National Gallery of Australia

Jasmyn, Natasha, Haresh, and the wonderful events team at the NGA made the lead-up and day of our wedding in April 2019 perfect. The considered, comprehensive, and transparent consultation, communication, and planning support (including engaging with the other vendors) from early in the process, presentation of the already stunning venue, catering package, and attention to detail overall was amazing, with the high quality of service emphasised by many of our guests for good reason. The NGA made everything easy, looked after us, and can’t be recommended by us enough as an amazing wedding venue.

We had our dream picture-perfect wedding at the National Gallery of Australia thanks to the lovely staff of The Big Group. Our wedding coordinator, Jas, was especially helpful and attentive. The friendly staff truly supported us throughout the wedding planning process. We wouldn't have such a memorable day without The Big Group. The venue is also breathtaking with lots of different spots (both outdoor and indoor) to have the ceremony, reception, and taking pictures. Highly recommended!

Everything the Big Group did was great - the food was outstanding, the planning was thorough, their help with the venue decorations was life-saving, they were always friendly and responsive, and their advice was helpful. Kate, Bianca and co. were fantastic

We have mixed feelings about booking our wedding with the NGA. The space itself is stunning, particularly the James Turrell installation, Gandel Hall and the building’s architecture- it provided an amazing backdrop for our day. The food and beverage options were also first class- everyone commented on how great our food was and the wine selection (particularly the Local options) were enjoyed. In the lead up to our day, the prior contractor was replaced by Trippas White Group. Whilst the communication with management before our day was good, unfortunately we encountered multiple issues with the operational staff on the day. I hope we experienced teething issues, however would stress the following to anyone looking to book here: - The operational staff on the day (TWG) had a very aggressive and unwelcoming manner. We had several communication issues with them directly and our guests experienced outright hostility. Specifically, I would request that Scott (someone who has apparently worked in the hospitality industry for years) does not work your event as he put off nearly all of our guests (which is significant as we had over 140 people attend). I would request that Jaimi (the Event Coordinator - who was great in the lead up) to stay on until the event close. - The inbuilt speakers in Gandel Hall are not sufficient for dancing, even though they’ll state they are. Would recommend you book band/DJ. - The venue booking time is until midnight (which is great!) however ensure TWG clearly confirms drink package or cash bar until end time (this resulted in issues on our night). They will also likely try to get you/your suppliers to bump out prior to this time. - You will really need to drive the communication with suppliers and push TWG to clarify a lot of details. If you’re not in a position to do this, I would recommend hiring an Event Manager for the day - as although TWG were good in the lead up, our celebrant, MC and videographer all reported that there was a complete hands-off approach to coordination the night of the wedding. IMO: Given how much you will undoubtedly pay, you deserve to have an issue-free day where you can enjoy your time with your guests - unfortunately, this was not our experience. Get your photos here, and book another venue for the reception.

NGA was an incredible venue - situated by the lake, it is stunning, and you can get some amazing photos there. The venue took care of everything so we did not have to stress on the day, which we appreciated. The events coordinator, Jaimi, was fantastic throughout the process and helped us every step of the way. She really brought our vision to life, and everything turned out just as we pictured. In terms of reception, we had ours in Gandel Hall and guests commented on how great the food was. If you're looking for a beautiful venue that takes a lot of stress out of wedding planning, then you really can't go wrong with the NGA. Would highly recommend.