Wedding Reception Venues – Newcastle, NSW
Celebrate your perfect wedding day with our top reviewed wedding reception venues
The Mercure Charlestown
109 Madison Drive, Charlestown 2290
The Mercure Charlestown offers a venue for small to medium weddings. The Madison Kitchen and Bar can comfortably cater for 50 guests, with the ability to increase numbers to 90 with the adjoining undercover deck.
The deck features heating for all weather and distant views of Stockton Beach. The Mercure can also accommodate wedding parties and guest overnight with 53 boutique hotel rooms set amongst a tranquil bush setting.
Guests: 90
The Lock Up
90 Hunter Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Utilised as the Newcastle Police Station and Lock Up from 1861-1982, this unique venue is perfect for small to medium sized weddings. It features some really cool hints of the past including etched graffiti and its impressive iron doorway but also has modern touches such as louvered ceiling, stage and raised floors.
The Lock Up has fantastic acoustics for those hoping to have some live music and includes a number of areas for use such as the foyer and kitchens.
Guests: 40-100
Fort Scratchley
1/3 Nobbys Road, Newcastle East NSW 2300
Historic Fort Scratchley offers 360 degree panoramic views over Nobby’s Beach and lighthouse, as well as the Newcastle coastline, city and harbour.
Choose from its multipurpose function centre just outside the fort walls with beautiful views over the Newcastle Ocean Baths and Cowrie Hole or The Barracks which offers an intimate option for wedding ceremonies, as well as cocktail wedding receptions.
Newcastle City Hall
290 King Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
If you’re looking for elegance and grandeur, then you can’t go past the historic Newcastle City Hall. This classically styled venue offers a number of function rooms, all with beautiful architecture such as marble staircases, carved ceilings and sandstone balconies overlooking Civic Park.
City Hall offers an in-house caterer with the freshest local produce for your wedding menu, as well as wines from the Newcastle region.
Guests: 500
Marina Views Function Centre
97 Hannell St, Wickham NSW 2290
Marina Views is a venue which offers an elegant setting for your wedding with stunning harbour views via the floor to ceiling windows and large outdoor deck.
Rustic finishes and the ability to arrive by water will really wow your guests. Marina Views boasts quality food and wines, as well as options for stylish decorating and music, meaning you can just sit back and relax while they take care of the rest.
Guests: 300
Noahs On The Beach
29 Zaara St, Newcastle NSW 2300
Perfectly placed directly across from Newcastle Beach, Noah’s captures the amazing coastal views with its floor to ceiling windows.
They offer a variety of packages to suit your wedding style and their wedding coordinator will help you with everything from selecting your menu to recommending places for the best wedding photos in Newcastle. Best of all, you and your guests won’t have to go far at the end of the festivities with an array of accommodation available on site.
Guests: 300
The Lucky Hotel
237 Hunter Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
The Lucky Hotel is perfectly situated in the heart of Newcastle and offers a number of spaces for hire. The Oxford Room and Drum Bar are perfect for a more intimate occasion, while the greenery filled Courtyard is the perfect option for larger weddings.
It features exposed brick walls and rustic wooden beams, making it a charming option for ceremonies and receptions alike.
With accommodation on site and mouth-watering canape and sit-down menu options, the Lucky Hotel is a great choice for Newcastle weddings.
Guests: 20-150
Sprout Dining
189 Hunter St, Newcastle NSW 2300
Originally a relaxed dining venue offering modern cuisine with a French Italian twist, Sprout Dining is now a full-time function venue located in the Crown and Anchor Hotel.
They have no room hire charge and are licenced to 3am meaning you can kick on well into the night celebrating your new nuptials should you choose. Sprout Dining offers a beautiful space for weddings right in the heart of the Newcastle CBD.
Guests: 300
Small Wedding Reception Venues
Reception Venue Wedding Styles
There’s an abundance of reception venue choices when it comes to choosing a wedding style to suit your day.
It will come as no surprise to learn that Newcastle has some stunning beach front and harbour view locations but there are also venues to suit casual weddings, picturesque gardens, historic sites and some very unique wedding venues such as The Lock Up or Fort Scratchley just to name a few.
Some reception venue wedding styles you might want to consider are:
- Beach Wedding Venues
- Waterfront Wedding Venues
- Cocktail Wedding Reception
- Outdoor Wedding Venues
- Casual Wedding Locations
- Rustic/ Barn/ Farm/Country Wedding Venues
- Unique Wedding Venues
- Locations that give the vibe of a Castle Wedding
- Garden Wedding Venues
- Winery Wedding Venues
What does an all-inclusive wedding package mean?
The term all-inclusive tends to vary from venue to venue. Truly all-inclusive wedding packages will literally include everything you need for your day including full coordination of the event and booking of all the vendors you need to make it happen.
This can be everything from the invitations to the photographer, and wedding cake to transport for the newlyweds. If you can find an all-inclusive package like this, it can equal a cheap wedding package when you break down the cost of everything included.
More commonly included in all-inclusive packages is everything you will require for the nuptials and reception. This might be use of the venue for your wedding ceremony, all the set up for the ceremony such as chairs for guests, signing table, aisle runner etc, venue space for the reception including table centrepieces, a simple cake, catering and some form of wedding music, usually a DJ who will also MC the wedding for you.
Sometimes you will get a choice of cakes or decorations within a certain budget but other times there may just be the one option available to keep costs down.
When you start to check out venues, ask them if they have all-inclusive wedding packages and what that includes so you can compare and get the best deal. If they don’t do an all-inclusive package you can still ask what they can throw in to sweeten the deal and you might find yourself with a free DJ or cake.
What do you get for your wedding venue hire fee?
Some venues have a hire fee as a basic cost to use the venue before you add in catering and other extras. For a reception venue hire fee you will usually get a coordinator to work with throughout the planning of your wedding.
They will go through everything from decorations they offer as part of the fee, as well as things like catering options and costings.
Your hire fee will include all the tables, chairs etc you need for your reception, as well as cover any wait staff, security, a standard size dance floor and an on the day coordinator to make sure everything runs smoothly.
How to find Newcastle wedding venues under $100 per person
It might sound like a difficult task, but there are actually heaps of wedding venues under $100 per person in Newcastle.
If you’re looking for affordable wedding venues, start by looking at their websites and asking for their wedding packages to give you an idea of price and make a shortlist.
One way to find budget wedding venues is to consider a cocktail wedding reception which tends to be shorter (usually around 3 hours) and only provides drinks and canapes rather than a full sit-down meal.
Another option is to look at restaurants rather than formal wedding venues. That way you can pay for meals at around $25-$40 per head and add in a drinks package or put a certain amount per guest on a bar tab.
Are there budget wedding venues in Newcastle for a casual wedding?
As we mentioned above, when it comes to budget wedding venues there are an abundance in Newcastle to choose from.
Using a local restaurant for your wedding reception can be the perfect option for a casual wedding and help you save big dollars by skimping on the fluff and focusing on good food and wine.
Another option when looking for budget wedding venues for a casual wedding is to consider an Airbnb wedding venue. Yes, you can hire an Airbnb for your wedding reception.
There are some stunning houses available that can not only host your reception, but can be used for the ceremony and wedding party preparations, plus accommodation for the event. This can make for a very budget friendly venue hire option.
Cheap wedding packages with wedding hall hire
If you’re on the hunt for cheap wedding venues in Newcastle, one option to look at may be wedding hall hire. From the classic Newcastle City Hall to your local community venue, there are options to suit all budgets. Bring in your choice of caterer and get family and friends to help with decorating and setup and you might find you have created a cheap wedding package for your special day.
There are also lots of wedding hire companies who can help with the set up and decorations for wedding hall hire without blowing the budget.