Forget the chapel. Couples are heading to unexpected venues for their weddings

Marriage celebrant Kerrin Muller has helped plenty of couples down the aisle. So when it came to her own wedding last October, she wanted to do something different.

Kerrin and her now-husband Jacob’s 38 guests didn’t fill the pews in a church. Instead, they were greeted with popcorn and ushered to the velvet green seats of Golden Age Cinema and Bar in Surry Hills.

Rather than opting for a traditional ceremony, which Muller says felt like going to work, the couple hired a cinematographer to make a short film about their relationship. The reception was marked by the entrance of a brass band and held in the cinema room and adjoining bar and restaurant.

“It was so important to us that our wedding wasn’t cookie-cutter and felt like an extension of us … We knew the [Golden Age] had the capability of helping us bring our vision to life,” says Kerrin.

The 1940s art deco building offered Kerrin a great base to work with.

“There’s drapery all through the space and the rich woods, it was just so beautiful when it’s not styled … Our stylist’s job was just to make it moody with dark reds and candlelight,” says Angela.

Pinterest Australia’s head of content partnerships Jace Molan says one of the biggest 2026 wedding trends from the company’s annual report is couples choosing non-traditional locations.

“Pinterest data shows that couples are gravitating and loving spaces that feel immersive, transportative and immediately visual … The venue is no longer just a backdrop – it’s part of the story they’re telling,” says Molan.

To help launch the annual trend report, one couple, Naila Bliekast and Lachlan Martin, had their live and legal wedding at Pinterest’s Sydney HQ.

According to Molan, there is also a strong interest in nightlife spaces such as speakeasy lounges and movie theatres.

“Looking at the data, a movie theatre wedding is up 105 per cent.”

Molan also suggests that the rising popularity of a non-traditional venue such as a church, winery or estate house might be due to bookings. “As nuptials and vibes shift to quicker, personalised weddings, we’re seeing an uptick in unusual venues that can be available on shorter notice.”

The space might provide flexibility that traditional venues don’t offer.

For Yarra Valley-based Angela and Robbie Smith, this included their DJ wearing a Ned Kelly helmet at the Old Melbourne Gaol.

“We definitely had a few raised eyebrows when we first sent out invitations, but once guests stepped inside, they immediately understood the vision,” says Angela.

Their 2024 wedding included a close family and friends ceremony at the registry office, followed by a 110-person reception at the jail.

“We entered as husband and wife from the second level of the jail while our guests were on the first level, dancing along the railing to Hey Baby by DJ Otzi,” says Angela.

“Pre-dinner drinks were held in the old City Watch House, where everyone could explore the padded cells while enjoying canapes and drinks. For the reception, the main jail space was transformed beautifully … Guests were able to wander through the cells throughout the night.”

Angela says there can be pressure to follow trends and create a curated wedding.

“The most meaningful celebrations come from choosing what genuinely reflects you as a couple,” she says.

Sydney wedding photographer Kyle Ingram has worked enough weddings, including content creator and fashion label founder Nikki Westcott’s, to know what makes a good day.

“If you have fun, those pretty photos will be the ones that others put on their Pinterest,” he says.

Ingram says that he has also seen a rise in couples straying away from traditional venues. He says restaurants are the most popular, and he has recently photographed weddings at Hubert in Sydney and North Bondi Fish.

“They are the most fun,” Ingram says. “Some couples don’t want to have the large weddings, so it’s intimate with 30 to 40 people. Also, you are at a restaurant so you are going to have good food and wine and service.

“Everyone wants their wedding to stand out and they can do it by have a non-wedding venue.”

He makes the point that an indoor wedding means more flexibility with weather.

If Kerrin had to pick her favourite aspect of choosing Golden Age Cinema, she says that it was the romantic and intimate vibe that the cinema provided. Her second favourite part was the air-conditioning.

“The idea of standing in the sun is not a vibe – I want climate control.”

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