Dubai Wedding Storytellers
The Melrish Story: From One Love Story to a Thousand
When Arish and I got married, we wanted our wedding photos to feel real—not just posed smiles, but the laughter, the tears, the messy, beautiful moments in between. We wanted to remember the day as it truly happened. But back then, wedding photography was all about stiff poses and picture-perfect setups. That’s when we knew—we wanted to do things differently.
That’s how The Melrish Studio was born.
We started capturing weddings with a photojournalistic and documentary approach—telling love stories as they naturally unfold. We wanted couples to look back at their wedding photos and feel every moment all over again.
The Storm Before the Breakthrough
But our journey wasn’t easy. In 2009, we had a different dream. We planned to open a Filipino restaurant and a furniture shop, but our business partner ran away with 660,000 AED—money we had borrowed from the bank. It was devastating. We had no savings, a huge loan to pay, and no idea what to do next.
That’s when we turned to what we knew best—photography and storytelling. With God’s grace, we worked day and night, capturing weddings, telling stories, and slowly paying off every dirham of that debt. It took us five years, but we made it.
“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Looking back, we see how God provided through every challenge. Every couple who trusted us, every story we told—it was all part of His plan.
A Decade of Stories
In 2019, we celebrated 10 years of Melrish by taking the entire team to Tbilisi, Georgia. It was a milestone that reminded us of how far we had come. Then, in 2024, we marked 15 years in Baku, Azerbaijan—grateful for the journey, the people, and the stories we’ve been blessed to tell.
What started as a wedding photography business has now grown into a full-blown digital marketing agency. We’ve expanded from capturing weddings to producing corporate content, brand storytelling, and digital campaigns for businesses that want to connect through powerful visuals.
Award-Winning Wedding Photographers & Filmmakers in Dubai
We’ve always loved telling wedding stories like they’re real-life movies—unposed, raw, and full of feels. Our style? Photojournalistic photos and cinematic, documentary-style films that don’t just capture moments but bring them back to life. Along the way, we’ve been lucky to snag awards from the Artistic Guild of Wedding Photojournalists, win 2x Best Director at the Emirates Short Film Festival, and earn nods in the Philippine film scene, including Filmmaker of the Year by Filipino Times. We’ve also been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings and Looks Like Film Weddings, which makes our moms really proud. Named among the Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf by Illustrado Magazine, and more recently, one of the Top 50 Wedding Photographers worldwide by DWP Insider.
We’re also part of awesome communities like Fearless Photographers, BNI, The Events Group, Female Fusion, and EO Accelerator. Oh, and one of us even sits on the Board of Directors of the Philippine Business Council—because we believe storytelling isn’t just about weddings, it’s about people, connections, and leaving a mark that matters.
What’s Next?
The Melrish Studio is always evolving, but one thing remains the same—our love for storytelling. Whether it’s a wedding, a brand story, or a corporate campaign, we believe in creating content that speaks to the heart.
To our couples, clients, and everyone who has been part of our journey—thank you. Your trust has shaped The Melrish Studio into what it is today. We can’t wait to see where the next chapter takes us.
Let’s keep telling stories. Let’s keep making memories. Here’s to the next 15 years!
– Melon