▶Melbourne Zoo · Elliott Ave, Parkville VIC 3052 · Melbourne
▶A garden wedding at Melbourne Zoo in Parkville, with vows on Platypus Lawn under early spring sun and a reception for fifty guests in the Rainforest Room. The couple planned an afternoon of portraits through the zoo, from the giraffe enclosure and the Butterfly House to Lion Gorge, and finished the night with a twist on the bouquet toss: a toy cat, with whoever caught it next in line to adopt one. Watch more of our wedding videography in Melbourne.
A rooftop in Fitzroy · Parkland views in Parkville · Vows on Platypus Lawn · Giraffes, butterflies and umbrellas · Speeches and dancing in the Rainforest Room
The groom dressed in a cream suit by a bright hotel window, his mum straightening his buttonhole before the groomsmen in navy filed onto the rooftop terrace with the city skyline behind them. Across in Parkville the bride's room looked over parkland, bridesmaids in pale yellow fussing over a yellow bouquet, and her dad wiping a tear as she turned around in the dress. At two the guests sat on white chairs on Platypus Lawn, the groomsmen walked in under a twig arch, and the bride came down a white runner through dappled sun. Vows went into a handheld mic, rings on, and the witnesses were called up from the front row, surprised and delighted.
Straight after the kiss we gathered the whole bridal party for a cheer with the giraffes right behind them, then the couple went nose to glass with the big cats and stood among the ferns in the Butterfly House as the sky closed over. By the Japanese garden the rain had arrived, so out came the clear umbrellas and the slate paths turned to mirrors around the azaleas. Guests waited under cover by the lake, then the Rainforest Room filled: long tables against glass walls of greenery, the cake cut early, two rounds of speeches, a first dance under our lights and a crowded floor before the toy cat was tossed.
Ceremony spot · Moving between spaces · Light · How the day ran · Portrait spots · Our advice
The couple married on Platypus Lawn, a long green room walled in by tall grasses, ferns and big trees, with white chairs either side of a white runner and a simple twig arch at the front. The bridal party enters from a garden path, so guests see them appear from the planting rather than from a car park. Sun came through the canopy in patches, which looks magical from the back but can stripe faces at the arch. If you can, set the arch where the shade is even and let the dappled light fall on the guests instead. Watch at 2:30 Watch at 2:38 Watch at 2:46
Everything after the hotels happened inside Melbourne Zoo. The lawn sits a short walk from the giraffes and the big cats, the Butterfly House is a few minutes further, and the Japanese garden and the covered walkway by the lake sit near the Rainforest Room. The couple walked the main path between them with visitors still around, which is part of the charm. For guests the move from lawn to cocktail hour to dinner is a few hundred metres on flat paths, and the glass walled Rainforest Room sits right in the greenery, so nobody feels they have left the garden. Watch at 5:02 Watch at 5:46 Watch at 5:54
Early spring in Melbourne gave us two days in one. The ceremony ran in bright, dappled sun, with the giraffe photos still in full light and a flare of sun through the guests at the family groups. Then the cloud rolled in and by the Japanese garden it was raining steadily. Under clear umbrellas the light turned soft and even, and the wet slate paths bounced it back up into faces, which flatters everyone. After dark the Rainforest Room glass goes black and mirrored, so we lit the first dance ourselves to keep the couple and the reflections crisp. Watch at 4:06 Watch at 5:22 Watch at 8:18
Getting ready in two hotels, Fitzroy and Parkville, with party photos on a rooftop and in the rooms, a two o'clock ceremony on Platypus Lawn, then family groups and the full bridal party on the grass before the animal walk. Giraffes first while the sun held, then the big cats and the Butterfly House, then the Japanese garden in the rain. Cocktail hour by the lake, the Rainforest Room entrance, cake cut early, speeches from a groomsman, two friends, her dad and the couple, a first dance and a late toy cat toss. Doing the animals early paid off twice. Watch at 2:14 Watch at 4:10 Watch at 7:56
Four spots, all inside the zoo and within a short walk of Platypus Lawn. The giraffe enclosure for the whole bridal party, arms up with giraffes grazing behind. The glass at the big cat exhibits for close, playful frames. The Butterfly House for soft green light under glass, and it stays dry if the weather turns. Then the Japanese garden with its pond, azaleas and dark paths, best of all when wet. Allow around two hours including the walking, start with whichever animals are awake, and go straight after the ceremony before the light drops. Watch at 4:14 Watch at 4:38 Watch at 5:30
What our team noticed was how well this couple rolled with the weather. They had sun for the lawn and the giraffes, rain for the garden, and the rain photos are the ones we would hang on a wall. Pack clear umbrellas, not black ones, because they keep the light on your faces. Calling the witnesses up as a surprise gave the signing a real moment instead of a pause. And a toy cat in place of a bouquet is the kind of personal twist that tells guests exactly who you are, so lean into yours. Watch at 3:06 Watch at 4:58 Watch at 8:54
Melbourne Zoo lists five ceremony sites: Platypus Lawn for up to 240 guests, the Japanese Garden, the Australian Bush, and the Butterfly House and Giraffe Deck, which are offered for ceremonies from 5pm. Receptions run in the Rainforest Room, Bong Su and Leopard Lodge. For a garden wedding ceremony, Platypus Lawn is generous: a long entry path for the bridal party, a wide aisle and room behind the guests for photographers and film crews without anyone standing in a sightline. The Rainforest Room, set for up to 70 seated, keeps a smaller wedding feeling full and warm, and its floor to ceiling glass looks out over the gardens and lake.
A two o'clock ceremony on the lawn means high sun broken up by the trees, so faces move between bright patches and shade. We expose for skin, turn the couple toward open sky where we can, and let the dappled light do the rest. The best portrait light comes late, around the giraffes and the garden by the entrance, as the sun drops behind the big trees. In the cooler months that window is short, so plan portraits straight after the ceremony. Inside the Rainforest Room, the glass that looks so green by day turns black and reflective after dark, so we bring our own lights for the entrance, speeches and first dance.
Outdoors on the lawn there is no wall to bounce sound back, and a breeze through the planting can swallow soft voices. A handheld microphone for the vows keeps every word clean for the recording and lets guests at the back hear too. Around the zoo you will hear birds and the odd animal call, which we love keeping low under the music. The Rainforest Room is compact and lively, so speeches sound close and warm, but laughter peaks hard. We set levels conservatively, keep a backup recorder near the speaker, and take a feed from the sound system where we can.
The zoo is open to visitors from 9am to 5pm, so an afternoon portrait walk shares the paths with families, and the animals keep their own timetable. Lion Gorge, home to the lions, tigers and snow leopards, is open until 4:30pm, so head there early if big cats are on your wish list. A good route runs from the lawn to the giraffes, Lion Gorge and the Butterfly House, then out to the garden by the main entrance before the reception. Allow around two hours, keep the group small for the walk, and accept that some animals will be asleep. A snoozing snow leopard still makes a lovely frame.
Melbourne can squeeze four seasons into one afternoon, so a spring ceremony on the lawn can easily meet a shower by portrait time. Clear umbrellas are our favourite backup, because they keep the dress dry without hiding faces or throwing coloured light across skin. The Butterfly House is under glass, so it stays usable in a shower, and wet slate paths in the gardens shine beautifully on camera. For the ceremony itself, talk through a covered alternative with the events team early, and keep a plan for moving guests quickly if a front comes through. The giraffes in late sun are worth building the whole afternoon around.