Welcoming a newly engaged groom to our writing ranks today! Another male voice to add to our team and a little bit of male insight into the world of weddings. This lovely groom recently attend the Peter Rowland Wedding Showcase and wrote a review for us! – Ms Polka

An inner city museum is not the first place I thought I would find myself on a Saturday.  But a groom’s duties should not require him just to know about cars, or wedding bands, and thus I found myself with my fiancee heading down the elevator to the touring hall and the Peter Rowland Wedding Showcase.

Being a fan of good food at weddings, I thought a wedding showcase by a caterer would be the perfect opportunity to introduce myself – a groom , marrying his wife to be in Melbourne, Victoria. Ms Polka Dot thought we needed some more male voices around here and so, with my ‘groomly’ voice on, I will attempt to tell you about the flowers, the decor and the food.

The food, as can be expected from a caterer of good repute, was delicious. From arancini balls, to Peking duck pancakes and even a modern take on fish and chips – food to whet the appetite for more! The flavoured mineral waters were something we both indulged in (passion-fruit for me and grapefruit, pink of course for my lady).

We were greeted at the entrance with stylish black gift bags and a map of sorts – this map, should we gain enough stickers (one from every vendor) would enter us into the draw to win a $15,000 wedding showcase.

 

We started small – table linens (and non white ones at that!) were on show from decor company Table Art while Harry the Hirer was there to show off some stylish and practical furniture and adornments that can really help to make that wedding of yours work in any location.

After a quick glance at the Baccini & Hill gowns (only a brief look though, as my lovely fiancee already has her gown underway) we entered the grand hall. In front of us was the most impressive marquee – the Peter Rowland Catering & Events marquee where a lovely lady explained to us  the options available for hire, styling and catering on offer should we already have our space selected with room for a marquee. The catering and events team can also bring catering in to your existing space – your home, a function hall or a CWA hall, they’ll do anything!

All this chat was backed up by some really good music from Allegro Music to keep the mood just right. The Allegro Music talent we saw included a fantastic DJ and an upbeat band – the team was more than happy to talk to me about the options available for weddings & events and were able to tailor packages to the style and feel we wanted.

With some really nice food and a drink in hand we began to work our way around the room. All the great venues that Peter Rowland exclusively manages, were represented with decorated tables and ‘suites’. Depending on your requirements, you are bound to find an amazing venue that will allow you take advantage of Peter Rowland Catering.

I admit to being quite taken with the NGV venues, especially the  Great Hall. The amazing stained glass roof is bound to create a stunning atmosphere. The Great Hall suits weddings of around 150 guests but if that is a bit much for you there is always the Persimmon Restaurant within the NGV. Another venue that stands out for me would be the Port Melbourne Yacht Club. A venue that will give you great views all year round, especially good for the water lovers out there.

The Chapter House is a fantastic space with great feel and character to enhance the joy of your celebration, and being in the CBD is a great central location. It can also utilise the courtyard of St Paul’s Cathedral for pre dinner drinks.

If gardens are more your thing while still being central, then Gardens House in the Royal Botanic Gardens might be the go for you (the house itself only seats a small number of guests but there is a marquee available), or perhaps you could take a wander out to Rippon Lea. Both locations offer wonderful gardens as well as  beautiful historic spaces to entertain in. Staying in the vicinity of the CBD was not difficult with a plethora of options available to you to suit varying styles and numbers for some amazing celebrations.

If out of the city is more your thing, Barwon Park and Terindah Estate were represented on the western side of the State. Both with a wonderful feel. Flemington Race Course is a little closer but gives a different atmosphere to your day and is an apt choice for the sportier amongst us.

We also must not forget the Melbourne Museum itself, the venue for Peter Rowland Showcase. They also have a number of other spaces to suit a variety of event styles – from the tree tops gallery overlooking the indoor gardens, to within the exhibits themselves.

Of course all these venues have options for various Peter Rowland packages and you can have any of  the vendors from the showcase help you out with your styling and functionality.

Harry the Hirer and Place Settings are both a good start to help you along the way with most of the basics such and chairs, tables and a raft of other decor and accessories available. From there you can add as much or as little as you like.

Table Art has a huge selection of table linen and adornments that you could just about spend days looking through if you’ve got some time to spare.

Solution Red were well represented at the various displays showing off quite an array of styling suggestions. They of course are more than happy to work with you to come up with the perfect styling for your occasion.

As can be expected at these sort of events, flowers were well represented. Two suppliers were on show at the event, Brett Currell and Kate Hill both of whom had some quite impressive displays and were quite happy to have a chat about what they have on offer. (I must admit that the intricacies of flowers is slightly lost on me, but I do appreciate the ambiance flowers can bring to a room). Both had worked with the venues on show and were able to confidentially style the spaces with their floral delights.

The event was photographed by Tania Savage. She is a Melbourne based photographer who has a variety of packages available and knows the various venues on offer well. Also on hand was Monique Duggan – Civil Celebrant, to have a chat with engaged couples.

After having worked our way through the plethora of vendors and enjoying the wonderful and drinks, we headed off back through the lobby. On the way through we were encouraged to have a go in the Australian Photobooth Company’s  photobooth. Costume adornments were available to liven up the photos. Australian Photobooth Company offers a number of options depending on the access to the venue you choose.

This was the ending to quite an enjoyable Saturday morning. Leaving us with plenty options and ideas to flick through and bellies full of delicious treats.

 

 Photos by Tania Savage Photography