What started life as a home for the areas first physician back in the late 1800’s, has been restored and repurposed to be one of the great destination wedding venues for the Illawarra and South Coast. The lovely manor house is not only a great setting for your wedding photography, but provides space for you and your bridal party to stay, up to 14 guests, with your venue hire price allowing you to stay two nights, the night before your wedding, allowing you to set up the day before in the afternoon, plus the night of your wedding, and checking out the next morning. The property is set over 3 acres, has spectacular gardens, not to mention a pool, bridal suite, and a tennis court. The accomodation is luxurious, with the Bateman cottage at the front, and The Stables at the back providing privacy for the couple on their wedding night and it even includes a spa. There are local vendors who can set up glamping on the grounds as well to increase the number of guests you can have stay.
Ceremony Location
The great thing about Ravensthorpe Estate is that it offers couple three very different spots to have your ceremony. The first, and one the use the most, is the rotunda at the front of the property, which is covered in beautiful green vines and the area surrounded by lush hedges, to create a sense of intimacy, with enough space for 20-30 seats, but enough space at the back to accommodate the rest of your guests. This location usually sees brides walk out from the old homestead, and pass a beautiful white fountain on your way down the aisle. Alternatively, you can flip this and use the house as the backdrop for your ceremony, and have the guests either side of this fountain. The third option, is the newest addition to the property, and thats on the sunset deck, a raised wooden area that is a blank canvas that faces west towards the sunset, great for lighting for your ceremony, and captures views of the Illawarra escarpment.
The Reception
The marquee at Ravensthorpe Estate has just undergone a renovation (winter 2024), with the soft walls now being replaced by VJ panelling walls on three sides, with the 4th side looking out on to the courtyard being replaced with bifold doors, allowing you to open up the area for additional space, or to enjoy the summer breeze on those warmer nights, or in winter, it being more of a permanent structure, will see it be a little warmer. Speaking of the courtyard, and especially in the warmer months, this makes a great space for an open air dance floor, with the DJ setting up in the conservatory space and facing out towards the dance floor on the opposite side of marquee. This space also looks great for your first dance where you can get some trees and hedges in the background of your wedding photos, and take it to the next level by adding special fx with dry ice and spark machines that can be shot extra high given its outdoors. For A DJ, MC, Special FX, try Party Central, the best in the area, who also supply a celebrant and photo booth (talk about easy wedding planning). The space can cater for up to 200 people, if utilising the outdoor courtyard and conservatory, however 120 people would be much more comfortable and can all fit in the marquee, with space still for a DJ and Photo Booth and dance floor.
The Food And Drinks
There are a number of caterers who you can choose from with the food being provided by external caterers, who can cater morning after breakfasts as well as your wedding. Our favourite is Michael and his team from M2 catering, all though all of them have been good. For something a little unique for your wedding, usually straight after a ceremony at Ravensthorpe Estate, a cocktail hour begins, and M2 can set up a live cooking station, to not only feed and entertain your guests, the pasta is always a hit. This is matched with other substantial canapés, then you can choose between 1,2 or 3 courses for your wedding reception, we wouldn’t recommend 3, its extremely filling and no-one wants to be going in to a food coma when its time to start dancing.
The drinks and service by the bar staff is great, with a premium selection of beers, wines and spirits, with cocktails also available. The bar is set up in the reception space but if having a cocktail hour out the front, the team will bring these around and serve them to your guests while you’re off having your wedding photos taken, don’t worry, they’ll save you some of the food and drinks in the manor house while you have a break before you enter the reception.
The Photo Opp Spots
As a South Coast Wedding Photographer, I love a venue that gives you a tonne of photo spots on site, it allows for more creativity with your photos, as well as variety, and from a timeline perspective, not having to go offsite means you can spend more of the day enjoying the day and mingling with guests. We’ve already talked about the 3 ceremony spots which also make good photo opportunities, the house, the rotunda, and the sunset deck, which as the name suggests, is the place we’d go to get those last light photos. From getting ready though, the unit out the front of the property is where the boys usually get ready, with the girls in the bridal suite and beauty salon in the manor house, both of which have been tastefully decorated and provide great settings for photos. Around the grounds, the horshoe driveway, the fountain, the rustic iron gates emblazoned with the Ravensthorpe name, the verandah, vine covered walls that change with the seasons, I could keep going but i think you get it, the wedding photography options are endless.
If you’re on the hunt for a destination wedding venue on the South Coast, then Ravensthorpe Estate should be on your list to check out if you like an historic elegant vibe. It’s just a 90 minute drive from Sydney, is pet-friendly, and has everything you could possibly want. Being local to the area, just 10 minutes from the venue, I work here a lot and would love to be your Ravensthorpe Wedding Photographer so send me an enquiry today.
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