You and your soulmate have finally decided to make it official, much to the pleasure of all your friends and family who were calling on it for a while. You are now looking for the perfect backdrop for family and friends to celebrate the union, and with that in mind, here are some of the amenities you would find at a top wedding reception resort/hotel.

• Stunning grounds – A summer wedding is crying out for a traditional English rose garden setting (click here to see more about outdoor wedding venues) in the Melbourne area, with stunning gardens and period architecture. Of course, there are reception rooms if it rains and the gardens are well-tended, with a vast array of flowers to complement your event.
• Full buffet catering – As you would expect from a top hotel or resort, there are set buffet menus and they can cater for as few as 20 and as many as 500. Themed weddings are a speciality, approach a leading venue and they can produce a long list of themes to make your party unique.
• Parking – To be on the safe side, divide the total number of guests by 2 and that’s how many cars to plan for. Any top wedding venue has more than enough parking facilities.
• Overnight accommodation – Some of your guests will not be driving home, so you need to be able to offer a room for the night. A hotel or resort always has rooms for last-minute overnight guests.
• Bar options – If you’re feeling generous, you could open the bar for the entire duration of the party, although you’ll need deep pockets. Some prefer putting a few hundred dollars behind the bar and when that’s done, it’s everyone for themselves. Your guests won’t mind paying for their drinks, we all understand the high costs that go into putting on a wedding.
• Live music – Nothing beats your favourite local band playing live. Most resorts have a private stage and audience section, which is set aside for weddings and corporate events. A resident DJ is always at hand if you have a few playlists, which run with your theme, of course.
• Ample security – If guests are leaving their vehicles unattended, there should be some form of ground security, with CCTV cameras covering the car park area.
• Event management – The main reason couples, like to use an established wedding venue, is they pick up the entire project and quote an all-inclusive price. You would be assigned an event manager, whose job it is to liaise with the client and make sure the vendors are in place on the big day.
• Wet weather options – If rain arrives, you need a Plan B and an established wedding venue would have a few large event rooms that are fully equipped.

The sooner you start your search, the quicker you can make a booking at the venue that ticks all your boxes, then you and your partner can look forward to a very special day.