Wedding Reception Venues in Eastern Suburbs

Harbour, ocean or garden: couples marrying in the east tend to choose the backdrop first and the room second. Point Piper, Rose Bay and Darling Point put the reception on the harbour, Bondi, Coogee and Maroubra look out to the ocean, and Woollahra and Waverley offer garden and bistro settings away from the water.

Seated numbers narrow the list quickly, because the rooms go from a Coogee dinner for 42 to a hall for 450.

Receptions grouped by the guest list:

• 200 or more seated: behind floor-to-ceiling glass, Pacific Room @ The Beachouse at Point Piper has space for 220 at tables
• Around 120 to 180: Matteo Double Bay seats 170 for exclusive hire, barmilano Maroubra Beach 180 across its five spaces, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia 120 in the joined Freya and Morna rooms, and 120 in the whole restaurant at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, while The Lawns of Double Bay handles private celebrations of up to 170
• A big dance floor: seated with one, the Vaucluse hall at Diamond Bay Bowling Club fits 180, and its chef builds the menu to your budget, from $28 per person
• Mid-sized and relaxed: Lorraine's Bistro seats 130 across the first floor of the Robin Hood Hotel, and Chiswick Woollahra takes up to 116 in a glass-walled restaurant beside its kitchen garden; Margaret on Bay Street goes to 100 seated for an exclusive booking
• A small wedding: Sugarcane seats 24 in its private room, with an enclosed balcony for 18 more, close to Coogee Beach, and Little Jack Horner, facing the beach on Coogee Bay Road, handles weddings for groups over 20 through an event enquiry

For the move from ceremony to reception, The Lower Patio Terrace @ Moore Park Golf Club has theatre seating for 60 for the vows, and at the yacht club guests can even arrive or leave by boat with some notice.