Plaza Ballroom

The Plaza Ballroom is tucked beneath the Regent Theatre on Collins Street: a 1929 ballroom in Spanish Rococo style, with Juliet balconies, original chandeliers, a high ceiling, a stage and a dance floor big enough for a choreographed first dance. The Marriner Group refurbished it and reopened it in 1996. It is one of Melbourne's most theatrical rooms, and one of our favourites to work in.

This guide follows a wedding night there in order, the way we photographed and filmed Kira and Nick's reception in January 2026: getting ready, the ceremony nearby, portraits in the theatre upstairs, the ballroom itself and the night hour by hour.

Getting ready

The wedding packages include the Regent Theatre Bridal Suite, subject to the theatre's own bookings, so ask whether it is free on your date. There are also several hotels a few doors along Collins Street, which suit couples who want to get ready, or simply rest, right next to the ballroom.

Kira and Nick got ready at their family homes in Kew and Carlton and married at Xavier College Chapel. Between the ceremony and the reception they slipped into the hotel beside the ballroom: the bridesmaids sat on the bed with their bouquets in their laps, the whole bridal party squeezed onto one long banquette, and Nick put his feet up by the window. That hour gave us some of the most relaxed photographs of the day.

Ceremony nearby

The Plaza doesn't offer ceremonies on its website, so plan to marry somewhere else first, or ask the venue about yours. The top of Collins Street puts two of our ceremony venues a short walk away: the Victorian Marriage Registry at the Old Treasury Building and St Peter's Eastern Hill. Kira and Nick married out in Kew at Xavier College Chapel and came into the city afterwards.

Portraits in the Regent Theatre

The packages include photographs in the Regent Theatre, subject to the theatre's availability, and it is the reason we love this venue. The upper levels are full of carved detail and deep colour: tapestry sofas, carved armchairs, a carved staircase, chandeliers glowing in dark corners and long carpeted corridors. You get a whole portrait session without going outside, whatever the weather.

Kira and Nick's portraits took about forty minutes, while their guests were on their way. Kira reclined on a tapestry sofa, Nick took a carved armchair surrounded by red roses, and they kissed on the staircase as her veil lifted. The light up there is low and warm, so we light for the mood rather than against it.

Reception in the ballroom

Guests come in through a small gated entrance beside the Regent and walk down a grand staircase into a foyer styled as a Spanish courtyard, with a paved floor, tiled walls and a fountain. Kira and Nick's guests stopped there for photographs before they went in.

The ballroom seats 150 to 450 guests at round tables under the chandeliers. Carved balconies and arched windows run along the walls, there are Juliet balconies either side of the stage, and a 12 by 8 metre parquetry dance floor sits in front of it. The 2027 summer package lists a five hour event with 30 minutes of pre-dinner drinks, a red carpet arrival, security, lighting, an elevated bridal table for up to ten and a menu tasting. Catering is in-house.

Kira and Nick turned the room into a film premiere. Guests arrived along a red carpet, were photographed at a media wall and interviewed on the way in, and every table had a framed poster of one of the couple's favourite films with a disposable camera beside it. The balconies made the night's big moment possible: Kira appeared on one of them like Juliet, in a gold sequined jumpsuit, while Nick waited on the stage below.

A night at the Plaza, hour by hour

The camera's clock was set to a different time zone that day, so here is Kira and Nick's night counted from the moment the first guests arrived:

• About an hour and a half before: rest and a change at the hotel next door.
• An hour before: portraits upstairs in the Regent Theatre, about forty minutes.
• The start: guests arrive in the foyer and pose at the fountain wall.
• After 20 minutes: guests seated, the cake on display, music from the stage.
• After 30 minutes: the balcony reveal and the choreographed first dance, then a few minutes on the dance floor.
• From 40 minutes to about 2 hours 15: dinner, with the speeches spread through it.
• After about 2 hours 25: family dances and the couple's own speech, then the cake cutting.
• From about 3 hours: the dance floor, the bouquet toss and a huge circle dance.
• About 5 hours in: the last dance, the two of them alone in a circle of their guests.

If it rains

Nothing changes. The ballroom, the foyer and the theatre are all indoors, and the portraits upstairs don't need daylight at all. The only time rain matters is the arrival on Collins Street, so keep umbrellas at the door for the red carpet.

Practical notes

• There is no parking at the venue; the Plaza offers preferred rates at nearby Wilson car parks. Trams run along Collins Street past the door, and Town Hall station is a short walk away.
• Ask the front of house staff at the Collins Street entrance for the lift. Ramps run from the foyer to the ballroom floor, and there are accessible toilets off the entrance foyer.
• The packages are built around a five hour event. A directory says music ends by 1am; confirm your finish time with the venue.
• The room is below street level, so it is a low light venue. That suits a cinematic, candlelit look, and an experienced team will light for it.