MOUNT DANDENONG WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
Have you always dreamt of a country wedding surrounded by only your loved ones and natural beauty?
Often referred to as the wedding capital of Victoria, the Dandenong Ranges region is home to some of the country’s best wedding venues. Whether your dream wedding involves celebrating your big day with friends and family in a rustic venue in the heart of the native forest or exchanging your vows in a more sophisticated and romantic setting surrounded by blooming gardens, a Dandenong Ranges wedding is the experience of a lifetime. Indeed, from rustic chapels and European style castles to lakeside Gazebos, you’ll be enchanted by the variety of gorgeous venues on offer.
However, with so many options and so little time to organise everything, finding the right venue can be time-consuming and overwhelming.
To assist you, we’ve listed below some of the best Dandenong Ranges wedding venues so that you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your dream wedding. You’re welcome ;)
The 10 Best Wedding Venues in Dandenong Ranges
Tatra Receptions
If you’re looking for the perfect wedding destination, close to Melbourne’s CBD, Tatra Receptions might be just the place for you! Indeed, nestled at the heart of the picturesque Dandenong Ranges, this stunning venue offers breathtaking views over the Dandenong Ranges luscious forest.
Regardless of the season, Tatra’s spectacular location will make for a stunning backdrop for your celebration. From blooming gardens in spring to vibrant forest colours in autumn, you’ll be blown away by this magical location ablaze with colour all year round.
The romantic venue sprawls over 10 acres of leafy gardens, and while Tatra specialises in garden and outdoor weddings, the grounds also feature an elegant ballroom decorated with sophisticated chandeliers and a rustic chapel so that you can hold your wedding ceremony, no matter the weather. If you want an outdoor celebration, the gorgeous wrought-iron cupola will make for gorgeous photo opportunities while allowing you and your guests to soak in the surrounding natural beauty.
Note that Tatra Receptions provides onsite accommodation (28 suites) so that you can extend your wedding day and enjoy some quality time with your friends and family after the big celebrations!
Chateau Wyuna
Set at the foothills of the majestic Dandenong Ranges, this heritage-listed venue offers plenty of wedding reception and ceremony options for an idyllic wedding.
If you want to hold your ceremony outside, you can choose between the stunning waterfall garden and the incredible pergola lawn. Surrounded by blossom trees, the rustic chapel can also accommodate up to 110 guests, making it the perfect solution should you need a fallback option due to the weather conditions. For the reception, you’ll have the choice between the Treetop room, offering fantastic views of the towering forest, or the Burgundy room overlooking the majestic gardens.
Chateau Wyuna also allows for customisation, so you can rest assured your wedding will be unique and reflect your personality. Whether you want a small intimate wedding or a big celebration, Chateau Wyuna will cater to any of your needs. Besides, the venue features acres of native bushland and manicured gardens along with fairytale-inspired bridges, a creek, a waterfall, and some gorgeous pergola areas, providing brides and grooms with endless photo opportunities.
Wandin Park Estate
If you’re after a personalised ceremony in a romantic country setting, you’ll be enchanted by the gorgeous Wandin Park Estate. Located in the heart of the beautiful Yarra Valley, and surrounded by green rolling hills and native bushland, this incredible 320-acre property offers brides and grooms looking to hold a fabulous wedding ceremony in the country, a range of different venues.
Indeed, from a farm-style ceremony to an elegant marquee lakeside wedding, the Wandin Park Estate provides visitors with some incredible scenery and offers tailored experiences.
One of the most beautiful locations to celebrate your big day is the rustic historical shed featuring a private garden and a courtyard. For a more sophisticated feel, the venue’s versatility also allows you to set up an outdoor marquee on top of a tranquil hill offering sweeping views of the Yarra Valley. Note that you can also choose to get married beside the serene lake.
Depending on where you choose to hold your reception, the different venues can cater for between 70 and 200 wedding guests.
Marybrooke Manor
Set on the edge of the striking Sherbrooke Forest, the spectacular Tudor style Marybrooke Manor offers visitors 8 acres of manicured gardens and is Chateau Wyuna’s sister venue. Built in the 1940s, this historical venue surrounded by lush, evergreen forest, and gorgeous gardens is a prime location for Melbournians looking to hold an intimate wedding ceremony and reception. Indeed, Marybrooke Manor specialises in boutique weddings and can accommodate up to 100 guests.
Praised as one of the best Mount Dandenong wedding venues, Marybrooke Manor offers brides and grooms both indoor and outdoor ceremony and reception options. You can opt for an outdoor ceremony in a bucolic setting with the forest as a backdrop or for an indoor ceremony, in the manor, with incredible views over the blossoming gardens.
Whether you’re after a fun and relaxed vibe or a more sophisticated atmosphere, the venue offers an array of options from sit-down dining and shared platter receptions to cocktail and garden parties.
Marybrooke Manor provides on-site accommodation and a bridal lounge so you can easily get ready on your big day, making it a convenient one-stop wedding location.
Poets Lane
Known as one of the best wedding venues in Dandenong Ranges, Poets Lane is part of the same group of venues as Tatra Receptions, Lyrebird Falls, and Nathania Springs. Elegant crystal chandeliers, timeless bridges, fairytale vibrant gardens, and century-old oak trees are some of the amazing features which make this country spot a fantastic wedding destination. Located in the heart of the majestic Dandenong Ranges, this one-of-a-kind wedding venue will make your big day unforgettable and allow for plenty of spectacular photo opportunities.
Indeed, regardless of the season, Poets Lane will deliver a unique wedding experience. Want to tie the knot in spring or summer? You’ll be able to indulge in the surrounding views, ablaze with vibrant colours, and enjoy the elegant water features with an outdoor ceremony. Do you prefer the idea of an autumn or winter wedding? You’ll most certainly appreciate the relaxing sound of a crackling fire as it warms up the elegant indoor area while you revel in the beauty of rich and vibrant autumn forest colours.
This magical venue is perfect for both intimate and bigger wedding celebrations as it can cater for between 80 and 170 wedding guests.
Lyrebird Falls Receptions
Is walking into an enchanted forest and gazing at marvelous gardens something you enjoy?
If that’s the case, the iconic Lyrebird Falls could be the best option for your wedding!
Located only 50 minutes away from Melbourne’s CBD and nestled in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, this picture-perfect venue specialises in boutique weddings and can accommodate up to 120 guests.
For an intimate ceremony, you can opt for the beautiful stained glass chapel, which has been awarded best wedding venue in Victoria on multiple occasions. However, if you’d prefer to say ‘’I do’’ in the heart of this enchanted forest, you can choose the garden gazebo option. This will allow you to enjoy the soothing sounds of the nearby flowing waterfall, the rustling leaves falling in the trees and the native birds singing as you walk down the aisle.
Moreover, the venue is located close to majestic gardens and a beautiful lake, making it the perfect wedding venue for magical wedding photos.
Log Cabin Ranch
Have you always dreamt of an intimate, country-style ceremony with a backdrop of century-old trees and farm animals?
This is exactly what the Log Cabin Ranch is all about! Consistently ranked as one of the top Mount Dandenong wedding venues, the Log Cabin Ranch will delight you.
Set in the heart of the picturesque Dandenong Ranges and close to the Yarra Valley, this stunning 10-acre rustic property used to be a horse riding school. The name might give that away;) It has since been turned into a majestic wedding venue that can accommodate up to 70 wedding guests.
This versatile venue offers plenty of location options to exchange your vows’. Indeed, you can either choose to say ‘’I do’’ in the charming indoor venue called ‘'The Stables'’ or opt for an outdoor ceremony in the ‘’Secret Garden’’, ‘’The Paddock’’ or ‘’The Lawn’’. Log Cabin Ranch can also accommodate any of your needs when it comes to location for the reception and catering options. From food trucks to cocktail parties, you will cherish the memories of your big day at the Log Cabin Ranch for the rest of your life.
The evergreen forest and the adorable farm animals will allow for beautiful wedding photos.
SkyHigh Mount Dandenong
Culminating at 630 meters above sea level at the top of Mount Dandenong, the popular SkyHigh Mount Dandenong venue provides visitors with epic views of the city and the Yarra Valley.
These breathtaking views make it one of the most iconic wedding venues in Dandenong Ranges. For the ultimate picture-perfect wedding, hold your ceremony on the panoramic cocktail terrace overlooking the Yarra Valley or in one of the colourful manicured secret gardens. With four different garden areas, all displaying an incredible array of colours, and a fantastic panoramic terrace, the photo opportunities will be endless.
For jaw-dropping wedding photos, enjoy the panoramic terrace area at sunset when the sky takes on pastel pink and orange shades. Spectacular wedding pictures guaranteed!
Note that SkyHigh Mount Dandenong is a versatile venue that can accommodate up to 250 people and allow for many different reception options from sit-down dinner to cocktail parties.
Avalon Castle
Awarded best ceremony location in 2019 at the Australian Bridal Industry Awards, Avalon Castle, provides the ultimate fairy-tale wedding. Indeed, this enchanting property is set in the heart of the forest and features a wooden chapel with stained glass windows, impressive castle doors, a gorgeous water fountain, a rustic outdoor bar and stunning heritage rooms. The castle walls are also covered in beautiful ivy, providing amazing photo opportunities.
You can opt for an outdoor ceremony surrounded by towering gum trees, and walk down the aisle to the sounds of kookaburra calls or exchange your vows in the intimate and timeless chapel. The outdoor ceremony locations include the beautiful Rose Terrace enveloped by lush canopy of native trees and the Gazebo, providing beautiful blossoming gardens and native trees as a backdrop.
The venue can accommodate between 30 and 120 wedding guests.
Mist@Olinda
Located in the stunning National Rhododendron Gardens, at the foothills of Mountain Ash, this venue is a picture-perfect wedding location. Indeed, often ranked as one of the best Dandenong Ranges wedding venues, you’ll be charmed by the wonderful Mist@Olinda grounds.
You can choose to either hold your ceremony under the canopy on Mist@Olinda’s deck or in one of the stunning and colourful gardens surrounding the property.
From exotic flowers and lush native plants to vibrant maple and cherry trees, Mist@Olinda will offer many spectacular wedding photo opportunities, regardless of the season. Indeed, the marvelous gardens feature thousands of azaleas, cherry blossoms, camellias, rhododendrons, and even daffodils providing unique and colorful backdrops for your big day. The venue also offers the option to exchange your vows by the stunning gazebo located on the lakeside or at Serenity Point, a wonderful lookout offering sweeping views of the towering mountains in the distance.
The cherry on the top of the cake; after a stunning outdoor ceremony, your guests will get to walk through some of the country’s most spectacular gardens all the way to the gorgeous reception room.
Note that the reception area can accommodate up to 240 guests.
We hope that this article provided some great inspiration and convinced you Dandenong Ranges is the ideal spot for the ultimate country style wedding. Aso, to help you capture beautiful memories of the best day of your life, consider hiring a professional photographer.
At Lavan Photography, we specialise in telling your story through gorgeous photographs you and your other half will cherish for the rest of your life.
