▶Chapel 1885 · 25 Sackville St, Collingwood VIC 3066 · Melbourne
▶An intimate heritage wedding upstairs at Chapel 1885, a converted chapel on a Collingwood side street, for 26 adults and three children on a summer evening. The couple planned a half past five ceremony in front of the tall arched window, with the bride's mum walking her down the aisle, drinks downstairs while the room flipped for dinner, portraits around Fitzroy, then cake, two rounds of speeches and a dance floor in the same room. Watch more of our work as a Melbourne wedding videographer.
Hotel balcony with racquets · Mum down the aisle · Petals at the arch · Fitzroy Gardens and a rotunda · Short dress, speeches and a street dip
The groom dressed at a hotel with his parents, his mum pinning the buttonhole and his dad holding him for a long moment, before the groomsmen clinked whisky on the balcony with a tennis racquet tucked under one arm. The bride changed in the venue's white bridal suite with her mum, slipping on a pearl bracelet and the ring. Upstairs at Chapel 1885 the cane chairs faced the tall arched window, white flowers climbing beside it against the red brick. Her mum walked her in, the vows were short and close, the register was signed on a little table and petals filled the air at the kiss.
After family groups by the window, we drove five minutes to Fitzroy Gardens: the lamp posts, the white rotunda, the long lawns with the city towers above the trees, and the racquet making a return for a rally between portraits. Back at the chapel the room had flipped to dinner and candles, and the bride came up in a short second dress. The groom's dad opened the speeches at the bar, the two brothers followed, and the couple answered together under the chandelier. Dancing filled the floor, and we stepped out onto the street for a last dip under the lamps.
Ceremony spot · Moving between spaces · Light · How the day ran · Portrait spots · Our advice
The vows at Chapel 1885 happened upstairs in front of the tall arched window, with white flowers climbing one side and the red brick wrapping the room. Guests sat on cane bentwood chairs a few steps from the couple, so every face was in the frame. The couple stood against the brightest thing in the room, and on this soft summer afternoon the glass gave a gentle wrap of light rather than a glare. We exposed for skin and let the window glow, and worked the brick side angles for warmth. Small, close and very easy to hear. Watch at 3:22 Watch at 3:42 Watch at 3:52
The bride's day moved from a hotel to the venue's own bridal suite, so she was dressed metres from the aisle. The groom came across town by van and met guests at the front door before everyone went up. The ceremony, the drinks, the dinner and the dancing all sat on the two levels of one building, with the room upstairs reset while the couple were out. Fitzroy Gardens was a five-minute drive for portraits, and the street outside the chapel door served for the last frames of the night. Watch at 1:52 Watch at 2:22 Watch at 10:02
A half past five ceremony in summer gave soft daylight through the arch and warm brick on either side. At the gardens an hour later the sun was lower and filtered through the big trees, with the rotunda columns giving open shade and the towers catching the light above. The reception turned gold as the chandeliers and candles took over, with the timber ceiling glowing overhead, and the speakers by the bar sat in warm light without anything added. By the time speeches finished the street was in blue hour, perfect for a dip under the lamps. Watch at 3:48 Watch at 4:42 Watch at 10:08
Guests arrived at five, the vows ran at half past five, and family photos took fifteen minutes by the window. The couple were out for under an hour at the gardens while the room flipped, and came back to drinks, a second dress and a welcome from the MC. The cake came first, then the groom's dad and the brothers spoke before dinner, the couple gave their own thanks after the main, and the floor opened around nine. Two short rounds of speeches kept the energy up, and with 29 guests the dancing reached everyone. Watch at 6:42 Watch at 7:02 Watch at 9:32
We used Fitzroy Gardens, five minutes from Chapel 1885 by car. The lamp posts and the fountain gave a formal opening, the white rotunda gave columns and shade for close portraits, the long lawns gave a walk with the city towers above the trees, and a tennis racquet from the groom's morning gave a laugh. Fifty minutes was enough and the couple were back before the room reopened. Go in the hour after the ceremony while the light is still high enough to reach under the trees, and keep the street outside the chapel for blue hour. Watch at 4:12 Watch at 5:12 Watch at 6:12
Our team noticed how well a single prop carried the day: the racquet turned up on the hotel balcony, in the gardens and in the smiles, and it made the portraits feel like theirs alone. The mum-and-daughter walk down the aisle was the quietest, strongest moment of the ceremony. A second dress for the reception changed the mood of the night in one step, and leaving the chapel for only fifty minutes meant guests never felt abandoned. Keep your speeches in two short rounds, and give us ten minutes on the street before the last dance. Watch at 1:12 Watch at 3:02 Watch at 6:38
Chapel 1885 is a loft-style converted chapel on a quiet Collingwood side street, a few minutes' walk from Smith Street. The building is a heritage-listed Gothic Revival church, now spread over two levels with exposed brick, timber floors, fluted glass chandeliers and a timber ceiling the venue says was handcrafted by 19th century shipbuilders. Upstairs holds the arched window, the bar, the fireplace and the dining space; there is also a couples suite, two sitting rooms and a small courtyard at the front. It seats about 70 for dinner or around 100 for cocktails, so it suits an intimate heritage wedding of a few dozen guests.
The ceremony faces that big arched window, which means the couple stand against the brightest thing in the room. On an overcast late afternoon in summer it gives beautiful soft light that wraps around faces, but on a sunny day the window can blow out behind them. Exposing for skin and letting the glass go bright is the answer, and the red brick walls make a warm, rich side angle. The room is compact, so one still camera at the back of the aisle and one quietly along the wall is all it takes. The venue's wireless handheld mics carry vows and readings well; a small recorder near the celebrant is a sensible backup.
After the ceremony, guests head downstairs for drinks while the upstairs room is reset for dinner. That gap of roughly forty five minutes to an hour is your portrait window. A short drive to Fitzroy Gardens gives lawns, the old fountain, the white rotunda and the city towers over the treetops, a lot of variety in very little time, and the streets around Fitzroy Town Hall are even closer. If you would rather stay put, the front courtyard with its brick, iron and greenery and the timber staircase inside both photograph nicely. Bring anything personal you want in the frame; a prop of your own makes the portraits feel like nobody else's.
Once the room flips, the reception sits under the same timber ceiling, and in the evening it turns warm and golden. Chandeliers and candles light the long tables, so speeches read warm without any added harsh light. Speakers here usually stand near the bar end or by the stair balustrade, which gives a clean background of brick and timber; it is worth telling your MC where to stand so both the speaker and the head table stay in view. Guests sit close together, which keeps reactions near the lens and the laughter loud in the recording. A small room also means the dancefloor fills fast, so two short rounds of speeches work well.
In summer the sun sets well after half past eight, so a half five ceremony puts the ceremony in soft daylight, portraits in late afternoon sun and the street outside in blue hour after the second round of speeches. Slip out for ten minutes then: Sackville Street's lamps, the ivy and the brick front door make lovely closing shots. If you plan an outfit change, the couples suite makes it quick. Everything important happens indoors, so a wet day costs you only the garden trip; the staircase, the arched windows and the courtyard cover portraits if the weather turns.