▶Alencia · 39 Princes Hwy, Dandenong South VIC 3175 · Melbourne
▶A midsummer ballroom wedding at Alencia in Dandenong South, with a church ceremony across town earlier in the day and portraits among the old brick of the Old Cheese Factory in Berwick. The couple planned a party for close to two hundred guests: a danced entrance for every pair in the bridal party, a family welcome with bread, a bridal waltz before entree, four speeches and a live band trading sets with the DJ until midnight.
Two homes, two limousines · Walked in by both parents · Brick and veil at the Old Cheese Factory · Entrances onto the timber floor · Dry ice, speeches and a highway sunset
The groom's morning was a lounge room with a tree still up from the holidays, whisky poured for his six groomsmen and a letter from the bride read by the window. His dad fixed his collar and pulled him in for a hug. Across town the bride's house was navy robes, pearls and a wall of family photos, her mum lowering the veil over her shoulders. Two limousines met at the church for a one o'clock ceremony, where both parents walked her down the red carpet, the groom said his vows into a microphone and the crowd spilled onto the sunny forecourt for a huge group photo on the steps.
The limo took the bridal party to the Old Cheese Factory, where old brick and overcast skies made the veil shots easy, and the groomsmen unrolled a soccer club banner for the groom. At Alencia the ballroom sat white and ready, black runners down every table. Each couple danced in to their own song, then bread was broken at the bridal table. Her dad spoke first, then her sister, the best man and the groom, before a first dance in a cloud of dry ice, the parents' dance and a floor packed with kids on shoulders. We slipped out for a last veil shot on the lawn as the sun went down.
Ceremony spot · Moving between spaces · Light · How the day ran · Portrait spots · Our advice
The ceremony was not at Alencia. The couple married at a church in Keysborough, about fifteen minutes up the road, in a bright modern building with blue chairs, a red carpet aisle and a yellow wall behind the altar. Both parents walked the bride in, and the priest passed a microphone for the vows, which is a gift for sound. Afterwards the forecourt was in full sun, so hugs and the big group photo on the steps had squinting faces. If you can, ask guests to gather on the shaded side of the entrance for that shot. Watch at 4:16 Watch at 4:56 Watch at 8:00
This was a day of short drives in the south east: two homes, the church, the Old Cheese Factory in Berwick and then Alencia on the highway in Dandenong South. Two limousines carried the bridal party, which kept everyone together and on time. At Alencia the bridal party stepped straight from the car into the foyer and down the steps onto the timber dance floor for the entrances, so there was no long wait. The lawn out the front gave us the sunset portraits without anyone leaving the party for more than ten minutes. Watch at 8:06 Watch at 9:58 Watch at 16:52
The church forecourt was hard midday sun, the Old Cheese Factory an hour later sat under thin cloud, and that soft light made the brick glow and the veil shots effortless with no squinting. Inside Alencia the room is almost all white, with lines of light across the ceiling, so faces at the tables stay clean without extra lights. The stage lighting was kept warm for the speeches and then went to colour behind the dry ice for the first dance, where a backlit cloud looked incredible. At the very end, the midsummer sun set late enough for a glow across the front lawn. Watch at 8:42 Watch at 15:34 Watch at 16:52
A one o'clock ceremony, an hour at the church, an hour among the brick in Berwick, then a late afternoon arrival at Alencia for entrances before seven. Each couple in the bridal party danced in to their own song, the newlyweds last, and the family bread welcome came straight after. Four speeches ran back to back after mains, her dad first, with the room silent and then roaring. The first dance in dry ice led into the parents' dance and the open floor, and we stepped outside for sunset once the floor was full. Nothing dragged, because every block had a job. Watch at 11:04 Watch at 11:50 Watch at 15:28
The Old Cheese Factory in Berwick sits between the church and Alencia, and we spent about an hour there. The long brick walls and tall chimney gave us the veil shots, the gardens and gravel paths took the bridal party, and a wide lawn held a bridesmaids' sit down and the groomsmen with their soccer banner. Overcast skies in the mid afternoon were ideal; on a sunny day, use the shaded side of the buildings. Keep the limo running for the last leg, as the drive to Alencia takes a bit under half an hour, and build in ten minutes to freshen up. Watch at 8:14 Watch at 8:42 Watch at 9:38
What our team noticed at Alencia was how well the entrances set the night up. Giving each pair in the bridal party their own song turned the walk in into a show, and guests were on their feet before the first course. The dry ice first dance is the other thing worth copying: the fog needs a minute to spread, and with the stage lights behind the couple every twirl of the dress lit up. Speeches were best in front of the plain white wall beside the bridal table. And keep a sunset window for the lawn, even in a busy program. Watch at 10:40 Watch at 15:34 Watch at 16:58
Alencia sits on Princes Highway in Dandenong South, minutes from the Monash Freeway, on the site of the old bowling alley. Its design takes its cue from fine lace, which you can see in the white patterned facade out front. Inside there are two ballrooms, the larger Marquee Ballroom and the smaller Couture Room, plus a light filled Terrace with glass surrounds and a balcony for ceremonies and pre dinner drinks. There are bridal suites, plenty of parking on site, and soundproofing between the rooms, which matters when another party is going next door. Catering is done in house, so food and timing run through one coordinator.
The ballrooms are almost entirely white: bright walls, lines of light across the ceiling and chandeliers, with dark patterned carpet and a timber dance floor in the middle. For a ballroom wedding, that is a gift. The white walls bounce light back onto faces, so even candid photos at the tables stay clean and flattering without much extra lighting. The venue's lighting can change to almost any colour, and keeping it a warm white through the entrances and speeches, then letting the colour in for the dance floor, suits most styling. Ask for a look at the empty room before guests come in, the tables and cake look their best then.
Alencia's stage comes with a PA, and with close to two hundred guests the speeches here are a real event. Speakers on the handheld microphone in front of the plain white wall beside the bridal table have a calm, clean backdrop. A feed from the sound desk plus a recorder close to the speaker is the safest way to keep every word, because laughter from a full room can swamp a single source. Ask your MC to keep speakers standing in one spot and to leave a pause after each big laugh, and keep the background music right down until the last toast is done.
A first dance in a cloud of dry ice is one of the most cinematic things you can do in this room. The fog sits low across the timber floor and catches the coloured stage lights behind the couple, so every lift and twirl reads beautifully. Talk to your band or DJ early so the machine is ready and running a minute before the song starts, because the fog needs a moment to spread. Lighting from low and slightly to one side shines through the haze rather than flattening it. Have your parent dances and the open floor follow straight on while the fog is still hanging.
Many couples spread the day across the south east: a church ceremony in Keysborough or nearby, portraits at the Old Cheese Factory in Berwick, then the reception at Alencia, all within a short limo ride of each other. Allow time for each drive and a few minutes to freshen up in the bridal suite before the entrances. In midsummer the sun sets late, so a sunset window opens up between courses, ten minutes outside on the lawn for golden light and a last kiss that barely dents the party inside. On a wet evening the Terrace, with its glass surrounds and high ceilings, gives a sheltered spot for the same portraits.