Wedding Reception Venues in Hawthorn

Two very different receptions are possible in Hawthorn. On the riverbank, The Ballroom @ Leonda By The Yarra offers a pillar-free room built for a full wedding dinner, while The Kilburn, in a heritage bank building on Burwood Road, suits couples who want a cocktail-style celebration over whisky and canapés.

Leonda hosts ceremonies too, so a couple can marry and celebrate at the same address.

Comparing the two for a wedding:

• Seated numbers – a 510-guest banquet at Leonda, or 450 once the dance floor goes in and 344 at cabaret tables; The Kilburn is a stand-up venue for up to 200.
• Pre-dinner drinks – Leonda's own foyer and Marble Bar host canapés before guests move into the Ballroom.
• Speeches and the first dance – Leonda puts the top table and the band on raised stages, with a lectern and a big central dance floor; the Kilburn counters with its own DJ booth, a dance floor and a PA with microphone.
• Setting – floor-to-ceiling windows along the Yarra and a balcony above Leonda's private jetty, against The Kilburn's Italianate building listed on the national estate register.
• Room for the couple – Leonda adds a VIP room for the hosts.

Leonda is the natural pick for a traditional seated reception with a band; The Kilburn suits a cocktail party with whisky at the centre of it.