Plan Your Dream Destination Wedding At Victoria Park

The pandemic has thrown many couples’ wedding plans into disarray, but love has by no means been cancelled. While an overseas wedding is probably off the cards right now, there are so many stunning locations right here in Australia to say “I do”, including our very own Victoria Park in Brisbane. We spoke to Blue Nile, the world’s leading online retailer of diamond engagement rings, to share our best tips for planning a destination wedding in Australia.

Choose Your Venue Carefully

Destination weddings are always a beautiful way to celebrate a wedding. Couples should definitely consider picking a venue that is reliable and that they can trust with their special day, especially in the current climate.
At Victoria Park, each wedding is allocated a dedicated venue planner to help assist with all wedding day requests large or small. This way you can set your mind and ease and focus on the most important thing – enjoying your big day!

Why Plan Your Wedding at Victoria Park?

If you’re looking for a beautiful wedding venue in Brisbane that has it all, Victoria Park ticks so many boxes. Situated just two kilometres from the Brisbane CBD so couples visiting Brisbane can stay close by and have beautiful Brisbane city views and natural surroundings in their wedding photos. Victoria Park is also great for destination weddings as it’s an all-inclusive, one-stop-shop with the ability to host both the ceremony and reception on site. Plus, wedding guests are able to experience plenty of activities on-site like Putt-Putt, the Driving Range, or having a drink in the Bistro whilst couples are taking photos. All rooms have a private bar, city views and a private terrace. Your guests will certainly never be bored!

When to do it?

Brisbane is stunning all year round, but it can be really hot in summer, so if couples aren’t used to the heat, definitely check the weather before booking the wedding date.

Celebrate Your Love in Style

No matter how you choose to mark this special day, remember why you’re there — to celebrate the love you share and the commitment you are making to each other. Planning your wedding during a pandemic will come with its challenges, but by keeping your focus on what matters most, it’s sure to be one of the happiest days of your life.

OzHarvest Brisbane and Victoria Park have teamed up with some of the hospitality sector’s biggest hearts as part of Project #HospoHeroes, which sees restaurants and catering businesses firing up their empty kitchens to make delicious and nutritious meals. Each week these meals are delivered to OzHarvest’s network of more than 130 Brisbane charities in addition to the regular supply of rescued food, to help address the increased demand for food relief.

OzHarvest Queensland State Manager, Anthony Dunne said that the impact of COVID-19 means food relief is now at an all-time high. “OzHarvest responded quickly to rapidly increase our food rescue service, but with many charities forced to close their community meal programs, we recognised the need for cooked meals too. We turned to our wonderful friends in Brisbane’s hospitality sector and they jumped on board immediately.”

Victoria Park was one of the first businesses to respond to the call to help feed those in need. “The impact of COVID-19 has hit the hospitality industry hard and with empty kitchens and chefs with no work, what better way to put our resources to good use and rally to help OzHarvest,” said Siobhan Bickle, Director at Victoria Park. “As a family owned business, we are thrilled to join the ‘Hospitality Heroes’ program and know that our chefs’ skills are helping to get good food to families who are struggling to put meals on the table at this time.”

This support has been a lifeline for many charities that have needed to change their usual operations due to COVID-19 and can now provide ready-made meals to the community.

Brisbane charity Village Mosaix is a faith-based organisation supporting asylum seekers and refugees, socially isolated groups and those experiencing homelessness. Sam McGeown, Director of Village Mosaix, shared insight into the new faces of food insecurity. “Village Mosaix is seeing a lot of students and young people reaching out for help at the moment – international students who were supporting themselves but have lost their hospitality jobs, but also Australian students from regional areas who are away from home to study. When COVID first hit, we were supporting 15 households each week, now it’s over 130. People want to be able to support themselves and be independent. When they are forced to ask for help, it’s humbling. The amount of love and care the chefs and kitchens are putting into these prepared meals is incredible and goes a long way to make people feel they are not alone during these challenging times.”

Victoria Park’s chefs are lovingly making 5,000 delicious meals for those who are most in need.

And Victoria Park are calling on its community to help double our impact! Every $1 donated to OzHarvest means they can deliver 2 meals to someone in need. Our goal of making and funding over 10,000 meals is a lofty one, but will make a truly incredible impact for our Brisbane neighbours experiencing food insecurity.  

Donations can be made at www.hereforhope.com.au 

 

Real Wedding: Shari & Nick

Shari & Nick held their wedding reception in the Ballroom at Victoria Park with ceremony on-site in the Courtyard. Recently the pair sat down to discuss their big day with the Victoria Park team.

Tell us about your journey together, from how you met, to what the proposal was like!

We first met at Big W, as teenagers doing our part time work after school. Whilst it wasn’t the smoothest of introductions, a friendship gradually blossomed into a relationship after Nick was transferred to another store. Six years later, whilst in a snowing Canada – Nick proposed. In a deserted Botanical Gardens, Nick had a quiet word with our travel companions and ensured they captured the moment! The hardest part was then waiting for an acceptable time back home to ring everyone with our exciting news!

What (besides the obvious ‘I do’) was your favourite part of your wedding?

Our favourite part of the day was being able to share it with those who are most important to us. With our wedding in March 2020, there was a risk that COVID-19 may have impacted our event. However, we were luckily enough to just squeeze our wedding in before restrictions were in place. We had friends and family travel, which made it that more special to share the day.

Tell us about your decorations and wedding styling – did you incorporate anything new / a theme? What did you choose for your wedding entertainment and guest favors?

My parents are florists and were very excited to be responsible for the decorating and styling. We did not have a specific theme, but just a colour scheme to match the bridal party’s attire. G&M events were our DJs – we had a lot of fun working through their portal and selecting a playlist to ensure the dance floor was full all night long! Our guest favours were personalised chocolates – also acting as place cards.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give other brides to be?

The best advice we can give other couples getting married is to steal away 10 minutes together on the night. Whilst it is wonderful to share the night with friends and family, it goes too fast and at the end of the day, it is about the pair of you. Those 10 minutes will end up being the best 10 minutes of the night. Soak in every moment, because before you know it the day is over!

Would you recommend Victoria Park to other people getting married?

Absolutely! The venue is gorgeous with beautiful views of the golf course and the city. The food was delicious. Our event planner, Lauren was fantastic – very responsive to any questions we had. Nothing we asked of Victoria Park was too much trouble.

Below are the fantastic suppliers that helped bring Shari & Nick’s dream day to life:

• Ceremony – Victoria Park Courtyard
• Reception – Victoria Park Ballroom
• Photographer – Lillian Mae Photography
• Videographer – Boutique Wedding Films
• Florals – Ipswich Florist
• Celebrant – Married by Jake
• DJ – G&M Event Group
• Bridal table backdrop – Beautiful Weddings

 

 

 

 

Has your boss asked you to organise an external room for a meeting? If so, why not opt for something different? Whilst there’s lots of business meeting venues available around Brisbane, selecting a boring room inside a hotel for your meeting isn’t going to earn you any favours. What you want is something that’s affordable, fit for purpose and spectacular in some way. Something that makes your mark and shows your boss that you are very good at your job!

Facilities offered by popular business meeting venues

So your first strategy is to make a shortlist of venues that meet your criteria, then whittle them down until you can make your final decision. To give you a helping hand, here are seven elements that every meeting venue should provide before you add it to your short list.

1. Room Size

Does the venue offer you enough room for your meeting? This is an essential factor in your selection, because if it doesn’t have the right amount of space, it’s off your list. To make this determination, you need to know how many people will be attending the meeting and whether you need an additional space for lunch to be served. Victoria Park offers six different business meeting venues with a capacity ranging between 30 to 400 seated attendees. Our largest spaces can cater to 1,000 cocktail guests, so if you have 400 attendees and will be holding a cocktail hour for attendees and their guests in the evening, The Marquee might be a good option.

2. Room Rates & Availability

Once you know that the venue has the space you require for your business meeting, you need to make sure that these rooms are available for your preferred dates. You also need to ensure that the room rates align with your budget, so identifying what’s included in this price is essential. If the venue doesn’t have your dates available and you can’t change your dates, then simply move on to the next venue on your list. The same goes for the costs, if you feel that the rates don’t give you value for money, then cross them off your list and move on.

 

3. What’s included in the venue costs?

Most business meeting venues have specific inclusions, but if they don’t include the basics you need, cross them off your list. Features you may need include free WIFI for your attendees and guest speakers, lectern and microphone, data projector and screen, flipchart or whiteboard, notepads and pens, and registration desk. Anything else is an added bonus! Victoria Park provides all of these features in the price of your room and if you achieve a minimum spend, we throw in the room hire for free!

4. Catering

Providing meals for your attendees is a great way to encourage people to attend your meeting, but these meals need to be both tasty and affordable. You don’t want people wandering around looking for food outside your venue, because it might take forever to herd them all back again! Victoria Park offers a full day and a half day event package, both of which include catering. The full day includes morning and afternoon tea and lunch, whilst the half day includes lunch and either morning or afternoon tea. Tea and coffee are available freely throughout your event.

5. Breakout spaces

Breakout spaces might not be important to your meeting, but it’s nice to know that they are available if needed. At each of Victoria Park’s venues there are covered outdoor patio areas that can be used for breakout spaces, but we can also partition the larger venues to provide these spaces for your event.

 

6. Parking & accessibility

Unless your list of business meeting venues are within walking distance of everyone attending, you will need the venue to be easily accessible with sufficient parking. Since Victoria Park is so close to the city, it’s only a quick 10 minute cab ride. If attendees prefer to drive, then we have plenty of free parking available.

7. Stunning Views

All of the above features will most likely be essential to your meeting, however something special that isn’t necessary are stunning views. If you want your meeting to be memorable for all the right reasons (and your part in its organisation noted), you want a serious edge. So how about spectacular views of the city and a location set in 27 hectares of fabulous rolling lawns, garden beds, native plants and mature trees? That’s what Victoria Park offers and it’s why we are one of the most popular business meeting venues in Brisbane. 

For more information on our fabulous business venues, check out our function page or give us a call on 07 3252 0666.

Shannon & Daniel held their wedding ceremony and reception in the Garden Marquee at Victoria Park. Recently Shannon sat down to discuss their big day with the Victoria Park team.

Tell us about your journey together, from how you met, to what the proposal was like!

Dan and I shared a mutual friend, but it wasn’t until we became ‘facebook friends’ that we had our very first conversation, and the rest is history. 7 years later, in the house that we built, along with our fur baby Fletcher, Dan proposed. It was the night before my 25th birthday and I was coming home from the shops with a girlfriend. I walked into our house to find that Dan had covered our lounge room floor and ceiling with white and pink balloons, and big silver letters that read ‘MARRY ME?’. He also had an acoustic version of ‘our song’ playing in the background. I am not sure that he will ever be able to top that birthday present!!

What (besides the obvious ‘I do’) was your favourite part of your wedding?

My favourite part of my wedding was the father daughter dance. I had tucked my head into my Dad’s shoulder to hide my tears, a few moments later I looked up and all of a sudden, every single one of our wedding guests had come to the dancefloor to join in the dance, it was so full that we couldn’t fit everyone and there were people dancing around the tables. It was such an amazing feeling, you could definitely feel the love in the room from all of our guests.

Tell us about your decorations and wedding styling, did you incorporate a theme? What did you choose for your wedding entertainment and guest favors?

Our styling was by the incredible Gemma Burrows (Borrowed Event Hire). We had no idea what theme or style we wanted, soI really let Gemma take control with this (and for anyone that knows me, this doesn’t happen easily). Every single thing she put together for our wedding was absolute perfection in my eyes and really complimented our personalities as well as the bridal party’s dresses and suits.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give other couples starting their wedding planning journey?

As a bride, I was told “enjoy every moment, take a moment to take it all in”… which I didn’t really understand because, well, duh! My advice is “remember to remember why you are getting married”, when I would get nervous about all the attention and all the people, I thought about my husband to be and all the reasons he makes me happy and the nerves turned into excitement.

Would you recommend Victoria Park to other people getting married?

I would absolutely recommend Victoria Park. It is a stunning location, the staff go above and beyond and are welcoming and polite always. I really couldn’t fault a thing!

Please list your photographer, stylist and any other prominent suppliers below for crediting purposes:

• Andrew & Sarah Follan (@thefollans) – Photo & Video
• Gemma Burrows (Borrowed Event Hire) – Styling
• Abbey Shaw (@poppypie) – Cake
• G&M Events – Entertainment

Find out more about Victoria Park’s wedding venues for 30 to 400 guests.

You must ask yourself several questions when choosing the perfect meeting venue. How many guests do you anticipate will attend? What’s the goal of the meeting? Will you need to provide food? What must the event space require? Will you have out-of-town guests? Simply answer these questions to select an event venue with ease.

Tip #1 – Figure out the guest list

The number of people you invite has a major impact on what venue size is right for your meeting. A guest list of 12 attendees may only require a small space, but you’ll need a ballroom size space for a large conference style meeting. No one wants to be crammed in a small space. Adequately match your guest numbers with the venue size – this ensures everyone has a blissful time at your meeting.

Tip #2 – Purpose of the meeting

The meeting venue should connect with your brand and match the reason for the meeting. Choose a more light-hearted, well-lit spacious venue for an afternoon filled with team building activities and exercises. Select a more stoic, historic and serious atmosphere for a large meeting of executives or important clients. The meeting room will set the mood so it should coincide with the purpose for holding the event.

Tip #3 – Will food be served

If you answered no, skip to tip #4. If you answered yes, continue reading! Make things easier on yourself by choosing a venue that can cater the food for you. This cuts out an entire step of finding an outside caterer. The venue can work with you based on what type of meeting you plan to host. A simple hour-long event may only need a few appetizers and drinks such as coffee and tea. However if you’re hosting a luncheon,  guests will expect a full meal.

Tip #4 – Look to compare meeting rooms

Nothing quite compares to going to the venue space yourself and checking it out. Visit your desired venue far in advance to the date of your meeting. Will you need an electrical outlet in a certain area of the room to set up a projector or mic stand? Is the room going to serve your meeting as you imaged? Visiting the venue beforehand can also allow you to plan how  you want to set up the space to best fit the meeting’s purpose.

Tip #5 – Are guests visiting from far places

Some meetings will require nearby lodging. Large conferences often have guests visiting from out of town. Plan ahead for attendees that will need a place to stay. Maybe include a list of nearby hotels in the conference invite. Guests will appreciate this added consideration and thoughtfulness. Even take it one step further by checking with hotels and asking if they offer room blocks for a group of guests that you know will require lodging.

Happy planning!

Plan the perfect meeting at the most fitting venue with these top 5 tips. From narrowing down your guest numbers to identifying the true purpose of your meeting – answers to these questions will guide you in the right direction Happy planning!

 

Thanks for reading Victoria Park’s Functions Blog. Visit our meeting and venues page for more information on meetings at Victoria Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throwing a great conference is overwhelming. Take a deep breath…*inhale*…*exhale*…feel better? You can easily take the pressure off of yourself (maybe take another deep breath) by following these three simple tricks!

1. Organisation is key

The key word is “organise.” You must be organised from the get-go to create the perfect conference. By conference day you’ll be breathing easy! List out your conference goals. What do you want to accomplish through holding the conference? Questions like this are key to set yourself up for success.

2. Food & Drinks please

How much coffee do people drink? How many servers are needed to adequately keep up with your guest list? Will people actually eat the lunch served?

A miscalculation can cause the coffee pots to run dry OR you to order too much food and waste money.

Follow this simple rule of thumb…If the event is super professional, maybe lean towards the side of smaller portions and serving sizes. Guests will be more focused on work than their plate in a super professional setting BUT if the conference is laid back, think about serving more snacks or even hosting a cocktail hour, (without the cocktails, sadly) to allow guests a time to mingle and network during the conference. Request for servers to have appetizer platters and trays with a variety of food options.

3. Break Time

Breaks…but the goal of a conference is to get work done, right? Guests will appreciate solid breaks throughout the conference to keep them on task when they need to pay attention the most.

Consider creating a program or organised list of what time speaker’s are scheduled, lunchtime and of course periodic breaks. Guests will be much more apt to listening when they know they will get down time in their near future.

All in all, organising a great conference doesn’t have to be intimidating. Your conference is sure to run smoothly with organisation, planned food and scheduled breaks. Guests will surely enjoy their time!

Thanks for reading Victoria Park’s Functions Blog. Visit our conference venue page for more information.

Looking to throw an elegant, yet effortless cocktail party? Simply follow these five easy steps to pull off the perfect bash.

Choose a date

You will have to select a date for your event is eventually, but the day you choose is vital! Host your cocktail party on a day best for the highest majority of your guests a.k.a. cast your net wide. Cocktail parties are typically best to host on the weekend…the name says it all “cocktail” party usually involves alcohol, and most guests will appreciate having a day off of work to rest the day after.

Party theme

Set a theme to add some pizzazz to your cocktail party! Anyone can host a typical get-together, but a theme will truly set yours apart.

• Champagne and Dessert party, this theme makes choosing your food and drinks menu easy! Pop some bubbly and an array of desserts like mini cupcakes with sprinkles, cake balls and gooey cookies.
• Black & White party, this theme will help your guests plan their party attire much more easily. Send black and white invites explaining the party wardrobe is black and white. This chic theme gives an upscale vibe. Select cocktails that match the theme too. Consider serving black cherry bellinis and white russians.
• Hollywood glam, this theme is dashingly classy. Gold and red will be the focus of your cocktail party. Have guests wear swanky evening gowns and suits. A cocktail to match the theme? A fun party punch is festive and fun

Food, food, food

Guests will get hungry drinking tasty cocktails. Small plates, hors d’oeuvres and simple treats are easy to serve and give plenty of options. You’ll keep everyone happy with yummy cheese boards, nuts, and appetizers. Think about cheese, crackers, fruit and veggie plates. They’re simple, yet satisfying and sure to keep the party rolling all night.

Hostess with the ‘mostess’

You are vital component to creating the most perfect cocktail party. What does this mean? You made the guest lists, you sent the invites, you picked the theme, decorated the venue and the list goes on. Your role in this party is key. Make sure to mingle and greet all your guests. If you’re not having a fantastic time, then your guests probably won’t either! Let loose and have fun!

Decor, duh!

If choosing a party theme is out of the question, consider these simple steps to decorate your cocktail party. Pick a theme color (or two) at the bare minimum to more easily choose your decorations. Balloons and flowers are go-to decor ideas that compliment any bash. The addition of balloons immediately  create a fun party atmosphere. Flowers are another easy decor idea to add a festive touch. Place flowers in martini shakers, wine bottles or other holders and vases to match a cocktail party theme. Have fun!

These five simple guidelines are a great launch pad into planning the most effortless cocktail party. Dates, themes, decor, these pointers will escalate your party to top them all. Guests will gush about your cocktail party for years to come.

Thanks for reading Victoria Park’s Functions Blog. Visit our cocktail venues page for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kasia and Huw held their wedding reception in the Garden Marquee at Victoria Park, with ceremony held at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church nearby in Bowen Hills. Recently Kasia sat down to discuss their big day with the Victoria Park team.

Tell us about your journey together, from how you met, to what the proposal was like!

Huw and I met at a bootcamp session, at which we ended up side by side doing wall sits! Huw was struggling so I laughed at his shaky knees. We started talking and the rest is history. As for the proposal, Huw had told me that he was planning a surprise outing for my birthday. On the night, he put me in the car and made me wear a blindfold so I had no idea where we were going! After what seemed like ages, we stopped driving and I took off the blindfold to see that we were at the Eaton’s Hill Hotel and that the surprise was that Huw had bought us tickets to a 90s throwback concert featuring S Club, B Witched and Atomic Kitten, some of my favourite 90’s bands. During the concert, when Atomic Kitten played my favourite song The Tide is High Huw got down on one knee and proposed.

What (besides the obvious ‘I do’) was your favourite part of your wedding?

We had a great time taking our bridal party photos around the grounds of Victoria Park mainly because we were able to drive around in golf buggies which was a lot of fun. We also loved our first dance, even though everyone was watching us, it just felt like we were in our own little bubble.

Tell us about your decorations and wedding styling – did you incorporate a theme? What did you choose for your wedding entertainment and guest favors?

We didn’t really have a specific theme but we always said that we wanted the wedding to be simple, yet elegant. We stuck to a largely silver and white colour scheme and tried to keep decorations quite minimal. Kate Maree Floral Designs did an amazing job with all of our florals. We had a floral table runner for the bridal table and floral wreaths for each of the guest tables with candles to go in the middle of the wreaths. G&M DJ’s provided excellent entertainment and our guest favors were shot glasses in keeping with my Polish culture.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give other couples starting their wedding planning journey?

Make a detailed do to list and then give yourself plenty of time to do your research and work through it. Go with your gut when making decisions and don’t stress, everything will come together in the end.

Would you recommend Victoria Park to other people getting married?

Definitely! We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect venue.

Please list your photographer, stylist and any other prominent suppliers below for crediting purposes:

• Photographer – Just for Love Photography
• Cake – Zuccherino Cakes
• DJ – G&M Group
• Florals – Kate Maree Floral Designs
• Hair and make-up – Emilia-Maria Make-up & Hair

Find out more about Victoria Park’s wedding venues for 30 to 400 guests.