Is a Lunch or Dinner Reception at Quat Quatta better for Wedding Photography? I've been asked this question many times, and perhaps you're pondering the same question as you consider Quat Quatta for your wedding venue. The short answer is, the photos will be great either way! But read on for my longer answer as we go through the pros and cons of each and what you need to consider.
Quat Quatta is definitely our favourite inner suburb wedding reception venue. Despite being on a moderately sized property in Ripponlea, there are many well manicured areas that provide a variety of backdrops for your wedding portraits. Quat Quatta is also located within minutes of many other picturesque locations including Kamesburgh Mansion, St Kilda Botanical Gardens, and Brighton Beach. It's across the road from Ripponlea Estate, but with an admission fee of $750 per hour for wedding photography, it's not for those on a tight budget!
A lunch reception at Quat Quatta means your wedding ceremony would start at around 11am. If you're planning your big day in the warmer months, the sun would be close to overhead during your ceremony and all your guests would be seated in full sun. Shooting in overhead sunlight can be challenging, but when taken properly, sunlit photos are filled with vibrance and life as shown below. The main consideration is whether your guests, especially the elderly and very young, would appreciate being in the sun on a warm day.
Immediately after your ceremony, we would take your group photos, along with some bridal party shots around Quat Quatta with enough time left for you to relax in the Bridal Room and catch your breath. Entree is served at 1pm and your reception would have to be concluded with guests leaving by 4pm. Photos taken inside Quat Quatta's dining hall and dance floor look much fresher during a lunch reception as natural light fills the space, whereas for evening receptions, we'd use more flash photography.
If you're getting married between November and March, the benefit of this schedule is that we can then take your location photos around the Ripponlea/Brighton area after your reception finishes. There'd be no rush with the photos and we'd have perfect evening sunlight right through to about 7pm when we'd finish. You can then enjoy the rest of your evening! However if you're getting married in the non-daylight savings months (April through to October) when the sun sets between 5:30pm-6:30pm, a lunch wedding at Quat Quatta will mean less time for location shooting afterwards. View more images of a lunch reception at Quat Quatta.
A dinner reception at Quat Quatta would mean a ceremony at about 6pm, assuming it's in the warmer months with daylight savings. As you can see in the photo below, your guests would be shielded from the sun by the tall hedges making it comfortable for both them and you, especially if the day has been warm. By the way, the leash that Matt is holding in the photo leads to their dog, not to his wife Sandy!
We also have more options with photography as we can capture the fairy lights, dusk and silhouetted shots. There's no rush with your reception and you can party into the night at Quat Quatta! Well, you have to leave by about 11pm so there's limited partying :)
With an evening ceremony, photographs at other locations would have to occur before your ceremony, meaning that the bride and groom would see each other prior to walking down the aisle. For many couples, the moment the groom sees his beautiful bride for the first time should be a memorable one, and we can capture that moment in a variety of "first look" photos. For Matt and Sandy, we achieved this at The Barracks on St Kilda Road before heading to Quat Quatta.
Whilst we can capture beautiful images of your ceremony in full sun, we prefer evening outdoor weddings at Quat Quatta! Dinner receptions tend to be more relaxed for everybody and we have numerous options for photography. Just look at the gorgeous photo below. We can't do that at midday!
Here's a video we produced for Hugh and Steph who had a lunch reception at Quat Quatta. It'll give you a good feel for how your wedding day could look like with a lovely lunch at Quat Quatta. Please call or email me if you'd like more tips or advice for your Quat Quatta wedding and I hope this has helped you make your decision!
