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Weddings

About

Happy Finch Photography is a seasoned wedding photographer operating out of Fishersville, Virginia.

Joyful, vibrant, and timeless! Happy Finch Photography is a perfect fit for couples who want warm, friendly collaboration and a wedding collection that conveys every tender emotion and gorgeous detail cleanly and colorfully.

I aim to capture the true spirit of a wedding day and how it felt as you and your partner celebrated the first day of your marriage. So much more than just point-and-capture, I compose images that will bring the day's joy, romance, and humor rushing back to mind. Vibrant colors, radiant light, beautiful scenery, and – of course! – effervescent newlyweds are my favorite subjects, and I take pride in capturing all of them creatively and authentically.

Style & Approach
I give every couple great attention to detail and ensure our plans are well-coordinated before the wedding. On the big day, I always arrive early and well-prepared to capture the moments that are most important to you. Behind the scenes, I offer constructive posing suggestions and group instructions when appropriate, remaining unobtrusive during the ceremony and other key moments. (I have found this hybrid of fine art photography and photojournalism to be an ideal approach for weddings.) After the wedding, I spend considerable time retouching your images until they are perfect. Your final collection will have a balanced mix of candid and formal images suited to the unfolding parts of your day and guided by the preferences you've shared with me.

Your final images will look bright, crisp, and natural. My goal is to edit your photos in a way that will never go out of style, allowing you to remember the color and lighting as they really were, as they were written in your mind's eye.

Services Offered
My standard package is fantastic on its own, or it can be customized in various ways to suit your unique desires and budget. Services that I offer include:

  • Pre-wedding coordination
  • Engagement or bridal session
  • High-res digital images
  • Online gallery
  • Personal print release
  • Multiple locations
  • Additional hours
  • Two photographers
  • Prints and albums

Areas Covered
Happy Finch Photography couples are located throughout Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. In addition to Charlottesville, Keswick, and Afton, couples can also be found in Staunton, Waynesboro, Fishersville, Lexington, and Harrisonburg.

What You'll Love About Happy Finch Photography
Happy Finch Photography's natural and vibrant style shines through its work, delighting countless couples and guests. In addition to Melinda's professionalism and friendly demeanor, the quality of her photos will leave you in no doubt. Check out the photographs and the real weddings to see what Happy Finch Photography can bring to the special day.

  • Woman-owned
illustration popular

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Frequently asked questions

Which of the following are included in the starting price?

Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
One Event / Day
Toning
Digital Files
Proofs

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

Add'l Hours
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
One Event / Day
Toning
Digital Files
Proofs

What primary photographic style do you identify with?

Contemporary
Natural
Photojournalism

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
Proofs
Save the Date

Reviews of Happy Finch Photography

Colin
Colin Sent on 11/27/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Melinda is the best!

Melinda did an amazing job capturing both our engagement and wedding photos! We took our engagement photos with Melinda at the Swannanoa Mansion in Afton, VA and they came out absolutely beautiful - this engagement shoot was included in the price we paid for her services for the actual wedding and was a very good/competitive rate. We got married later in the year at Rosemont Manor in Berryville, VA and Melinda did a fantastic job capturing the entire weekend with the perfect variety / array of shots. Melinda is very personable and easy to work with and fit right in with the families! If you are looking for a great photographer in the Virginia/DMV area, look no further than Melinda!
E
Elizabeth Sent on 06/11/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Just the best!

Working with Melinda was a dream! The pictures were so beautiful and perfectly captured our colorful and fun day. Melinda was so easy to work with - her kind and down to earth energy was just what we needed. She felt like part of the wedding party! The communication before the wedding was also great. We couldn't recommend more!
L
Lauren Sent on 11/01/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Best Photographer ever

Melinda was absolutely amazing!! She captured some of the most beautiful photos, was so fun to be around, and helped keep all our family organized. She was so professional and helped us with posing as well as getting some inspo for fun shots. She also was able to get us some sneak peak photos the day after our wedding. I’d recommend Happy Finch to anyone looking for a photographer.
W
Whitley Sent on 05/25/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Love Love Love!!

We absolutely LOVED Melinda for our engagement and wedding photos! She is fantastic, super personable and doesn’t make you feel awkward while taking photos! Not to mention her photos are stunning! She was super thorough as to what we wanted for our wedding and engagement photos and honored all requests. She has also been around the block and made very valuable suggestions that helped streamline every thing! I would highly recommend Melinda for any photography needs!
S
Stacy Sent on 01/16/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing experience!!

Melinda was wonderful! She was so easy to work with - she created a relaxed environment and made everyone feel at ease and confident. She just felt like a friend hanging out with us! My husband and I are awkward about getting our photos taken and were really worried they’d look awkward and staged, but we shouldn’t have worried! Melinda helped lighten the mood and the photos ended up looking amazing. We’ve received so many compliments on them. She also worked really well with our videographer and it felt like they had worked together constantly even though they'd never met. It was a great experience and we would definitely recommend working with her!!!
K
Katherine Sent on 11/24/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Gorgeous photos and a delight to work with

Fantastic wedding photographer - a really great blend of artistic and candid shots, guides the process really well, and was just very kind and pleasant to work with. During the ceremony and reception, she got in on the action without it feeling like she was even there. Highly recommend!
Hannah
Hannah Sent on 11/17/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful photographer!

My husband and I were very pleased with Melinda's quality service and the lovely results of her work! Her photos are beautiful, bright, and definitely capture our special day well. Our family and friends had many compliments on the excellent choice of Melinda as our photographer. We chose her to shoot our wedding as we could tell she was very detailed, conscientious, and capable. She was pleasant and easy to work with, and she delivered a great selection of photos with professionalism and promptness. We are so happy with these memories and would recommend Happy Finch!
Erica
Erica Sent on 09/21/2022
5 out of 5 rating

I cannot say enough good things about Melinda!

Melinda was an absolute pleasure to work with. Like a lot of people, my husband and I are not naturals in front of the camera but she sure made it look like we were!! She has the most calming and sweet demeanor which is exactly what I was looking for on my wedding day. She was so helpful in posing us and helping us get the best shots and kept the whole thing stress free. We had so much fun with her and the photos have turned out fantastic so far, I am absolutely blown away!! I cannot wait to see the rest of them. I would highly recommend her to anyone.
L
Liz D. Sent on 09/12/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Absolutely Incredible - Exceeded All Expectations!

Melinda was the best choice from day 1! About a year out from our wedding, we did our engagement photos with Melinda. She asked what our vision was and did extensive research, making recommendations on where we should do them. She made us feel comfortable throughout taking the pictures, and it was a great way to get to know one another! We got the pictures back quickly, and they were beautiful!

Melinda communicated with us leading up to the big day. She helped set our expectations and worked with us to make sure we got all the important pictures! She was extremely pleasant to work with the day of, and captured so many special, unposed moments perfectly. We got our pictures back within a month via email and she quickly also sent us our USB (which was beautifully and thoughtfully packaged).

Melinda's attention to detail is what stood out to us most. She was kind, but also effectively managed our expectations of how many moments we can capture in a small period of time. She did an incredible job - we cannot recommend her more!!
Emily
Emily Sent on 09/09/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Kind, encouraging, professional, and BEAUTIFUL photos!

A wedding photographer is one of the most important vendors since they will be around you all day-- and Melinda was EXACTLY the right person to have by our side! We have a crazy, big, complicated family, and she was perfectly poised and equipped to handle that. We did a first look, which she coordinated perfectly, and the photos are some of my favorites. She knew exactly where and when to take photos to get perfect lighting and gorgeous greenery in the background. Our detail shots are STUNNING. But the highlight of working with Melinda is that she is just such a sweet, encouraging, lovely person-- just the perfect positive energy you want to be surrounded by on your wedding day. Can't recommend her highly enough.
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

48
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2023 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2022 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2019 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2017 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner

Professional Network & Endorsements

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Map

Addresses map

Happy Finch Photography frequently asked questions

Happy Finch Photography includes the following photography services in the starting price:
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • One Event / Day
  • Toning
  • Digital Files
  • Proofs
Happy Finch Photography includes the following photography services in their most popular wedding package:
  • Add'l Hours
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • One Event / Day
  • Toning
  • Digital Files
  • Proofs
Happy Finch Photography offers the following photography styles:
  • Contemporary
  • Natural
  • Photojournalism
Happy Finch Photography offers the following photography services for weddings:
  • Additional Hours
  • Destination / Travel
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • One Event / Day
  • Second Shooter
  • Wedding Portraits
Happy Finch Photography offers the following photography materials for weddings:
  • Albums
  • Canvas
  • Digital Files
  • Prints
  • Proofs
  • Save the Date
Happy Finch 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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