When you get engaged, the advice from people starts flowing in; and, from what I’m told, locking in a venue and selecting a photographer are the top two items to secure first. And so my hunt began. Google was my tool in gathering a list of places that seemed viable – there are plenty of websites that will redirect you specifically to Canberra locations. After a toss up between having a wedding in Wollongong (the much cheaper alternative) or having it here, Canberra won the battle of the venues.

For us the biggest factor in choosing the place to say ‘I do’ was very much based on a venue that would fit in our 170 guests…and, no, we’re not Greek or Italian…go figure, hey!

Another thing for both Dave and I was the food. During our courtship, I like to think I have turned Dave into a bit of a foodie like myself. We appreciate fresh ingredients and rich tastes – not to mention an above standard selection of beers and wines. So, here are my top three locations that we selected from….mind you there were about 20 to begin with.

Ginninderry Homestead

Amelia Lacey, the events manager, was a fantastic help and so willing to answer any questions I had. Along with her husband Wayne and mum Sue, Amelia runs Ginninderry Homestead so there you’ll receive  tremendous customer service from this family business.

I had never heard of this stunning homestead which is only 20 minutes away from our city centre. Set on picturesque acreage (70 in fact), this is the perfect choice for those looking for a country feel but not too far out of town. Their indoors space can cater up to 120 people for a standing function and 90 people for a sit down function.

Pros:

1. Impeccable setting, both the house and the surrounding gardens.
2. Both your ceremony and reception can be held here.
3. Homestead accommodation available.

Cons:

1. Unfortunately due to our large number of guests they were unable to cater for us. There is the option of adding on a marquee to their indoor seating areas if you wanted a little more than 90 seated guests.

the essentials

Where: Ginninderry Park 468 Parkwood Road Via Macgregor ACT
Phone:  (02) 6254 6464 or 0438 547 764
Email: Events@ginninderry.com.au
Web: www.ginninderry.com.au

The Arboretum

I was in love at first site! Talk about an amazing piece of architectural, engineering and building ingenuity. If you haven’t been to the National Aboretum yet, I encourage you to go and check it out – once the trees are established on the surrounding hills it will be (if not already) one of Canberra’s major attractions.

If I was wanting something different and VERY impressive then this was going to be the space. Ginger Catering run all of the events within this government-owned space, so they are your point of contact. Initially, it was hard to get in contact with them to make arrangements to meet, and they never seemed to remember who I  was; which when you’re wanting to feel special about your wedding didn’t really help. But once I got hold of Nichole Stringer, is the Operations and Events Manager at Ginger Catering, it was all systems go with finding out more about hosting a wedding at the Arboretum. They offer a number of packages: from a cocktail event, to a formal three-course sit down package, which is what we are after. They also do alcohol packages and have to option to pay for alcohol based on consumption, though we found that the five hours beverage package worked better for us.

Pros:

1. Stunning setting for a reception in the Village centre – can cater for 500 people for a seated function and 900 for a standing function.
2. The Margaret Whitlam Pavilion, which is the smaller building, holds 80 people for a seated function and 100 for a standing function.
3. Beautiful surrounding lookouts, perfect for photographs.

Cons:

1. The space is open to the public until 4pm (on our selected Sunday wedding date, at least), which means you can’t do any set up before then. So if you plan on having an evening reception, starting at 6pm, for example, then you’ll only have two hours set up. In this case, I would recommend hiring a company to do all of your set up so you can relax and not worry if it will be done in time on the day. By the same toke,n you’ll need to have everything packed up that night after your reception.
2. Paid carparking. The carparks are run by the government, so even if the venue is closed to the public in the evening, the carpark pay machines run 24 hours. Prepare your guests that they will have to pay to have their car there.
3. A 10% surcharge applies for Sundays. And a further 15% surcharge applies for public holidays. Given that our wedding date is on a Sunday that’s another $2000 or so we’d have to pay.

the essentials

Where: Tuggeranong Pkwy Weston Creek ACT
Phone: 02 6130 0170 ( Ginger Catering)
Email: n.stringer@gingercatering.com.au
Web: www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.au

Poachers Pantry

Poachers Pantry, located just outside of Canberra in Hall, is our chosen destination for our ceremony and reception. You know when you just ‘know’? Well I just knew as soon as we walked into the property and stood beneath its ancient Elm tree.  We felt right at home speaking with Katie and Annika, who were all too helpful in answering our questions, and providing us with a package that works perfectly for us.

Our theme for our wedding is a modern take on vintage, which seems to be ‘the’ style at the moment. Poachers fits us to a tee. The grounds are magnificent which will make for some stunning photographs, and it holds a dear little place in our hearts, as this was where we had our first official date two years ago. Magical is what it is…this place has an amazing atmosphere, without having to have any fancy big structures or high-tech lighting.

We’ll be holding our nuptials under the Elm tree, which is picture perfect. Following this, our reception will be in the marquee located on Poachers grounds – it’ll have the whole kit and caboodle, lighting, DJ, dancefloor- the works! For those who have a smaller guest numbers, you can also enquire about holding your reception in their indoor restaurant area.

Pros:

1. The Elm tree. This old tree is like something out of the movies. If you’re a romantic like me you’ll be in love with it too.
2. They are able to offer us a marquee big enough to fit our 170 guests and room enough to dance the night away in.
3. Top shelf wine made at their own Wily Trout Wines.

Cons:

1. It is located about 30 minutes out of town so transport for guests will be something we’ll need to consider.
2. Unlike a few other places we looked at, they do have a $20,000 minimum spend. Due to our large number of guests this wasn’t too much of a problem.
3. The marquee is not set up all of the time, so if you’re keen to see it set up then you’ll have to wait until their Wedding open nights – the next is on Wednesday 23 October.

the essentials

Where: 431 Nanima Rd Hall NSW 2618
Phone:  02 6230 2487
Email: weddings@poachers.com.au
Web: www.poacherspantry.com.au

Photos by Beata English

Advice from the expert

I asked Tess from Style my Aisle for her advice on on selecting a wedding venue. She says that while traditional venues such as hotels and clubs dominate the wedding market, there are a host of non-traditional venues available.

“From homesteads, barns, halls, boats, café’s and restaurants, there are some real hidden gems out there that can be worth the extra effort to find, and often these quirkier venues can be a lot more flexible,” she says.

Tess advises that the first step to selecting a wedding venue is to do an online search, pick some venues and start to narrow it down by asking them questions like:

• How many guests can it hold?
• What chairs and tables do they supply?
• Can you have both your ceremony and reception there?
• Is it based on room hire, price per head, minimum spend or set packages?
• Is there plenty of parking?
• Are there any decorating restrictions such as the use of confetti or candles?
• Do they use certain suppliers and can you use suppliers that aren’t on their list?
• Timing is a big one!

“Once you have drawn up a short list of venues, the next step is to then visit them in person. When visiting venues pay extra attention to the little details, like the routes your guests will take, whether there are both outdoor and indoor areas, and what are the bathrooms are like,” says Tess.

“Finding your wedding venue is the crucial piece of the puzzle that will help bring all you ideas together. It’s all too easy to fall in love at first sight, but make sure you do the proper research to make sure it is also a practical venue choice. At the end of the day my biggest advice would be to pick venues that best represent you both as a couple!”

You can follow Tess and her great wedding styling ideas on Facebook at Style my Aisle

Where did you have your Canberra wedding? What did you love about it? What wasn’t so great?