Choosing a wedding venue

• budget
• DIY or fully serviced options
• your theme
• your personalities
• the number of guests (some venues have minimum numbers)
• distances for guests and yourselves to travel
• accommodation and transport nearby
• photo opportunities
• proximity to your reception venue if not having your ceremony at the same place
• the time of day and what time a venue closes in the evening
• catering
• what facilities the venue has
• do you have exclusive use of the facilities (will there be more than one wedding on that day?) and
• the general appearance of the venue.

Most local councils now charge a fee to hold your wedding in a local park or on a beach. There are some amazing locations for your ceremony. Councils often have restrictions in the number of guests and the activities you can include. Some parks and beaches have wet weather options close by such as a rotunda or beach shelter but many don’t. When marrying outside, a back up plan in case of bad weather is very important. You can browse some of the local council websites in Queensland and northern New South Wales for spots to hold your ceremony. Some parks are in National Parks and you need to obtain a permit direct from the National park authority in the relevant State.

The good:

• some amazing locations and scenery
• lower price than some wedding venues
• takes advantage of our mostly all-year-round good weather
• there are some great and affordable wedding hire companies to transform your ceremony area into a magical spot
• even without decorations, the natural beauty makes for great photos

The not so good:

• it can be difficult to organise a workable back up solution in case of bad weather
• it can be hot, windy or rainy
• parking and amenities (toilets) may be difficult to find in some areas
• you may not have exclusive use of the area and loud events may be occurring close by eg. surf carnivals (always check the your local council)
• you may be restricted in the number of guests and activities you can have
• you and your guests may have to travel a distance to the reception venue 

Examples of Queensland and Northern New South Wales wedding parks, beaches and lookouts:

Currumbin Beach, Miami Beach, South Nobby Beach, Mick Shamburg Park, Cascade Gardens, The Pass Byron Bay, Belongil Beach, Wategos Beach, Underwood Park Brisbane, Bribie Island, Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, Mount Tamborine Botanic Gardens, Laguna Park, Rosser Park (Gold Coast Botanic Gardens), Burleigh Heads (headland and beach), Greenmount, Froggy’s Beach Coolangatta, Kingscliff, Hastings Point, Suttons Beach Redcliffe, Moora Park Shorncliff, Marine Parade Labrador, Broadbeach, The Spit, Springbrook National Park, Mt Cougal National Park, Currumbin Rockpools, The Knoll Tamborine Mountain, Kangaroo Point cliffs, Orleigh Park West End, Captain Burke Park Kangaroo Point, South Bank Parklands, South Brisbane, New Farm Park, Roma Street Parklands, Paradise Point Gold Coast, Forestglen Park Logan, Cedar Creek Falls, Southern Skies Park Reedy Creek, Syd Duncan Park Lower Beechmont, Lancaster Park Logan, Riverdale Park Logan, Chris Cunningham Park Tweed Heads, Newstead Park Brisbane, New Farm Park, Evandale Park Gold Coast, Warrie National Park Springbrook, Pat Fagan Park, Guyatt Park St Lucia, Mowbray Park, The Jetty Park Bribie Island, IndigiScapes Redlands, Kamarun Lookout Cainbable, Purlingbrook Falls Lookout Springbrook, Camp Mountain Lookout Mt Nebo, Mt Coot-tha Lookout, Daisy Hill Conservation Park, Queens Park Ipswich, Captain Cook Lookout border Queensland and New South Wales… 

There are many non-denominational chapels in south east Queensland. Some venues also have beautiful grounds for weddings, with the chapel as a back up option in bad weather. 

The good:

• a beautiful setting as most are historical buildings
• you don’t have to worry about the weather so much
• you can have candle ceremonies!
• there are seats for your guests

The not so good:

• sometimes a more expensive option
• can be hot in summer if there is no air conditioning
• parking can be an issue in some locations
• many cater for a limited number of guests

Wedding chapels:

St Margaret’s Chapel The Arts Centre Gold Coast, Braeside Chapel Gold Coast, Albert River Wines Chapel, O’Reilly’s Chapel, Beenleigh Historical Village, Broadway Chapel, Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove Resort Chapel, Tiffany’s Wedding Chapel Maleny, Macarthur Park Wedding Chapel, Latrobe Chapel, Darling Street Chapel Ipswich, Caboolture Historical Village Chapel, Henzell’s Chapel, Petrie Historical Village Chapel, Kholo Gardens Chapel, Historic Rivermill Chapel Mt Nathan, The Gold Coast Floating Chapel, The Old Church Mount Tamborine, Pioneer Wedding Chapel Tingalpa, St Andrews Chapel Palmer Gold Coast, Woodlands Lakeside Chapel Cobaki Lakes, Sirromet Winery Vineyard Chapel, Coolibah Downs Chapel Nerang, Crowne Plaza Chapel Surfers Paradise, Royal Pines Resort Chapel, Palmer Avica Wedding Chapel Merrimac, Shambala Estate Wedding Chapel

Theme parks can be used for weddings, along with other venues such as the Haunted House or Draculas on the Gold Coast. These can add an interesting twist to your wedding and your photos.

The good:

• great photo opportunities
• can be expensive
• some overlap with the public
• easy for your guests to find
• easy parking and good facilities 
• usually include a wet weather option

The not so good:

• can be crowded and public
• guests may have to walk a fair way to the ceremony location if parked in the outer areas
• not so much choice with catering as a DIY venue

Theme parks and quirky wedding venues:

Sea World, Dreamworld, Draculas, Movie World, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Australia Zoo, Crystal Castle Mullumbimby, Woodford Folk Festival, Sunshine Castle Bli Bli, Coomera Houseboats, Brisbane Powerhouse, BrisVegas Cruises, Peace Pagoda South Bank, Imagine Cruises Gold Coast, Witches Falls Cottages Tamborine Mountain, The Mouses House Springbrook, Lyell Deer Sanctuary Mount Samson, Cloudland Brisbane, The Castle on Tamborine

With dedicated wedding venues, you often have a range of packages to choose from and an events coordinator who is experienced in weddings. There are a huge range of options to choose from.

The good:

• experienced co-ordinators can be a blessing, helping your day to flow smoothly
• often you can have your ceremony and reception in the one place
• there is generally a wet weather option
• many have great photo opportunities
• a range of ceremony packages and reception packages available

The not so good:

•  can be expensive (but so can DIY options when you add everything up)
•  often close at a particular time so things may end abruptly
• may have more than one wedding a day so may rush you along
• a few may try and restrict you to a range of preferred suppliers
• a few may be set in their ways and not like innovative and quirky weddings

Wedding venues:

 Shambala Estate Weddings, Historic Rivermill Mt Nathan, Coolibah Downs Nerang, Events on Oxlade New Farm, Polly’s Country Kitchen Neranwood, The Boomerang Farm Mudgeeraba, Always Loved Wedding Gardens Boonah, Bartons Rose Farm Kalbar, Joncia Gardens Logan Reserve, Cedar Creek Lodges Mount Tamborine, O’Reilly’s Vineyards Canungra, Sarabah Estate Canungra, Walkabout Creek The Gap, Glengariff Estate Dayboro, Amore Gardens Currumbin Valley, Royal on the Park Brisbane, Bundaleer Rainforest Gardens, Oxley Golf Club, Redland Bay Golf Club, Palmer Colonial Golf Club Robina, Twin Waters Golf Club, Twin Waters Resort, Burleigh Heads Surf Club, Bangalow Guest House, Crystal Creek Rainforest Retreat, Songbirds Rainforest Retreat, Peppers Ruffles Lodge Willowvale, Sheraton Mirage Main Beach, Silk Pavilions Mt Burrell, North Shore Cafe Hamilton, O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, Mt Barney Lodge, Southport Yacht Club, Hilltop on Tamborine, Arundel Hills County Club, Bearded Dragon Hotel Tamborine, Springbrook Mountain Manor, Mango Hill Farm, Eagle Heights Mountain Resort Mount Tamborine, Sirromet Winery, Cherbon Waters Burbank, Cloudland Fortitude Valley… 

You can hold your wedding at home, or a luxury home rented for that purpose, a farm or a hall can be a challenge but gives the opportunity to have fun with DIY and also involve friends and families in decorating, catering and helping to organise your wedding.

The good:

•  you can usually go as late as you want in celebrating (some halls have a midnight curfew)
• if you enjoy DIY, you can decorate exactly how you want it to be
• with careful shopping and the help of family and friends, this can be a good budget option 
• you can organise alternative catering, such as raw food, vegetarian etc
• you can have wedding weekends if staying on a property

The not so good:

• cleaning up afterwards!
• you still need to keep the noise down after a certain time if you have neighbours
• you may spend a lot of time renovating the house or garden to look good for the wedding
• you may still need to organise a wet weather option
• it can be hard to find a rental home that will allow weddings

Halls and estates:

Mudgeeraba Showgrounds, Kohinur Hall North Arm Mullumbimby, Springbrook Community Hall, The Panorama Tallai, PCYC Bornhoffen Natural Bridge Numinbah, Opulence Mansion Tallai, Lightspace Fortitude Valley, Mt Sampson Hall, Junction View Hall, Currumbin Community Farm Currumbin Creek, Boomerang Farm, Wings Hinterland Retreat.