Leonda by the Yarra, located in Hawthorn is a great venue close to Melbourne CBD that offers city grade cuisine with a classy country feel. Leonda ensures that every aspect of a wedding day is perfectly styled in an elegant manner and combined with exceptional service and five star restaurant catering.
The successful history of Leonda started in 1970 (the year in which John Gorton elected Prime Minister as Harold Holt’s replacement and the seatbelts became compulsory in cars in Victoria.)
Once know as Hawthorn Tea Gardens, the property that Leonda occupies was a famous destination for pleasure boats to dock as well as ladies to socialize while nibbling on scones and sipping on tea and gazing over the most beautiful surroundings. When Hawthorn Tea Gardens burnt down in 1970, the partners David Walker and Leon Jolson purchased the land and constructed what is now the leading reception centre in Melbourne. The name bestowed upon the gorgeous reception center was Leonda, which came from the combination of the name of David and Leon.
Originally, Leonda was constructed as a big function room that can accommodate over 500 guests. It comes with a dining room popularly known as River Club Restaurant that caters for about 132 guests. The chefs at Leonda cater to a wide variety of weddings and can provides a range of cuisines to suit all your needs and dietary requirements.
Ceremonies and Weddings
The venue offers three picturesque spaces to suit most requirement. There are 2-indoor ceremony options and an outdoor option with the beautiful Yarra River as the backdrop. Leonda’s biggest draw card, after the sensational food and dedicated staff is the view of the Yarra River and towards the city. At this point of the Yarra’s journey to the mouth of Port Phillip Bay, the river is still relatively narrow before it widens considerably, just a few kilometres downstream.
Several of the events I have photographed at Leonda by the Yarra have seen guests arrive at the venue by boat and enter via the jetty and stairs through the garden which starts the event off in a really fun way.
The chefs at Leonda By The Yarra River cater to a wide variety of weddings and can provides a range of cuisines to suit all your needs and dietary requirements.
The logisitics at Leonda By The Yarra are very flexible and can customized to suit your wedding plans. Whether you like an elegant ceremony in their courtyard followed by a catered event in their Garden Room or you only want to walk down the aisle of Leonda and move the event elsewhere afterwards, Leonda By The Yarra offers an ideal and intimate setting, just a short hop in a taxi from the centre of Melbourne.
Following the marriage ceremony, guests are able to relax and enjoy the popular canapés and pre-dinner drinks while you and your loved ones are taking some photos in the exquisite setting.
As Melbourne wedding photography goes, Leonda has some nice options for casual and candid wedding photos, with the jetty being a good location involving the feel of the venue. While guests are enjoying pre-dinner drinks and canapes there is usually ample time for the couple and their wedding photographer to scoot off for further photos at some alternative nearby locations. Please get in touch if you’d like some suggestions for nearby wedding photography locations that you might not have discovered yet.
If you’re planning a wedding at Leonda by the Yarra, I’d be pleased to discuss your photography options with you to give you some ideas as to how to structure the day. In the meantime, take a look through my Melbourne wedding photography portfolio to see samples of work from recent weddings in and around Melbourne, as well as some making use of the beautiful gum trees and river banks that are found at Leonda.
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