The venue was Swanbrook Winery & Cafe, which we chose because we know the owners. It wasn't to get "mate's rates" or "pengyou price" - it was purely because I knew they'd take great care of us. And not necessarily because we're mates, but because they're good people. Add on that I love Swanbrook's look and we had a winner here pretty much from day dot. Here's a quick review of our experiences in having Swanbrook as our wedding/reception venue here in Perth.

THE LOOK

It's understated, unpretentious, and absolutely stunning. There were 4 distinct areas - the main lawn, the outdoor cafe, the indoor cafe, and the cellar door. Each one of these ticked a different box so it ensured that everyone at the wedding could enjoy the setting they preferred; you could stand around an oak-barrel endtable, sit down at a dining table (inside OR outside), or park yourselves somewhere out on the lawn. There's also a shaded entryway that leads to the indoor cafe/cellar door area, but we didn't use this area much for our wedding.

Each area was also decorated in a different way, which also made our wedding colours (red, silver/gray) pop all the more. I particularly loved the red lanterns that were strung between the trees in the main lawn, which is where we had our farewell circle at the end of the night.

There's nothing overblown or pompous about the setting at all, but there's something truly elegant and refined about the way it's put together. I mean, you can see the main road and car park from where we had our ceremony, but it was hidden by the vines that surround the lawn. It feels real, and there are many different types of photo locations depending on what you like - industrial stuff near the tanks, rustic in the barrel room, green in the vines. If you're after showy, sleek, glam, or opulent, you won't find it here.

THE FOOD

I balked at the idea of doing seating arrangements and Blake wasn't a fan of sit-down dinner receptions, so we went with cocktail-style service for the food. It admittedly saved us a bit of money, but this was far from the main benefit - it was to get people to mingle and interact and socialise. Plus it meant we could make sure we checked in on all our guests throughout the night while still being fed.

The feedback I got from the majority of our guests was that the food was awesome and also plentiful. I don't think anyone went hungry (to my knowledge) and the lone vegan in the crowd was also well-fed and looked after. I definitely wasn't going hungry even though I'd accidentally missed a couple of the items; I was quite full by the end of the night.

We ordered 9 simple, crowd-pleasing items off the menu, 2 of which were platters - 1 antipasto platter to be served in the mingling moments before the "proper" reception began, and 1 fruit and cheese platter served with dessert. The other 7 ranged from the meaty to the carby to the vegetarian, including tiny shiraz burgers, lasagna, and arancini balls.

THE BOOZE

I've been to Swanbrook many times before and I gotta say, one of the reasons is their Chenin Blanc. It's one of my favourite wines and it's pure coincidence that it happens to be made by someone I know! All the wines are very drinkable and many have won awards.

I can't comment directly on the beer or cider that was provided because I didn't have any! These were sourced from the nearby Iron Bark Brewery; I heard mixed comments from guests about the beers chosen, but most were favourable.

Oh, I also had Coke Zero. That was good!

But the highlight of any trip to Swanbrook in the summertime is when Theresa, genius that she is, bring out the Swanbrook Crush - a delightful creation that is basically a white wine slushie! Made from their sweetest white wine, Theresa managed to turn this into a slushie that was a big hit! We gave all our guests 1 glass of Swanbrook Crush on arrival and I think they were also available from the bar throughout the night.

THE SERVICE

I honestly can't praise or thank Theresa & Rob enough for their efforts on our day. They were attentive and extremely accommodating of our every request and everything was set up perfectly. I mean, our parents had to get a very delicate croquembouche to the wedding in one piece earlier than expected on the day, which arrived and was assembled perfectly!

I even got the chance to go into the lesser-seen parts of the winery, such as where the tanks are, to get a few neat photos there.

I have remarked multiple times in the past that I don't have a great decorator's eye, but Theresa had me covered there. She arranged for fairy lights, red lanterns, and some of our own decor to be set up around the place and gosh it looked gorgeous. She also made candles in our wedding colours as accents and decorations (and insect repellants)! Just super.

Rob & Theresa were a huge part of making our day the absolute blast that it was. Thank you so much, from the bottom of our hearts.

THE COST

At the end of the day, it's a numbers game. I'm not going to quote you any actual numbers here, of course, but suffice it to say - we got fantastic value for money here. I couldn't believe the amount of food we got for what we paid, and the alcohol cost was within our control the entire time (we had set a limit behind the bar). I can't compare it to other packages I've seen because, well, we didn't actually look at anywhere else, but it's definitely an affordable location for an under-100 person event of any kind!