A photographer’s guide
If you have been to enough weddings to know you want yours to feel different, start here. Every venue on this page has something you will not find at the next place down the road.
These are 14 venues our team has photographed that stand out for one clear reason, and we have put that reason first. Each one links to a page about the venue and to real weddings there.
Different is good for photos. A cave, a blue beach house or a paddock full of alpacas gives your gallery pictures nobody else has. Facts come from each venue’s own website, so check the details with them before you book. For every venue we have published, see the full guide to Perth wedding venues.
All within about an hour of the city.
Yanchep
Best for: A reception in a cave
Cabaret Cave is Perth’s only venue cave for hire, with room for 120 seated or 200 cocktail guests among stone pillars and fairy lights. Above ground there is a lake, tuart forest and the heritage-listed Yanchep Inn from 1936.
Real weddings: Caroline & Linden, Katie & Matthew
Perth
Best for: Vows in a bay window
An 1898 heritage building in the city, run by the Perth Marriage Office for small weddings and elopements. Ceremonies happen in a room with tall windows on three sides, and enormous Moreton Bay figs are across the street for photos.
Real weddings: Sydney & Pat, Tara & Corey, Hue & Stephen
North Fremantle
Best for: A bright blue beach house
Blue weatherboards and a big COAST sign a few steps from the sand at Port Beach. You get a bold, graphic backdrop and an open beach without leaving the venue.
Real weddings: Bec & Reagan, Lauren & Zac
Caversham
Best for: A four-storey waterfall
A character home from 1835 with European-inspired gardens. One ceremony spot is a platform at the top of a four-storey waterfall, and another is on the riverbank with three terraces and a private jetty.
Real weddings: Ben & Immy
Middle Swan
Best for: A barn with stained glass from the 1800s
The Church Barn was built with stained-glass windows from the 1800s and seats up to 250. The farm is also a winery, brewery and distillery, with Chapel ruins and a century-old sugar gum in the grounds.
Real weddings: Zaine & Larrissa, Maria & Colin, Amanda & Brad, Simon & Ambah
Karragullen
Best for: A cider house in the forest
A family-run cider house in Karragullen on 6.4 hectares of gardens and native bushland. Ceremonies are in the gardens, and couples can walk into the forest of marri and jarrah for photos.
Real weddings: Will & Mackenzie, Mikaela & Tom
Perth Hills
Best for: Thirty guests and a national park
A secluded, exclusive-use venue for up to 30 guests, with Walyunga National Park as the view behind the ceremony. There is a package for ten guests or fewer, which makes it a real elopement option close to Perth.
Real weddings: Jamie & Anthony
Mardella
Best for: Alpacas over the fence
A farm 35 km south of Perth with alpacas, cattle, sheep and horses next door, hay bales, an old truck in a shed and a choice of eight arbours for the ceremony.
Real weddings: Barry & Loren, Ian & Juanita
Whitby
Best for: Yours from 10am until 2am
A 200-acre property at the foot of the Darling Range where the whole place belongs to you for sixteen hours. Nothing has to be rushed, and the Homestead is rammed earth and glass with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Real weddings: Nyomi & Kortnee, Nat & Shanni, Tom & Hayley, Sandrine & Jarrod
Fremantle
Best for: Three steps from the sand
A beachfront venue in Fremantle on what it calls Australia’s first licensed beach. Ceremonies are on the sand or the boardwalk, and the upstairs function room has 180-degree ocean views.
Real weddings: Sharrie & Steve
Further from the city, and most guests make a weekend of it.
Pinjarra
Best for: A whole heritage block
A church, a homestead, old outbuildings and several gardens on one walkable site in the middle of Pinjarra. There are six bookable wedding spaces, and nobody has to get into a car between the ceremony and the photos.
Real weddings: Jessica & Ben
Buckland
Best for: A glamping village for your guests
A heritage property in the Avon Valley whose homestead dates to 1836. It is BYO, with a barn, cottages, a stone granary and a glamping village, so the wedding easily turns into a whole weekend.
Real weddings: Garth & Natalie, Lucy & Tim
Katrine
Best for: Red doors and old stone
Stone buildings with red doors, brick walls and timber verandahs near Toodyay. A lit doorway at dusk is about as good a backdrop as a wedding gets.
Real weddings: Aimee & Daniel
Eagle Bay
Best for: Sixty guests and highland cattle
A working hobby farm with a restaurant in Meelup Regional Park, near Dunsborough. It caps at sixty guests, and there are alpacas, highland cattle, goats and geese on the property.
Real weddings: Steph & Brad
Unusual venues often leave more to you: power, lighting, furniture, a wet-weather plan. Ask what is included and what you need to hire, so the budget has no surprises.
Heritage sites and parks have rules that decide what you can buy. Edenvale Heritage Precinct allows no confetti, rice or glassware, and Yanchep National Park charges entry per vehicle and does not allow dogs.
A cave is dark at any hour, but a beach, a farm or a forest changes completely through the day. Visit at your ceremony time and again at sunset if you can.
A venue an hour or more from the city is a big day for guests. Buses, on-site beds or nearby accommodation keep people at the reception longer.
Whatever drew you to the place, leave time to photograph it properly. If it is a cave, the first dance belongs there. If it is a farm, go and meet the animals.
Questions