Riverlife

Wedding Guide

How to plan your perfect Riverlife wedding

Everything you need to know for planning your perfect Riverlife Wedding

Hidden on the Eastern Bank of the Brisbane River is one of it’s best kept wedding venue secrets.

Riverlife is the perfect venue for a relaxed and fun wedding right in the heart of the city. This guide will detail all the special things that make RIverlife so great and will give you tips and advice to guarantee you have the best wedding ever!

Riverlife Function Centre
Naval Stores Kangaroo Point Cliffs Drive, Kangaroo Point QLD 4169

More About Riverlife

Riverlife is situated close to the heart of the city at the base of the Kangaroo Point cliffs. It’s Brisbane Riverbank location means that amazing city views abound throughout the day and night.

Even though Riverlife is close to the city, the venue has a very relaxed, natural and open feel. People who visit often comment that they didn’t even know this natural beauty was so close to the city.

Riverlife is one of the city’s best all-in-one wedding venue options. In that once you arrive, there is no real need to leave for the entire day. The ceremony and reception options on site are amazing, and the post ceremony photo locations nearby mean there is no need to criss-cross the city looking for great photo backdrops. Many couples actually use this to their advantage to enable them to schedule more of time to spend with their guests, having a long cocktail hour gazing at the remarkable city views.

Getting to Riverlife

The best option for guests traveling to Riverlife from the city is to make use of the Brisbane Ferry services. As road access and parking near the venue is extremely limited. Plus, who doesn’t love a boat trip!

The CItyHopper ferry is a free service that operates every 30 minutes from the city to Holman Street. From there it is just a short walk to Riverlife.

Brisbane wedding photographer - Sirromet winery

What time of Year to get married at Riverlife?

Like most wedding venues, RIverlife is most busy in the Autumn and Spring months, due to the warm (but not too hot) weather and usually a dryer forecasts. Which can be a factor for an outdoor ceremony.


But, Brisbane has quite mild (and dry) winters, so those months should not be discounted. It does get colder as the night comes, so pack a coat or shawl and position yourself strategically near one of their many outdoor heaters. Though all of the Reception Marquees have sides that can be folded down to keep the cold out.

Summer can also work, though it is a good idea to take advantage of those longer days and have a later ceremony start time. Being positioned right on the river and also having plenty of open air reception spaces does ensure that the breezes keep things cool.

Riverlife Wedding Ceremony Locations

For ceremony options at Riverlife, couples have a few options to choose between:

Parkland Lawns

Most couples choose to take advantage of Riverlife’s proximity to Kangaroo Point Parklands when choosing a ceremony location.

The Parklands have two bookable Lawn areas. These lawn areas are nestled in between bushland and the river, providing a nice, secluded atmosphere for a wedding ceremony.

The big draw card for the Parkland lawns though is the uninterrupted river and city views that they offer. The perfect backdrop to say ‘I do’ in front of.

The lawn itself is a blank canvas ready for you to style. Riverlife do offer packages that include Arches and Chairs. And they do have Ceremony and Reception Styling packages and an inhouse Styling team that do an amazing job.

If you have the desire to make your ceremony truly unique and memorable, you can enlist the help of outside Wedding Stylists.

Below are some experienced Wedding Stylists I can recommend for Riverlife:

With Love – Brisbane Wedding Decorators

The Styled Group

The Cannon Room

The Cannon Room on the 2nd floor of the heritage listed Naval Stores building is another ceremony option at Riverlife. Perfect for those smaller, intimate ceremonies and for people who desire an indoor ceremony option. The space features exposed timber beams and lots of natural light thanks to the many windows that give great views of the city.

The Riverfront Deck

Though this is typically a reception space, the Riverfront deck can perform double duty as a ceremony location. This space can also be a great wet weather ceremony option.

Wedding Photo Locations at Riverlife

You really don’t have to go too far from Riverlife to find some fantastic photo locations for those post ceremony couple shots. Below are a few spots I love:

The Rock Outcrop

Perhaps the most well known (and photographed) location near Riverlife, is the nearby rock outcrop that juts out into the Brisbane River. This little parcel of land provides gorgeous uninterrupted views of the river and city beyond. Any time of day is great for photos here, but it gets really magical near sunset. The golden light reflects off the city buildings and creates perfect light for photos.

The Cliffs

It is almost impossible to miss the massive presence of the Kangaroo Point cliffs at Riverlife. The rough dark textures and huge size adds great contrast to any photographs. I love photographing the bridal party enjoying themselves with the cliffs towering overhead. And the rocks near sunset look amazing for intimate portraits of couples too.

Pathways and Bushland

The Kangaroo Point Parklands next to Riverlife feature some beautiful pockets of natural bushland that work perfectly for wedding photos. This parkland is also blessed with what I believe to be the best afternoon light in Brisbane. Thanks to the Brisbane River bouncing and reflecting the light perfectly.

There are also many pathways running along the river that are fun to explore with couples too.

City Skyline at Night

Having your reception right on the river allows not only your guests to enjoy the city views at night, but also allows couples to sneak out during the evening for a quick night shoot. For Riverlife weddings, I always suggest to my couples to factor in an extra 5 minutes or so in the reception schedule for some time to duck out for some quick photos with that amazing city skyline at night. I am sure you agree the results are totally worth it!

Riverlife Wedding Reception Locations

Riverlife has quite a number of different wedding reception spaces for you to choose from:

The Sunset Marquee

Riverlife’s largest reception space is the Sunset Marquee. This space can cater for up to 200 people seated or 300 cocktail style. Set slightly higher above everything else, gives your guests great views of the city while also adding a good degree of privacy.

The Sunset Marquee is fully covered with open sides to let in the river breezes, however the sides of the Marquee can be fully rolled down in the case of bad or chilly weather.

Riverfront Deck

For those wanting the ultimate in riverfront dining, the Riverfront Deck is it. This deck is built over the Brisbane River which results in guests feeling completely surrounded by the views of the river and city beyond. The Riverfront deck can accommodate 100 seated guests or 150 cocktail style. Like the Sunset Marquee, the open sides of this space allows for uninterrupted views for your guests, but if the weather is not playing nice, the sides can be rolled down to ensure the party goes on.

City Lights Marquee

Riverlife’s more secluded reception space is the City Light Marquee. This space is set close to the Kangaroo Point Cliffs and like all of Riverlife’s reception spaces, also has great views of the city. The City Lights Marquee is well suited to intimate wedding receptions of around 80 to 100 guests. The bonus for this space is the additional green lawn area next door which is perfect for your guests to enjoy cocktail hour as you go off for photos.

Accommodation Options Nearby

Riverlife’s central location in the city means that the world if your oyster when it comes to accommodation options for you and your guests.

Great Brisbane City Hotels:

Looking for a Photographer for your Riverlife wedding?

I hope the above guide has assisted you in planning your Riverlife wedding.

If you are planning your Riverlife wedding, I would love to be considered for your wedding photography needs.

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