▶Foothills Conference Centre · 48 Edinburgh Rd, Mooroolbark VIC 3138 · Melbourne
▶A spring garden wedding at Foothills Conference Centre in Mooroolbark, on twenty acres of gardens and bush where the Yarra Valley meets the Dandenong Ranges. The couple and their two children had the whole day on the one property: getting ready on site, the groom arriving at the chapel by golf cart, a three o'clock ceremony, sparklers and indoor fireworks for the entrance and first dance, a confetti cannon at the cake and sunset portraits at twenty past seven.
Getting ready on site · Golf cart to the ceremony · A black gown and a neon sign · Sparklers and dry ice · Sunset by the water
Both sides dressed in rooms at the venue. The bridesmaids toasted in pink satin robes, the groom buttoned his son into a tiny tux, and the bride stepped into a black ruffled gown and a tiara while her bridesmaids fanned the train across the carpet. On the lawn the groomsmen lined up for their underwear joke and the groom held his father for a long moment. Then the golf cart rolled the boys down the road through the gums. The groom waited under a black and rose gold balloon arch and a neon sign, and his face as the bride and the children walked in was everything she had hoped for.
After the vows the couple walked out into bright overcast light, and the photographs stayed on the grounds: family groups on the stone steps, a big cheer from every guest, the groomsmen clowning on the lawn and the black train swirling across the grass. The bride changed into rose gold sequins for the Banksia Room, where the bridal party danced in and the couple kissed through a shower of cold sparks. The first dance came on dry ice beneath the marquee letters, a confetti cannon went off at the black cake, and at twenty past seven we slipped out for ten minutes of sunset by the water before the speeches and a packed dance floor.
Ceremony spot · Moving between spaces · Light · How the day ran · Portrait spots · Our advice
This ceremony was indoors at Foothills Conference Centre, in a bright white room with windows down one side and guests on chairs in rows. The couple dressed it themselves with a balloon arch in black and rose gold and a neon sign, which gave the front of the room a strong look on camera without any flowers. Guests arrived along the gravel path through the gums and waited at the doors, and the groomsmen pulled up by golf cart. Indoors at three in spring means no weather worry and even light on faces, so if you like a styled backdrop, this is the place to spend. Watch at 3:08 Watch at 3:38 Watch at 4:02
The whole day sat on one property. Getting ready rooms, the ceremony room, the lawns and the Banksia Room are all a short walk apart, and the golf cart ride for the groomsmen was more fun than function. After the ceremony everyone stepped straight out onto the grass and the stone steps for groups, then wandered to the reception. The lawn with the big LOVE letters sits just outside the reception doors, and the water where we shot the sunset is a few minutes' walk, which is what made a ten minute break from the room possible. Watch at 3:28 Watch at 5:02 Watch at 10:18
Spring in the foothills gave a bright overcast afternoon, which was perfect for a black gown: no harsh highlights on the ruffles, no squinting, and the pale sky behind the gums kept everything soft for the lawn portraits and family groups. Indoors, the ceremony room's windows lit the couple evenly from the side. Then at twenty past seven the cloud cleared and the sun dropped behind the trees, and that backlight through the gums and across the water gave the rose gold dress its sparkle. At Foothills Conference Centre, that late window is the one to protect. Watch at 6:18 Watch at 6:28 Watch at 10:12
A three o'clock ceremony left plenty of daylight for photographs on the grounds, and the couple used it well: groups on the stone steps, a cheer from the whole guest list, then the bridal party and the couple alone on the lawn. The reception opened at half past five with a sparkler entrance and the first dance soon after, so the big effects happened while the room was fresh. A short sunset break at twenty past seven, agreed with the MC in advance, slid in before the speeches, and the dance floor had the rest of the night. Watch at 5:22 Watch at 8:02 Watch at 9:16
Everything was shot on the property. Straight after the ceremony we used the stone terraced steps for family groups, the open lawn ringed with gums for the groomsmen, the bridesmaids and the couple, and the LOVE letters outside the reception for a family picture. That took about an hour in soft afternoon light. The second session was ten minutes at sunset by the water, with the bride in her reception dress, and those frames were the best of the day. At Foothills Conference Centre, book the sunset break into your run sheet and keep it short. Watch at 5:08 Watch at 7:28 Watch at 10:18
What our team noticed was how well the couple's bold styling held together: black gown, white dinner jacket, rose gold balloons, a black cake and a second dress in sequins, all of it on theme, so every room looked like the same wedding. Having the kids in the processional gave the ceremony its best moment, the groom's face at the doors. The sunset break was the smartest call: ten minutes out of the reception bought the couple their favourite photographs. If you are planning effects like dry ice and cold sparks, run them early while the floor is clear and the guests are watching. Watch at 2:08 Watch at 8:08 Watch at 9:18
Foothills Conference Centre sits at 48 Edinburgh Road, Mooroolbark, on about twenty acres of landscaped gardens and native bushland at the foot of the Yarra Ranges, roughly fifty minutes to an hour east of Melbourne. It is a purpose built venue for large groups, running conferences, retreats and weddings, with ninety six accommodation rooms on the ground level among the gardens. That combination is rare in the Yarra Valley: a garden wedding where the ceremony, the reception and the beds for your guests are all a short walk apart, with a continental breakfast the next morning.
The Silvergum Chapel is the ceremony space most couples choose, with pale sandstone walls, whitewashed beams, clerestory windows and polished timber pews, plus a private antechamber where a bride and her children can wait out of sight before the doors open. Ceremonies can also run outdoors in the gardens. The reception rooms have high vaulted ceilings and floor to ceiling windows, with movable partitions so a room can be sized for eighty or opened up for two hundred, and an open air courtyard strung with festoon lights sits between them. Adjustable lighting and in house sound make effects like dry ice, sparklers and indoor fireworks easier to stage than in an older hall.
The grounds give you a garden arch, a small brook for portraits, verandahs looking over rolling hills and plenty of bush edged lawn. For an indoor chapel ceremony at three, the clerestory windows throw soft top light onto the aisle, and the hour afterwards is best spent outside while the sun is still high enough to light the gardens. In spring the sun sets a little before eight, so a short break from the reception around twenty past seven for sunset portraits, as this couple planned, is exactly the right call for a sunset wedding here. Agree the break with your MC so the speeches follow straight after.
Spring in the foothills is green and changeable: warm afternoons, cool evenings and the odd shower blowing in off the ranges. The chapel removes any weather worry for the ceremony, and the covered verandahs and courtyard keep drinks dry. Summer gives long evenings and the venue's own suggested sunset shoots; autumn colours the gardens and brings the light forward an hour; winter is cold up here, which makes the on site rooms and a warm reception room with the partitions closed a real advantage. Whatever the month, bring the kids a change of shoes for the lawn and keep a jacket handy for the sunset break.
There is plenty of parking on the property, and because everything happens on one site no transport is needed between getting ready, the chapel and the reception; a golf cart from the accommodation to the chapel doors is a fun way to arrive. With ninety six rooms, a wedding of eighty can book most of its guests on site, which turns a late finish into a non issue and makes the next morning's breakfast part of the celebration. Mooroolbark station on the Lilydale line serves anyone arriving by train from the city, and the Yarra Valley wineries are a short drive for guests making a weekend of it.