▶Aerial South Wharf · 17 Dukes Walk, South Wharf VIC 3006 · Melbourne
▶A late spring waterfront wedding at Aerial South Wharf, one floor above the Yarra on the edge of the city. The couple planned an early evening ceremony indoors, an hour of portraits along the river promenade while around 150 guests settled in upstairs, then dinner with the skyline in the windows, a first dance straight after the entrance while the windows still held daylight, then speeches.
Two family homes · Classic cars to the door · Vows under a flower arch · Veil in the river wind · Sparks, dry ice and a circle dance
The afternoon belonged to two family homes. At the groom's, his parents straightened his bow tie and the family in green gathered for a photo before he leaned on an orange muscle car in the driveway. At the bride's, the gown hung in a window, her grandmother and mum watched her dress, and her dad pinned on a buttonhole with his eyes down. Both cars rolled into the undercover entry at Aerial, and upstairs the ceremony room was set with gold chairs, a white flower arch and a cellist. Her dad walked her down, the vows went through a handheld microphone, and the signing happened beside the arch.
Straight after the kiss the couple walked out along the South Wharf promenade. The sky was grey and soft, the wind lifted the veil across the skyline, and the bridal party posed on the timber jetty before a last photo with the cars. Back inside, the room had turned: a ceiling of flowers over the bridal table, the city in the windows, a champagne tower. The couple entered to cheers, cut the cake, and went straight into a first dance on dry ice between two spark fountains. By the speeches the glass had gone black. An accordion player led the floor into a circle dance that was still turning when we left. Watch more of our work as a wedding videographer in Melbourne.
Ceremony spot · Moving between spaces · Light · How the day ran · Portrait spots · Our advice
The ceremony was upstairs at Aerial South Wharf, in the curtained half of the main room, with a white flower arch against the pale wall, gold chairs either side of a short aisle and a cellist playing beside the arch. Her dad walked her in from the back. The plain wall behind the couple reads clean, so the flowers and the faces carry the picture. Vows went through a handheld microphone, which we love, because the room is marble and glass and a quiet voice gets lost. Put the signing table to one side so guests stay in their seats and in the frame. Watch at 3:30 Watch at 3:38 Watch at 3:54
Everything happens on one level above the river. Cars pull into the undercover entry at ground level, the big staircase takes you up, and the ceremony, dinner and dance floor share the same room with curtains to hide the reset. While the couple were out on the promenade, the team turned the ceremony end into the dinner end, with the bridal table set under a ceiling of flowers in front of the windows. The promenade is right outside the door, so the hour of portraits never needed a car, and guests upstairs had drinks and the skyline while they waited. Watch at 3:22 Watch at 5:46 Watch at 5:54
A late spring evening gave us two different rooms. Through the ceremony and the entrance the windows still held daylight, flat and grey from an overcast sky, which was kind on the promenade: no squinting, no harsh shadow, and a veil in the breeze against a soft skyline. The first dance ran while the glass was still pale, so the dry ice and spark fountains popped against a bright room. By the speeches the windows had gone black and mirrored the chandeliers, which gave every speaker a glittering backdrop. Decide early which look you want for which moment. Watch at 4:58 Watch at 6:58 Watch at 8:10
Getting ready at two family homes, classic cars to Aerial South Wharf, a six o'clock ceremony that ran half an hour, then an hour outside while the room was reset. The entrance, the cake and the champagne tower came together, and the first dance followed straight on, before the meal and while there was still daylight. Speeches came later with the city lit behind the bridal table, the bride's mum first, then the groom's mate and the groom himself. Dancing opened with an accordion and a circle. Front loading the big moments kept guests buzzing, then the speeches landed in a settled room. Watch at 6:26 Watch at 6:46 Watch at 7:42
We walked out the door and along the South Wharf promenade for about an hour. The timber jetty gave us the bridal party in a line, the railing by the water framed the couple against the towers across the river, and Seafarers Bridge with its white arches sat behind the veil shots. The breeze off the Yarra flew the veil beautifully and tested the hair. The cars in the undercover entry made a last stop. In late spring the light holds until after eight, so an hour straight after a six o'clock ceremony is ideal; in winter do these before the ceremony. Watch at 4:30 Watch at 5:02 Watch at 5:38
What our team noticed at Aerial South Wharf was how the glass changes the whole mood of the room through one evening, and the couple used both halves. Daylight for the arch, the promenade and a first dance in dry ice and sparks; city lights for the speeches, with the lit skyline behind every speaker. Dry ice sits low on the marble floor, so ask for it to start a minute before the song. The accordion player roaming the floor pulled every table up into a circle dance within minutes, far faster than any playlist could. Hire live music for the floor. Watch at 6:54 Watch at 8:06 Watch at 9:42
Aerial sits on Dukes Walk in South Wharf, on the edge of the Melbourne CBD, perched above the Yarra. Guests come in at ground level and climb a dramatic staircase to a 689 square metre space with marble floors, high ceilings, inbuilt drapery and AV, and floor to ceiling windows looking across the city and the river. It seats around 310 with a dance floor, has a VIP suite for getting ready or a breather, and the venue even offers a boat arrival. That adds up to a bright, clean white room that will take on whatever styling you bring, and a waterfront ready for portraits the moment you step outside.
Couples can marry upstairs in a curtained zone with the dinner tables set further along the room by the windows. An arch against the plain pale wall reads cleanly with no clutter behind, the aisle runs long enough for a wide view from the back, and there is room off to one side to hold both faces at once. Vows on a handheld microphone carry well in the space, and a backup recorder near the arch is cheap insurance. If your ceremony and reception share the floor, the inbuilt curtains let the team reset for dinner while you are outside on the promenade, so guests never see the changeover.
For a waterside wedding, you barely need to travel for portraits here. The South Wharf promenade, its timber jetties, moored boats, the skyline and the elliptical arches of Seafarers Bridge are all a short walk from the door. Allow forty five minutes to an hour and you can fit family groups, the bridal party and couple time without rushing. Two things to plan around: the breeze off the Yarra, which is gorgeous for a flying veil but tough on hair, and the weekend crowds around the shops and restaurants, so pick angles that look along the water and keep passers by out of frame. The dark entry staircase makes a moody bonus frame.
Those tall windows change the room through the evening, which is half the magic of a city wedding up here. With a late spring ceremony there is still soft daylight for the promenade, and the glass behind the sweetheart table stays bright through the entrance and cake. By speeches the windows turn black and mirror the room's lights, so speakers placed with the city glow behind them look their best. In winter it will be dark not long after five, so plan outdoor portraits before the ceremony, or a short dusk walk with the skyline lit. A floral ceiling installation looks beautiful against either light.
Marble floors and a wall of glass make a lively room for sound, so ask that speeches run through the house system with a microphone at the lectern or table, and keep a recorder near it as backup so every laugh stays clean. Effects suit the space: dry ice settles into a low, even cloud across the white floor, and cold spark fountains glow without washing out faces. A live musician roaming the floor or a big circle dance fills the room with energy late in the night. Everything happens on one level, so a rainy day only costs you the promenade.