Mar 25, 2024

White Top Venues are the industries premium event professionals, taking care of catering, styling and event production at the most sought after wedding venues in Victoria and the most decadent luxury events.

White Top Venues have exclusive access to a stable of in demand venues in the most scenic locations, as well as a wealth of experience planning high-end events and celebrations on private property.

White Top Venues portrait by Briars Atlas

What sort of weddings do White Top Venues host?

White Top Venues are host high-end luxury weddings, for couples who want the industries best involved in every are from planning, to styling, florals, catering and more. They specialise in everything from intimate soirees to decadent affairs with several hundred guests.

Guest photos taken at White Top Venues Barragunda Estate, at our live portrait Vanity Fair Photobooth, Blanc.

Contact information

Main website: https://www.whitetop.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitetopvenues/

Book Briars Atlas to photograph your White Top Venues wedding

Make an enquiry here

Mar 25, 2024

With deep roots in regenerative agriculture and farming, you can also book a Barragunda Estate wedding. Partnering with White Top Venues, Barragunda Estate is a gem of the Mornington Peninsula and a favourite venue of choice for couples seeking the very best in luxury, decadence and, privacy.

The wedding of Ella and Mack, not at Barragunda Estate, but you know, we needed some alt text in here to fulfil our SEO obligations

The wedding of Ella Walters and Mack Horton, planned by Weddings of Desire, and featured on Vogue Australia.

What sort of weddings do Barragunda Estate Host?

Barragunda Estate is most known for hosting high-end weddings with a large volume of guests, and the most high level of planning detail involved.

Do you have any Barragunda Estate wedding photos?

Recently we brought our live portrait experience, also known as the Vanity Fair Photo Booth, Blanc, to Barragundana Estate See some of our photobooth images below.

Contact information

Main website: https://www.barragunda.com.au/barragunda-estate/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barragunda/

Book Briars Atlas to photograph your Barragunda Estate wedding

Make an enquiry here

Wedding photography at Reine and La Rue in Melbourne

Mar 6, 2024

Reine & La Rue is an incredible new French styled wedding venue in the heart of Melbourne.

Reine and La Rue wedding: inspired by France

Reine and La Rue is a majestic new undertaking by the Nomad group, fusing French infused culinary genius with the most captivating, cathedral-vault interior you’ve ever seen in the heart of Melbourne. This incredible space helmed by an award winning hospitality team is sure to become an iconic new wedding venue in Melbourne.

Reine and La Rue wedding venue information

Enquire about Reine & La Rue Wedding Packages with their wedding and event planner
Reine & La Rue website: https://reineandlarue.melbourne/
Reine & La Rue wedding gallery: Check back soon
Reine & La Rue wedding capacity: 40 – 200 guests
Reine & La Rue venue address: Briscoe Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000

Book us to photograph your Reine & La Rue wedding

Reine and La Rue wedding photos (coming soon – maybe yours? for now, enjoy a little slice of what we do below). Use the menu up above to make an enquiry, or view this amazing Paris elopement of Stephanie and Tim for all of your favourite French stylings, photographed entirely on 35mm and medium-format Kodak film.

Can I have my wedding at Reine and La Rue?

Reine and La Rue are now taking wedding bookings, and can host up to 110 guests seated, and 150 guests standing.

We’re in Sydney, is there anything here like Reine and La Rue?

Not quite, but we think you’ll love this Beta Bar Sydney Wedding.

Can you recommend a wedding planner for my Reine and La Rue wedding?

We recommend getting in touch with a wedding planner specialising in fashion-forward and luxury weddings, such as Weddings of Desire.

Who owns Reine La Rue?

Reine La Rue is owned and managed by the NOMAD group, who in 2023 expanded to include it after acquiring Beau in Surrey Hills.

Jan 10, 2024

Weddings of Desire, led by renowned stylist and planner Laura, craft the most fashion-forward, design minded weddings and events in and beyond greater Melbourne, Victoria. Ella and Mack chose Laura and the Weddings of Desire team to style and plan their Stones of the Yarra valley wedding, which was later featured on Vogue Australia.

The wedding of Ella and Mack, planned and styled by Weddings of Desire

What sort of weddings do weddings of desire plan?

Weddings of desire specialise in ultra luxury weddings where no corners are cut. Initially beginning as an area of passion (like all great success stories) as a blog, Laura’s style and taste soon caught so much attention that the next logical step was offering a full bespoke planning experience, rather than featuring the work of others.

This detail driven approach to planning covers all the areas you might expect – such as venue styling, colour palettes and more – over to ones you might not: such as typography on collateral, and the feel of materials.

Contact information

Main website: https://weddingsofdesire.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weddingsofdesire/

Book Briars Atlas to photograph your wedding

Make an enquiry here

Small wedding venues in Melbourne

Aug 19, 2021

Best Small Wedding Venues in Melbourne

The reception at a small wedding venue in Melbourne, Rupert on Rupert
  1. The Altar Electric
  2. I Do Drive Thru
  3. Rupert on Rupert
  4. Two Ton Max
  5. The Prince Deck
  6. Family Property
  7. Air BnB
  8. Kenny Lover
  9. Glasshaus
  10. Gather and Tailor
  11. Melbourne Town Hall
  12. Brunswick Mess Hall
  13. The Wool Mill
  14. Picnic Styling Co
  15. Your Backyard
  16. Alto Event Space
  17. The National Hotel Richmond
  18. St Andrews Conservatory
  19. Cutler and Co
  20. Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya
  21. Elwood Bathers

Melbourne Small Wedding Venue: a venue comparison chart

Small Wedding venue nameWedding Venue StyleWedding Venue locationWedding Venue capacityYou might also likeView gallery
The Altar ElectricVegas chapelCollingwood50Kenny LoverThe Altar Electric
I Do Drive ThruOutdoorsMelbourne30Picnic Styling CoI Do Drive Thru
Rupert on RupertNew York warehouseCollingwood20-200GlasshausRupert on Rupert
Two Ton MaxWarehouseNorth Melbourne40-300Gather and TailorTwo Ton Max
The Prince DeckStylish modernSt Kilda20-450Alto Event SpaceThe Deck at Circa
Air BnBVariedMelbournevariesPicnic Styling CoBlue Mountains Wedding
Kenny LoverIce creameryThornbury20The Altar ElectricKenny Lover
GlasshausJungle warehouseRichmond20-140The Altar ElectricGlasshaus
Gather and TailorWarehouseFootscray40-200Two Ton MaxGather and Tailor
Melbourne Town HallArt DecoMelbourne20-400St Andrews ConservatoryComing Soon
Brunswick Mess HallRustic warehouseBrunswick20-400Gather and TailorComing Soon
The Wool MillModern warehouseBrunswick20-200GlasshausComing Soon
Picnic Styling CoOutdoorsMelbourne50I Do Drive ThruPicnic Styling Co
Your BackyardVariesMelbournevariesPicnic Styling CoComing Soon
Alto Event SpaceModernMelbourne CBD20-200Gather and TailorComing Soon
The National Hotel RichmondHeritage pubRichmond20-120GlasshausComing Soon
St Andrews ConservatoryModern indoorFitzroy20-180Elwood BathersComing Soon
Cutler and CoRestaurantFitzroy20-200Brunswick Mess HallComing Soon
Ichi Ni Nana IzakayaRestaurantFitzroy20-150Elwood BathersComing Soon
Elwood BathersModernElwood20-180Ichi Ni Nana IzakayaComing Soon
A comparison chart of the best Small Wedding Venues in Melbourne

For various reasons, we’ve enjoyed seeing an explosion in beautiful intimate small weddings (or, micro wedding packages Victoria and beyond, or, straight up elopements), which means you’re probably looking for small wedding venues in Melbourne: and if we do small venues as well as we do croissants or… anything, really, that means that this won’t be a compromise, but instead, something awesome.

If there’s one thing i’ve noticed in photographing celebrations of all shapes and sizes, there’s always a certain brilliance in intimate gatherings that just doesn’t exist in larger ones, and having a small wedding in the short term still means you can have a larger celebration down the line, with less planning infrastructure.

Pair that with the classic Melbourne tendency to get creative with things, and it makes for a brilliant range of Small wedding venue options. If you’re looking for a cheap wedding venue Melbourne or beyond, dialling things down and hosting a smaller wedding with a more intimate guest list can be one way of doing that. (See also: small Yarra Valley Wedding venues).

So while we have to wait a little while to have big parties and weddings again, here are some of my favourite Small Wedding Venues in Melbourne, for intimate weddings, micro weddings and more.

1. Unique small wedding venues Melbourne: The Altar Electric

A photograph of a ceremony at the smallest wedding venue in the world, The Altar Electric

Ahead of the curve in the small-wedding game, The Altar Electric has been championing the power of intimate weddings for years, and is the brainchild of The Wedding Anarchist, Sarah Dobson, and Anthony Cribbes.

One of the more characterful small wedding venues in Melbourne and nestled in the industrial back streets of Collingwood, The Altar Electric warehouse wedding venue can cater for weddings up to about 30 people, and right down to a cracking shotgun-wedding with just the two of you and your witnesses: either way, it’s one of the few elopement or wedding venues under $100 per person out there.

To top it all off, they just upgraded their space, thanks to the incredible styling handiwork of local design and party heroes, Good Day Club.

So whether you’ve got a small elopement, 5 guests, 10 guests, 20 guests, 30 guests, 40 guests, 50 guests, 60 guests, or 70 guests (I think that’s where they cap out) this brilliant peach palace is a great place to have a small wedding, and doubles as one of the more affordable wedding venues melbourne has to offer.

Enquire about their Collingwood Small Wedding Packages
The Altar Electric website: www.thealtarelectric.com.au
The Altar Electric wedding gallery: Altar Electric showcase
Venue size: Intimate, from 2, up to around 50 guests
Small Wedding Venue Address: 81 Rupert St, Collingwood VIC 3066

2. Affordable small wedding venues Melbourne: I Do Drive Thru

I Do Drive Thru, a small wedding planning service in Melbourne

When Covid19 hit full-steam and we were locked down to having weddings and elopements with a maximum of 5 people in total, local genius Mel of The Ceremony Store came up with a hit elopement concept that quickly spread throughout Australia, and right over into the USA: I Do Drive Thru.

I Do Drive Thru gets you married in a whirlwind elopement ceremony from the safe confines of your car, or anywhere in a public space: just you two, and the very closest of your crew. Get it said, get it done, and get away to celebrate what matters: just the two of you. Given that, this also technically makes them the most affordable wedding venue melbourne has available.

Don’t be mistaken by the name: while I Do Drive Thru might sound like, it’s a drive-thru thing, that’s only one side of what it can be. I Do Drive Thru is a small wedding ceremony and elopement planner, done anywhere you like, in exactly any style of intimate celebration that you can imagine. From loud, to quiet, to classy to crazy, and everything in between. If you’re looking to elope Melbourne or beyond, be sure to check these legendary lunatics out.

Read more about I Do Drive Thru here, each out to them to see if they’re the right fit, and ask about their small wedding packages Melbourne and beyond (they are now based in a tonne of cities). And if you loved this incredible dress, check out this lis of the best unique wedding dresses in Melbourne.

Enquire about their Drive Through Wedding Packages
I Do Drive Thru website: www.idodrivethru.com.au
I Do Drive Thru wedding gallery: Drive Through Weddings
Venue size: Scaleable, from 2, up to as many guests as you like

3. Intimate Wedding Venues Melbourne: Rupert on Rupert

A photograph of a reception at the best small wedding venue in Melbourne, Rupert on Rupert

One of the best small wedding venues in Melbourne or places to elope in industrial surrounds, Rupert is the hidden gem of Collingwood, supporting both large wedding celebrations (80 guests, 90 guests, 100 guests and beyond) and smaller intimate ones (10 guests, small wedding venues for 20 guests, 30 guests etc) via clever use of one or more of it’s three areas. Rupert isn’t necessarily known as a Small Wedding Venue in Melbourne but is super unique in how it can be scaled to suit any size celebration.

Best Small Wedding Venue In Melbourne, Rupert on Rupert, during a wedding reception

To see a larger wedding in full with more examples of this incredibly stylish small wedding venue, check out this Rupert on Rupert wedding, and you’ll see why it’s one of the best intimate wedding venues Melbourne has on offer.

Enquire about Rupert on Rupert Wedding Packages with their wedding and event planner
Rupert on Rupert website: www.rupertonrupert.com.au
Rupert on Rupert wedding gallery: Rupert on Rupert Wedding
Rupert on Rupert wedding capacity: 40 – 200 guests
Small Wedding Venue Address: 73 Rupert St, Collingwood VIC 3066

4. Small Wedding Venue: Two Ton Max

Small Wedding Venue Melbourne - Two Ton Max

Two Ton Max is a repurposed, blank-canvas warehouse wedding venue in the heart of North Melbourne. One of the most simple wedding venues melbourne has on offer. Two Ton Max can support elopements and small weddings of all sizes, but with the way it’s space can be compartmentalised, it is ideal for small Melbourne weddings of 20 people, up to 50 people and beyond.

Small Wedding Venue Melbourne - Two Ton Max

Enquire about Two Ton Max Wedding Packages
Two Ton Max website: www.twotonmax.com.au
Two Ton Max wedding gallery: Two Ton Max wedding
Two Ton Max wedding capacity: 40 – 300 guests
Small Wedding Venue Address: 124 Langford St, North Melbourne VIC 3051

5. Small Wedding Venue in St Kilda: The Deck

The Deck in St Kilda might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about a small wedding venue, but the unique, angular layout of the internal space, as well as the L-shaped external deck, make it ideal for creatively arranging it for a small wedding. With so much natural venue detail both inside and out, there’s plenty to keep the senses entertained without having to fill the space with 150 people.

Not only that, but The Deck has several other little spaces that can be used. Just ask.

Want to see The Deck in action at a wedding? Then check out the deck wedding of Emily and Tony.

Enquire about Prince The Deck Small Wedding Packages with their event planner
The Prince Deck website: www.theprince.com.au/prince-deck
The Prince Deck wedding gallery: The Deck Wedding
The Prince Deck wedding capacity: 20 – 450 guests
Small Wedding Venue Address: 2 Acland St, St Kilda VIC 3182

6. Alternative Small Wedding Venue idea: The Family (or friends) property

family property wedding

Tess and Sam, married on their family property in Australia’s Kangaroo Valley.

If larger wedding venues aren’t a part of the plan and you’re looking towards an elopement or intimate small wedding, sometimes it’s best to look inwards to what’s closest: our own family property. With some thoughtful catering and preparation, having a wedding at your home makes for an intimate experience, and something potentially more meaningful when you look back at your photos.

The only concern usually had around having a wedding on family property, is that of cleanup! But keep your crew small, keep the food simple, and it’s a great way to have a meaningful celebration where the only timeline you’re working to is your own.

7. Micro Wedding venue: Air BnB

air bnb elopement

An Air-Bnb has all the intimacy and timeline benefits of hosting your elopement or small wedding on your own family property, with the added bonus of being able to get married at any spectacular geographic location of your own choosing. Select a location with adventure nearby and a good kitchen within.

Here, Sarah and Simon had a beautiful small elopement ceremony at an Air-Bnb in a spectacular piece of nature, before enjoying a beautiful afternoon with 4 of their closest friends, and an evening of home cooked meals and games. If you’re looking to elope Melbourne or beyond, be sure to check out some of the beautiful nearby Air BnB’s for your small wedding.

Small wedding venues melbourne
lueablue light wedding portraits

Sarah and Simons Australian wedding was featured on the wedding blog Rock n Roll Bride, so head over there for more of their story.

8. Unique Small Wedding Venue Melbourne: Kenny Lover

Small Wedding Venue in Thornbury

I left this one last, because it leads into some thoughts written under it, so read on. Kenny Lover is a brilliant little Thornbury shop, offering chips and ice-cream.

Together at last.

Not only that, but they have the most jaw-droppingly beautiful interior. If you don’t believe me, head over and check out this Kenny Lover wedding, where Paul and Sam, Thornbury locals, headed there after having an intimate small wedding ceremony at their home. Fabulous, colourful elopement venue in Melbournes inner north. An elopement or small wedding that has Kenny Lover involved somehow will make for an incredibly unique wedding experience in Melbourne.

9. Small Rustic Wedding Venues: Glasshaus Inside and Glasshaus Outside

Small wedding venues melbourne Glasshaus

Glasshaus Inside and Glasshaus Outside are two brilliant small wedding venues in Melbourne, sitting just outside of the Melbourne CBD, tucked in Richmond. Glasshaus Inside doubles as a warehouse jungle, and Glasshaus Outside swaps the warehouse vibe for an aviary. A small wedding venue in melbourne for folks seeking a grittier feel where nature is a part of the celebration. Imagine a grand ballroom, with the roof ripped out, and a glorious jungle spread around it’s interior.

That’s about right.

Enquire about Glasshaus Small Wedding Packages
Glasshaus Richmond website: Glasshaus Website
Glasshaus Richmond wedding gallery: Glasshaus Wedding
Glasshaus Richmond wedding capacity: 20 – 140 guests
Small Wedding Venue Address: 44 Cremorne St, Cremorne, VIC, 3121

10. Small Warehouse Wedding Venue: Gather and Tailor

Gather and Tailor aren’t the smallest wedding venue in Melbourne (that crown probably goes to the Altar Electric), but their dual warehouse spaces, particular warehouse one, are blank-canvasses that can be arranged any way you like. The incredible, forward thinking folks at Nudo run Gather and Tailor, and their expert planning team can host you a unique small wedding at their venue.

Gather and Tailor have both Warehouse One and Warehouse Two – beautifully distinct urban spaces that can host weddings large and small.

Enquire about Gather and Tailor Wedding Packages with their event planner
Gather and Tailor website: www.gatherandtailor.com.au
Gather and Tailor wedding gallery: Gather and Tailor wedding
Gather and Tailor wedding capacity: 40 – 200 guests
Small Wedding Venue Address: Unit 11/41-59 Sims St, West Melbourne VIC 3003

11. Small Art Deco Wedding Venue – Melbourne Town Hall

I feel this is generally overlooked when folks are looking at the small wedding venues Melbourne has to offer, but if you know what’s what, you know that a classic heritage environment is a beautiful surrounds to have a celebration in, and just as good to dress up in your own way or with the hand of a great florists (check out the best wedding florists in Melbourne). The Melbourne Town Hall is a beautiful, ambient space, protected from the weather, and perfectly sized for a small wedding.

Enquire about Melbourne Town Hall Small Wedding Packages with their event planner
Melbourne Town Hall website: Wedding information
Melbourne Town Hall wedding gallery: Coming shortly, check back soon
Melbourne Town Hall wedding capacity: 20 – 400 guests
Small Wedding Venue Address: Small Wedding Venue Address: Unit 11/41-59 Sims St, West Melbourne VIC 3003

12. Small Alternative Wedding Venue – Brunswick Mess Hall

Small Wedding Venue Brunswick Mess Hall

One of the great joys of this Covid business wrapping up will be seeing the best small wedding venue in Brunswick, the Brunswick Mess Hall, back in action. An incredible mixed-bag of design sensibilities that works a treat, and every time i’ve been there photographing a wedding, the space has been taken over in a unique and different way.

Enquire about Brunswick Mess Hall Small Wedding Packages
Brunswick Mess Hall website: www.thebrunswickmesshall.com.au
Brunswick Mess Hall wedding gallery: Kirstyn and Nicholas
Brunswick Mess Hall wedding capacity: 20 – 400 guests
Small Wedding Venue Address: Small Wedding Venue Address: 400 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056

13. Small Blank Canvas Wedding Venue – The Wool Mill

a photo of the Nudo Wool Mill wedding venue in Brunswick
a wedding couple entering the wool mill in brunswick

Nudo, owners of The Wool Mill (a grand ballroom – but industrial style), say they run the best wedding planning service in the world, and given how well oiled their machine is, that statement is about on-point. Nudo look after all the moving parts of your wedding, and as well as Gather and Tailor (see point #9), they also have Brunswicks The Wool Mill in their venue stable. A wonderful blank canvas, modern small wedding warehouse venue.

Enquire about The Wool Mill Small Wedding Packages
The Wool Mill website: www.thewoolmill.com.au
The Wool Mill wedding capacity: 20 – 200 guests
Small Wedding Venue Address: 161 Donald St, Brunswick East VIC 3057

14: Micro wedding venue: Small Garden Wedding Venue

Picnic Styling Co

Not a venue as such, but Picnic Styling Co must be included here. If you’re looking for a brilliant small wedding experience that you can enjoy anywhere out in public or indoors, you must check out the popup Picnic Styling Co. Picnic Styling Co create bespoke picnic experiences for any number of guests, brilliantly styled with no work to do by you. Turn up, have fun, walk away, and Picnic Styling Co take care of the rest.

Enquire about Picnic Styling Co Small Wedding Packages
Picnic Styling Co website: Picnic Styling Co Website
Picnic Styling Co wedding gallery: Picnic Styling Co Wedding
Picnic Styling Co wedding capacity: 2 – 40 guests

15: Small Venue for Weddings idea: Your Backyard

Sometimes the goodness is right in front of you: get some food-trucks or a Paella station, and host the party right at home. Check out this Porch article on Backyard Weddings.

One more elopement Small Wedding Venue idea:

When we think about it, there aren’t that many mandatory moving parts to a wedding: you need a Melbourne Wedding Celebrant to take care of the papers and the ceremony, but really, the rest is up for grabs. One thing thats come out of the Covid pandamic, is a general willingness to be fluid and break new ground from both wedding vendors and small business in general.

Why do I say this? Because if you’re looking for a small wedding venue, consider what it would look like, to simply plan to have it in your favourite cafe, restaurant, take-away place, or any other business. Literally.

All you can do is ask: the Melbourne Small Wedding Venue idea that takes charm, optimism (and a dash of curiosity)

So with all that in mind, let me present this little idea: make a list of places that are meaningful to you: cafes, take-out shops, or even shops that sell knick-knacks, books, or anything else under the sun. A wedding ceremony doesn’t need to be an hour, and you don’t need to have your wedding ceremony in a place that can also feed any guests you have present.

Spend every Saturday morning in that quiet, beat-up cafe around the corner that no-one knows about? Ask them if you can sign the papers and say some words in there, and ask them what they’ll charge for the honour (they’ve probably never been asked).

The idea of “what is a wedding venue” is going to change pretty dramatically, as we change our idea of what a wedding is.

So make a list of bucket-list places that are either meaningful to you or quirky in their own right, and just give them a call! You might find that they are actually incredibly receptive to the idea of having a ten minute ceremony in their space where they get some cracking photographs of it for themselves afterwards too, and there’s something extra special about making that commitment in a meaningful space.

We see it all the time with the portrait part of the day, with brilliant wedding portraits captured in cafes and thrift shops, so why not the ceremony itself?

Everything can be a small wedding venue, if you’re creative enough.

All you can do is ask.

Other Small Wedding Venues in Melbourne

While we’re dealing with only having small gatherings, many of Melbournes most incredible venues are able to scale themselves down to accommodate a more intimate wedding.

To discover a whole lot of other options, including some larger ones to keep in mind for when your community can all celebrate together again, here’s a list of incredible Unique Melbourne Wedding Venues, or further out on the coast, check out these Mornington Peninsula wedding venues.

Looking for a large venue? Check out their Indian wedding reception.

Elopement Venues in Melbourne

If you’re hosting an elopement rather than a small wedding, you’re probably the type of person that’s less about the full theatrics about a wedding, and more about enjoying an intimate space with just your partner and maybe a friend or family member or two. Many of the venues on this page are suited to small weddings, but also consider that if you’re planning an elopement, you can really twist it however you want.

For example: while Rupert on Rupert is more suited to medium and small weddings, it doesn’t mean you can’t sign your papers nearby in a small elopement ceremony, and then head to Rupert to enjoy some drinks and a meal together. To craft a bespoke elopement experience in Melbourne, also be sure to hit up I Do Drive Thru (who plan intimate elopement ceremonies anywhere you can imagine, not just from the car as their name might imply), or even reach out to a Melbourne wedding celebrant as they are always more than happy to take more of a hand in crafting you a brilliant Melbourne elopement experience.

What is the best Small wedding venue in Melbourne?

My personal vote goest to Rupert on Rupert, but here you can also find 20 of the best Small Wedding Venues in Melbourne.best small wedding venue rupert

How many guests should I have at my small wedding?

A Small Wedding can have 5 guests, 10 guests, 20 guests, or 30 guests, but any more and it can become something larger and less intimate.

What are some more small wedding ideas?

It’s hard to go past the brilliant Picnic Styling Co, who will setup your Small Wedding anywhere in Melbourne, leave you to celebrate, and then come and pack it all up for you.

How much does a Small Wedding cost?

If you carefully consider the style, wedding catering, and length of your small wedding, you can easily host your wedding for under $100 per person. Reach out to an incredible Small Wedding Planner such as Will and Jac or Popup With Style for assistance on planning your wedding budget.

Where can I find small wedding packages in Victoria?

To find Small Wedding Packages in Victoria, you should make an enquiry with the best small wedding planners and venues: The Altar Electric, I Do Drive Thru, and Picnic Styling Co. Each of these services can help you plan your small wedding in Melbourne, with all-inclusive wedding packages.

How do I plan a small simple wedding?

Enquire with a small wedding venue on this list, or reach out to a small wedding planner such as Popup with Style.

How many guests is considered a small wedding?

A small wedding is considered anything from 2 guests (anything less is really an elopement), up to around 50 guests.

Best micro wedding venues in Melbourne?

Check out all of the micro wedding venues on this post. My own favourite might just be Rupert on Rupert.

Micro wedding packages Victoria?

The best micro wedding packages Victoria and beyond can be found with I Do Drive Thru, as well as The Altar Electric.

Can I get married at these venues on short notice?

For more information on weddings or elopements at short notice, head over to our post on how to get married quickly in Australia.

I photograph weddings. Hire me to photograph your micro wedding or Small Wedding anywhere (if you want).

Small wedding venues melbourne

Briars Atlas- Small Melbourne Wedding Photographer – https://briarsatlas.com

Geelong wedding photographer

Jan 20, 2021

Spectacular wineries, incredible coastline and an abundance of rural Victorian beauty are just a few of the reasons so many folks choose a Mornington Peninsula wedding. I’m a Mornington Peninsula wedding photographer, and wanted to share some of my favourite little slices of the region at the weddings of brilliant humans out there.

Wedding venues such as Tanglewood Estate and Crittenden Estate on dromana are standounds, as are the art-deco Lindenderry, and out to the Shearing Shed, at the slightly further out Phillip Island.

Sunset scenes with Sarah at her wedding to Kurt at Lindenderry in Red Hill.

Since you’re here, maybe you’d like to check out this list i’ve made of the Best Melbourne wedding celebrants (all of them are more than happy to make a trip down to the Mornington Peninsula and some are based there), and for something more industrial in vibe, you might like to check out this Rupert on Rupert wedding, or this roundup of the most unique wedding venues in Melbourne.

More help for your Mornington Peninsula wedding planning

Planning a wedding on the Mornington Peninsula? It’s hard to go past the brilliant Popup with Style, if you’re looking for assistance in your planning. Popup with Style are based in the region, and familiar with planning weddings large and small.

Best Wedding Venues in Mornington Peninsula

Out on the Mornington Peninsula you’ll find some of the most incredible wedding venues available anywhere in Victoria. Between the bay, ocean coast, expansive wineries and a gateway to a sublime slice of regional Victoria, the Mornington Peninsula has the most amount of venue variety you’ll find in VIC.

  1. Tanglewood Estate
  2. Crittenden Estate
  3. Lindenderry Red Hill
  4. All Smiles Sorrento
  5. Brighton Savoy
  6. The Shearing Shed
  7. Private Property

Want to see all of these Mornington Peninsula wedding venues in detail? Head over to this post on Mornington Peninsula wedding venues and see if you can find a venue that fits your vibe.

On the other side of the Peninsula: Yarra Valley wedding venues

For wedding venue ideas on the other side of Victoria, here’s a list of 5 incredible Yarra Valley wedding venues for you to cast your glorious eyes across.

Wedding photographer: an FAQ

Where do you photograph weddings?

Anywhere in and around Mornington Peninsula, Gippsland, and greater Victoria. There are no travel charges are payable within Victoria, and I regularly photograph weddings everywhere on the Mornington Peninsula.

Best Mornington Peninsula wedding venues?

These are the best Mornington Peninsula wedding venues.

Book your Mornington Peninsula wedding photographer.

  • Melbourne Wedding Photographer gallery
  • A photo of Liv and Adam at their Melbourne Wedding by Wedding photographer Briars Atlas
  • Castlemaine Wedding Photographer
  • Cinestill Wedding Photos
  • wedding photographer geelong

Wedding photography Mornington Peninsula – enquire at briarsatlas.com

Unique wedding venues in Melbourne - George Ballroom

Dec 25, 2020

The best Wedding Venues Melbourne has to offer:

  1. Newport Substation
  2. Rupert on Rupert
  3. Half Acre
  4. Panama Dining Room
  5. State Library Victoria
  6. Longsong
  7. Gather and Tailor
  8. The Deck At Circa
  9. Quat Quatta
  10. Luminare
  11. Brunswick Mess Hall
  12. Fortyfive Downstairs
  13. Glasshaus
  14. George Ballroom
  15. Altar Electric
  16. Fyansford Paper Mill
  17. The Line
  18. Reine and La Rue

Melbourne is full to the brim with interesting, quirky, and Unique Wedding Venues to appeal to every design sensibility under the sun. Our city is kinda like an egg – ask 5 people for their favourite way to consume it, and you’ll get 4 different answers (and one, probably the film wedding photographer, who’d prefer a nut-based alternative). So if anywhere is gonna be able to cater to a wild range of vibes within a small radius, it’s Melbourne.

What weddings are going to look like in Victoria is a little different in the short to mid-term, so this is a list for folks with alternative and unique sensibilities (head this way if you’re specifically looking for small wedding venues, also included are some more brilliant art deco reception venues).

When we made this list, we essentially made it for ourselves: there’s plenty of lists on regular wedding venues out there, but these are the best wedding venues in Melbourne that have a little bit of sass and quirk to them, and cover a range of wedding venue styles, from industrial warehouse, to art deco: these are wedding venues for large weddings, small weddings, and everything in between.

Melbourne wedding venue comparison chart

Wedding VenuesVenue StyleVenue locationVenue capacityYou might also likeSample gallery
Newport SubstationWarehouseFootscray300Half AcreComing Soon
Rupert on RupertSmall WarehouseCollingwood200Panama Dining RoomRupert on Rupert
Half AcreWarehouseSouth Melbourne400Gather and TailorFood and Desire
Panama Dining RoomNew York LoftFitzroy220Rupert on RupertComing Soon
State Library VictoriaStylish modernMelbourne CBD500Gather and TailorComing Soon
LongsongModern WarehouseMelbourne CBD200Brunswick Mess HallComing Soon
Gather and TailorWarehouseFootscray450Half AcreGather and Tailor
The Deck at CircaModernSt Kilda500LuminareThe Deck at Circa
Quat QuattaArt DecoRipponlea450State Library VictoriaQuat Quatta
LuminareRooftopSouth Melbourne500State Library VictoriaLuminare Wedding
Brunswick Mess HallWarehouseBrunswick200Half AcreComing Soon
Fortyfive DownstairsArt GalleryMelbourne CBD300Altar ElectricComing Soon
GlasshausJungle WarehouseRichmond125George BallroomGlasshaus
George BallroomRustic BallroomSt Kilda200GlasshausComing Soon
Altar ElectricVegas ChapelCollingwood70GlasshausThe Altar Electric
Fyansford Paper MillHeritageGeelong200Half AcreFyansford Paper Mill
The LineWarehouseFootscray200Half AcreComing Soon
A comparison chart of the best Wedding Venues Melbourne has

1. Newport Substation – Warehouse Wedding Venue

Best Wedding Venues Melbourne
Newport Substation | Wedding Venue Location: Newport | Photo: Briars Atlas

What do an obscure German electronic artist, experiential-theatre zombie-apocalypse, and majestic high-end wedding all have in common? They all found a home at the unique, towering Substation in Newport – in no small way thanks to a philanthropic strategy of intertwinement with the local & international arts community.

The Substation has this classic “we’ve just casually repurposed an industrial Brooklyn warehouse” vibe written all over it, with staggering floor-to-ceiling windows (this criteria would be less staggering if, for example, the windows were in a hobbit-sized home but we’re talking a less vertically-challenged structure here), red statement curtains, and one end lined with more secret little rooms than you can poke a stick at.

Unique Wedding Venues Melbourne
Newport Substation Reception | Wedding Venue Location: Newport | Photo: Briars Atlas

With plenty of space to spare both in the main atrium and the rooms below, Melbournes unique wedding venue queen Newport Substation can be mapped to nearly any configuration, including any furniture layout you can imagine, and an on-site burrito stand for guests to tuck into (or the most epic grazing table you can imagine).

Set up a band in one corner, quirky photobooth in the other, hire a leading progressive Melbourne wedding florist like Good Grace & Humour or Georgie Boy to dress up another end with an impossibly wild installation (or leave it in all it’s all bare glory), and you’ve got a space that’ll be on the tips of the guests tongues for weeks. After they recover from their hangovers.

Check out Nicole and Dan’s incredible unique wedding at Newport Substation. One of my favourite things about Newport Substation, not to take away anything from it as a brilliant Melbourne venue, is that it takes me back to any number of the incredible and enormous New York Warehouse venues i’ve had the good fortune of being in.


Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Newport Substation website: www.thesubstation.org.au
Newport Substation wedding gallery: Nicole & Dan
Venue size: Enormous. 250 seated, 300 cocktail

Best Wedding Venues Melbourne
Newport Substation Portraits | Wedding Venue Location: Newport | Photo: Briars Atlas

2. Rupert on Rupert – Collingwood Wedding Venues

Unique Wedding Venues Melbourne
Rupert On Rupert Ceremony | Wedding Venue Location: Collingwood | Photo: Briars Atlas

Rupert is kinda like the Tesla flying in outer space with an astronaut next to it and David Bowie blaring from the stereo as it flies towards Jupiter: it probably shouldn’t exist at all, much less where it does, but – it does.

And thankful for it existing, we are. Separated into a Main Dining Hall, Conservatory, and Cocktail Lounge, alternative wedding venue in Melbourne king Rupert on Rupert takes the crown for classic modern New York bar vibes in Melbourne, and wouldn’t be out of place in any of the more recently gentrified areas of inner-Brooklyn: which is also code-word for gorgeously designed, thoughtfully laid out, with a level of subtle considered genius by a design team that makes the space grow on you like the third album from that previously favourite artist of yours.

Geographically tucked neatly away into the “local knowledge” category, pop into the unique Rupert on Rupert on a weekend, and it’s jam-packed with folks who know it’s one of the most unique venues Melbourne has to offer with it’s incredible food and quirky interiors in a classy casual setting.

Rupert on Rupert has three thoughtfully designed areas, each of which can be repurposed as you need, and the menu is produced by a crack-team of friendly maestros who can cater incredibly for vegetarians and vegans alike (I know, because I was guest at an incredible vegan wedding there of a dear mate).

I’m not saying to just get Aunt Jenny on her iPad taking the photos for the day, but I will say that with every inch of the interior so thoughtfully considered at Rupert on Rupert, you could probably point your 2002 Nokia at the urinal and still get an incredible image.

But don’t do that, because it’s extraordinarily weird that you’re still using that phone.

For more inspiration check out Alix and Tim’s Rupert on Rupert Wedding. If you’re going to hire out such an iconic space, also be sure to bring a Melbourne wedding videographer along for the ride.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Rupert on Rupert website: www.rupertonrupert.com.au
Rupert on Rupert wedding gallery: Alix & Tim’s wedding at Rupert on Rupert
Venue size: Cosy & compartmentalised.  (85 seated, 220 cocktail)

Melbourne Wedding Venues
Rupert On Rupert Reception | Wedding Venue Location: Collingwood | Photo: Briars Atlas
Melbourne Wedding Venues
Rupert On Rupert Reception | Wedding Venue Location: Collingwood | Photo: Briars Atlas

3. Half Acre – Best wedding venue Melbourne

Best Wedding Venues Melbourne
Half Acre | Wedding Venue Location: South Melbourne | Photo: Briars Atlas

South Melbourne’s Half Acre, helmed by the catering mad-hatters at Food and Desire, is a giant secret dropped right in the middle of the wide streets of South Melbourne. Occupying a corner of the suburb that mostly is home to industry, it is – apart from the majestic cacophany of matrimony on a weekend – a gloriously quiet dead-zone of a weekend.

In line with this play on contrasts, it’s actually pretty near impossible to tell what the hell the place even is, unless you’re in the know, or a loaded up wedding guest finds themselves playing horizontal on the nature strip outside.

With all the new wedding venues Melbourne has on offer, Half Acre are a giant, well-oiled diamond (if that’s a thing). Half Acre itself was previously an industrial complex, and retains a lot of that gritty charm in it’s warehouse interior. Half Acre is split into several different areas, giving an enormous range of opportunity for a smaller ceremony indoors, over to their large, high-roofed reception hall.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Half Acre website: https://www.halfacre.com.au/
Half Acre Wedding gallery: Food and Desire
Venue size: Seated: 264, Cocktail: 400

Melbourne Wedding Venue
See more of Biancas incredible Le Louvre wedding dress at this list of the most unique wedding dresses in Melbourne.
Melbourne Wedding Venues
Half Acre Portraits | Wedding Venue Location: South Melbourne | Photo: Briars Atlas

4. Fitzroy wedding venue: Panama Dining Room (New York Style Wedding Venue)
Wedding Venue Location: Collingwood

The grand-master of unique, alternative wedding venues in Melbourne. Beer-soaked carpets, wistful homages to Dave the hot bassist etched into the bathroom walls, and the shady corner where your insouciant friend got lucky.

These are a few things that you definitely won’t find at Panama Dining room anymore.

When stepping into this cavernous room filled with giant arch windows you might be forgiven that in it’s past-life as a music venue in the heartland of the pub-scene, the majestic gateways of Panama Dining Room looking into and around the city were completely covered up.

Since being exposed in all their glory, Panama Dining Room has staked its claim as one of Melbournes best open-bar, dining-hybrid venues, and if you gently squint, it’s easy to imagine yourself in the warehouse-loft of a pre-crash Wall St tycoon in the 80s.

So squint, dear friend, bring that cigar to the lips, and inhale that sweet, sweet smell of pre-2007 venue tobacco laws, while you imagine yourself in that steamy machine of systemic exploitation known as wall st.

Fortunately for those of the stamina variety, Panama did carry one little thing over from it’s days as a live music venue: a 1am liquor license.

So party on, dear aspirational Gordon Gecko.

The Panama Dining Room is located in the heart of Smith St, which places it in beautiful proximity to some of the most iconic and historical parts of Melbournes oldest suburb, Fitzroy. That puts it at arms length away from an incredible lot of great portrait opportunities that can be had even with just a quick little sprint away from the Panama.


Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Panama Dining Room websitewww.thepanama.com.au
Venue size: 160 guests seated, 220 standing

5. State Library of Victoria – Melbourne City Wedding Venue

Wedding Venue Location: Melbourne CBD

Bookworms by day, dancefloor worms by night: State Library Victoria is the poster-child for a venues ability to play Jekyll, Hyde, and all their far-removed cousins, and might just be our cities most slumbering giant gem.

Unique Wedding Venues Melbourne

There’s much to be said for nostalgia. It is after all, the reason why we fought tooth and nail for an (ill-fated, but I digress) Hey Hey it’s Saturday revival wayback when, and why the the whiff of a can of Lynx can suddenly remove two decades of time and space for those in the mid-30’s bracket.

The savvy folk at Showtime events and caretakers of State Library Victoria know the value of nostalgia, and so they know that once the lukewarm memories of higher education and it’s study pressures have faded into memory, there’s nothing more appealing than inhaling an Espresso Martini and double-stack of canapes in one of the worlds most extravagantly beautiful study halls.

Enter the unusual wedding venue, State Library Victoria.

Thankfully to the mad hatters at SLV, there are a total of five separate, incredibly distinct spaces in which to host your wedding, that can cater from the intimate to over 500 guests. So whether you’ve spent your days as a cave dwelling misanthrope or have as many friends as Tom from Myspace, you’re probably covered.

The lay of the land at State Library Victoria starts at the obviously decadent La Trobe Reading Room, throws a curveball of art via the Cowen Gallery, and ends at the recently revitalised Ian Potter Queens Hall, with the glorious North Rotunda and Isabelle Fraser room in between, taking the crown as one of the more unusual wedding venues we have going.

The State Library of Victoria, as well as having a variety of rooms that would be the envy of a Labrynth-trotting Bowie, is smack in the heart of the CBD – lending itself to plenty of beautiful portrait opportunities, classic Melbourne laneways and beyond, and is one of the more left of centre alternative wedding venues in Melbourne.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
State Library of Victoria websitehttps://venues.slv.vic.gov.au/wedding/
Venue size:
Isabelle Fraser Room: 156 Banquet 220 Cocktail
Ian Potter Queens Hall: 290 Banquet 500 Cocktail
La Trobe Reading Room: 520 Cocktail
North Rotunda: 60 Banquet 90 Cocktail
Cowen Gallery: 220 Banquet 350 Cocktail

State Library Wedding Melbourne

 

6. Longsong – Warehouse Wedding Venue

Wedding Venue Location: Melbourne CBD

Longsong is what happens when a collective of design-centred mavens pair with culinary master David Moyle, and point their magic towards an historic old Melbourne horse stable in the middle of chinatown.

Alternative Wedding venues in Melbourne - Longsong wedding

Majestic tall ceilings, a wave of paper lanterns above and original brick floors from this converted 1900s space, JCB Architects added another space to a growing list of venues in Melbourne keeping as many sympathetic roots to the original uses of the structure as possible, while allowing it to stand alone as progressive and stylish. Add a dash of quirky photographic genius on entry and you have yourselves one serve of Longsong.

Longsong is the benchmark in subtle, sprawling classy alternative vibes in Melbourne, with a 2-tier open space that lets you know exactly what it’s all about as soon as you walk in.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Longsong website: https://longrainmelbourne.com/
Longsong Wedding Gallery: Together Journal
Venue size: Up to 200 people

7. Gather & Tailor – Warehouse Wedding Venue

Wedding Venue Location: West Melbourne

Gather and Tailor takes an old inner-city warehouse, and puts it in the hands of the genius, quirky captains of wedding hospitality, Nudo.

Alternative Wedding venues in Melbourne - Gather and Tailor

5km out of the CBD, smack-against a bunch of shipping containers and an old-school automotive garage, it initially feels like you aren’t quite allowed to have all that room and calm all to yourself – but then you lean into it, and in return are gifted with one of the most unassumingly mighty warehouse experiences in Melbourne, and a small nod to a classic New York warehouse.

With the seasoned hands of the Nudo team and their hospitality empire at your fingertips, Gather and Tailor is a modular set of spaces, and the perfect blank canvas where you can call in as much or as little of the in-house styling as you need.

Check out Ash and Karan’s glorious Gather and Tailor wedding, at one of my favourite wedding venues near me.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Gather & Tailor website: www.gatherandtailor.com.au
Gather & Tailor wedding gallery: Gather and Tailor wedding
Venue size: Pretty damn big, mate. 300 seated, 450 standing (Across two physical spaces).

Alternative Wedding venues in Melbourne - Gather and Tailor outside
Alternative Wedding venues in Melbourne - Gather and Tailor

8. The Deck at Circa – Classy Wedding Venue

Best Wedding Venues Melbourne
Circa The Prince Deck| Wedding Venue Location: St Kilda | Photo: Briars Atlas

The Deck at Circa is nested on the rooftop of the Prince Hotel, in sun-drenched St Kilda. The Deck itself is an expansive, as you’d imagine, deck, with a large covered interior space, and access to some of the other incredible events and wedding spaces inside the Prince Hotel.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
The Deck website: https://theprince.com.au/prince-deck/
The Deck wedding gallery: The Deck Circa Wedding
Venue size: Sit down – 120 guests. Cocktail – 500 guests

9. Quat Quatta – Art Deco Wedding Venues Ripponlea

Unique Wedding Venues Melbourne
Quat Quatta| Wedding Venue Location: Ripponlea | Photo: Briars Atlas

Quat Quatta contains some of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful interiors and exteriors around (check out Burnham Beeches for another), and the breadth of portrait opportunities on-site both inside and outside are unbeatable. A festooned outdoor area makes for a glorious intimate ceremony space, before the party is carried inside, making the combination of these things raise Quat Quatta as one of the most incredibly unique art deco wedding venues Melbourne has going.

But, let’s just hold off on all the adjectives and hyperbole for a hot damn minute, though: because something about this venue in particular isn’t talked about nearly enough: the bridal suites.

These old heritage rooms at the wings of Quat Quatta, apart from being a pretty splendid place to get all that bridal-suite stuff done (application of bandaids, eating of cupcakes, necking of champagne, and whatever else goes on in there), are totally gorgeous and a way under-appreciated part of the venues makeup, and one of my favourite areas of the building to take portraits on the day.

If art deco is your vibe, Quat Quatta is a place of wild charm and a more traditional-looking outpost that holds more than it’s own with plenty of variety. Check out this Quat Quatta wedding for a lay of the land. One of the most majestic art deco reception venues Melbourne has on offer.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Quat Quatta websitewww.quatquatta.com.au
Quat Quatta wedding gallery: Quat Quatta wedding
Venue size: Pretty big, mate. 300 seated, 450 standing (Across two physical spaces)

10. Luminare – Rooftop Wedding Venue

Best Wedding Venues Melbourne
Luminare| Wedding Venue Location: South Melbourne | Photo: Briars Atlas

Luminare is a wedding venue in Melbourne that has become something of a go-to for all things lush and grand, and I find that folks who are drawn to Luminare are also drawn to The Deck (up above) and The George Ballroom (further down this page).

Luminare is a giant, high-roofed events and wedding space, with an enormous deck that runs the full length of the floor, set against their iconic view of the city. This boutique wedding venue is located just a stones throw from the Melbourne CBD, and for folks considering Metropolis Events, this is a brilliant alternative with a similar feel, and including unmatched views of Melbourne via it’s rooftop.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Luminare website: https://luminare.net.au/
Luminare Wedding gallery: Luminare Wedding
Venue size: 250 guests seated, 500 guests cocktail

11. Brunswick Mess Hall – Quirky Wedding Venue

Unique Wedding Venues Melbourne
Brunswick Mess Hall | Wedding Venue Location: Brunswick | Photo: Briars Atlas

Brunswick mess hall is one of the more unique, casual wedding venues Melbourne has to offer, with a warehouse vibe set in the heart of Brunswick. Somewhat akin in functionality to it’s spiritual cousin Revolver in Prahran, the Brunswick Mess Hall is a restaurant by day, and party-space by night when a wedding is on. Minus the next new thing in electro-dubstep resetting everyones resting heart-rate, or coke-buzzed charlitans in the urinal offering you the key to manifesting abundance.

Brunswick Mess Hall has some of the most gorgeous natural light coming through later in the day, and some brilliant portrait locations in the surrounding streets that make a quick quest out into this quirky neighbourhood at sunset deliver an abundance of opportunities without dragging you away from the party for too long.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Brunswick Mess Hall website: https://thebrunswickmesshall.com.au/
Brunswick Mess Hall Wedding Gallery: On Polka Dot Bride
Venue size: 130 guests seated, 200 guests cocktail

Best Wedding Venues Melbourne
Brunswick Mess Hall Wedding | Wedding Venue Location: Brunswick | Photo: Briars Atlas

12. Fortyfive Downstairs – Small Warehouse Wedding Venues

Unique Wedding Venues Melbourne
45 Downstairs | Wedding Venue Location: Melbourne City | Photo: Briars Atlas

Fortyfive Downstairs is Melbournes best Art Gallery Wedding Venue, and one of the most unique venues Melbourne has on offer. At first glance, for the parents out there, it might bring up the hairs on the back of the neck in the same way that letting toddlers loose around fine china does, but the reality of the space is quite the opposite.

Fortyfive Downstairs is a warming, welcoming space with unique beautiful rotating art on it’s walls, sat a few floors up from it’s incredible, cavernous warehouse space in the basement.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Fortyfive Downstairs website: https://www.fortyfivedownstairs.com/
Fortyfive Downstairs Wedding Gallery: Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Venue size: 160 guests seated, 300 guests cocktail

13. Glasshaus – Casual Wedding Venues

Best Wedding Venues Melbourne
Glasshaus Wedding | Wedding Venue Location: Richmond | Photo: Briars Atlas

Glasshaus has two distinct wedding event spaces: Glasshaus Inside, and Glasshaus Outside.

Fun fact: Glasshaus inside has an outside outside of Inside’s inside, and inside Glasshaus Outside Glasshaus Inside could probably fit.

Etc.

Glasshaus is something of a beautiful aviary in a jungle, and nearly tucked inside a front that doesn’t lend you any idea of it being there. A brilliantly unique wedding venue just a stones throw from the city.

Glasshaus Inside is a warehouse jungle, and no other descriptors will do any justice to the space. If you’re looking for venues similar to Rupert on Rupert, this is the answer south of the river.

See more at this Glasshaus Wedding

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Glasshaus website: https://www.fortyfivedownstairs.com/
Venue size: 88 guests seated, 125 guests cocktail

14. George Ballroom – Unique Wedding Venues Victoria

Best Wedding Venues Melbourne
The George Ballroom Wedding | Wedding Venue Location: St Kilda | Photo: Briars Atlas

The George Ballroom is one of the most decadent wedding venues going, and a brilliant example of just how incredible and modular a single room can be. Iconic textured, distressed walls and fixtures, and much like Rupert, the kind of place you can just point a phone camera at in any direction and come out with art. This unique wedding venue is in St Kilda, just a short jaunt from the Melbourne CBD.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
The George Ballroom website: https://www.thegeorgeballroom.com.au/
Venue size: 150 guests seated, 200 guests cocktail

15. Collingwood Wedding Venues: Altar Electric (Eclectic Wedding Venue)

Alternative Wedding Venues Melbourne
The Altar Electric | Wedding Venue Location: Collingwood | Photo: Briars Atlas

Before pandemics and global disarray, The Altar Electric were ahead of the curve before flattening it was a thing, serving up small (see here for why small wedding venues are the best), funky, intimate weddings in their brilliant chapel in Collingwood, designed by the genius event and wedding stylists over at Good Day Club. There are always new wedding venues Melbourne has popping up, but these folk stand out from the rest, and Altar Electric takes the crown as one of the more unusual, alternative wedding venues in town.

The Altar Electric is a wedding chapel for three kinds of folks:

1 – Couples who were probably going to book a registry wedding, but wanted a little bit more sass to the occasion (and still prefer to find more reasonably priced wedding venues)

2 – Couples who want Australias answer to the Vegas Chapel wedding

3 – Couples who want to get in, get it done in an incredible and colourful way, and get out into enjoying their day together around Fitzroy and Collingwood

The Altar Electric is one of the most unique venues Melbourne has going and one of the most amazing places to get married in Melbourne, providing everything from intimate shotgun weddings, all the way up to options for a larger number of guests inside the peach-toned walls of their tiny chapel.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
The Altar Electric website: https://www.thealtarelectric.com.au/
The Altar Electric Wedding Gallery: The Altar Electric Wedding
Venue size: 30, to up to 70 if the outside area is used

16. Fyansford Paper Mill – Heritage Wedding Venue

Unique Wedding Venues Melbourne
Fyansford Paper Mill Site 2A | Wedding Venue Location: Geelong | Photo: Briars Atlas

I had to include this one for all the Lord of the Rings fans out there. This doesn’t quite fit the bill for Melbourne, as it’s just outside of it, but is something of a secret wedding venue worth checking out, and one of the best places to get married in Victoria.

Before I give the exact location as a potential turn-off, it’s worth saying that if you can stomach sitting in traffic on Punt Rd for an hour to move just 150 metres, then you can also put up with making your way over to Geelong to this beauty, and there’s no trip more worthy than to see this incredibly unique wedding venue just a short haul from Melbourne.

I still believe Fyansford Paper Mill is one of our real undiscovered gems that should be right at the top of any wedding venue consideration inside Victoria, and unfortunately it’s even tough to get a sense of how brilliant this place is from a proper google search, you almost have to just roll up and see it for yourself.

Cavernous interior, split into two distinct spaces joined by what is an iconic archway in between them, it’s impossible to think this place exists just a short roadie out of the city.

Fyansford Paper Mill – otherwise known ever so romantically as Site 3A – is run by prolific caterers and party-starters Truffleduck.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
Fyansford Paper Mill Website: Truffleduck
Fyansford Paper Mill Wedding Gallery: Fyansford Paper Mill Wedding
Venue size: 30, to up to 70 if the outside area is used

17. Footscray Wedding Venue The Line (Warehouse Venue)

Unique Wedding Venues Melbourne
The Line Footscray | Wedding Venue Location: Footscray | Photo: Briars Atlas

The Line in Footscray takes all the grit, texture, and industrial charm of recently gentrifying Footscray and… leaves all it the hell alone.

Perfect.

Just as every developer with a string of graduate architects are discovering Fisher and Paykel My First Geometry lessons on exterior cladding in the suburb, the folks at The Line have kept the original spirit of the area alive in this rough around the edges gem of a space, and it’s one of the most moody wedding venues near me as a westsider.

The Line is a blank-canvas wedding venue, and you know you’re in good hands when the venue is run by a team that also see their space used regularly for community, arts, and market events, which is something of a rarity.

To see The Line in action, pick yourself up a copy of the September 2020 edition of Hello May, where you can see the gorgeous and colourful celebration of Pepe and Sam gracing it’s pages with this unique wedding venue set as their brilliant canvas.

Enquire about their Melbourne Wedding Packages
The Line Website: https://www.theline.melbourne/
The Line Wedding Gallery: Hello May Wedding Photographer
Venue size: Up to 200 people

Unique Wedding Venues Melbourne
The Line Wedding | Wedding Venue Location: Footscray | Photo: Briars Atlas

18. French restaurant wedding venue: Reine and La Rue

An ambitious undertaking from the Nomad group, Reine and La Rue lives inside an iconic neo-gothic structure on Collins St, and you can expect to walk in to the cavernous cathedral room of Reine, and inside that find La Rue, an 8-seater speakesy nested inside.

Enquire about Reine and La Rue Melbourne Wedding Packages
Reine and La Rue Website: https://reineandlarue.melbourne/
Reine and La Rue Wedding Gallery: Reine and La Rue Wedding
Venue size: Up to 300 people

What are the best indoor wedding venues in Melbourne?

My favourites from the venues listed on this page are Rupert on Rupert, Quat Quatta and Newport Substation.

What are the best outdoor wedding venues in Melbourne?

Most of the wedding venues on this page are indoor, so if you’re looking for the best outdoor wedding venue, I recommend checking out this list of the best parks for weddings.

What are the best winery wedding venues?

My vote goes to Stones of the Yarra Valley. While you’re here, check out this planning guide for Yarra Valley Weddings.

Inexpensive wedding venues?

For inexpensive weddings, it’s hard to go past the all-inclusive planning team at I Do Drive Thru who can host your intimate wedding in a park, venue, or anywhere you can think of.

Wedding night accommodation Melbourne?

The best accommodation for the night of your Melbourne wedding is something close by. Try Air BnB, or QT hotel on Russel St for a modern hotel experience.

Can you shoot my wedding on analog Kodak film?

I sure can, and have even taken out an award as the best analog film wedding photographer in the world (#blush). You can find out more about why I shoot film here and why you should book film wedding photos: film wedding photographer

What’s the best photo booth in Melbourne?

We’re biased since we’re part owners, but we think you should check out this incredible new Vanity Fair photo booth – it’s the first of it’s kind in this industry.

Hope you enjoyed checking out some of the best wedding venues Melbourne has on offer.

There. 18 (eighteen) of the best unique wedding venues in Melbourne, for lovers and anarchists.

Author and all photos by: Briars Atlas. Photos may be only used with a link back to this page.

This made the list a little late, but be sure to also check out this Two Ton Max wedding. For unique wedding venues in new South Wales, check out this beautiful Sydney Theatre Company wedding. For a unique Mornington Peninsula wedding venue (head here for Mornington Peninsula wedding photographer), you need to check out Tanglewood Estate or head here for some more great wedding venues on mornington peninsula. Make sure you also load up your day with an incredible Melbourne Wedding Videographer.

Hire me to photograph your Melbourne wedding (if you want)

Just whack this link – Melbourne wedding photographer

Going intimate? Looking for a small Melbourne wedding venue?

Check out the best 17 Small Wedding Venues in Melbourne, and a preview of ten of them below.

Castlemaine Wedding Venues

Dec 17, 2020

These are four of my favourite Castlemaine Wedding Venues, including photos taken at each of brilliant couples choosing to have their wedding in this rustic region.

It’s really late at night, and i’m writing this article for you, dear human-person, on the other end, and i’m supposed to use all this coercive langue that apparently makes internet websites more engaging and all that (“you’ll never BELIEVE how rusticly-rustic to the power of rustic these are”), but, let’s skip all that cheap shit and get to the point, because you’re better than that (it’s a Castlemaine thing).

Castlemaine is incredibly rad, otherwise you wouldn’t be on this post or considering a wedding in the area, and I want to share some great spaces from this totally marvellous region.

I’ve spent a tonne of time out there, and as a general thing within the universe, a visit to it is generally recognised as being far more desirable than a slap over the noggin with a wet fish, so have a look at these scallywags that thought the same, and hire me to shoot your wedding.

The Best Castlemaine wedding venues

1. Providence Gully
2. Butterland Newstead
3. The Diggers Store
4. The Cosmopolitan hotel

1. Providence Gully

Providence gully is a gem of the area, an incredible oasis established in 1858. With a rustic barn, olive grovee, pomegranite orchards and an endless variety of native greenery, this understated marvel is a must see.

I photographed the wedding of Amy and Bronson, held in this precious place, and featured in all it’s glory on Hello May.

Find Providence Gully

Providence Gully website: http://providencegully.com.au/

2. Butterland Newstead

Katie (othewise known at the inimitable Katie Marx flowers – see her here on Melbournes best wedding florists) and Greg run Butterland Newstead, and took it from an historic factory needing a little DIY love, into and incredibly versatile venue just one good road trip out of Melbourne

Iro and Alex got married at this spectacular property, and you can see more of these hilarious, stylish marvels featured here on Together Journal.

Find Butterland Newstead

Butterland Newstead website: https://www.butterland.com.au/

3. The Diggers Store

The Diggers Store is something of an understated gem of the area, and resembles something of an impossible mix of tiny italian clifftop homestead, mixed with rustic outback, and just a couple of hours north of Melbourne.

After their Queenstown Elopement (also featured here on Hello May), Lilli and Jake brought the party, and their beautiful community, to the intimate grounds of the Diggers Store in Castlemaine, and loaded up with a bunch of strange old film cameras (see here why I shoot film at weddings) I came along for the ride to document it.

Find the Diggers Store

The Diggers Store website: http://www.thediggersstore.com.au/

4. The Cosmopolitan Hotel

This one slipped into this post, just. Even though it’s about 40 minutes outside of Castlemaine, it still qualifies and is well worth adding to the Castlemaine venue consideration pile. Home of beautiful hospitality, wood-fired pizzas, and plenty of beautiful portrait locations in the surrounding regions to run around in. Go for the woodfired pizzas, and get married on the side.

Kara and Marty had their Castlemaine wedding at the Cosmopolitan hotel in Trentham, and we whipped out for a beautiful portrait session in some unique spots nearby. Head here to see more of their Cosmopolitan Hotel wedding.

Find the Cosmopolitan hotel

The Cosmopolitan Hotel Trentham website: https://www.thecosmopolitanhotel.com.au/

Check out this post for rustic wedding venues in Melbourne, or on the other side of Victoria, have a look at these Mornington Peninsula wedding venues. For something on the complete other end of the dial, check out this Melbourne city Luminare wedding.

Hire me as your Castlemaine Wedding Photographer

Briars Atlas Wedding Photography – enquire

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Picnic Styling Co popup picnic setup

Nov 15, 2020

Picnic Styling Co in Melbourne create popup picnic experiences for small weddings, events, brand activations, gatherings and more. The brainchild of Havana (also behind Saint Germain and partner to Gene, founder of my local caffiene dispensry Advieh), Picnic Styling Co hit the ground with their incredible innovative packages well before Covid forced everyone’s hand and could no longer book a wedding venue, and for the last year they’ve been Melbournes leading popup picnic creators. This is a great option if you’re looking for advice on how to get married quickly in Australia.

Picnic Styling Co Melbourne

Marlena and Warwick had a small wedding created by I Do Drive Thru, after which Warwick took Marlena to a surprise picnic in Footscray styled and setup with love by Picnic Styling Co.

Popup Picnic Styling Co Melbourne
Popup Picnic Styling Co Melbourne
Popup Picnic Styling Co Melbourne
Picnic Styling Co Melbourne
Picnic Styling Co Melbourne
Use their own provided blooms, or add some extra from a great wedding florist in Melbourne.
Picnic Styling Co Melbourne
Picnic Styling Co Melbourne
Grazing board Melbourne picnic

Pop Up Picnic Hire Melbourne

Picnic Styling Co Melbourne

Picnic Styling Co have several offings, from group picnics, to couples picnics, outdoor movie night picnics, garden parties and more. You can choose from 6 styles and colour schemes, once you’ve selected the type of popup picnic hire that you’re after.

Melbourne Picnic Styling Company

Picnic Styling Co Melbourne

Picnic Styling Co offer a Marrakech collection and Luxe collection, which broadly cover more middle-eastern styling sensibilities as well as more streamlined, monochrome and boho picnic styling. You can customise any of the packages with a range of seating, cutlery, drink tray, cane-table options and much more.

Find Picnic Styling Co

Melbourne Picnic Styling Company

Picnic Styling Co Website http://www.picnicstylingco.com/
Picnic Styling Co Instagram https://www.instagram.com/picnicstylingco/
Picnic Styling Co Facebook https://www.facebook.com/picnicstylingco/

Hire me to photograph your small wedding or Pop Up Picnic (if you want)

Based in Melbourne, I photograph small weddings and elopements here there and everywhere for brilliant couples (just like you). Also head here to check out some of the best small wedding venues Melbourne has going.

Wedding photography meeting

Wedding Photography Melbourne: Briars Atlas – Enquire

Oct 8, 2020

Here’s a preview of the gorgeous Vogue Wedding of Zoe and Adam married at the incredible Leura Amphitheatre in the Blue Mountains, before heading over to their wedding reception at the Hydro Majestic Hotel. These two adventurers and sweethearts wear everything on their sleeves, maybe best shown when Adam took a detour with Zoe and their crew into a private room before their reception at the Hydro Majestic, where the Blue Mountains String Quartet played a piece that Adam had written with them in secret ahead of time. Magic stuff.

Thanks Vogue Australia for sharing these two marvels. See their full Vogue wedding feature here.

Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding
Hydro Majestic Blue Mountains Wedding
Hydro Majestic Blue Mountains
Hydro Majestic Blue Mountains on Vogue
Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding
Vogue Wedding

See their full Vogue Wedding

See more information on Blue Mountains Wedding Photography, or for a different flavour of wedding venue in Sydney, check out this Beta Bar Wedding.

Sep 10, 2020

Glasshaus Outside and Glasshaus Inside are two brilliant sister wedding venues in Richmond (the latter in Cremorne, depending on how you look at it). A Glasshaus Wedding is like nothing else, in this unique jungle setting that can only come from a wedding venue that also operates as a nursery during the day (side-note: be sure to check out these other small wedding venues while you’re here).

Glasshaus Wedding

The team at Glasshaus are master party-starters as much as they are master green-thumbs. So you can pick up your carbon-offset during the day, and then knock down drinks in this incredible sleepy jungle of an evening.

This video from Jo McAuliffe is a great insight to how the space looks by day.

Glasshaus Inside Wedding

Glasshaus Inside Wedding
Glasshaus Inside Wedding

A Glasshaus Inside wedding leaves guests wondering what scene from a Tim Burton film they’ve walked into, as the place is something of a unique fantasy land. Or maybe that was my 5th Negroni speaking. Either way the walls are lined with beautiful greenery, and it’s the best realisation of an urban jungle that you’re likely to walk into.

Glasshaus Outside Wedding

Over the road a short jaunt away, a Glasshaus Outside Wedding happens under a transparent nursery roof, in a jungle that in many ways is similar to Glasshaus Inside, except with the industrial warehouse feel replaced by open air as you walk though gentle canopies of greenery in the more exposed setting.

Plenty of beautiful gritty Richmond streets surrounding the area make it the ideal loop for wedding portraits, and so it’s a no-brainer that for couples having their wedding ceremony at Glasshaus Outside and then moving the party to Glasshaus Inside, the portraits can be done during that walk between venues.

Top reasons people book a Glasshaus Wedding

  1. Blank canvas space, in a jungley kinda way
  2. Both Glasshaus Inside and Glasshaus Outside are 5 mins from Richmond station
  3. You can host your wedding between both venues, breaking up your day for your guests

Book Your Glasshaus Wedding Venue Tour

Glasshaus Florist website: https://glasshausfloristonline.com/

Wedding Venues Similar to Glasshaus

If you’re looking for a wedding venue similar to Glasshaus, it’s hard to go past Collingwoods Rupert on Rupert. Not a nursery by day, the space operates instead as an iconic casual restaurant that can transorm into any number of arrangements for events and weddings.

Venues Like Glasshaus Rupert

To see more images of Rupert on Rupert, head here to see Tim and Alix’s Rupert on Rupert Wedding, and for more venues like this, check out some of the best small wedding venues Melbourne has on offer.

Glasshaus Wedding
Glasshaus Wedding
Glasshaus Wedding
Glasshaus Wedding
Glasshaus Wedding

Hire me to photograph your Glasshaus Inside Wedding or Glasshaus Outside Wedding

Briars Atlas Wedding Photography – Enquire

Fyansford Paper Mill Site 3a

Jul 11, 2020

The Fyansford Paper Mill (otherwise known as the Old Paper Mills or Site 3a by Truffleduck) hosts weddings and events just outside of Geelong in the historic corner of Fyansford at Provenance Wines, in what is an absolute little treasure of the area, just minutes from the Geelong city centre. Take a look at this Fyansford Paper Mill Wedding Pre-enactment with the inimitable Georgie Boy.

I spent half a day in it’s incredible stone walls with Melbourne florist Gina (Georgie Boy), making use of the space and each of us following our noses in our respective crafts, with no end-goal in mind but to make something together in the 3 hours spent there. More from this shoot and a little short-film we created at the papermill to be released soon.

Scroll to the bottom for information on hiring for a Fyansford Paper Mill Wedding (or epic battle, midnight ritual, the world’s your oyster).

Fyansford Paper Mill Site 3a Wedding
Fyansford Paper Mill Site 3a main room divider
Red Rose
Fyansford Paper Mill Wedding
Fyansford Paper Mill Site 3a
Georgie Boy Florist
Georgie Boy Florist
Georgie Boy Florist
Georgie Boy Florist
Georgie Boy Florist
Moor dark and moody wedding photos here.
Fyansford Paper Mill Site 3a Wedding

Book your Fyansford Paper Mill wedding

Fyansford Paper Mill Site 3a is managed by Truffleduck catering.

Fyansford Paper Mill is something of an internet enigma, and has less of a presence than you might expect for a venue that resembles an impossibly beautiful run-down italian castle, just sitting at the edge of Geelong.

Dating back to the precincts industrial era, the Fyansford Paper Mills look like something more likely to have been plucked from the minds of Peter Jacksons set-design team than a venue just outside of Melbourne that you can actually hire for your wedding: enormous wooden beams, an impossibly high entrance divider between the two main stone rooms and a unique blank canvas unlike anywhere else.

Anyhow, you don’t need me frothing over it’s incredible blue-stone walls and regurgitating information you can find readily available on the Truffleduck website, but I will say that outside of an old palace on the side of an Italian cliff, there aren’t any venues i’ve been to that feel anything quite like this.

Old Paper Mills Geelong Capacity

Lower Section – 200 guests 
Upper Section – 160 guests
Cocktail Style – 380 guests

Fyansford Papermill Site 3a – Truffleduck
Truffleduck instagram


For venues like the Paper Mill outside of Geelong, see Alternative Wedding Venues in Melbourne.

Need a photographer for your Paper Mill wedding?

paper mill geelong wedding
paper mill geelong wedding
Fyansford Site 3a
Fyansford Site 3a
Fyansford Site 3a
Fyansford Site 3a
Fyansford Site 3a
Paper Mill Wedding
Paper Mill Wedding
Paper Mill Wedding
Paper Mill Wedding
Paper Mill Wedding

Hire me to photograph your Old Paper Mill Wedding.

briarsatlas.com

I DO Drive Thru wedding melbourne

Jul 8, 2020

I Do Drive Thru is a worldwide wedding startup, helping couples get hitched in the middle of Covid19 while adhering to the restrictions and saving the partying for later. Since launching in Melbourne as a drive through wedding service, it’s spread nationally, and has since popped up all over the USA. Melbourne wedding celebrant Mel (who also moonlights as The Ceremony Store) runs us through why it started and how it’s helped couples all over the world.

Who are you and what do you do at I Do Drive Thru?

I’ve been a Marriage and Funeral Celebrant for 15 years and own the companies, The Ceremony Store, The I Do Drive Thru and The Last Time.  I am also a Celebrant Trainer with Australian Celebrations Training, Furniture Maker, Writer, Mother and Wife but I have always wanted to be an Electrician.

I am obsessed with learning as much as I can in this lifetime, I am perpetually curious. I try one new task every year until I get good at it, then I move on: I have learnt lock-picking, languages, carpentry, metal-detecting, and written a book.

I Do Drive Thru

When COVID 19 became a part of our world I was given medical advice to isolate which meant I could no longer do weddings. The next day I gave away/rescheduled 17 weddings and it was, to say the least; devastating, not just for me, but for my couples. Not only that, I felt horribly guilty giving my weddings to other Celebrants who could possibly get COVID.

That night I lay awake thinking about how I could keep those Celebrants safe and keep working from home during COVID.

To digress, I have always been a bit obsessed with Vegas style weddings and in my early Celebrancy career, I used to ride my red postie motorbike to weddings dressed as Elvis. It just seemed pretty natural that Vegas-vibed drive thru weddings and getting couples to stay in their cars while getting married and keeping the Celebrant distanced was the answer to all of my problems.

The next morning I texted 3 of the most awesome Celes I know, said let’s start this business, and all of them said yes without hesitation and 8 days later, we had a business name, logo, website and a press release. On our launch day we had over 32 calls from the press, 10 enquiries and booked our very first wedding.

Just by chance, my co-founders Kate, Zena and Klara were the perfect combo to get everything going, and the main driver between all of us was the passion to continue working while this crisis was going on around us. 

We all love what we do and while we all kind of felt like sitting around grieving for what we had lost, we forced ourselves to build something new to fit with the changed times. Our catch cry became ‘we will work that out later’ as the business moved so incredibly quickly.

I honestly believe that anyone can do anything they set their mind to, impossible isn’t in my vocabulary. Any skill can be learned, any work can be completed no matter what limits there are, so we worked 19-20 hours days for that first week and we pulled it off.

The most rewarding thing about starting the business was the instant gratification we got with the media interest, we knew that our idea was good and the public interest confirmed that.

I Do Drive Thru seemed to grow incredibly quickly. How has it felt seeing it take off, and at such scale?

I Do Drive Thru
Klara McMurray celebrant in action for I Do Drive Thru.

My gorgeous co-founders put so much trust in me right from the get go. We organised everything via phone, zoom and email, we have only sat in the same space once since we started the business, which is pretty incredible. 

On launch day, seeing Klara on the 6pm news launching our business was such an achievement and then to replicate that model in each state over and over and then in the US has been amazing!

We now have 21 Celebrants working Aus wide with us and 2 in the US.  

How has I Do Drive Thru seamlessly melted into the industry as it exists currently?

Celebrants weren’t the only people affected by COVID, it’s also the photographers, venue owners, car hire companies, florists, everyone has been affected in our industry. We worked hard to create a model that could encompass as many of these suppliers in local communities as possible, so they could be involved too. 

A huge benefit to our business has been that we managed to snag some of the best photographers in Australia to work with us and these artists have provided some of the most epic photos of ceremonies. 

Having these professional images to share with potential couples so they can see that tiny weddings can be so intimate and beautiful and moving has been incredible, a professional picture really is worth a thousand words.

Bringing work to all types of wedding industry professionals, while they were feeling pretty down about losing their own work, has given us all the warm fuzzies.

Have there been any themes to the type stories and couples coming through I Do Drive Thru?

Our couples really range in age, we have had couple in their 20’s to couple’s in their 80’s. The similarity between them is that they really want to get married, but feel like they don’t fit into the white wedding dress/getting given away by Dad/first dance scenario. We have had couples that have stayed in their car for the ceremony, gotten out and married under trees, created convoys so family and friends can come and watch and couples have arrived via cars, helicopters, motorbikes and bicycles.

My fave couple so far is a couple where the Bride recently became paraplegic and she is still getting used to navigating new places and feels a little self-conscious. 

Her Fiancé just wanted to marry her, because in his words, ‘she is the most amazing woman in the world’.  When they heard about the Drive Thru and she saw that she didn’t have to get out of the car and worry about wheelchair logistics, she cried, because this was the only way she felt comfortable getting married. 

How do you see both the future of weddings and your place within it at I Do Drive Thru?

I Do Drive Thru

COVID is going to be here for a while. It’s not going to magically disappear, and I honestly think this will impact the wedding industry for years. 

In the short term we have the uncertainty of not knowing when we can go back to booking big celebrations and it makes planning pretty impossible.

Then when restrictions are lifted then yes, technically, we can go back to bigger celebrations, but is it a celebration if you can’t hug your Nan when you walk back down the aisle? Is it a celebration if you can’t share a shot glass or eat bread out of the same breadbasket? 

The effects of social distancing will continue to live on, especially when it comes to celebrating that way that we are used to.

Celebrant Zena Lythgow in action for I Do Drive Thru with the Covid wedding Melbourne of Adriana and Caleb.

A surprising side-effect to this whole COVID scenario, is that suddenly eloping isn’t taboo, eloping makes you responsible, kinda like a hero, you are protecting your community by having a small wedding and that shift in thinking has been kinda rad.

People have been eloping because there isn’t the stigma attached to it anymore, heck the government practically endorsed eloping when you were only allowed to have the marrying couple and two witnesses present.

Any key advice for couples considering getting married during or after Covid19?

I Do Drive Thru

My advice to couples during COVID has been to follow your heart and remember that there is a huge difference between a marriage and a wedding. (Check out Will and Jac for Melbourne wedding planning). 

If you wanna get married, get married, do it, commit to your lover, that’s so important, don’t let COVID stop you. There is literally no better time to love and be loved than right now, having companionship during a crisis is what will get you through it.

When people ask what you did during COVID how totally romantic is it to say that you married your honey and then shacked up in iso together? (Side note – like this Blue Mountains Elopement).

I Do Drive Thru

If your heart is set on a wedding that encompasses family and friends, then wait, but wait until COVID is dead and gone and we can hug again.  Have a huge wedding down the track, when you can handshake and dance, but you will have to be patient.  

And for those that want both, do it! Have the most romantic, sweet tiny ceremony now and make it all about each other, then have a huge wedding party later on-best of both worlds.

There’s so many polarising stances on dealing with this from a business perspective, especially when small-business in the events space is exposed to the extreme end of the risk dial. What’s your advice to businesses navigating this sustainably, while continuing to place their couples first?

Running a business during a pandemic is tough. Terms and conditions/your contract/Statement of Fees documents are everything. Mine was pretty broad but certainly never covered a killer virus!

I always say to other Celebrants be tough on paper, but soft in reality. You have to have your rules in place, but be flexible, don’t forget everyone is going through something and creating relationships, and word of mouth recommendations in this business is what it is all about. 

I always rule with my heart and not my head, so I certainly don’t set the best example for other business owners, but I find if you treat people with kindness then that’s what you will get back.

What’s been a personal joy you’ve gotten through this whirlwind?

I have always gotten more out of what I do for others, than what I do for myself, so to create a business that has helped so people feel good and have a bit of purpose during COVID has probably been one of the most rewarding things I have done for a long time.

Find I Do Drive Thru online

I Do Drive Thru

I Do Drive Thru website
I Do Drive Thru instagram

All photos on this page are from I Do Drive Thru weddings by Briars Atlas. Images may be re-posted with credit and a link to this site.

For more info on how to get married during Covid 19 away from a drive thru wedding, check out these small wedding venues in Melbourne, and this information piece on having a Melbourne City elopement during Covid 19.

To have your small Melbourne City elopement filmed by the best wedding videographers in town, check out Bottlebrush Films as they’re doing filming for overseas guests and relatives who can’t make it.

yarra valley wedding venues

Jul 5, 2020

The Yarra Valley is one of the most totally majestic regions in Victoria, which you already know if you’re planning a wedding out that way. Yarra Valley Wedding venues are places that celebrate the natural beauty of the area, as well as the unique food, wine, and accommodation.

5 brilliant Yarra Valley Wedding Venues:

  1. Zonzo Estate 
  2. Stones of the Yarra Valley
  3. Yering Station
  4. Immerse Winery
  5. Vines of the Yarra Valley

Read on to find out exactly why these 5 have made it to my list. Each one offers something quite different. I obviously love wedding venues that have unique photo opportunities and sublime backdrops, and we are not short of them here. I also love it when venues have really thought about the couple and their guests’ whole experience, which given that the Yarra Valley is a little out of the city, is an important planning considerations. Whether that’s offering a bridal day room, onsite ceremony and accommodation, or an award winning dining experience, it’s those little extras that make your wedding in the Yarra Valley a brilliant experience for you and your guests.

This is a complete guide to having a wedding in the Yarra Valley that covers the very best venues available, accommodation for your guests, and extra things to do the day after.

The Best Yarra Valley wedding venes: outdoor wedding ceremony

As someone who grew up in the Yarra Valley, i’ve got a special passion for the are and it’s a treat to lay out some of my favourite spots in the region. These days I photograph weddings in the Yarra Valley year in and year out, (but a couple of decades ago it was tearing around the streets on a BMX instead).

To either of those, it’s got a special place in my heart and if it doesn’t yet have one in yours, it soon will.

By choosing to have a Yarra Valley Winery Wedding, you can treat yourselves and your guests to a dreamy mini getaway away from the rush of the city, soaking up all of the culinary wizardry and hospitality from the region.

A photograph of a reception at a yarra valley wedding venue

These Yarra Valley wedding venues are some of the best wedding locations Australia has to offer, let alone in Victoria. I’ve photographed a fair few Yarra Valley winery weddings in my time. They’re stunning. The evening sun pirouettes through the vines, and if you’re lucky, drops an incredible rainbow your way (looking at you, hills of Zonzo Estate).

There are an innumerable amount of Yarra Valley wedding venues to choose from, so I’ve compiled a short and sharp list from first hand experience for you to peruse and explore, sink your teeth into whilst navigating a latte like-say, etc.

Because this area of the world is so spectacular, i’ve also included some useful local insights to occupy yourselves with either side of your wedding day itself. It’s all well and good picking a ceremony and reception venue but that’s only half of the fun. Where will you get ready? Where will you sleep?

And.

Where will you cure the hangover?

I’ve looked into some dazzling accomodation for you and your guests to lay your heads. Being secluded and private on a vineyard is one thing, but people not being able to find the place or their way back to bed is another!

The accommodation I’ve picked is local to your potential venues so people aren’t spending too long travelling before or after. I’ve looked at a range of affordability too so everyone can enjoy this wonderland. It’s little things like this I find help the day run smoothly and keep spirits high.

Remember, there is going to be a lot of sore heads the next day so I‘ve snuck in a few great places to catch your first married bite the morning after too.

The Best Valley Wedding Venues

All of these venues are pretty marvellous in their own way, so these are listed in no particular order. When you go and visit them you’ll know which one is the one, and I recommend booking a meeting with their events coordinator to show you around. The awesome crew that run them, the wild scenery, the charming ceremony spaces and the versatile reception areas will all ring true with you in one way or another.

1. Yarra Valley Winery Wedding Venues: Zonzo Estate Yarra Valley

a photo of zonzo estate at sunset, one of the best yarra valley wedding venues

I’m kicking off my list with these maestros because this is a venue for the photos and the food! My two pleasures in life. I remember turning up at the Zonzo Estate in the Yarra Valley for the first time and being pretty knocked out by it’s rolling hills. Set in an old milking barn the emphatic main building with sloped roof, huge glass panelling and sleek interior design makes for an idyllic modern yet traditional setting. They have a particularly cute outdoor area under festoon lights where newlyweds do the ‘zonzo twirl’ contrasted by the evening’s sweeping landscape.

A bonus of this estate is that you can opt to have your actual ceremony on site with a choice of three glorious spaces overlooking the rolling hills. No chance of anyone getting lost en-route to this reception. The three options give you the chance to express yourself that little bit more, and make for a venue that you can make your own.

The real dark-horse of this place though, the gem of Zonzo Estate, is their Italian dining experience. Let’s face it, no one wants shit food at a wedding (this can’t be drilled home hard enough ahead of time). If guests taste buds are being tantalised, then the vibe is too (if you’re looking at a venue that doesn’t have onsite catering, make sure you check out this post about the best wedding caterers in Melbourne). People need fuel for the dance floor! Zonzo Estate have won several awards for their wedding restaurant reception so it’s official that their food is to die for. They’ve been in the business over a decade and know what they’re doing. Zonzo have their own wedding coordinators on site to help you make your Yarra Valley winery wedding dreams come to life in the most seamless and stress-free way, and they run like clockwork.

Intermission: be sure to check out my larger post on Zonzo Estate.

I love the shit out of being a part of couples wedding here – beautiful industrial structures juxtaposed with all things rustic, and a moving platter of beautiful vibes all on the one property. While you’re on the Zonzo train, you might also like these beautiful rustic wedding venues in Victoria.

Zonzo Estate Yarra valley: wedding venue specs

Zonzo Estate wedding venue capacity: 140 guests seated
Zonzo Estate Website: zonzo.com.au/weddings

2. Yarra Valley Wedding Venues: Stones of the Yarra Valley

a photo of stones of the yarra valley reception

Beforehand: be sure to check out my post on Stones of the Yarra Valley.

Stones of the Yarra Valley had cemented itself as a bit of an icon of the region, and is one of the busiest venues going. What this means for you, is that their wealth of experience in running lush, tightly run events, means that everything goes to plan. Their owner and sometimes coordinator, Vonnie, is just as much an icon of the industry as her venue.

It’s enormous grounds offer a variety of spaces to accommodate the day to your needs. There are several 19th century restored buildings with pristine gardens and vines, it really feels like being in Tuscany. These guys can host your whole day here or they even have sister smaller venues to host smaller reception only gigs. Whatever you want, the Stones of the Yarra Valley can deliver.

Let’s start with the stunning on site ‘Chapel’. It’s simple and elegant, the high ceilings and handcrafted woodwork make an alluring place to tie the knot in front of your nearest and dearest. After you’ve become newlyweds you can join your guests for drinks and little bites in the ‘Dairy’. I love this part of the day, there’s so much excitement and a proper buzz in the air. Go and give your guests a twirl in all your magnificence and lap up the love. The Stones of the Yarra Valley have absolutely smashed it when it comes to Yarra Valley wedding reception settings. Every seat in the house has a spectacular view of the scenery, all hosted from the sensational ‘Barn’. They’ve elevated the ceiling so it’s bright and airy in the daytime. They’ve got exposed wooden beams nestled against panoramic windows and impressive foliage externally. At night they have festoons and soft lighting for you and your guests to jive under, and for me to take some fantastically lit photos!

After all the fun is over, you can stagger down the road to the boutique ‘Farmhouse’ accommodation. I love onsite accommodation, it just takes one less logistical step out of the equation! Easy! Another logistical added extra these guys have is a bridal preparation room. Filled with mirrors and natural light, you and your party can be on site and get some extraordinary pre-wedding shots! Winner! Read below for more on their sister venues.

Stones of the Yarra valley: wedding venue specs

Stones of the Yarra Valley wedding venue capacity: 180 guests seated
Stones of the Yarra Valley Website: stonesoftheyarravalley.com

3. Yarra Valley Wedding Venues: Yering Station

a photo of a yering station wedding

Yering Station is one of the oldest wineries in the Yarra Valley. This wedding venue is truely and naturally ceremonial. This quintessential ceremony under the trees could be in Italy or France. The orchard  trees are ordered yet natural and needs minimal decoration (and the coverage stops everyone from squinting). 

Walk yourselves across the grounds toward the impressive main building. The incredibly serene reception room and scape are the epitome of elegance. The architecture oozes class and the grounds are ornate and mature. Everywhere you turn there is a photo opportunity. I love taking the couple away for their personal shots around the grounds, there are some really delicately lit hidden spots for those golden hour frames that are just priceless. This place really is a jewel. 

Lavished in history and grandiose views you just have to be there to soak it all up. The huge panoramic windows of the reception room mean you can be protected from the elements but cannot get away from the endless views. Every person in the room will be able to see them from any seat in the room. The exposed stone accents and overhead wooden beams look gorgeous in photos. They’ve got so much space for you and your guests to prance around in, it’s ace!

The little wins here include a bridal room which is light and airy, a wedding coordinator to help you from start to finish and get your guests in the right place at the right time and an unexpected quirk of a personal sommelier to match your menu to the gorgeous wines they have there! It’s not only the manicured grounds that are totally phenomenal, even the food looks incredible and sits perfectly on the long white tables. Have a look at their wedding packages here.

Also: check out my lengthy post on this Yering Station wedding.

Yering Station Yarra valley: wedding venue specs

Yering Station wedding venue capacity: 150 guests
Yering Station Website: yering.com

4. Yarra Valley Wedding Venues: Immerse Winery

a photo of an immerse yarra valley wedding ceremony

Before you dive in: check out this Immerse Yarra Valley wedding.

As soon as you arrive at this cataclysmic location you are wowed by one of the chapels (yes there are three options!). The ‘Vineyard Chapel’ has floor to ceiling striking windows looking out into the Sauvignon Blanc vines that draw you in. Then once you’re inside they frame the landscape astonishingly. This chapel keeps the elements out whilst still letting maximum nature in.

Their next option is the covered outdoor ‘Garden Chapel’. This is the perfect balance between inside and outside ceremonies. You’ll be wed in front of the most pristine ornamental lake and gardens. The photo opportunities are exquisite, believe me! However, if you want to go fully al fresco then their final ceremony option is ‘The Paddock’. You and your guests and nature, nothing else. I think it’s great when a venue has options, it really gives you a chance to customise your day to how YOU want it. It means that even if you’ve been to a wedding there before you can make yours different.

As I mentioned before, being in one place for the full day is a big bonus. This divine location offers 20 on site rooms and a stella restaurant alongside their multiple ceremony options. Their elegant and spacious bridal suite can be hired for you and your squad to get ready in before and you and your new husband to retire to after. No need to spend on transport, more time for epic dance moves! Winner! The 20 rooms also get complimentary breakfast in the morning which is pretty peachy too!

Finally, and probably most importantly, the main reason I love Immerse Yarra Valley wedding venue is because the family that owns it are stupendous. They are warm, welcoming and wonderful from start to finish. Making sure you, me and your guests have everything we need and more. You can’t buy that. There’s nothing worse than feeling stressed and disorganised with a wedding. Whether you’re having 20 or 220 guests, there is absolutely no chance of stress when they are involved. This is probably why they are so popular and highly rated all the time.

Immerse Yarra valley: wedding venue specs

Immerse Yarra Valley wedding venue capacity: 220 guests
Immerse Yarra Valley Website: immerse.com.au

5. Yarra Valley Winery wedding venue: Vines of the Yarra Valley

Rounding up this list is the incredible Vines of the Yarra Valley!

Vines of the Yarra Valley venue capacity: 150 guests
Vines of the Yarra Valley website: vinesoftheyarravalley.com.au

Small Wedding Venues Yarra Valley

All of the wonderful venues listed on this page can cater to large and small weddings, whether it’s 20 guests, 30 guests, 40 guests, 50 guests, 60 guests, 70 guests, all the way up to 100 guests or 150 guests.

Wedding Accommodation for your Yarra Valley Winery Wedding

So you’ve chosen your beautiful Yarra Valley winery wedding venue and now you need somewhere for you and your lovely guests to sleep. I’ve had a little think for you, from personal experience and from extensive industry research I’ve compiled a few ideas.

When choosing where to stay you probably should think about being well rested and within a decent distance from the Yarra Valley wedding venue you’ve chosen so that…

a) you’re not late

b) you can get to bed easily after the most magically mental day of your life! 

You also need somewhere that has enough room for you to get ready comfortably and that will make you feel special and relaxed on your first night as a married couple! Whoop! (The room needs to be bigger than the bed is what I’m saying). This is surprisingly hard to find sometimes. If you can get on-site accommodation then this takes out a lot of logistical planning and time from the day but not all winerys offer this. It’s more important to be in love with your venue than go for something less to your taste just because they have accommodation. 

A great and often overlooked option is to get an AirBnB. There are some pretty jazzy options in this area. You can hire a huge one between you and your closest friends and family or even just a secluded private one for your first few nights as a Mr and Mrs! Make sure there is enough room to get ready in with lots of natural light and mirrors if you’re hiring it for the night before. 

This ‘Rustic Luxury’ 6 person house is in the vines and is only a 10 minute drive from Stones of the Yarra Valley Winery. Or why not get yourself a secluded villa with a pool for you and the girls to enjoy before the big day? If you really want to be in nature and away from it all then Olinda Yarra Cottage offers a cute farm stay option for up to 6 people and has beautiful farm views for the pre-wedding photos and for soothing weary heads.

It’s your big day, spoil yourself! The Kangaroo Manor is a spacious, modern, wooden, secluded, sophisticated, mega-mansion with a pool in the hills. It sleeps 7 people and it’s about 35 minutes from the wineries I’ve listed hidden down a farm track. It is honestly breathtaking! You get so much more space for your money in these kinds of places rather than in hotels.

If you’d rather have most people in the same place then there are a plethora of really bloody nice hotels in the area too. The Chateau Yering Hotel is a slice of renaissance style luxury if that’s your thing. This is only a short walk away from the Yering Station Estate and is commonly used as their accommodation option. Their good relationship with the winery can really help with organising things too. Check your dates for this one though as it can also be used as a wedding venue because it’s so suave!

Healesville Garden Accommodation Houses have a fully functional ten bedroom house that can sleep up to 22 people. It’s only 15 minutes to the wineries and is ideal for keeping the family all in one place. Renting somewhere like this can be a very cost effective accommodation option and be a nice way to spend a bit of quality time with people around all the commotion of the day.

The morning after the night before your Yarra Valley Wedding

So you’ve picked your glamorous winery, you’ve sampled your delicious menu, you’ve booked your mother in law into a delectable hotel room. Now those hangovers need a good feed! Post wedding day breakfast spots can be fancy or laid back depending on your style. It’s a great time to have a giggle and swoon over the previous day’s happenings. How did Uncle Steve end up sleeping under the stars? How did your dress get so muddy? How fucking colossal was the entire day!? I live for this time. The pre-wedding stress is over, the months of anticipation have climaxed and you can now sit back and bathe in your honeymoon period. You might want to have a little family group get together or meet up with your old pals from school you haven’t seen for years. Whatever or whoever you’re eating with, you want it to be tasty and there to be (lots of) amazing coffee!

I’ve picked out 3 of my favourite brunch spots in the area where you can debrief with your nearest and dearest.

  1. Stones of the Yarra Valley

I know we’ve spoken about these guys already but they offer the full package and they have 5 insane venues to host your brunch the next day! And if they’ve already looked after your actual day then the coordination for the next day will be seamless. Talk about tasty convenience!

‘The Barn’ can seat 200 people so you can really continue the wedding properly the next day! It’s where you’d usually have your reception so guests will be familiar with where to go and you can all sit in the same place to avoid confusion. 

‘The Stables at Stones’ can seat 63 people which is perfect for those more intimate weddings. It’s 19th century chic at its finest. Exposed brick walls, huge wooden stable doors and manicured hedges are just perfect for an elegant and relaxed meal with friends.

‘No.7 Healesville’ has epically high ceilings, sliding barn doors and walls of wine barrels which look really fucking cool! This is a spacious and airy location for 53 guests. Why not have next day tapas?!

If you’re staying at the Stones of the Yarra Valley accommodation you’ll find the Meletos locations very convenient.

‘The Warehouse at Meletos’ also seats 63 people and is a more modern option. Huge glass windows in a renovated building with chandeliers and a bar. This is a more relaxed vibe and can even be set up as a standing cocktail/mingling style if you want.

‘Meletos Cafe’ is its own entity. Very popular cafe priding itself on using local produce to create very tasty food. They are very accommodating vegan, vegetarian and gluten free without compromising quality. You can choose a more formal sit down or a sharing option.

  1. Hutch and co cafe

Modern and mental food and design. Their eggs are fluffy and their sauces are swirly. They’ve got fruit bowls, avo smash and creamy dreamy coffee. If you want brunch done well these are your guys. They’ve got all the eggs and avo you can shake a stick at. They’ve got big breakfasts, little breakfasts and even a glass of bubbly if you’re not quite finished celebrating yet! Vegan and gluten free friendly options all over the place. Something delicious for everyone here. Their freshly made juices and milkshakes could just be the antidote you’re seeking. Yum! Take a look at their menu here.

  1. The Hatter and The Hare

An Alice in Wonderland inspired high tea experience! This isn’t your usually prissy cucumber sandwiches, these guys have taken afternoon tea to the next level. Get ready to go down the rabbit hole to find extraordinary cakes and bites swimming in smoke and mirrors. I’m talking about ‘Korean Fried Chicken’, waffles, and ‘Mad Hatters breakfast’ platters followed by ‘tweedle wheels’, ‘queen’ of hearts strawberry mousse and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ lemon and pineapple desserts. Accompanied by hypnotic ‘chess board coffee’ boards, ‘love potions’ and ‘white tea and butterfly pea’ lattes! They have some ace vegan and veggie options too which is often hard to properly accommodate. Have a look here to be sure to keep the giggles going into the next day!

Final Planning Advice for your Yarra Valley Wedding

An amazing yarra valley wedding venue

Planning a wedding is a time to let your fantasies take control! Yarra Valley is an ideal location that can help your dreams for the day come true. The best weddings combine the couples personality to make it feel like it’s their own. Keep searching and don’t settle for something until it feels right!
What I love about our industry is the amount of raw inspiring creativity people bring to what they do. I have worked with some phenomenal wedding super stars in my time and I’m lucky enough to stay in touch with all of them. Looking for something in particular?

Drop me a message and I can send you some suggestions. You could also check out my other blog articles for more wedding inspo! I’ve recently released articles on unique florists in Victoria and music ideas for small weddings!

Book me to photograph your Yarra Valley Wedding

Briars Atlas – Yarra Valley wedding photographer – make an enquiry

Beyond Yarra Valley Wedding Venues

Castlemaine Wedding Photographer

For more inspiration in Victoria outside of the Yarra Valley, be sure to check out this Sault Daylesford wedding, Tanglewood Estate on the Mornington Peninsula (head here for a roundup of even more Mornington Peninsula wedding venues), and this incredible rustic Castlemaine wedding venues.

Small wedding venues to check out away from the Yarra Valley

Best Wedding Venue Toowoomba Gabbinbar Homestead

Jun 30, 2020

In the middle of classic Australian expanse, about 2 hours west of Brisbane as the crow flies, sits Australia’s second largest inland city, and recipient of “most vowels in a city name” award. Welcome, to the gloriously rural region of Toowoomba, Queensland. Known for it’s Carnival of Flowers held annually in September, and having recently installed it’s own airport more and more people are getting to know this hidden gem of a town. Today though, we’re here to focus specifically on the BEST Toowoomba wedding venue, Gabbinbar Homestead.

toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead

Read this post if:

  1. You’re wedding venue-hunting in Queensland
  2. You’ve heard about Gabbinbar and are curious
  3. Want to see what it looks like to have me photograph there

Best Toowoomba Wedding Venue: Gabbinbar Homestead

toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead

Why is Gabbinbar Homestead the best wedding venue in Toowoomba?

toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead

It lives and breathes rustic hospitality.

The majestic diversity speaks for itself. It’s the perfect middle ground between country wedding and city wedding. While Toowoomba isn’t a bustling hub of activity like Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, it has the most endearing rustic charm that you can’t quite find in those larger cities. This rustic charm honestly makes for the most heartwarming, down-to-Earth wedding ceremonies.

It’s a wedding photographer’s paradise: which means brilliant images of you, for you.

toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead

Shooting at rural wedding venues like this just make you feel like you’re part of something special: and part of that here owes to the almost total seclusion from the outside world of it’s private garden edges.

I’ve shot at countless wedding venues and no place quite makes you feel at home like the gorgeous Gabbinbar Homestead. There are so many hidden gems scattered throughout the venue, and the mystique of it all is something you have to feel to believe. You find yourself weaving in and out of the trees, snapping pictures of family and friends of the bride and groom in such a relaxed, magical atmosphere. Rural wedding venues just seem to bring out the best in people.

The wedding services are, like the grounds, majestic.

toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead

Gabbinbar’s all-inclusive wedding package, aptly titled ‘The Gabbinbar Experience’ is just that. It’s basically everything you need to experience the exact wedding day you want to bring to life. Specifically:

  • A personalised wedding planning service.
  • Stunning ceremony and wedding photography locations in the surrounding gardens.
  • Delectably delicious award-winning food.
  • A ‘Bride’s Retreat’ for luxurious pre-wedding preparations.
  • A breathtaking reception with friendly staff, dedicated to making your wedding completely awesome.

Plus all of those often overlooked, finer details that go into executing a flawless wedding that come with the territory of having everything in the one place.

Outside of this theres 3000+ rooms a stone’s throw away for guests and family.

Gabbinbar Homestead Bride
toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead
toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead
toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead
toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead
toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead
toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead
toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead
toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead
toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead
toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead
Gabbinbar Homestead
Gabbinbar Homestead
toowoomba wedding venue Gabbinbar Homestead
Gabbinbar Homestead
Gabbinbar Homestead
See more of Hannahs incredible wedding jumpsuit.
Gabbinbar Homestead
Gabbinbar Homestead
Gabbinbar Homestead
Gabbinbar Homestead
Gabbinbar Homestead
Gabbinbar Homestead

So, if you’re thinking of escaping to the country for your wedding, short of the rural expanses of the moon there’s no better place than Gabbinbar Homestead.

Check out their wedding pricing and packages for yourself.

From a Toowoomba wedding venue abundant in charm and heart to a completely unique shotgun-style Melbourne wedding venue, visit this post featuring The Alter Electric.

Good Day Club Melbourne Wedding Styling

Jun 26, 2020

Good Day Club are your friendly neighbourhood Rainbow Anarchists. Good Day design the most wild, colourful, bombastic, insert-synonym-here wedding celebrations in all the lands of/including/but not limited to, Melbourne and it’s surrounds.

Since one hand is loaded up with shiraz these days, we figured we’d load up the other with a keyboard and have a bit of a chinwag about all things celebration.

I’ve been lucky to share a couple of shoots with these maestros, from Tanglewood Estate all the way over to The Altar Electric where their stylish hands mark is laid permanently, onto it’s peach-pastel walls of eternity. Etc.

Read this post if:

  1. You’re considering having a colourful wedding
  2. You detest planning and want to hand that over to the best
  3. You want to know Melbournes most colourful wedding planners

With Covid forcing us all indoors and all manner of brilliant doorstep portrait projects happening, I wanted to kickstart some convos with my local community and find out how the time and strange space is being used, as it’s never been more important to stay connected and sharing.

Good Day Club Wedding Hire Altar Electric

So who the hell are you, what do your friends think you do, and what do you actually do?

I’m Kate Forsyth, creative director and co-founder of Good Day Club. I steer the ship and set it’s creative direction, but I also do pretty much any and all things from changing lightbulbs and fixing broken chairs to buying milk and cleaning the toilet.

I’d say my friends think I am constantly doing lots of glamorous and creative stuff and swanning around at parties and weddings, whereas the majority of the time, ship steering is where it’s at. If I do get to attend a party or wedding, I guarantee you if I do get to go to a party or wedding, I shall end up crawling on the floor sorting out bung neon sign plug or rectifying one thing or another.

The creative part of my job is pretty ace though – from working with ace clients to create their dream event, to making + building, meeting fellow vintage lovers and passionate people and collaborating in heaps of way.

Good Day Club Wedding Styling
The new Altar Electric space


What excites you most about the culture of weddings in Melbourne?


They’re unique and people feel empowered to do whatever the heck has meaning for them. Melbourne weddings are less about what’s trending and more about what floats the boat of the couple.

Personalisation, colour, fun, personality, boldness and the unexpected.

Good Day Club Wedding Hire Altar Electric


What do you feel separates Good Day Club from those around you in your line of work?


My high levels of weirdness. The fact that I have like 30 tonnes of furniture and props at my fingertips. The number of Potato Gems I consume.

For want of a better term, we’re a one-stop shop because we can design your wedding, furnish and light it, create your graphic design, set it up, style it and take it all away.

And we’ve leaned very hard into our niche of a wild mix of old and new. People tell us our work is immediately recognisable and that makes me feel so happy, that I eat some more Potato Gems.

Good Day Club Wedding Hire Altar Electric
Standard scenes at the Good Day designed original Altar Electric space


How have you kept your business healthy during Covid, and how might couples now benefit from it?


We were already looking at efficiency this year, so it’s been a supercharged version of that. Efficiency with our costs but also with our processes – making everything work better and easier for our customers (and staff). We’ve also looked at doing less things better, cutting out a few services and we’ve added our first digital product (video call backgrounds).

We’ve always prided ourselves on our rad designs but what we talk about less is that we are a smooth AF operation as well.

And we just got smoother.

Our clients are always telling us that they loved how easy we make things and that is our mission!


How do you see the future of celebrations in our city and what mark do you want to leave on it?


Look, who bloody knows. Honestly, while we’ve been busy improving our offering and efficiency, I’ve been interspersing that with having semi-regular existential crises/breakdowns about what is going to happen to celebrations.

If I leave the ‘why are we here’s?’ and ‘what is the purpose of all this?’ at the door, I’d say that celebrations will continue to be more and more unique and personalised, and a reflection of the couple and what’s important to them.

Couples have had a LOT of time to think about what’s important and so while wedding size is currently mandated by the government (srsly, how weird is that sentence?!?) I think smaller celebrations with more of what the couple want will continue to be all the rage, even once bigger weddings are allowed again.

I mean, do you really want to spend $150 to feed and water your cousin’s boyfriend or your work friend’s partner you’ve never met?

NOPE.

Cutting that guest list gives you heaps more freedom to go all out on the things you love. 

The mark I want to leave is a big, bold and cray colourful one where I’ve contributed to a movement of couple’s feeling super empowered to do whatever the fuck they want for their wedding, dumping traditions that mean nothing and other people’s expectations. 


In the real world Good Day Club are somewhere on the bright side of the moon listening to Pink Floyd, but to find them on the internet, brace your 28.8kbps modem and head to:

Good Day Club Website
Good Day Club Instagram

Good Day Club Wedding Hire Altar Electric
Good Day Club Wedding Hire Altar Electric
Briars Atlas – Altar Electric
Melbourne Wedding Celebrant Anthony Cribbes

Jun 24, 2020

Anthony Cribbes – recipient of the most debonair hair-sweep, occasional farmer (only, or mostly during pandemics), wedding celebrant, founder of The Celebrant A List, and one part of the trio behind the iconic Collingwood Wedding chapel The Altar Electric.

Read on for all this and all the other things he does that didn’t fit in this sentence.

With Covid forcing us all indoors and all manner of brilliant doorstep portrait projects happening, I wanted to kickstart some convos with my local community and find out how the time and strange space is being used, as it’s never been more important to stay connected and sharing.

What changes did the percolation time of ISO make to your view of doing business generally?

Man what a time ISO LYF has been! I live in the country but for the last 5 years it feels like the road is more my home. Being able to stay closer to home has made me realised that I will be putting a priority on focussing my business in a more local sense.

It’s almost like I guess you could say that I am becoming a business cliched bourgeoisie and opting for a ’tree-change’ or ‘downsizing’… only I promise I am doing it in a non-pretentious way, not so I can start a new Insta account of: ‘My journey from big city life to self discovery’ kind of crap.

What role are you actively playing in the “new world” and how does Anthony Cribbes Celebrant see this benefiting couples?

Before ISO I was passionate about community and quality over quantity. I see weddings now moving from a ‘bigger and better’ world to one where people are placing a premium on the connection.

This means I can see a lot more smaller weddings happening. We actually made a change to the Altar Electric around 6 months ago for this very reason, we didn’t just want to be offering registry style weddings, we wanted people to be able to have a small wedding celebration.

One that was about creating great moments but didn’t bring with it the anxiety inducing costs.

The Altar Electric Melbourne Wedding Chapel
The Altar Electric wedding chapel

You were ahead of the curve with The Altar Electric. Was this always the vision, are you generally a wizard, and either way has the vision for the space changed after Covid?

Haha…I’ll leave the Wizardry stuff to my mates out at Hogwarts. Altar Electric is actually Dee and Sarah’s (my amazing business partners) original concept, I just helped give it the nudge.

Initially we were thinking it would be about Registry Weddings…but in the end we realised what we were actually tapping into was a whole new vein of thinking from pockets in the community. We didn’t realise just how under served the small wedding market was.

From our understanding that wasn’t due to a lack of desire but more a lack of supply from an industry that was focussed on large groups only essentially.-

With your work running the Celebrant A List and seeing a huge cross section of the industry, what advice do you have for melbourne wedding celebrants in generating a sustainable business?

The Altar Electric Melbourne Wedding Chapel
Briars Atlas – Altar Electric

Oh so many! I think the biggest thing anything Celebrant can do is to not get carried away with their own ego, I see it all over the place and could also be accused of being guilty of it myself.

I think once you start telling yourself you’ve made ‘it’, things will turn, because it’s at this stage when people stop evolving, adapting, learning and improving.

I am definitely a way different Celebrant in terms of my style now then I was 5 years ago when I first started. How I win my work is also drastically different.

We can always learn from anyone… right now the people I am learning the most from are the Celebrants who are only 1-2 years into the business but are completely slaying it…also avoid having a gimmick, it will run dry very quickly, just be genuine.

The Altar Electric Melbourne Wedding Chapel

Best general tips for couples in selecting a celebrant?

There’s 9,500 of us in Australia, so just know that there’s the right kind of Celebrant out there for you.

I always think it works best as a Celebrant when I work with couples who I can genuinely go and have a beer with down at the pub and talk about other things than weddings.

That’s the kind of fit you are hoping for, so make sure you try and find that kind of person for you.

Find Anthony Cribbes online

Anthony Cribbes Celebrant website
Anthony Cribbes Celebrant Instagram
The Altar Electric website
The Altar Electric instagram
The Celebrant A list website
The Celebrant A list instagram

A feature on Melbourne wedding celebrants is also here.

heide museum of modern art wedding

Jun 19, 2020

The perfect wedding setting for thoughtful, contemporary couples who know how to appreciate a great piece of art, Heide Museum of Modern Art allows for both a stunning ceremony and an inspiring reception. The Museum boasts spectacular photography opportunities throughout the grounds and the Gallery. Let’s take a sneak peek at this amazing, artistic space and check out some photos from a recent Heide Museum of Modern Art wedding I was fortunate enough to capture.

Location

Heide Museum of Modern Art brings an air of sophisticated creativity to Banksia Park in Bulleen, a north-eastern suburb of Melbourne. It’s not too far at all from the CBD – only around a 20-minute drive. It practically oozes convenience.

The Yarra River flows, snake-like, through Banksia Park, just a short walk from Heide Gallery. Bulleen Art Gallery and Garden is also within the vicinty. Another interesting point, Bulleen Hungry Jacks is only a short way down the road. Post-wedding burgs? Count me the hell in.

You’ve got a golf club nearby if there’s time to fit in a quick game with the lads (or ladies) the day before the wedding. And, as mentioned, Melbourne CBD is a short Uber ride away. You can get up to all kinds of mischief, eat some amazing pre-wedding noms and pick up any last minute bits and pieces for the wedding that may have slipped your mind.

heide museum of modern art wedding

Heide Museum of Modern Art wedding venue

As a wedding venue, Heide Gallery is the gift that keeps on giving. From the picturesque, natural grounds to the vibing Gallery and sculptures, this place is a photographers dream. Seriously. There are almost too many spots that are perfectly suited to capturing stunning images.

The Heide grounds and gardens span majestically across the 15 acres this Gallery calls home. The heritage gardens contain sprawling lawns, gorgeous flower beds and huge trees with trailing limbs that form cosy hidey-holes.

A river glade with towering trees and shrubs provides a shady spot for an intimate ceremony, or a wonderful photography or videography location.

The views from various sites throughout the grounds sweep across the surrounding park and provide a truly awe-inspiring atmosphere.

Upon gazing around the venue, your view will be obstructed slightly – for good reason – by contemporary sculptures and architectural wonders that are dotted throughout the grounds.

heide museum of modern art wedding
heide museum of modern art wedding

Catering & Extras

All your wedding catering needs will be taken care of by the Heide Cafe, the exclusive catering service for Heide Gallery weddings. Both the wedding ceremony and the reception are able to be covered. The cafe has an amazing range of seasonal produce with a huge variety of menu options to choose from.

The Cafe is also a great place to swing by for a pre-wedding brunch with the bridal party or a post-wedding coffee if you’re feeling a little worse for wear (horrifically hungover) after the previous night’s celebrations.

The Museum itself is an awesome place to spend any spare time and fight off any pre-wedding jitters. A range of indoor exhibitions including the Main Gallery and the Modernist House are home to some amazing collections of contemporary art. Wander the grounds to experience Rick Amor’s Running Man, Neil Taylor’s Theoretical Matter, and the rest of the outdoor exhibitions and sculptures that add an artistic, modern flair to the sweeping, naturalistic elements of the grounds.

Heide Gallery Wedding Photos

heide museum of modern art wedding
heide gallery wedding photo
heide museum of modern art wedding
heide gallery wedding venue

It’s safe to say that this Melbourne wedding venue is the perfect place to celebrate love, serenity and an appreciation for delightful modern art.

Have you visited to the Heide Museum of Modern Art? What was your favourite installation? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Embrace your swirling inner teenage angst! Find out how to take the best dark and moody wedding photos in my complete guide.

For more images of a decadent art space, check out this piece by Firecraker Event on grazing tables.

The Altar Electric Collingwood Bloom Boy

Jun 13, 2020

Looking for an alternative to the traditional registry wedding? Unfurrow your brow and cast your eyes over to Melbourne’s answer to the Vegas wedding chapel – The Altar Electric.

The gloves are off, and The Altar Electric, has overhauled their entire space in Collingwood.

Bloom Boy flowers Altar Electric

Previously a rich blue and in a slightly smaller room, The Altar Electric has a new lease of life in incredible pastel peach colours, with explosions of floral colour courtesy of the inimitable Melbourne florist Bloom Boy, styling features from The Arbourists, and an entire vision executed by the wizard-folk at Good Day Club.

The Altar Electric have been leaders in getting couples hitched while we’ve all been sailing the perilous waters of Covid-19, providing shotgun-style weddings and a colourful alternative to traditional registry weddings.

Now, as isolation restrictions lift, the venue is opening up and moving towards it’s full capacity of 40.

Enjoy this little peek into Rachel and Pauls real wedding at The Altar Electric.

The venue has the most incredible light draping through its industrial style windows at any hour of day.

Collingwood Chapel Altar Electric

BYO cardboard Elvis – but you can order the real deal via their in-house Elvis impressionist.

Collingwood Chapel Altar Electric
Collingwood Chapel Altar Electric
Collingwood Chapel Altar Electric

The space is littered with the hallmarks of Good Day Clubs’ intricate styling – a roof filled with disco balls and chains, and decadent knick-knacks from wall to wall.

Collingwood Chapel Altar Electric
Bloom Boy flowers Altar Electric

No bridal snog is complete without the floral explosions of Bloom Boy behind it.

Bloom Boy flowers Altar Electric
Collingwood Chapel Altar Electric
The Arbourists in the Altar Electric
Collingwood Chapel Altar Electric
Elvis and Bloom Boy flowers Altar Electric

Get married at Melbournes own Vegas chapel. The Altar Electric:

Schoolhouse Studios, 81 Rupert St, Collingwood VIC
www.thealtarelectric.com.au

While you’re here, check out these other unique Melbourne wedding venues, and this Two Ton Max wedding.

Two Ton Max wedding

Jun 8, 2020

Tanya and Ryan are Jiu-Jitsu diehards, who train together, and Mario-Kart together. These legends had their Two Ton Max wedding in Melbourne right at the 11th hour before Melbourne’s first Covid lockdown. In one of Melbournes most brilliant warehouse wedding venues, these two got it done in style with a crew of the best. I was lucky to be along for the ride with my dear old mate Michelle Grace Hunder, photographing this together for the first time in years (we started out as a wedding duo before going solo).

Enjoy this little peek into Tanya and Ryans Two Ton Max wedding, featuring Melbourne wedding celebrant Shannon Jeans running the show. For more beautiful warehouse, rustic, or alternative wedding venues in Melbourne, check out this post on unique Melbourne wedding venues, featuring Rupert on Rupert and Gather and Tailor.

Two Ton Max are also featured in this post on small wedding venues.

Wedding portraits
Groom prep
Uniform Black rings
Western suburbs house
Two Ton Max wedding
Two Ton Max wedding
Two Ton Max wedding
Two Ton Max wedding
Two Ton Max wedding
Two Ton Max wedding
Two Ton Max wedding
Couple portraits
Couple portraits
Couple portraits
Couple portraits
Wedding portraits
Two Ton Max wedding
Two Ton Max wedding
Two Ton Max wedding
Two Ton Max wedding
Two Ton Max wedding

Book Two Ton Max for your wedding

Two Ton Max website: http://twotonmax.com.au/

Visit the wedding venue

Melbourne City Elopement Covid

Mar 27, 2020

So, we’re in a pandemic. Apart from this bizarre scenario gifting us a new vocabulary including such terms as “social distancing”, it’s turned what should be a beautiful process full of joy (and at most, disagreements around what type of paper the invitations will be printed on) into a right old… let’s call it what it is – shitstorm. The beautiful upside is – and stay with me here – it’s opened the doors to many couples enjoying a beautiful Melbourne City elopement – while saving the party with their communities for later.

Read on for ways to find positives by having a small, intimate wedding or elopement during Covid 19.

I’ve been fortunate to photograph a whole lot of weddings during Covid19 (nothing was ever gonna stop the love-train), and the general vibe has been one of optimism, and putting love first.

Forward thinking crews such as I Do Drive Thru and The Altar Electric have made a great space for making the celebration happen, which i’ll go into a little further below.

Melbourrne City elopement
Lexy and Sean eloping in endless style.

What sort of wedding you can have during Covid19

Melbourrne City elopement
Pepe and Sam, married just outside of Melbourne at The Line in Footscray.

It’s difficult to say with conviction “currently, we can do…” as the information available and lockdown situation is changing very quickly, with huge implications on the scale of wedding celebration that can be had.

Presently, though – at this very moment in time – Stage 4 lockdowns have put a temporary hold on things, but beyond that, Stage 3 lockdowns mean a smaller wedding – in effect, an elopement! And that’s good news, for a slew of reasons.

From my personal experience, while this might sound like a compromise, it’s one of the most beautiful ways to celebrate your marriage in an intimate way, have a bunch of fun with it, while rescheduling the big community side of it to a later date.

How to have a Melbourne City Elopement during Covid 19:

Melbourrne City elopement

1. Knock down some wine, and pick a day
2. Get a your small wedding elopement team together
3. Get the papers signed
4. Enjoy a day of meditative celebration to yourselves
5. Update your Facebook status

Consider getting the legals down, teaming up with one of our brilliant Melbourne wedding celebrants (who in the case of I Do Drive Thru, can live-stream your little moment of glory to family and friends far and wide), exploring some of my favourite Melbourne Wedding photo locations together, and then… updating that Facebook status.

Other things to keep in mind in this time.

This is about you two! What a beautiful time to look inward to that, and outward later on at whatever shape the party takes with your community. On that note, getting a head-start on your planning to that end, is time well spent. Do it for your own peace of mind, and don’t listen to anyone telling you to rush (there’s plenty of vendors for everyone).

If you need any assistance planning your Melbourne elopement or small wedding, pop me an email.

Can’t wait for more of THIS.
Melbourne city elopement with dogs
Elopement
Wedding photographer

I’m a destination wedding photographer, based in Melbourne, and originally from the Yarra Valley. I’m lucky to have the best job in the world: photographing love and community, all over the planet. If you’re having a Melbourne City elopement, i’d love to have the honour of photographing it for you.

Melbourne City Elopement Photographer – Briars Atlas

www.briarsatlas.com

kenny lover ice cream wedding

Mar 25, 2020

When Sam and Paul got married at their house in Thornbury, right up there as far as “level of importance” to the getting married bit, was a quest to local iconic culinary heroes, Kenny Lover Ice Cream. Just a few frames from a little stopover break between their ceremony and their reception at their Thornbury home. With some of the most incredible colour and light anywhere in Thornbury, take a look at their sort-of-nearly-but-mostly Kenny Lover Wedding (and while you’re here, see some of my nearby other favourite wedding photo locations in Melbourne, as well as these unique small wedding venues).

kenny lover ice cream wedding
kenny lover ice cream wedding
kenny lover ice cream wedding
kenny lover ice cream wedding
kenny lover ice cream wedding
kenny lover ice cream wedding
kenny lover ice cream wedding
kenny lover ice cream wedding
kenny lover ice cream wedding
kenny lover ice cream wedding
kenny lover ice cream wedding
kenny lover ice cream wedding
Check out a little more from Sam and Pauls Melbourne gay wedding.

Find Kenny Lover Ice Cream

Kenny Lover Ice Cream website: https://www.kennylover.com.au/

796 High St, Thornbury VIC 3071

hydro majestic wedding

Feb 1, 2020

I’m honestly at a loss for words trying to introduce this Blue Mountains wedding venue. The Hydro Majestic Hotel lives up to it’s name and is a turn-key wedding venue that really does offer everything you need to pull off the most extraordinary wedding. The hotel itself presents some phenomenal photo opportunities, with a refined art-deco style. The real magic though is in the view. It really does have to be seen to be believed. Luckily for you, I managed to snap a few wedding shots at this larger-than-life Blue Mountains wedding venue a little while ago and I’m more than happy to share. Enjoy!

The Hydro Majestic Blue Mountains Wedding Venue

Ok, this is the part where I blab on and on about how incredible this venue is. It is definitely for good reason though, there really isn’t a single downside. So, if you’re not thinking of booking The Hydro for your upcoming nuptials, maybe turn away if you don’t want to know what you’re missing out on.

This wedding venue is an absolute BEAST. It is a towering ode to the dreams of businessman Mark Foy and his drive to install Australia’s very first Health Retreat. That’s what The Hydro is, first and foremost – a retreat. And a mighty enormous one at that.

In 1903, Mark oversaw the construction of the Hydro, pulling out all the stops. A generator imported from Germany, artworks from all across the globe, a dome shaped roof that was built in Chicago and shipped all the way to Australia, and a Swiss health professional to run the joint. He even renamed the township The Hydro was situated in to “Medlow Bath” to make it suit the overall vibe of the hotel. If that isn’t a baller move, I don’t know what is.

The venue has hosted a plethora of famous guests over the years including: Dame Nellie Melba the magnificent Aussie Opera singer, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Australia’s first Prime Minister Sir Edmund Barton who actually died in the hotel in 1920. Sure, it’s a morbid claim to fame, but it’s a claim to fame nonetheless.

If the grandiose of this venue isn’t apparent in its history, then allow the photos below to show you just how remarkable this place truly is.

hydro majestic wedding view
hydro majestic wedding
See more of these Elle Zeitoune Fontaine dresses.
hydro majestic blue mountains wedding

The Ceremony

If you’ve been pining after a wedding ceremony with a view, there’s no better way to do it than right here in the Blue Mountains. The Hydro Majestic boasts a breathtaking lookout with a viewing platform that’s perfectly suited to hosting a wedding ceremony in the natural surrounds of the serene Australian bush.

Honestly, whilst capturing photos for this wedding I was constantly picking my jaw up off the floor. I couldn’t believe just how ridiculously gorgeous the entire place was.

The ceremony was backed by a tremendous valley that held an expanse of native bush lands. The Blue Mountains really is one of the most naturally beautiful places in Australia – it’s no wonder this spot was selected to host the grandeur of The Hydro Hotel.

blue mountains wedding ceremony
hydro majestic wedding ceremony
blue mountains wedding

The Services

When you book your wedding venue through The Hydro Majestic, you’re basically covered for everything. And I mean, everything.

  • A dedicated Wedding Coordinator
  • On-site accommodation (overnight complimentary for the happy couple)
  • Design guidance
  • Welcome dinners
  • Spa sessions
  • Delectable meals and canapes
  • 5+ reception sites to choose from

The list goes on, my friends. I truly cannot recommend this venue enough, not only for weddings but for other events, photography shoots, high teas – anything that requires a spacious site that oozes class and style.

I’m going to leave you with a few more photos from this gorgeous Blue Mountains wedding venue. Once you’re done browsing through them why not check out this post on the awesome I Do Drive Through?

hydro wedding
hydro majestic wedding
hydro majestic wedding

For more beautiful rural New South Wales weddings, check out this Kangaroo Valley wedding,

why small wedding venues are the best

Jan 20, 2020

If you’re wondering why small wedding venues are the best, all you have to do is check out this list of incredible small wedding venues.

  1. These venues pack a punch: folks who run a small wedding venue, such as Rupert on Rupert, are able to dedicate a brilliant design sensibility to a more unique and quirky arrangement of space.
  2. Less empty space for your guests: small wedding venues are great because there is less space and the area feels fuller, which makes for a less awkward experience for guests. Think of it like fireworks in a can of beans.
  3. More choice: naturally, because they occupy less space, you’ll find there are far more options for your small wedding, from bars, to mini warehouses, and everything in between.
  4. Less guests. Struggling to get your guest list down to a manageable number? There’s no better fix for that than the enforced restrictions of a venue that can only hold 20-50 guests. Let the walls of the space to the hard-work for you, and rule out that 7th-removed acquaintance.
  5. The grand calm: small wedding venues just inspire a higher level of calm, thanks to the fact that you’re not organising a wedding in something the size of an aircraft hanger.

Small is beautiful (also the name of a film my friend made).

And that about covers it. Putting on a small wedding? Make an enquiry with me to photograph it.

Rupert on Rupert wedding reception
These images from the incredible Rupert on Rupert, in Collingwood.

Hunting for a brilliant wedding venue in Melbourne? Make sure you check out these incredible small wedding venues, or for something more unique, this list of the best unique wedding venues.

A photograph of a first dance at a small wedding
wedding venues in Mornington Peninsula

Jan 11, 2020

Best Wedding Venues on the Mornington Peninsula (no order)

  1. Tanglewood Estate
  2. Crittenden Estate
  3. Lindenderry Red Hill
  4. All Smiles Sorrento
  5. Brighton Savoy
  6. The Shearing Shed
  7. Private property

The Mornington Peninsula isn’t just famous as an escape for no-ones favourite redneck, nor is it just a place to quest a short distance from the CBD to scratch that covid iso-itch at a local winery: Mornington Peninsula wedding venues are some of Victorias most incredible landscapes filled with culinary brilliance (on that note, check out this regenerative farming Barragunda Estate Wedding) and unique wedding accommodation right at your fingertips.

Having photographed so many incredible celebrations at beautiful Mornington Peninsula wedding venues, I wanted to share with you 7 of my favourite places to get married on the Mornington Peninsula (if you are looking for something a little closer to the city, check out these unique Melbourne wedding venues).

1. Wedding Venue on Mornington Peninsula: Tanglewood Estate

A sunset photograph of a couple at Mornington Peninsula wedding venue, Tanglewood Estate
Tanglewood Estate | Wedding Venue Location: Dromana | Photo: Briars Atlas

Tanglewood Estate is exactly as it says on the box. You get your wood, that’s tangled, in, an estate. Almost something more out of the brain of Tim Burton than a wedding venue on the Mornington Peninsula that you can actually visit and see with your own eyes, this impossibly gorgeous estate is where i’ve even chosen to host my own wedding photography workshops.

A family owned and operated venue, the McEvoys will look after you and put on the most brilliant celebration imaginable (read on down to #5 for another incredible family owned wedding venue).

A couple at Tanglewood Estate, a wedding venue on the Mornington Peninsula
Newport Substation Reception | Wedding Venue Location: Newport | Photo: Briars Atlas

Tanglewood Estate on the Mornington Peninsula has more space than you can poke a stick at, and an incredibly broad configuration of their space is possible: from the wild grounds themselves, to the incredible heritage chapel they lovingly transported and placed onsite, over the enormous barn (where your epic grazing table can live).

Load up the space with one of Melbournes best wedding bands (you MUST check out Like This and Tobi Tobi), grace the interior with some of the best wedding flowers on the planet, and you have yourself and incredible wedding on the Mornington Peninsula.

If you want to dive a little deeper into this incredible wedding venue on the Mornington Peninsula, scroll down to get in touch with them, or check out some images from my workshop I hosted for some brilliant photographers right here.

Enquire about their Mornington Peninsula Wedding Packages
Tanglewood Estate website: https://tanglewoodestate.com.au/
Tanglewood Estate gallery: https://briarsatlas.com/tanglewood-estate-wedding/
Venue size: Able to cater to both small and large weddings

Wedding venues on the mornington peninsula at sunset
Tanglewood Estate Portraits | Wedding Venue Location: Dromana | Photo: Briars Atlas

2. Dromana Wedding Venues: Crittenden Estate

A photograph of a wedding reception at Mornington Peninsula wedding venue, Crittenden Estate
Crittenden Estate | Wedding Venue Location: Dromana | Photo: Briars Atlas

Here’s a question that might not be at the top of your mind when you’re considering your wedding venue: “how will the wedding venue deal with an apocalypse?”.

Let’s answer that here with Crittenden Estate. These two lovers, Jess and Kevin, had a wild day at one of the Mornington Peninsulas best wedding venues, as clouds took over, a hectic storm, and a regional power outage. In case the sublime smiles and joy don’t give you your answer, it’s worth knowing that the Crittenden Estate staff are joy-merchants, slick professionals, and masters of dealing with curve balls.

All of that stuff aside, Crittenden Estate is set on beautiful grounds in one of the most beautiful regions in Victoria. Read on below to connect with them.

Love these wedding flowers? Find a great wedding florist here yourself.

Enquire about Crittenden Estate Wedding Packages
Crittenden Estate website: www.stillwateratcrittenden.com.au/weddings
Crittenden Estate capacity: 130 seated, 150 cocktail

3. Red Hill Wedding Venues: Lindenderry Red Hill

Lindenderry Red Hill | Wedding Venue Location: Red Hill | Photo: Briars Atlas

I keep going to write “Lindenberry” then realise i’ve misplaced a d with a b. An easily made mistake. Anyway, whatever consonant you choose, Red Hill’s Lancemore Lindenderry Estate Mergest wild, mountainous vineyard terrain, with subtle art-deco brilliance all wrapped up on the Mornington Peninsula, just an hour from Melbourne.

And after a beautiful day there spent necking wines on their gorgeous grounds, I bet you’ll also forget which way is up, which way is down, which b should be a d, etc.

Enquire about their Lindenderry Estate Wedding Packages
Lancemore Lindenderry Red Hill website: https://www.lancemore.com.au/lindenderry-red-hill
Venue size: Capable and scaleable: 180 seated, 280 standing

wedding venues on the mornington peninsula, Lindenderry red hill at sunset
Lindenderry Estate Reception | Wedding Venue Location: Red Hill | Photo: Briars Atlas
wedding venues on the mornington peninsula, Lindenderry red hill
Lindenderry Estate Wedding Photos | Wedding Venue Location: Red Hill | Photo: Briars Atlas

4. Sorrento Wedding Venues: All Smiles Sorrento

A photo of Sorrento wedding venue All Smiles, located on the Mornington Peninsula
All Smiles Sorrento | Wedding Venue Location: Sorrento | Photo: Briars Atlas

Right at the tail end of the Mornington Peninsula, we have this incredible clifftop Sorrento wedding venue, All Smiles Sorrento. One of the best wedding venues on the Mornington Peninsula, All Smiles merges a brilliant restaurant, with breezy clifftop views, and plenty of space around the venue to escape for a bit of quiet. If you’re looking for Sorrento wedding venues, this is the standard.

Enquire about All Smiles Sorrento Wedding Packages
All Smiles Sorrento website: https://allsmiles.com.au/
All Smiles Sorrento Wedding Gallery: All Smiles Sorrento Wedding
Venue size: All Smiles Sorrento seats up to 120 guests

Alll smiles sorrento wedding photo of a family on the mornington peninsula
All Smiles Sorrento Portraits | Wedding Venue Location: Sorrento | Photo: Briars Atlas

5. Bayside Wedding Venues / Wedding venue near Mornington Peninsula: Brighton Savoy
Wedding Venue Location: Brighton

These scallywags sneak in, though right at the top of the Mornington Peninsula, they’re a little further away from what most regard as “peak peninsula”. Regardless, I photographed a beautiful intimate wedding there recently, and was pleasantly surprised by how scaleable the venue was, how beautiful the outdoor ceremony area was, and the hospitality game of all their staff.

A photo of a brighton savoy wedding reception on the mornington peninsula

Brighton Savoy is where you get looked after, where you can head over the road to a beautiful stretch of the bay, and where you can rest your head after a few too many wines, all on the same site with their own accommodation.


Enquire about Brighton Savoy Wedding Packages
Brighton Savoy website: https://www.brightonsavoy.com.au/
Brighton Savoy capacity: 30 – 220 guests

6. Phillip Island Wedding Venue: The Shearing Shed

Wedding Venue Location: Cowes, Phillip Island

A wedding venue reception area near the mornington peninsula

Phillip Island isn’t really all that well known as a destination wedding region, and I don’t know if that’s a shame, or whether the area is best left as a well kept secret for all the locals of the surrounding region in the know. In any case, you must check out the best Phillip Island wedding venue – the Shearing Shed.

A long family-run venue, the Shearing Shed is situated at the top end of one of the most beautiful regions of natural wildlife and escapism, just a short hour and a half (or so) out of the city.

While it’s a little bit further away from the other Mornington Peninsula wedding venues, this spectacular little part of the world is full of hidden gems that the crew at The Shearing Shed will be more than happy to divulge to give you and your guests ideas for an incredible week away from the big smoke.

The Shearing Shed on Phillip Island has an incredibly adaptable suite of spaces for all sorts of weddings large and small.

The shearing shed, an incredible wedding venue near the mornington peninsula
The Shearing Shed| Wedding Venue Location: Phillip Island | Photo: Briars Atlas

Enquire about the Shearing Shed Wedding Packages
The Shearing Shed website: https://www.theshearingshed.com.au/
The Shearing Shed Venue capacity: 150 guests seated

7. Private Property on the Peninsula

Wedding Venue Location: Anywhere on the Mornington Peninsula

wedding venues on the mornington peninsula

Ever considered having your wedding in yours (or an accommodating mates) backyard? Jaira and Paul did, for their surprise backyard wedding on the Mornington Peninsula (see more of their Mornington Peninsula wedding featured here on Hello May).

Family and friends turned up for a going away party, only to be surprised by an imminent wedding (in about 5 minutes).

Featuring a Paella chef, backyard antics, and a jaunt around the area for some portraits, it was a brilliant, intimate day with their family and friends.

Beautiful.

Venue comparison chart

Wedding venueVenue StyleVenue LocationVenue CapacityYou might also likeSample gallery
Tanglewood EstateRustic BarnDromana150+The Shearing ShedTanglewood Estate Wedding
Crittenden EstateElegant outdoorsDromana150All Smiles SorrentoComing Soon
Lindenderry Red HillArt DecoRed Hill280Brighton SavoyComing Soon
All Smiles SorrentoCoastal clifftopSorrento120Crittenden EstateAll Smiles Sorrento Wedding
Brighton SavoyElegantBrighton220Lindenderry Red HillComing Soon
The Shearing ShedRusticPhillip Island150Tanglewood EstateComing Soon
Private propertyAllMornington PeninsulaVariedTanglewood EstateComing Soon
What are the best indoor wedding venues on the Mornington Peninsula?

My favourite indoor wedding venue on the Mornington Peninsula region is the Phillip Islands The Shearing Shed and Tanglewood Estate

What are the best outdoor wedding venues on the Mornington Peninsula?

Most of these Mornington Peninsula Wedding venues have spectacular outdoor areas, so be sure to read about each one on this page.

What are the best winery wedding venues on the Mornington Peninsula?

You just can’t go past Lindenderry Red Hill.

Cheap wedding venues Mornington Peninsula?

For cheap wedding venues Mornington Peninsula, you just cant go past having it in your own backyard. Scroll up to check out Jaira and Pauls incredible Mornington Peninsula backyard wedding

Wedding planners Mornington Peninsula?

Luckily for you, the incredible wedding planners Popup with Style are located on the Mornington Peninsula.

Are there any travel fees for the Mornington Peninsula?

No. Being a local, there are no fees to photograph your wedding on the Mornington Peninsula or surrounds.

There. 6 of the most incredible Mornington Peninsula wedding venues.

Author and all photos by: Briars Atlas. Photos may be only used with a link back to this website.

Hire me to photograph your Peninsula wedding (if you want)

Wedding photographer Mornington Peninsula: Briars Atlas – Enquire

Going intimate? Looking for a small wedding venue further away?

Be sure to check out my list of the best 17 Small Wedding Venues in Melbourne, and check the video below for a quick preview of them.

Metropolis Events wedding

Nov 1, 2019

Planning a wedding at Metropolis Events? Metropolis Events is one of the most prestige venues in Melbourne to host weddings, dinners, galas, conferences and more. Fortunately though, we also have plenty of other venues that have all of the character of Metropolis and more. Have you considered our other options both in and around the city?

Check out these incredible images from nearby Melbourne rooftop wedding venue, Luminare, The Prince Deck and a few secret ones that may not have draped themselves across your radar yet.

If you’re considering a wedding at Metropolis Events, these alternative wedding venues also have incredible views and a similar design sensibilty, and most importantly – all of these wedding venues have brilliant planning teams that care about you, care about and your team of vendors, and are known for creating the most brilliant wedding experience for you and your guests in Melbourne.

A metropolis events wedding reception photo
A Melbourne wedding at The Deck

I photograph a small number of weddings each year, capping out at around 20 so that each couple receives an extraordinary level of care and attention.

Your friendly neighbourhood wedding photographer, Briars Atlas

Below is a selection of weddings in some of the most stunning locations in Melbourne. If you’re looking for a Melbourne wedding photographer for your Metropolis Events wedding or want more advice on alternative wedding venues that have the same type of feel and are supported by a professional team, drop me a line at the bottom.

Metropolis Melbourne: similar stylish, modern wedding venues

Metropolis events wedding venue (see their website) has a cavernous, New-York warehouse style feel to it. Luckily for us, there are plenty of other incredible wedding venues in Melbourne that also have a similar feel, that are helmed by a crew of legends that will make sure your wedding runs incredibly smoothly, with buckets of care put into your day being trouble free.

Here are a list of my favourite wedding venues in Melbourne that you will also love, if you are considering Metropolis Events.

  1. Luminare South Melbourne
  2. The Prince Deck
  3. Rupert on Rupert
  4. Wedding Venues Melbourne
  5. Vogue Ballroom

Wedding venue comparison chart

Here’s a comparison chart of venues similar to Metropolis Events, so you can compare some key features of the venues.

Venue NameVenue StyleFreedom of vendor choiceVenue CapacityExample gallery
Metropolis EventsModernNoN/A
The DeckClassy modernYes300The Deck at Circa
Luminare RooftopYes400Luminare
Rupert on RupertStylish warehouseYes200Rupert on Rupert
Vogue BallroomStylishYes370Vogue Ballroom
State Library Heritage StylishYes500Wedding venues
Half AcreModern WarehouseYes400Half Acre
Melbourne wedding venue comparison chart

More Melbourne wedding venue inspiration just like Metropolis Events

Looking for even more brilliant modern wedding venues in Melbourne just like Metropolis? Check out this incredible list of the most unique wedding venues in Melbourne.

Metropolis Events wedding - photo of a couple pouring champagne
A photograph of a couple laughing during their portrait shoot at Metropolis Events Melbourne

Book me to photograph your Melbourne wedding

Make an enquiry: https://briarsatlas.com/enquire

Check out these beautiful Melbourne wedding venues that if you like Metropolis Melbourne, you might also like: Luminare, and The Deck at Circa.

Quarry Farm Wedding

Aug 10, 2019

Back in 2016, Steph, a brilliant photographer in her own right, reached out to see if I’d head over to Fremantle to photograph her Quarry Farm wedding to the debonair Zac (who has an uncanny resemblance to old mate Westley from my all-time favourite film, Princess Bride).

After musing on it for all of 0.0413 seconds I said yes, and one of the joys, apart from the general brilliance of spending a day with these to maestros, was discovering a gem of Fremantle – Quarry Farm.

Enjoy the images from their day – and what was the first ever wedding hosted at this glorious venue outside of Perth. It’s always a wild honour photographing an artists wedding, and it’s crazy to me that over half of my bookings these days are from fellow wedding photographers! It raises the stakes a little bit, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Steph and Zacs Quarry Farm Perth wedding was featured on Polka Dot Bride. Head over there to see their full day and beautiful story.

Steph and Zacs Quarry Farm wedding.

Quarry Farm Wedding
Quarry Farm Wedding
Quarry Farm Wedding
Quarry Farm Wedding
Quarry Farm Wedding
Quarry Farm Wedding

Steph and Zac didn’t see each other beforehand, but shared a prayer together with a dash of touch on the morning.

Quarry Farm Wedding
Quarry Farm Wedding

I imagine that when the bridal designers were creating this gown, the exact thing they had in mind was “bridal peace ninja”.

Quarry Farm Wedding
Quarry Farm Wedding
Quarry Farm Wedding
Quarry Farm Wedding
Quarry Farm Wedding
Fremantle Wedding Portraits
Fremantle Wedding Portraits
Fremantle Wedding Portraits

See more kids at weddings here.

Fremantle Wedding Portraits
Fremantle Wedding Portraits

The classic Fremantle walk – one of my favourite areas to shoot Fremantle wedding portraits in. The historic Fremantle back streets make for a marvellous backdrop to have a stroll through.

Fremantle Wedding Portraits
Quarry Farm Wedding portraits
Quarry Farm Wedding portraits
Quarry Farm Wedding portraits
Quarry Farm Wedding portraits
Quarry Farm Wedding portraits
Quarry Farm Wedding portraits
Quarry farm Fremantle
Quarry farm reception
Quarry farm reception
Quarry Farm Wedding
uarry Farm Dancefloor

Steph and Zacs reception dance floor began with a dance-off between herself, her dad and brother.

Candle wedding portrait

Quarry Farm has a little lake at the base of the reception room, brilliant for a secluded little spot to escape to for some evening portraits.

Quarry Farm call themselves the best rustic wedding venue in Perth and it’s pretty easy to see this holds up, with a huge diversity of usable areas and natural surrounds on over 200 acres.

Find Quarry Farm Perth online

Quarry Farm website: https://www.quarryfarm.com.au/

Find Quarry Farm Perth in real life

1475 South Western Hwy, Whitby WA 6123

Book me for your Quarry Farm Perth or Fremantle wedding

I regularly photograph weddings in Perth and Fremantle, and there are no additional costs or complexities involved. Reach out to me via my enquiry form over here.

Looking for an incredible Perth wedding gown designer? Check out Jaime Lee Major.

The Deck at Circa wedding

Jul 17, 2019

Emily and Tony had a beautiful, stylish wedding at St Kilda’s iconic wedding venue, the Prince Hotel – the Deck at Circa. With a room full of their loved ones, floral styling by the mastermind Katie Marx florals and a ceremony run by the inimitable Gina Liano celebrant, this was an evening of colour and brilliant love.

Photographing a wedding at The Deck at Circa always means a wedding where no-one misses a beat: there’s a beautiful seamless transition from the ceremony (held either indoors our outdoors) into the reception, with the space morphing perfectly as you please between the two.

Emily had an iconic walk down a gauntlet of their family and friends, before respect was paid to loved ones passed, and a gently boisterous ceremony (in a way only Gina Liano can do) weaved their story through the room before they carried on the party into the evening.

The Deck Circa Wedding: Emily and Tony

The Deck at Circa
The Deck at Circa
The Deck at Circa
The Deck at Circa
Katie Marx Flowers
Katie Marx Flowers
The Deck at Circa
The Deck at Circa
The Deck at Circa wedding
Gina Liano Celebrant
The Deck at Circa wedding
The Deck at Circa wedding
The Deck at Circa wedding
The Deck at Circa wedding
The Deck at Circa wedding
The Deck at Circa wedding
The Deck at Circa wedding
The Deck at Circa wedding
The Deck at Circa wedding
The Deck at Circa wedding
The Deck at Circa wedding
The Deck at Circa
The Deck at Circa
The Deck at Circa
The Deck at Circa
Katie Marx Flowers
Katie Marx Flowers
Katie Marx in her brilliant element, maniacal joy installing epic florals all across the entire interior of the Deck.
The Deck at Circa - Katie Marx flowers

About The Deck at Circa

The Deck at Circa is a brilliant blank canvas, and a light filled space with an enormous deck area (as the name lets on) to host Melbourne wedding ceremonies indoors or out.

The area of St Kilda offers a tonne of beautiful wedding photo locations, from the foreshore nearby, all the way over to the beautiful heritage art-deco architecture of the area. Usually i’ll take couples out for a 15-20 minute loop, and in that time you can cover all the art-deco hotspots, spend some time on the foreshore, and also enjoy some of the gardens around where those two worlds meet.

The Prince Hotel is one of our more known rooftop wedding venues, and has seen every type of celebration under the sun. The expansive deck overlooks Fitzroy Street, and enjoys brilliant sunsets bursting through the steel cladding around the windows.

A 300 space carpark takes care of all the guests, the venue has plenty of accommodation, and the rest of the St Kilda surrounds take care of everyone for the next day.

Hire The Deck at Circa for your wedding

Get yourself a Melbourne wedding celebrant, Katie Marx (see her handiwork at the venue just up above), C2 films (Melbourne wedding videographers super experienced with The Deck at Circa), a Melbourne wedding band AND a Melbourne wedding planner and off we go.

For another beautiful Melbourne rooftop wedding venue, check out South Melbournes Luminare.

Looking abroad? Check out this Queenstown Helicopter Elopement, and otherwise check out this post for more unique Melbourne wedding venues.

Book me to photograph your wedding at The Prince Deck

Briars Atlas Wedding Photography: Enquire

Fortyfive Downstairs wedding

Jul 2, 2019

I get a lot of the most beautiful enquiries for weddings, from all sorts of humans and all types of celebrations. But every now and then one stands out as something of a… unique first. An enquiry asking if i’d shoot their Albanian Rock n Roll Warehouse Rave Wedding stands out as one such enquiry. I teamed up with the brilliant Nat Sproal (also headlining my piece on the best Melbourne wedding celebrants here), for this incredible Fortyfive Downstairs wedding in Melbourne, which began with gentle calm and after the rave stuff, ended with Saranda putting a fire-hose on Brendan enthusiastically trying to corral some last portraits at the local Maccas.

Legends.

Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
7 11 wedding portrait
7 11 wedding portrait
7 11 wedding portrait
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Melbourne City wedding portraits
Melbourne City wedding portraits
Melbourne City wedding portraits
Melbourne City wedding portraits
Melbourne City wedding portraits
Melbourne City wedding portraits
Melbourne City wedding portraits
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Nat Sproal
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Nat Sproal Celebrant
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Albanian wedding photographer melbourne
Albanian wedding photographer melbourne
Albanian wedding photographer melbourne
Albanian wedding photographer melbourne
Albanian wedding photographer melbourne
Albanian wedding photographer melbourne
Albanian wedding photographer melbourne
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Albanian wedding photographer melbourne
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding
Fortyfive Downstairs wedding

Book a Fortyfive Downstairs wedding

Fortyfive Downstairs website: https://www.fortyfivedownstairs.com/wp2016/private-events/

deux belettes wedding photos

Apr 9, 2019

Considering a Deux Belettes Wedding, in the gorgeous Byron Bay hinterland in New South Wales?

On this page you’ll find some of my favourite photographs i’ve captured at weddings all over the world, including NSW and the Blue Mountains, and as far as the majestic Ravello castle, overlooking the Amalfi coast in Italy (which, if you have been to both those regions, you’ll find a little bit of a spiritual homage between them).

If you’re looking for a wedding photographer for your Deux Belettes wedding, I regularly travel to NSW, an can run you through how I work to make the process exactly as it should be: seamless, fun, with beautiful images at the end of it all, tailored to every type of couple under the sun.

My style is candid with a documentary approach, and every image you see on this page came from creating a space in the way that I know makes for images you’ll connect with: a space where you can be present with each other.

A little bit about Deux Belettes Weddings and planning your wedding there.

Deux Belettes is the place where all majestic, French inspired boho-wedding dreams come true. A frontrunner of the slow-building movement that began in the region in the 1980’s, all of the structures have been beautifully built over time using reclaimed materials as they become available, along with the iconic tunnel of plane trees that now give it an unmistakeable European feel.

Deux Belettes can hold up to 100 guests in a marquee, with on-site accommodation available as well.

Deux Belettes does not offer wedding packages, so they require that all vendors are booked separately. If you’re looking for a wedding planner or wedding celebrant, I can connect you to some brilliant options locally. But while we’re here, for Byron Bay wedding planning, I cannot recommend White Rabbit Projects highly enough – Bree and her squad are absolutely incredible and you *need* their experienced hands on your team.

Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer
Deux Belettes Wedding Photographer

Hire me for as your Deux Belettes Wedding photographer

Make an enquiry: https://briarsatlas.com/enquire

Find Deux Belettes Wedding in Byron Bay

The majestic Deux Belettes is located at 2477/104 Victoria Park Rd, Dalwood NSW 2477.

Find them online at https://www.deuxbelettes.com/

quat quatta wedding

Apr 7, 2019

Two artists and art-lovers brought their community together for their glorious Quat Quatta Wedding in Ripponlea, Melbourne. Nadisha and Tendai brought on the skills of the inimitable Yo Mafia, who came to tear up their reception dance-floor (in between doing RNB gigs in literal stadiums around the world).

A Mariachi band set the tone as guests walked into the beautiful Quat Quatta grounds, leading into their soft and brilliant ceremony.

Quat Quatta have also been featured on a list of the most unique venues in Melbourne, and is one of my most favourite venues in Melbourne to photograph a wedding at. Incredible heritage surrounds, lush greenery, and an interior and exterior that can be transformed into any direction you can imagine. Check out the incredible Quat Quatta wedding of Nadisha and Tendai to see how they celebrated there.

Quat Quatta wedding photos
Quat Quatta wedding Ripponlea
Quat Quatta wedding Ripponlea
Quat Quatta wedding photos
Quat Quatta family photos
Quat Quatta wedding Ripponlea
Quat Quatta wedding Ripponlea
Quat Quatta wedding Ripponlea
Quat Quatta wedding Ripponlea
Quat Quatta wedding Ripponlea
Quat Quatta wedding Ripponlea
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
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Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding photography
Quat Quatta wedding Ripponlea
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Yo Mafia wedding DJ
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding
Quat Quatta wedding

Book Quat Quatta for your wedding

Quat Quatta website: https://www.quatquatta.com.au/

Quat Quatta has an enormous spread of spaces ranging from a festooned outdoor area for ceremonies, incredible heritage rooms, and every sort of texture imaginable in and around those. I usually avoid taking couples away from the grounds for their portraits – just because there are so many brilliant options on-site, which means no battling inner-city traffic, as well as getting back to your crew to knock down wines and continue the celebrations sooner rather than later. Looking for something smaller? Check out these incredible Small Wedding Venues Melbourne has to offer.

Burnham Beeches Wedding

Apr 6, 2019

Kate and Alex married at the impossibly majestic Art-Deco Burnham Beeches. Though the old hotel itself was closed (as the iconic Rone exhibition was just being finished), we got to enjoy the surrounding grounds and the amazing Piggery Cafe. I also had the absolute pleasure of teaming up with the brilliant video genius Nathan Kaso, and floral mastermind Sassafras Wedding Design. As you scroll down and check out some pictures from Kate and Alex’s fun-filled wedding day, I’ll pop in a little info about the Burnham Beeches wedding experience to share some Melbourne wedding inspo with you all!

burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding

Location

The Sherbrooke location of this super versatile venue is perfect for Melbourne locals, elopements, interstate weddings and even international destination weddings. Just 45 minutes outside of Melbourne CBD, you get the convenience of an easy trip from the city, combined with the unique charm of an Aussie country-style wedding on a gorgeous estate in the illustrious Dandenong region.

Sassafras flowers
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding

Burnham Beeches Wedding

The Burnham Beeches estate with its Art Moderne mansion and sprawling grounds is all-encompassing when it comes to wedding venue perfection.

You’ll find the following features tucked away in their own little piece of heaven within the grounds of this beautiful estate. Each of these points provide a little bit of “wow” in order to come together and create the perfect rural wedding experience…

  • A lovingly nurtured rural landscape (approx. 56 acres) that hosts established gardens that provide delicious produce.
  • Extensions on the mansion that include 58 hotel rooms/suites (with plans to transform these into Australia’s very first luxury 6-star retreat).
  • Greenhouses filled with delicious vegetables.
  • The rustic Piggery Cafe – a former piggery that has been turned into a cafe/bakery which hosts events and makes delectable foods sourced from the grounds and the surrounding Dandenong region.
  • An old mill (with plans to transform it into a Moo Brew-affiliated microbrewery and bar).
  • Four additional cottages.
  • Bubbling streams, natural springs and an adjacent rainforest.
  • A 500-tree trufferie.
  • An emu enclosure that provides the emu eggs used in various Piggery Café dishes.
  • Lawn bowls, croquet and bocce pitches.
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding

The Piggery Cafe

Sure, hosting a wedding at a former piggery probably doesn’t sound like a go-er, but hear me out. This old piggery has been entirely transformed into a bloody brilliant venue with delicious food and a truly charming atmosphere.

Capable of seating 30-150 people, The Piggery Cafe is a super versatile wedding location.

The highly regarded menu is all locally sourced, with most of it being produced within the bounds of the estate itself. From fresh fruits and vegetables to locally sourced meats and even emu eggs from the emu pen on-site, you’ve got all the range in the world.

A Piggery Cafe wedding is 100% a worthwhile investment if you’re after delicious food, rural charm and enough room to seat a large amount of guests.

Burnham Beeches Wedding
Burnham Beeches Wedding
Burnham Beeches Wedding
Burnham Beeches Wedding
Burnham Beeches Wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding
burnham beeches piggery cafe wedding

If Yarra Valley wedding venues are your jam, be sure to check out Immerse Yarra Valley, Stones of the Yarra Valley, Yering Station, or a little closer in towards the city in Ripponlea, this Quat Quatta wedding. For something more on the industrial end of the dial, check out this list of unique Melbourne wedding venues.

Enquire about a Burnham Beeches Wedding

Burnham Beeches website: http://www.burnhambeeches.com.au/
The Piggery Cafe website: https://www.piggerycafe.com.au/

For more Yarra Valley wedding venue love, check out Zonzo Estate.

Yering Station Wedding

Mar 28, 2019

Daniel and Darkus’s majestic Yering Station wedding in the Yarra Valley. Sharon the Celebrant came along to share their story with their community, and these two gents started off with a little portrait shoot nearby, before putting in a massive day of love and good times with their community.

Yarra Valley
Yering Station Wedding
Yering Station Wedding
Yering Station Wedding
Yering Station Wedding
Yering Station Wedding
Yering Station Wedding
Yering Station Wedding
Yering Station Wedding
Yering Station Wedding
Yering Station Wedding
Yering Station Wedding Petal Toss
Yering Station Wedding
Yering Station Wedding
Yarra Valley Wedding Photographer
Yarra Valley Wedding Photographer
Yering Station
Yarra Valley Wedding Photographer
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yarra Valley Wedding Photographer
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yarra Valley Wedding Cheese Platter
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Wedding Reception
Yering Station Sparkler Exit
Yering Station Sparkler Exit

A little more info about Yering Station.

For more Yarra Valley wedding venues, be sure to check out this Immerse Yarra Valley wedding and Stones of the Yarra Valley.

If lush greenery and wild landscapes and art deco perfection in the Yarra Valley (cue Burnham Beeches and the incredible Zonzo Estate) aren’t your thing, check out these unique wedding venues in Melbourne for some alternatives. For a country victoria wedding venue further north, check out this Sault Daylesford wedding.

Gather and Tailor Wedding

Dec 15, 2018

Gather and Tailor is an incredible rustic, industrial wedding and events space on the edge of Footscray, just slightly west of the Melbourne CBD. Couples of all types book at Gather and Tailor Wedding as there are two distinct spaces available to cater to all sizes and scales of celebration: Warehouse One, and Warehouse Two.

I’ve been fortunate to photograph weddings at Gather and Tailor Warehouse every other year, and so here are three couples with different types of celebrations, so you can see how they’ve each used both Warehouse One and Warehouse Two, and hopefully it gives a little insight into what can be done in their incredible spaces.

Gather and Tailor isn’t just available for weddings, but the venue is also regularly host to cocktail event, fashion parades, corporate dinners and more.

Want an overview of Gather and Tailor Warehouse one and Warehouse Two?

An incredibly detailed blank-canvas industrial wedding venue in Melbourne, Gather and Tailor’s two unique spaces can be hired separately depending on the size of your wedding and the flavour of industrial that you prefer.

Gather and Tailor Warehouse One

Gather and Tailor Warehouse One is the smaller of the two, but as with the specs below is still plenty large enough for weddings on the larger end of the dial, while having the space arranged in such a way that it’s also suitable for smaller weddings. The wedding you’re about to see was for Carli and Ennis, and was a communal gift from all supplies involved after a bushfire approached their first wedding in rural Victoria and forced them to evacuate. Incredible to see just how close the fire got.

Take a look at how everyone came together to get them the wedding they didn’t get to, at literally the last minute, have.

Gather and Tailor Warehouse One capacity:

200 cocktail
150 seated
Warehouse Style, flexible blank canvas

Gather and Tailor Warehouse One photos

Gather and Tailor warehouse wedding venue
Gather and Tailor warehouse one
Gather and Tailor wedding exterior
Gather and Tailor Cactus
Gather and Tailor interior
Gather and Tailor rustic wedding styling
Gather and Tailor rustic wedding styling
Rustic wedding styling in Melbourne
North Melbourne wedding warehouse venue
Gather and Tailor wedding sunset
Gather and Tailor warehouse wedding first dance Melbourne

Gather and Tailor Warehouse Two

Gather and Tailor Warehouse Two is significantly larger in floor space, and one of the most epic blank canvases you can imagine. If having a smaller wedding here, the space should be used and styled in such a way that it doesn’t feel like a tiny huddle in the corner of the Vatican.

The weddings you’re about to see are of Ash and Karan, and Anna and Anna – theirs of which was featured on Australia’s largest modern wedding blog, Hello May.

Gather and Tailor Warehouse Two capacity

500 cocktail
350 seated
Warehouse Style, flexible blank canvas

Gather and Tailor Warehouse Two photos

Gather and Tailor wedding
North St Botanical Flowers at Gather and Tailor Melbourne
Gather and Tailor wedding
Gather and Tailor wedding ceremony
Gather and Tailor wedding ceremony
Gather and Tailor wedding ceremony
Gather and Tailor wedding portraits
Gather and Tailor wedding portraits
Gather and Tailor wedding reception

Anna and Annas beautiful Melbourne wedding vendors for their Gather and Tailor Warehouse two wedding:

Celebrant Gabriella Christopher Rings Julia Deville BRIDE ONE Dress Ellery Shoes Nicholas Kirkwood Makeup Ross Andrwartha BRIDE TWO Dress Dion Lee Entertainment The Elwood Community Shoes Proenza Schouler Earrings Ellery Makeup Ross Andrewartha Florist North St Botanical Venue Gather & Tailor Catering Pot and Pan Candles The Supply Co Lighting Technical Events Sound Hire DJ Warehouse 

While we’re here…

Heres some more of my wedding photography, made with couples from all over Melbourne, to the Yarra Valley, to Geelong and beyond.

Gather and Tailor wedding portraits
Steph and Zacs Quarry Farm Wedding. Usually i’m Melbourne, but sometimes i’m a Fremantle wedding photographer.
See more
Gather and Tailor wedding reception
Hannah and Ben from their Royal Mail Hotel Grampians wedding.
Hannah and Lachlan from their Gabbinbar Homestead wedding.
Pre wedding portraits Melbourne
Saranda, from her wedding at Fortyfive Downstairs.
Pre wedding portraits Melbourne
North Melbourne wedding portrait
Bride with dog first dance
See Lauras incredible Suzanne Harward wedding dress.
Bride in Jumpsuit
Pre wedding portraits Melbourne
Melbourne wedding photographer

Find Gather and Tailor online

Gather and Tailor website: http://www.gatherandtailor.com.au/

Find Gather and Tailor in real life

Unit 11/41-59 Sims St, West Melbourne VIC 3003

Gather and Tailor on Google Maps:

Hire me to photograph your Gather and Tailor Wedding

Wedding Photographer Melbourne – Briars Atlas: Enquire

Looking for more unique wedding venues in melbourne? If you’re stoked on Gather and Tailor, load yourself up with one of Melbournes best wedding celebrants, and reach out to the team at Gather and Tailor. If you want me along for the ride to capture images exactly like those here, you can book me here.

gay wedding photographer melbourne

Dec 1, 2018

You’re getting married, you’re looking for a photographer, and you want to know the right questions to ask, and what sort of things you’re going to get. Experience is important, and i’m lucky to have plenty of it since our laws finally changed to allow same-sex weddings. I’m a same-sex wedding photographer based in Melbourne, and have been fortunate enough to photograph the weddings of beautiful couples all over the planet. On this page you’ll see some beautiful same sex wedding photography captured in Melbourne, and as far as San Francisco, as commissioned by couples looking for gay wedding photography that’s a little bit different.

Same sex wedding photographer Melbourne

On this page, i’ve put together some of my favourite images from five same sex weddings held in Melbourne and Beyond.

To see what other couples have said about me, take a look at my Melbourne wedding photographer reviews.

If you want to plan either a wedding (large or small) or Melbourne elopement, reach out to me if you’re after a photographer. For small and large wedding planning, I recommend Melbourne wedding planners Will and Jac.

Same sex wedding photography – Celeste and Sam

gay wedding photographer melbourne
same sex wedding photos of celeste and sam
gay wedding photographer melbourne
same sex wedding photos
celeste sam pot and pan
celeste sam pot and pan
same sex wedding photographer

Same sex wedding photographer: Matt and Andy

gay wedding photographer melbourne
gay wedding photographer melbourne
gay wedding photographer melbourne
the melbourne same sex wedding photos of matt and andy

Same sex wedding photographer (featured on Hello May) Anna and Anna

You can see Anna and Annas gorgeous same sex wedding, held at the unique Melbourne wedding venue Gather and Tailor, over here on Hello May.

the melbourne same sex wedding photos of anna and anna
Incredible floral styling thanks to North St. Head here for the best Melbourne wedding florists.

Yarra Valley Same Sex wedding: Daniel and Darkus

Check out Daniel and Darkus’s beautiful Yering Station wedding in full.

yering station wedding
same sex wedding photographer in the Yarra Valley at Yering Station
yering station wedding
a yarra valley same sex wedding photo

Same sex wedding: David and Dat

Same sex wedding photographer: Sam and Paul

Sam and Pauls incredible Thornbury wedding will be on my site soon, but in the meantime you can check out their brilliant celebrant, Matt Finch, over on my Melbourne wedding celebrants page. Also check out their drop-in to Kenny Lover.

This brilliant location can be found at my Melbourne wedding photo locations page.
bangin hangins
Sam and Pauls incredible interior styling was by Bangin Hangins.
kenny lover wedding
gay wedding photographer melbourne
kfc wedding catering
KFC catered Sam and Pauls wedding, and you can head here for some of the other best wedding caterers in Melbourne.
gay wedding photographer melbourne
Make your own moments like this – check out Sam and Pauls DJ, One More Song entertainment, and their thoughts on planning your wedding music.
zonzo estate wedding photos

Nov 1, 2018

Each year I head out to this beautiful slice of the Yarra Valley to photograph a Zonzo Estate wedding, and each time is so different from one another. Growing up in the Yarra Valley, it’s always a treat to be a part of so many celebrations there year in, year out. Read on to check out these Zonzo Winery Weddings.

Zonzo Estate wedding

I wanted to share three Zonzo Weddings in the Yarra Valley, that I’ve had the pleasure of photographing over the last few years, that are wildly different in style, so that you can get a great idea of how different folks with different tastes have all used Zonzo (and, how they look when I photograph there). Zonzo Estate has undergone further brilliant transformation in recent years, and has a whole spread of wonderful areas on site.

Zonzo Estate wedding

These Zonzo weddings have been featured on Hello May, Ivory Tribe, and Polka Dot Bride, so be sure to read on for the links to those to find out all the other vendor information of who put their beautiful days together.

Zonzo Winery Weddings Yarra Valley:

1: Elisha and Daniel (featured on Ivory Tribe)
2: Sarah and Paul (featured on Polka Dot Bride)
3: Lou and Jamie (featured on Hello May)

1: Zonzo Winery Wedding: Elisha and Daniel

These young lovers met at 19, and 15 years later found themselves at Zonzo, in a bohemian-vintage themed winery wedding. These two married at the barn at Zonzo, and they carried on the entire day before whisking over to Europe for four weeks.

zonzo estate wedding photos
See more of Elishas Mariana Hardwick wedding dress.
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
mariana hardwick
mariana hardwick
zonzo estate first look
zonzo estate first look
zonzo estate first look
zonzo estate first look
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
mariana hardwick zonzo estate
mariana hardwick zonzo estate
mariana hardwick zonzo estate
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate festoon dance

Celebrant: Sally Hughes
Photography: Briars Atlas
Florist: Sugar Bee
Hair: Marie Uva
Make-up: Monica Gingold
The Dress: Mariana Hardwick
Shoes: Tony Bianco
Rings: Micheli Jewellery and Uniform Black
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Alice McCall
Menswear: Oscar Hunt
Catering and bar: Zonzo Estate
Entertainment: Phoebe And The Night Creatures

Check out their full feature here on Ivory Tribe.

2: Zonzo Estate Wedding: Sarah and Paul

These two marvels opted for a rustic wedding at Zonzo, piecing together many of the elements themselves, except for a double-rainbow over the back of the Yarra Valley, which joined the party just after the ceremony.

zonzo estate wedding photos
pink flamingo socks
wedding rings handmade box
wedding rings
zonzo first look
zonzo first look
zonzo first look
zonzo cows
zonzo cows
zonzo cows
zonzo cows
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
zonzo estate wedding photos
Zonzo sunset
Zonzo reception
zonzo estate rainbow
zonzo estate rainbow
zonzo estate rainbow
Zonzo estate reception
Zonzo estate reception
Zonzo estate reception
Zonzo estate sunset photos
Zonzo estate sunset photos
Zonzo estate sunset photos
Zonzo estate sunset photos
Zonzo estate sunset photos
Zonzo estate wedding reception
Zonzo estate wedding reception
Zonzo estate wedding reception
Zonzo estate wedding reception
Zonzo estate festoon
Zonzo estate wedding reception
Zonzo estate wedding reception
Zonzo estate wedding reception
Zonzo estate wedding reception
Zonzo estate festoon

Photographer – Briars Atlas
Bride’s Dress: Custom Made by Sarah’s Mother
Groom’s Attire – Pal Zileri
Groom’s Tie & Bowties – OTAA
Venue – Zonzo Estate

See their full Yarra Valley wedding feature here on Polka Dot Bride.

3: Zonzo Winery Wedding: Lou and Jamie

A Naturopath by trade, the planning for Lou and Jamies Zonzo wedding put calm and health first in the entire process. With this in mind, it also meant that their day at Zonzo was littered with things that brought them both joy, including selecting carefully all of their vendors over 18 months. Lou and Jamie selected Zonzo Estate thanks for the venues ability to take care of everything from top to tail with the highest level of care, along with the added bonus of the spectacular Yarra Valley surrounds.

Rue De Seine gown
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding
Zonzo estate wedding

Photos: Briars Atlas
Bridal gown: Rue De Seine via The Bridal Atelier 
Robes / getting ready tees: Peter Alexander and Cotton On
Lingerie: Simone Perele
Shoes: Alan Pinkus
Hair: Renee Camilleri
Makeup: Kath Carlin 
Rings: Desi Desiderata
Bridesmaid dresses: Pilgrim
Bridesmaid shoes: Jo Mercer
Groom and groomsmen suits and ties: Briggins
Shoes: Aquila
Florist: Sugar Bee Flowers
Stationery: Ink Hearts Paper
Ceremony, reception and event stylist: Zonzo
Cake: Le Petit Gateau
Decorative elements: Kikki K
Wedding favours: Little Alchemy
Signage: Fox and Fallow
Entertainment: DJ Kwenda
Celebrant: Michael Goodluck.

Check out their full Yarra Valley wedding feature here on Hello May.

Book me as your Zonzo Yarra Valley wedding photographer

Make an enquiry https://briarsatlas.com/enquire

Book Zonzo Estate Winery for your Yarra Valley wedding:

Zonzo website: https://www.zonzo.com.au/
957 Healesville-Yarra Glen Rd, Yarra Glen VIC 3775
Phone: (03) 9730 2500

For more beautiful Yarra Valley wedding venues, check out Stones of the Yarra Valley, this Immerse Winery Wedding, and Yering Station.

Heading further north in Vic? Check out these gorgeous Castlemaine wedding venues.

More brilliant Yarra Valley wedding venues

Stones of the yarra valley sparkler exit

Oct 23, 2018

Located just 50km north-east of Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is the perfect road trip destination. With over 70 wineries (see Zonzo Estate), a huge range of tours, and some of the most quaint little hamlets this side of the moon, the Yarra Valley is a true hidden gem. Nestled amongst the hills and valleys of this spectacular region is the incredible venue Stones of the Yarra Valley, one of the best wedding venues the Yarra Valley has to offer, and a place where i’ve been fortunate to photograph weddings at year in year out.

So, here is a Stones of the Yarra Valley wedding guide (as much as we can cover in just a few page scrolls anyhow).

Stones of the Yarra Valley

Pre-Wedding Prep

Planning a wedding can sometimes feel orchestrating a symphony after necking a keg of port. You’ve got everything from accommodation, venue, food and guests to consider – plus the addition of all the little things that seem to skyscraper into the clouds and out of sight. When all the little things seem to become too much, allow Stones of the Yarra to kindly step in and offer a helping hand, thanks to their well-oiled team of wizards helmed by venue owner, Vonnie.

Here are just a few of the convenient pre-wedding services they offer:

  • Event staff on hand to provide professional advice.
  • Suggested offsite accommodation and transport, if required.
  • Five exquisite dining rooms to host pre-wedding celebrations.

The entire Yarra Valley region consists of amazing wineries and beautifully scenic attractions that everyone can enjoy. If you don’t find yourself too entangled in the wedding prep itself (ie. if you have an awesome wedding planner), you can check out tours, trails and townships in the surrounding areas.

We were blown away with how perfect everything was and our family and friends are still talking about it.

Stones of the Yarra Wedding Clients – Phoebe & Rob, April 2017

Stones of the Yarra Valley Wedding Day Vibes

When it comes to creating the perfect wedding atmosphere, Stones of the Yarra Valley run a super slick operation due to the services they offer. You are in consistently good hands when you choose to exchange vows and carry on celebrations at Stones itself or at one of their two gorgeous sister properties, No7 Healesville or The Warehouse at Meletos.

The lengths that this venue goes to in ensuring their happy couples are pretty wild, which everyone finds out after just one meeting with their planning team.

Depending on the Yarra Valley wedding package you choose, you could be basking in the following inclusions:

  • Seasonal decorative foliage.
  • Use of the exquisite grand piano in the chapel.
  • Private bridal room.
  • Tables, chairs, menus, microphones, lecterns, iPod facilities – plus all of the other bits and bobs that go into designing a stunning venue for a stunning reception.
  • Coordination with your external wedding planner and/or services booked to ensure a smooth wedding experience.
  • Friendly staff who are just as excited about your wedding as you are.

All this is just the beginning, which is pretty par for the course when the Stones ring leader Vonnie is driving things.

Yarra Valley Post-Wedding Shenanigans

Now, I’m likely talking more to the wedding guests than the stars of the show here, because they’re likely being whisked off on an amazing honeymoon. So, what can you do at Stones of the Yarra once the vows have been exchanged, the food has been consumed and the bar tab has been exceeded?

Plenty.

As mentioned above, Stones of the Yarra Valley have five ridiculously charming dining rooms to book into for a celebratory meal. You can wander the property and take in the most amazing views. Your Instagram followers will be drooling, believe me.

Outside of the Stones of the Yarra Valley venue, you’ve got the entire Yarra Valley at your disposal! My top 3 suggestions for the adventurous at heart would have to be:

If you’ve made it this far and still have juice in the tank, be sure to check out this post on these Yarra Valley wedding venues for more wedding planning inspiration.

Check out a few of my all time favourite black and white photos. These beauties are magical monochrome majesty. For more Yarra Valley Wedding venues, also be sure to check out Immerse, Yering Station, and the brilliantly art-deco Burnham Beeches. For a country victoria wedding venue further north, check out this Sault Daylesford wedding.

cosmopolitan hotel wedding

Mar 25, 2018

Not only is the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Trentham, Victoria a top-notch, classic Aussie hotel, it’s also one of my favourite low key wedding venues in Melbourne. Located right on the corner of High St and Cosmo Rd in Trentham, this unsung hero of wedding venues really does put on quite the show (also check out this post on rustic wedding venues that features Cosmo).

The best part? It’s only just over an hour north-west of Melbourne’s CBD, near Castlemaine. Let’s check out the awesome Cosmopolitan Hotel wedding venue and all it has to offer.

Why Plan A Cosmopolitan Hotel Wedding?

The team at the Cosmo are absolutely wonderful, for one. They place such pride in their venue that they can’t help but go all out for their wedding clients. The level of care shown for even the tiniest of aspects of every wedding is astoundingly endearing.

The event team know their venue inside and out which allows them to perfectly place each and every decoration. They’ll also suggest the best locations for photographs and assist with any and all queries leading up to and during the big day.

cosmopolitan hotel wedding

Cosmopolitan Hotel Wedding Inclusions

  • Seating up to 125 – more for cocktail style events
  • Amazing seasonal, local produce for meals and drinks
  • Bloody spectacular photo opportunities
  • Staff who legitimately care
  • Much more – check out their website

The venue itself is absolutely perfect for an intimate country wedding because it holds such a warm, rustic air about it. If you want your wedding to bring back memories of gorgeous gardens, rural charm and warm firelight, this is definitely the Melbourne wedding venue for you.

The two main locations within the hotel grounds that are used for wedding ceremonies and receptions are the picturesque gardens and the charming stables.

cosmopolitan hotel wedding

Cosmopolitan Hotel Gardens

The gardens truly are a sight to behold with their vast expanse and varied species of flowering shrubs and trees. Because of this they make a wonderful spot for wedding photos. They’re also honestly just a wonderfully calming, peaceful place to hang out.

Cosmopolitan Hotel Stables

The Stables, deary me, they are simply magnificent. Picture an old, weather-beaten barn built by hand from wood and other old-school materials. It’s well-kept enough to house up to 125 guests for a sit down dinner and a good old fashioned barn dance.

Fairy lights adorn both the interior and the exterior, adding a delightfully magical air to the entire event.

Even the simplest of decorations transform this venue into a lively, homely, spirited place to host a truly wonderful wedding.

cosmopolitan hotel wedding

The package includes delicious, local seasonal produce and a drinks menu featuring only the best wine, beer and cider from the region. So, the Cosmopolitan Hotel wedding in-house catering team is a force to be reckoned with.

A Cosmo wedding pays tribute to Victoria’s heritage in the most charming of ways. Events held here seem to draw on the historic nature of the pub itself. As a result, there’s no better place in Trentham to tie the knot that this majestic, historical venue.

And that’s the tea.

cosmopolitan hotel trentham wedding venue

Check out Adriana and Caleb’s Melbourne Covid wedding! What they managed to pull off, given the circumstances, was nothing short of astounding.

best rustic wedding venues melbourne

Feb 2, 2018

There’s nothing better than a rustic wedding. Surrounded by amazing antiques, homely vibes, and gorgeous Victorian era structures, you can’t help but allow yourself to be entirely engulfed by the country atmosphere. A well-done country-style nuptial celebration can have you feeling like you’ve been dropped right into your own Aussie fairytale. And let me tell you, the photo ops are to die for. Sprawling fields, old wooden sheds and stables, gorgeous native flowers from on-site gardens, delicious local menus – it all comes together to create a truly magical experience. So, without further ado, let’s check out the top 3 best rustic wedding venues Melbourne has to offer!

I’ve thrown in a few sneaky pics too so you can truly appreciate the warm, inviting atmosphere of each of these venues.

  • brown brothers winery
  • cosmopolitan hotel trentham
  • newstead butterland

Country Victoria wedding venue: The Cosmopolitan Hotel, Trentham

The Cosmo Hotel is one of those classic Aussie pubs that looks and feels like your grandfather might have had his first beer at, back in the day, and maybe one of the most unique modern rustic wedding venue melbourne or beyond.

It is a highly convenient venue for Melbourne-ites to travel to because it’s situated only about an hour out of the CBD. It’s classy yet relaxed and it has a plethora of exciting bits and pieces that are honestly a wedding photographer’s dream.

History

In 2005, the Cosmopolitan was ravaged by a fire that destroyed a huge portion of the venue. Unperturbed, the owners rebuilt the hotel, restoring it to its former glory, with the addition of a few modern features. Although it has been done up in recent years, this historic pub still holds an air of friendly, rustic sophistication. This charm truly lends itself to the bright-eyed, love-filled couples who exchange nuptials here.

rustic wedding venue cosmo hotel

Rustic Features

The primary locations for a Cosmopolitan wedding are the Stables and the Gardens. These two locations simply have the most peaceful atmosphere.

The Gardens are impeccably kept and host a wide range of native Australian flora. Due to this, they are the perfect location to exchange vows and capture memorable photos. You may also be lucky enough to find your reception hall at the Stables decked out in some of the native flowers that the gardens have on show.

garden wedding

The Stables are truly breathtaking with their dim lighting, beautiful flowers and rustic decorations. The olden-day style wooden shed works together with these features harmoniously. This creates a mystically rustic setup for both the reception and dinner.

This delightfully quaint barn surprisingly seats up to 125 guests, perfect for a medium sized wedding. Inviting a few extra guests along is easy enough because the space can accommodate more for a cocktail style function.

The Cosmopolitan Hotel wedding packages are all encompassing due to their awesome inclusions like a wedding planner, local food and drink options, access to the entire grounds of the venue and more!

Final Thoughts

The Cosmo exudes such an air of homeliness and warmth that you can’t help but smile no matter where you are on the property. It’s definitely one to consider if you’re looking to venture to truly rustic wedding venues Melbourne adjacent.

Cosmopolitan Hotel Trentham website: https://www.thecosmopolitanhotel.com.au/

Also check out this Cosmopolitan Hotel Wedding.

Country Wedding Venue: Brown Brothers Winery, Milawa

About 3 hours north east of Melbourne CBD sits Victoria’s wine country. This region hosts many historic wineries and vineyards just waiting for travelers and tourists to visit. For many reasons, one that stands out as a truly remarkable wedding venue is the picturesque Brown Brothers Milawa Winery.

History

Since its inception in 1889 Brown Brothers has held its title as one of Australia’s leading family-owned wine companies.

Brown Brothers won the award for ‘Most Loved Brand’ at the 2015 and 2017 Australian Drinks Awards. They received this due to their mix of traditional wine making methods, plus an added innovative flair that supports experimentation. Their mix of old-school and modern techniques spills over into the physical attributes of their winery with expertly designed features. Whilst it is a rustic setting, sparks of contemporary design are scattered throughout.

brown brothers winery milawa

Rustic Features

This unique venue in the heart of the King Valley boasts sprawling green grounds with gorgeous gardens full of natives. Cottages and heritage sites make themselves known, standing tall on the lawns. Mountains surround the valley and can be seen for miles from anywhere on the Brown Brothers Milawa site.

A nearby forest of tall native gums makes for an epic photo shoot location due to an air of intrigue and mysterious adventure. Check out these bad boys…

Even after years of photography experience, my mind is still blown by how finding the perfect angle can eloquently capture such magnificent moments in time.

The luscious on-site gardens make for a truly heartwarming ceremony with gorgeous native trees and shrubs lending their old-school Australian charm. Large oak trees surround the gardens in order to provide shelter from the elements.

brown brothers milawa wedding

A beautifully restored historic barn is the perfect setting for post-ceremony festivities and a seriously delicious dinner. Decorated to the nines, this venue is the perfect balance of modern sophistication and rustic charm.

Stained wooden features and an old-timey cellar provide a visual contrast from the light and bright wedding decorations and attire. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better venue when it came to capturing phenomenal wedding photos for this couple.

rustic wedding photography

Choose from a range of packages and options including The Bridal Cottage, Prosecco Hour, a custom made wedding cake and a professional wedding planner in order to construct the perfect wedding.

Final Thoughts

Any couple would be #blessed to secure a wedding at this contemporary yet rustic venue. A wide range of wedding package inclusions, stunning grounds and photo locations that are out of this world make Brown Brothers, Milawa one of the best rustic wedding venues Melbourne has to offer.

Brown Brothers Winery website: https://www.brownbrothers.com.au/

Country Victoria wedding venue: Butterland, Newstead

This one-of-a-kind venue is located just under 2 hours out of Melbourne CBD allowing it to be an ideal destination for couples looking for a modern rustic wedding venue Melbourne and beyond. As you may have guessed from the name, Butterland is an old butter factory that has been masterfully refurbished as a rustic event venue.

History

Butterland was constructed in 1904 to accommodate an influx of settlers that came to Newstead as a direct result of the Gold Rush. It has been transformed from a dairy to a candle factory and now stands as a unique, multi-purpose venue for country-style weddings and other quirky events.

The red brick exterior, the chimney stack of the original dairy and the front signage have all been restored to their former glory in the recent restoration. Internal features have also been magnificently brought to life to accentuate the historic charm of a structure that has managed to survive throughout the ages.

butterland newstead

Rustic Features

The grounds of this stunning old building are nothing short of breathtaking due to the well-manicured lawns, stone walls, wooden structures and charming atmosphere.

A gorgeous garden and several homely veggie patches can be seen on the acre of land this venue calls home. Not only that, there’s a concrete pool hosted by an old sump tank and a disused railway line. These seemingly small features provide a spectacular opportunity to capture both the fun and sincerity of wedding celebrations.

newstead butterland wedding
rustic wedding venues melbourne

The internal aspects of this repurposed butter factory are just as stunning as the external.

Because the venue is owned by a florist, you can look forward to indoor plants and flowers galore. A wedding with a botanically-forward theme would be perfectly at home here.

Exposed wooden beams and a mish-mash of chairs made from steel, wood and other materials add to the relaxed aura. Long wooden tables extend through the main hall to provide ample seating for guests.

The owners of this homely venue will work with you to ensure every detail of your wedding is truly yours.

butterland wedding
wedding photography

Final Thoughts

Butterland isn’t just any wedding venue. It’s a wedding venue with history, personality and a suave charm that’s very difficult to resist. Quirky couples with a country-style wedding in mind will go nuts over this place. Honestly, it’s too much fun for its own good.

Butterland Newstead website: https://www.butterland.com.au/

Of the weddings I’ve been privileged enough to photograph, I often find myself looking back at rustic wedding venues with such fondness.

The simple, country vibe never fails to remind us of the importance of family, friends and home. It’s not just the amazing photo ops that draw me to these weddings. It’s the people, the history and the ability to connect so personally with a venue.

What are your favourite rustic Melbourne based wedding venues? Shout out in the comments!

Check out some pics from Tess and Sam’s stunning Kangaroo Valley wedding if you haven’t already…

For beautiful rustic venues specific to the Castlemaine region, check out these Castlemaine wedding venues, or on the other side of Victoria, if rustic is your vibe then you’ve gotta take a look at these Mornington Peninsula wedding venues.

Immerse Yarra Valley wedding photo

Jan 14, 2018

Donut towers, friendly neighbourhood cats, and two of the most loved-up theatrical maestros on the planet, Annie and Daz, getting their wedding on at the lush winery, Immerse Yarra Valley.

Annie and Daz had family from all over the planet joining them at this beautifully lush patch of green out in the Yarra Valley, and so they made use of the sprawling on site accommodation available.

Annie also had a rogue echidna join in for their bridal portrait photos.

Cheers mate.

Enjoy this little peek into a majestic day of sunshine and good vibes at their Immerse Yarra Valley wedding.

Immerse Winery Wedding
Immerse Winery Wedding
Immerse Winery Wedding
Immerse Winery Wedding Gillian Pollard flowers
Gillian Pollard Flowers
Immerse Winery accommodation

Immerse Yarra Valley Wedding Ceremony

Immerse Winery Wedding
Immerse Winery Wedding
Immerse Winery Wedding
Immerse Winery Wedding
Immerse Winery Wedding Ceremony
Immerse Winery Wedding
Gillian Pollard Floral Arch
Immerse Winery Wedding
Gillian Pollard Floral Arch
Immerse Winery Wedding Gillian Pollard Floral arch
Immerse Winery Wedding
Immerse Winery Wedding

Immerse Yarra Valley Wedding Portraits

Immerse Yarra Valley portraits
Immerse Yarra Valley portraits
Immerse Yarra Valley portraits
Immerse Yarra Valley portraits
Immerse Yarra Valley portraits
Immerse Yarra Valley portraits
Immerse Yarra Valley portraits
Yarra Valley wedding portraits
Yarra Valley wedding portraits
Yarra Valley wedding portraits
Yarra Valley wedding portraits
Yarra Valley wedding portraits

Immerse Yarra Valley Wedding Reception

Gillian Pollard table setting
Gillian Pollard table setting
Gillian Pollard table setting
Immerse Reception
Harsh sunlight on face
Immerse Portraits Yarra Valley
Immerse Portraits Yarra Valley
Immerse Portraits Yarra Valley
Immerse Portraits Yarra Valley
Immerse YV Reception
Immerse YV Reception
Immerse YV Reception
Immerse YV Reception
Immerse YV Reception
Immerse YV Reception
Immerse YV Reception
Immerse wedding first dance
Immerse reception
Immerse reception
Immerse reception
Immerse reception
Immerse reception

Book Immerse Yarra Valley Winery for your wedding:

Immerse Yarra Valley website: https://immerse.com.au/

Immerse Yarra Valley is located about 1 hour from Tullamarine airport, and a little closer from the Melbourne CBD. Plenty of accommodation is available for guests and wedding parties alike, and the region is one of my favourite generally to spend a week, if you can spare some time either side of the wedding day itself. Accomodation available 20 rooms for exclusive use by your crew, and the standard reception length is a nice and hefty 5.5 hours.

Immerse Yarra Valley has a vineyard on site, beautiful little chapel, and a wild array of other things dotted on the property that make for a beautiful little loop for portraits. Ceremonies can either be held inside the modern enclosed chapel, or underneath a large outdoor area that’s also protected from the weather.

To find out more information on the specific things available as standard inclusions, head over to the Immerse Yarra Valley wedding booking information page out here: https://immerse.com.au/wedding-package/

Visit Immerse Yarra Valley Winery

See other unique wedding venues in Melbourne, or for Yarra Valley venues, check out Stones of the Yarra Valley, this Yering Station Wedding, the pizza-wizards otherwise known as Zonzo Estate, and this impossibly wild Burnham Beeches wedding. For a country Victoria wedding venue further north, try this Sault Daylesford wedding.

Tanglewood Estate wedding

Dec 27, 2017

Holding a Tanglewood Estate wedding is like holding a wedding at something straight out of the head of Tim Burton. True to it’s name, Tanglewood Estate is a layered landscape of brilliantly twisted and tangled trees with a whole bunch of options both indoors and out for hosting your Mornington Peninsula wedding.

On it’s 100+ acres, Tanglewood Estate rustic spaces include The Chapel, The Grounds, the Studio (a former artists studio constructed entirely of mud brick), and the Winery. There’s a few little pieces about Tanglewood Estate’s story that are best left to them telling, but the one about their Chapel being purchased on Gumtree is a pearler.

I love shooting at Tanglewood Estate – apart from the enormous variety of spaces there, that sunset that drops behind the lake is out of this world and on our peninsula (check out these other Mornington Peninsula wedding venues).

I ran another series of wedding photography workshops at this beautiful slice of Mornington Peninsula wilderness – at it’s space called the Studio, and was joined by such a brilliant crew of Victorian creatives to spend the day together, such as the utterly inimitable Briggsy, Ashleigh Haase photography, my dear mate Cass Sullivan over from Tas and so many more, and had the incredible skills of Humdrum Films (head here for more Melbourne wedding videographers) putting together a video of the day.

Here’s a little peek into the day. Huge love to Humdrum Films for capturing it.

Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate floating lake platform
Tanglewood Estate floating lake platform
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photographer
Tanglewood Estate wedding photos

Hire me for your Tanglewood Estate wedding photography

Growing up in the Yarra Valley and later towards the Mornington Peninsula, i’ve got a special love for those areas of Victoria, and it’s always a treat to photograph weddings out that way. Usually close to half of my photography year is spent across those two regions, and having spent so much time out there it makes perfect sense to host a wedding at Tanglewood Estate.

If you’re looking for a wedding photographer at Tanglewood Estate or the Mornington Peninsula, reach out and I can advise on how to go about it and how to make the best of your time out there.

Make an enquiry: https://briarsatlas.com/enquire
Tanglewood Estate website: https://tanglewoodestate.com.au/

Mornington Peninsula wedding photographer

mornington peninsula wedding photographer
mornington peninsula wedding photographer
mornington peninsula wedding photographer
mornington peninsula wedding photographer
mornington peninsula wedding photographer
mornington peninsula wedding photographer
mornington peninsula wedding photographer
mornington peninsula wedding photographer
mornington peninsula wedding photographer
mornington peninsula wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
Wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
Wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer
tanglewood estate wedding photographer

luminare wedding

Nov 5, 2017

Lauren and Nick had a Luminare Wedding at the iconic Melbourne rooftop wedding Venue, Luminare South Melbourne. These stylish legends had a wild and enormous day top to tail, with a Catholic ceremony nearby, before heading into the cavernous rooftop wedding event space of Luminare.

I tagged along with these maestros for the day, along with the marvels over at C2 Films.

Lauren and Nicks Luminare wedding South Melbourne

Nick getting ready for his wedding at Luminare South Melbourne
Groom before Luminare
A photo of a bride before her wedding at Luminare South Melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne portraits
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding south melbourne
Luminare wedding styling
Luminare wedding styling
Luminare wedding styling
Luminare sunset portraits Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne
Luminare wedding South Melbourne

Book your Luminare wedding:

Luminare website: https://luminare.net.au/

Luminare Wedding Venue Information

Luminare supports a maximum of 250 wedding guests. File this majestic joint under “decadent”, it’s a blank-canvas wedding venue that can be turned into anything you can imagine, but seems to have it’s spiritual ground in the opulent.

Take the iconic lift up and you feel like you’re entering Willy Wonkas great glass elevator.

Luminare Weddings Contact Information

Luminare location: Cnr Browns Lane & York St, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
Luminare Phone: (03) 8416 9791
Luminare Business Hours: Mon-Fri: 6pm – 1am, Sat and Sun: 7am – 1am.

Luminare Wedding Photo Locations

Luminare wedding

I’ve photographed so many beautiful weddings at Luminare and know a bunch of wonderful spots around the venue for your wedding portraits that don’t require you to tell your guests to have a 3 hour nap while you get your photos taken halfway across the country. South Melbourne has so many beautiful heritage homes, shopfronts, and unique gardens all within a short walk from Luminare itself.

To see some of these for yourself, head over to my post on the best Wedding Photo Locations in Melbourne, which also includes Google Maps pins and detailed location information.

Book me to photograph your Luminare Wedding

Briars Atlas Wedding Photography – Enquire

More beautiful modern wedding gowns:

Jaime Lee Major wedding gowns

Unique wedding dresses

Got the gowns sorted? Make sure you check out these amazing unique wedding dress designs.

If you like the look of a Luminare Wedding, you might also love these other Melbourne rooftop wedding venues:

Other venues like Luminare weddings

If you like Luminare, you might also like Metropolis Events, or just a little further out to the east, the wedding reception and function venue Vogue Ballroom. Also be sure to check out these Unique Melbourne wedding venues.

Fremantle wedding photographer

Jul 15, 2017

Fremantle is one of the most marvellous places to have a wedding in Australia, and benefits from the incredible natural beauty of the surrounding areas of WA being at the fingertips, as well as the beautiful heritage architecture and layout of the old city itself. I’m hired every other year as a Fremantle wedding photographer, and you can see some of the wonderful wedding i’ve photographed there here.

While you’re here, for the best wedding dresses straight out of Perth, check out the inimitable designs of Jaime Lee Major.

Jaime Lee Major wedding Gown Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer

Some of the historical streets of Fremantle look like they were plucked straight from a movie set. A quick stroll around them can get an incredible diversity of Fremantle wedding photos.

Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer

And, just around the corner, it changes again… from heritage, historical Fremantle streets, to beautiful old decaying urban walls.

Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer kids at weddings
Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer
Quarry Farm wedding
Quarry Farm wedding
Quarry Farm wedding
Quarry Farm trees wedding
Quarry Farm trees wedding
Quarry Farm sunset wedding photos
Quarry Farm sunset wedding photos
Quarry Farm sunset wedding photos
Quarry Farm sunset wedding photos
Quarry Farm sunset wedding photos
Quarry Farm sunset wedding photos
Quarry Farm reception
Quarry Farm reception
Quarry Farm reception
Quarry Farm reception
Fremantle wedding photographer
Quarry farm lake boat

Most of these were taken at the incredible Quarry Farm wedding of Stef and Zac. Quarry Farm is located in Whitby, slightly southeast of Fremantle and Perth. If you’re having a wedding at Quarry Farm, the beautiful Fremantle wedding photo locations above are a quick and easy diversion on the drive out there.

Not just Fremantle wedding photography:

Here are some of my favourite wedding images that i’ve photographed from weddings here, there and everywhere.

From Tim and Alix’s Rupert on Rupert wedding.
Fremantle wedding photographer
Check out Hannah and Lachlans stylish Gabbinbar Homestead wedding.
If you’re heading to the east coast, check out this and other unique wedding venues in Melbourne.
Laura in Suzanne Harward.
Fremantle wedding photographer
Fremantle wedding photographer
Taken on a 60 year old camera. Head to this post on why i shoot weddings on film.

Find Quarry Farm Whitby online

Quarry Farm Whitby website: https://www.quarryfarm.com.au/

Find Quarry Farm Whitby in real life

1475 South Western Hwy, Whitby WA 6123

Fremantle wedding photographer FAQ

What are the best wedding photo locations in Fremantle?

How far in advance should I book my Fremantle wedding photographer?

You can book me as close or as far away from your wedding day as you like.

What are the best wedding venues in Fremantle?

The best wedding venue in Fremantle is Quarry Farm.

Do you also photograph weddings in Perth?

I photograph weddings all over Australia, including Perth.

Book me as your Fremantle wedding photographer

I regularly photograph weddings in Perth and Fremantle, and there are no additional costs or complexities involved. Reach out to me via my enquiry form over here.

tuggeranong homestead wedding

May 17, 2017

When it comes to a phenomenal wedding package, the team at Tuggeranong Homestead are not here to mess about. They’ve got some amazing inclusions, an awesome venue that’s perfect for capturing wedding photography and videography and an air of serenity that Darryl Kerrigan would be entirely unable to resist. Let’s take a look at some Tuggeranong Homestead wedding photos and learn a little more about the services they offer to couples about to tie the knot.

Tuggeranong Homestead Location

As far as the ACT goes, Tuggeranong is a delightfully natural area directly south of Canberra. It’s full of Nature Reserves and borders multiple National Parks. The various scenic drives and lookouts are all sights you must see if you visit Canberra at any point.

Tuggeranong Homestead is located in the very heart of Tuggeranong Valley, not even half an hour out of Canberra CBD and airport.

The Tuggeranong Creek runs but a stone’s throw away, adding to the already naturally peaceful setting.

act wedding venue

Tuggeranong Homestead Wedding Venue

The venue itself is a gorgeous rustic homestead on 70 acres of the vast, secluded Aussie outdoors. The Homestead and its surrounding features exude an old-timey flavour that radiates “home”, “love” and “welcome”.

With your wedding package you get exclusive access to all the on-site areas listed below. These are perfect for hosting events, accommodation and of course, capturing some epic wedding photos and videos.

  • A sandstone paved cafe garden, perfect for the ceremony and reception.
  • A large homestead with several rooms available to host functions including the Drawing Room with two gorgeous open fireplaces and the Sunroom contained entirely within large windows.
  • A machinery shed that screams, “capture amazing rustic photos here”.
  • Garden marquees to provide some cover to guests.
  • A bandstand to host a dancefloor and/or live band.
tuggeranong homestead wedding

Inclusions

There are so many bits and pieces included in a Tuggeranong Homestead wedding package that I simply cannot fit them all in one short blog post. Here are a few though, that should help you figure out whether this venue is the one for you and your partner…

  • A commercial kitchen and fully licensed bar to cater for everything you need food and drinks wise.
  • Reception chairs and tables, chairs for guests for the ceremony and some super chic antique furniture for the signing.
  • Free overnight parking in a well-lit space.
  • Fairy lights in the machinery shed to add to the magical charm of the venue.
  • A fire pit with seating surrounding it for a chilled, late-night fireside chat.
  • Pet-friendly grounds.

And much, much more! Just head to their website to see all the other amazing inclusions on offer.

tuggeranong homestead wedding

Tuggeranong Homestead Wedding Photos

Tuggeranong Homestead wedding portraits
Tuggeranong Homestead wedding portraits
Tuggeranong Homestead wedding portraits
Tuggeranong Homestead wedding portraits
Tuggeranong Homestead wedding portraits
tuggeranong homestead
tuggeranong homestead

For a charming, serene, rustic wedding, Tuggeranong Homestead has everything you need and more!

For some delightfully rustic Castlemaine wedding venues, check out this blog in the Briar’s Atlas Notes!

superintendent's residence centennial park wedding

Feb 2, 2017

Carol and Dave had a beautiful intimate Superintendent’s residence Centennial Park Wedding in New South Wales, with and open invitation to their entire community of young and old. There’s always an extra unique and joy in celebrations where kids are invited (see kids at weddings for why), and the theatre that ensues is like nothing else.

Carol and David used this unique little corner of Centennial Park to host their wedding, at The Superintendent’s residence, and all the celebration, love and jenga-disappointment that came with it.

Also, every time I see the the word Superintendent…

Enjoy the images from their day, and while you’re at it, check out this Sydney Theatre Company wedding and Blue Mountains Elopement.

Sydney Centennial Park wedding
Wedding games
The heritage buildings also look straight out of Fremantle.
Wedding games
Wedding Jenga
Wedding games
Kids at weddings
Kids at weddings
Drink up
Kids at weddings
Kids at weddings
Superintendent's Residence
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Centennial Park
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Centennial Park
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
Kids at weddings
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
Kids at weddings
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
Kids at weddings
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Centennial Park
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Centennial Park
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Centennial Park
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Centennial Park
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Centennial Park
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Centennial Park
Superintendent's Residence Centennial Park Wedding Sydney
Superintendent's Residence
Superintendent's Residence
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
superintendent's residence centennial park wedding
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception
Superintendent's Residence Wedding Reception

Information on hiring the Superintendent’s Residence Centennial Park for your wedding:

Superintendent’s Residence Centennial Park website: https://www.centennialparklands.com.au/visit/history-and-heritage/heritage-buildings-and-structures/superintendents-residence

Designed by architect James barnet, the Superintendent’s Residence was completed in 1892 at a construction cost of 1500 pounds. One of the more somewhat secret places within Centennial Park to host a wedding, the heritage building offers an incredibly beautiful backdrop, and can be easily scaled for celebrations of all sizes.

To have me photograph your Superintendent’s Residence Centennial Park wedding, check out some of my reviews, and let’s get myself and Nathan Kaso making magic with you.

Sydney Theatre Company wedding

Jan 19, 2017

It’s not all that often you get the chance to be swept into the wild world of consummate performers and their crew at Sydneys iconic Pier One wedding venue. Jane and Michael, incredibly eminent players in the music and theatre scene (Jane, travelling the world as a touring violinist and filmmaker, and Michael, amongst other things hand-picked by Brian May to front the Queen musical), had their Sydney Theatre Company wedding in a day of love, ceremony, and all the performative brilliance that goes along with having your extended community made up of artists and thespians.

Wild winds nearly blowing us off the pier, leading into late night anarchy with the Sydney Harbour Bridge as the backdrop in this brilliant warehouse Theatre Bar at the End of the Wharf wedding, and what a beautiful privilege it was to be the very two eyes to make record of it all.

Pier One wedding: Jane and Michael

Sydney Theatre Company wedding
Sydney Theatre Company wedding. Sydney Harbour bridge as background.
Sydney Theatre Company wedding. Sydney Harbour bridge as background.
Sydney Theatre Company wedding. Sydney Harbour bridge as background.
Sydney Theatre Company wedding. Sydney Harbour bridge as background.
Sydney Theatre Company wedding. Sydney Harbour bridge as background.
Sydney Theatre Company wedding. Sydney Harbour bridge as background.
Sydney Theatre Company wedding
Theatre Bar at the end of the wharf wedding
Theatre Bar at the end of the wharf wedding
Sydney Theatre Company wedding
Sydney Theatre Company wedding
Sydney Theatre Company wedding
Sydney Theatre Company wedding
Sydney Theatre Company wedding
Sydney Theatre Company wedding
Theatre Bar at the end of the wharf wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Theatre Bar at the end of the wharf wedding
Theatre Bar at the end of the wharf wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding
Pier One Wedding

As a destination wedding photographer i’m hired to photograph weddings all around the world , and that includes anywhere in Australia. Make an enquiry at www.briarsatlas.com, and check out this Blue Mountains Elopement and this Superintendent’s Residence Centennial Park Sydney Wedding.

Enquire about a Sydney Pier One Wedding

Sydney Theatre Company website: https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/
Sydney Theatre Bar at the End of the Wharf Wedding website: https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/your-visit/the-theatre-bar-at-the-end-of-the-wharf

Sault Daylesford wedding lavender

Aug 18, 2016

Sault Daylesford isn’t just the most instagrammable lavender field in the state, it’s one of the regions best restaurants and slices of country in Victoria. Jo and Mike decided on a Sault Daylesford wedding, and I hitched a ride and took some proof that somewhere in amongst the glorious food and lavender field jaunts, they also did the marriage thing.

Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding / Pates Baroni poster
Daylesford groom
Daylesford wedding dress
Daylesford Bride
Daylesford Bride
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford Sunset
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding lavender
Sault Daylesford wedding lavender
Sault Daylesford wedding lavender
Sault Daylesford wedding lavender
Sault Daylesford wedding lavender
Sault Daylesford wedding
Sault Daylesford wedding reception
Sault Daylesford wedding reception
Sault Daylesford wedding reception
Sault Daylesford wedding reception
Sault Daylesford wedding reception

Enquire about a Sault Daylesford wedding

Reach out to Jodi and Damien, the husband and wife powerhouse who run Sault Daylesford. After getting married there themselves, they fell in love with the place and bought it! As you do. This means the most wildly invested team deeply in love with the surrounds but hosting an incredible time for your wedding.

Sault Daylesford website: https://www.sault.com.au/

For more country Victoria wedding venues, check out Immerse Yarra Valley, Stones of the Yarra Valley, Yering Station, or for more industrial vibes, have a look at these unique Melbourne wedding venues. There’s something about the structure of Sault that reminds me of an incredible venue in Byron Bay: so check out Deux Belettes.

Solscape wedding New Zealand

Apr 27, 2015

Jono, in the world of surf, and Wendy, a camera operator for Weta. Which, if you don’t know, basically means she’s responsible for goblins in Lord of the Rings, etc. Wendy and Jono married at the impossibly majestic clifftop commune, for their Solscape wedding, which merged these two classic pillars of New Zealand together: incredible surf, and majestic nature.

Solscape is a unique Eco village in Raglan, New Zealand (check out this Queenstown Helicopter elopement and this incredible New Zealand wedding dress designer), and as well as being some of the most beautiful rustic accommodation anywhere in New Zealand, host weddings and workshops.

Bright sun, crashing waves from the Ngarunui beach below the outcrop the venue is perched on, and the incredible sounds of Cornerstone Roots driving the tunes well into the evening.

Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
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Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding raglan
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
Cornerstone roots
Cornerstone roots
Cornerstone roots
Cornerstone roots
Cornerstone roots
kids at wedding
Cornerstone roots
Cornerstone roots
Cornerstone roots
Cornerstone roots
Cornerstone roots
Cornerstone roots
wedding fire art
wedding fire twirl
Solscape wedding
Solscape wedding
wedding lantern

Book Solscape Raglan for your wedding

Solscape website: http://www.solscape.co.nz/

Book me as your New Zealand wedding photographer

As a destination wedding photographer I’m frequently in New Zealand, and even if not, it’s a quick flight over from Australia and often easier than even going to some of our own cities. Make an enquiry at Briars Atlas.

All Smiles Sorrento wedding

Dec 28, 2014

Kristi and Phil headed to the Mornington Peninsula for their gorgeous All Smiles Sorrento wedding. I came along with a few cameras slung over my shoulders, and spent the day with these stylish legends and their community.

All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding
All Smiles Sorrento wedding

Book me as your Mornington Peninsula wedding photographer

Mornington Peninsula wedding photographer: https://briarsatlas.com/enquire

Book All Smiles Sorrento for your wedding

All Smiles Sorrento website: https://allsmiles.com.au/mornington-peninsula/

For surf coast weddings in New Zealand, check out this Solscape wedding in Raglan. For something a little more rustic, check out Tanglewood Estate. Looking for more venue alternatives? Check out these wedding venues on the Mornington Peninsula.