few weddings for friends and family members as favors to them before deciding to do things properly and officially forming our business in 2008. We ran the business together for 5+ years, but after the birth of our daughter, I took over full-time and am thrilled to capture such beautiful, exciting moments in my clients' lives.

I love to have fun on the job, bring personality to my images, and naturally photograph people, whether it be at a wedding or in the backyard with their kids. While I offer some direction when we work together, you won't find me overly-posing you into position or asking you to be something you're not. I like you just the way you are.

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Frequently asked questions

Which of the following are included in the starting price?

High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
One Event / Day
Digital Files

Which of the following are included in the price of your most popular wedding package?

2nd Shooter
Add'l Hours
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
One Event / Day
Digital Files

What primary photographic style do you identify with?

Natural
Photojournalism
Vintage

What photography services do you offer?

Additional Hours
Destination / Travel
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
One Event / Day
Second Shooter
Wedding Portraits

What photography items do you offer?

Albums
Canvas
Digital Files
Prints

Reviews of Goodnickels Photography

N
Navdeep Sent on 04/17/2019
5 out of 5 rating

We love our wedding photos!

Mel is an incredible photographer! We found Mel and Goodnickels Photography on Wedding Wire and loved her style and natural and relaxed candid photos. Our first meeting with her went really well and she was nothing but professional, communicative and fun and easy to work with throughout the planning process. She helped us figure out timeline order and a specific list of portraits for the big day so everything ran smoothly with our wedding party and family. The day of, Mel and her assistant made us feel so comfortable and captured all of the fun and special moments in the ceremony, reception and in between. We are so happy with how all of the photos turned out and would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a wedding photographer! Thank you again for everything!
K
Kate Sent on 02/09/2018
5 out of 5 rating
We were so pleased with our experience with Goodnickels! We planned our wedding from outside CA, and Melanie was prompt in responding to our emails and questions and set up a video conference to make sure we were all on the same page. She and her crew captured great shots without being intrusive. Melanie got our photos back to us about a week after the wedding, and we couldn’t be happier. We wouldn’t hesitate to get more photos taken by Goodnickels in the future.
P
Paul Sent on 02/08/2018
5 out of 5 rating
Goodnickels Photography exceeded all expectations. From my original conversation with Melanie to the very end, she was upbeat, professional, and extremely easy to work with. Melanie is a great person and extremely talented. She truly has a passion for what she does and it shows in her work. We did a lot of research and Goodnickels was by far the best option. Melanie meshed so well with our coordinator, vendors and everyone else involved including the guests! My wife and I are extremely fortunate to have found Melanie at Goodnickels Photography and I highly recommend her company!!
M
Melissa Sent on 02/08/2018
5 out of 5 rating
Melanie did the photography for our wedding. She was on time, professional, and listened to what we wanted. The photos were beautiful and we got digital copies of our photos for our use. This was WONDERFUL as many other photographers charge an additional cost to give you the rights to your own photos (crazy, I Know!)! I would HIGHLY recommend!
L
Leanne Sent on 02/07/2018
5 out of 5 rating
I worked with Mel back in 2016 and organized my wedding reception photography from Phoenix for San Diego and she made the process easy and seamless. We asked very specifically for candid photos as my husband and I are pretty camera shy. Our photos worked out great and and she did a fantastic job and was very flexible with receipt of photos (all digital). She is highly recommended!
J
Jenn Sent on 04/11/2012
5 out of 5 rating
I highly recommend Goodnickels Photography! We looked at several photographers before choosing them because they were affordable and just knew they would do a really great job from our first meeting.

Sometimes you’ll meet a photographer (or any wedding vendor for that matter) and you get the sense that maybe they’re not listening to you and already “know” how it “should” go down. Mel and Phill are just the opposite -- they’re wedding photo experts, but they understand that the big day should be all about YOU!

They’re also totally flexible - even if you have a not-so-traditional shot list or have a crazy “trash the dress” idea, they’ll squeeze in the perfect shot or setting to get you family wall-worthy pics.

Our friends were so impressed by the Goodnickels work that 2 of them went on to hire them for their upcoming weddings! That’s about the best testimonial you can get!

My advice: the photos speak for themselves. Check out their blog: http://goodnickelsphoto.com/blog/
A
Sara Sent on 02/28/2012
5 out of 5 rating
It is with tremendous pleasure that I recommend Goodnickels Photography to be part of anybody's wedding. I tell everyone I know about them because they are so incredible! Mel and Phill photographed our wedding about a year and a half ago and are very talented and professional. They took amazing photos and captured all the important moments and more. I especially love how their style leans towards keeping photos natural and candid to really embrace the true nature of a wedding. I love my wedding photos!
R
Rachael Sent on 02/17/2012
5 out of 5 rating
Melanie was referred to me by several friends and I couldn't have been happier with her. Not only were our pictures amazing but she was very professional, made me feel so at ease on my wedding day, and was always very quick to respond to anything that we needed during the planning process.

I'm also in the wedding industry and will continue to refer her to my brides as well.
P
Priscilla Sent on 09/27/2011
5 out of 5 rating
The Goodnickels were the perfect photography team for our wedding day! Working in the photography/film realm myself, I was finding it very difficult to find wedding photography that captured "real" candid moments and not just posed shots. When the Goodnickels were recommended to me and I saw their website I was very impressed with their ability to capture the natural grace, tenderness, and joy in their past brides and grooms. Their photos automatically brought a smile to my face. From the first email to final disc delivery, Melanie was very sweet and responsive. On the wedding day, we had the pleasure of the presence of both Melanie and Phil. They were so discreet in their ability to photograph intimate moments without ever asking us or our guests to "pose for the camera". They were very professional and always had a warm smile on their faces as they too shared in the happiness of the day. When we received our final images, we were overwhelmed with the amazing images that showed the tears, love, and hilarity of our wedding day. The Goodnickels not only captured the precious moments that we remembered but also were there for the moments we didn't see. I don't have enough kind words for the Goodnickels team!!
A
Anni Sent on 09/26/2011
5 out of 5 rating
5 stars does not describe the incredible work, creativity and inspiration that Melanie provides. We had a 2 day wedding event and she made it to both of them capturing EXACTLY what I had envisioned and more! Her attention to detail and fantastic personality shined through in the photographs. There were so many great pictures it makes it hard to chose one. I only interviewed one photographer... once I sat down with her, there was no competition! Not only did she work with me on time frames for my 2 day event, she emailed me that the tax rate in the area had been reduced and I had a credit now! It is not every day that you work with honest vendors. She is one in a million!
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

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Goodnickels Photography frequently asked questions

Goodnickels Photography includes the following photography services in the starting price:
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • One Event / Day
  • Digital Files
Goodnickels Photography includes the following photography services in their most popular wedding package:
  • 2nd Shooter
  • Add'l Hours
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • One Event / Day
  • Digital Files
Goodnickels Photography offers the following photography styles:
  • Natural
  • Photojournalism
  • Vintage
Goodnickels Photography offers the following photography services for weddings:
  • Additional Hours
  • Destination / Travel
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • One Event / Day
  • Second Shooter
  • Wedding Portraits
Goodnickels Photography offers the following photography materials for weddings:
  • Albums
  • Canvas
  • Digital Files
  • Prints
Goodnickels Photography is recommended by 100% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 5.0, with the same score awarded for quality of service, flexibility, value, professionalism and average response time.
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