Celebrate your special day in style at Hawthorn Arts Centre.This venue offers a blend of historic charm and modern elegance, making it the ideal setting for your wedding. Located in the heart of Hawthorn, the centre is easily accessible and surrounded by lush greenery, providing a picturesque backdrop for your wedding photos. With its diverse spaces for hire, including flexible function rooms, meeting rooms, display spaces, and an outdoor terrace, Hawthorn Arts Centre can accommodate weddings of all sizes and styles.
Enquire NowWhether you envision an intimate cocktail party or a large, lavish dinner, Hawthorn Arts Centre’s unique function spaces offer ultimate flexibility for wedding planners to create their dream wedding.
Outdoor Terrace for Ceremonies
Unique Rooms for Receptions
Flexible Function Spaces
Each space is designed to accommodate different wedding styles and sizes, ensuring your special day is as unique as your love story. The outdoor terrace provides a beautiful setting for ceremonies, while the unique rooms inside the centre offer elegant reception spaces.
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When it comes to wedding food, you want a team of experts who’ve taken care of hundreds of Melbourne weddings. Essential Catering and Events deliver dream weddings at the Hawthorn Arts Centre. With a range of flexible and affordable catering options and extensive experience, they can help make your special day a memorable one.
Flexible and Affordable Catering Options
Decades of Experience
Sumptuous Meals and Mouthwatering Food
Your wedding team comes with decades of experience, stringent attention to detail, friendly staff, and — of course — mouthwatering food. Our caterers will be hard at work in the kitchen delivering sumptuous meals while our event manager supervises every aspect of your food service, leaving you to mingle with your guests and enjoy an unforgettable celebration.
from $43.50 per person
Your guests can mingle to their heart’s delight — and you don’t have to stress about seating plans. That’s why so many couples love cocktail weddings. Our finger food is designed to easily eat by hand, and we keep the food flowing throughout your reception so guests won’t be going hungry. Choose from a large selection of cold, hot and dessert canapes. You can also add a substantial menu item to ensure a completely satisfying meal for your guests.
from $70.50 per person
One of our best selling menus, the shared platter offers a generous selection of mouth-wateringly irresistible dishes, made from the freshest local produce for guests to share. Choose from tapas entrees, mains and desserts with the option of including finger food prior to your shared platter dining service.
from $29.00 per person
Give your guests a great time with an array of beverages, including beers, wines, sparkling, signature cocktails and alcohol-free options. Our friendly waiters keep the drinks flowing and the glasses topped up so your guests never have to go hunting for an extra drop. Cheers to that!
With Essential Catering and Events, you can be sure that your wedding day will be unforgettable. Here are a few reasons why couples choose us:
Over 35 Years of Combined Experience
Stringent Attention to Detail
Friendly and Professional Staff
Comprehensive Event Management
Fresh, Locally Sourced Ingredients
Sustainable Practices
Our team of experts has successfully managed hundreds of weddings and functions across Melbourne. We deliver dream weddings at the Hawthorn Arts Centre, ensuring that your special day is truly memorable.
Essential Catering & Events are committed to sustainability. We strive to reduce our use of single-use plastics, recycle wherever possible, and minimise food miles by utilising our own kitchen garden at our property in Bayswater North. Our mouth-watering menus feature fresh, locally sourced ingredients, combined with inspiring flavour combinations to delight your guests.
Don’t just take our word for it. Hear from couples who have celebrated their special day with us.
"The food was outstanding and there was plenty of it and the waiters were very nice to all my guests"
We had a finger food menu for over 100 guests and we were not disappointed. We were able to choose from an extensive and varied menu. The food was outstanding and there was plenty of it. The service from their staff was great and made for a very successful wedding. Thank you for making my son and his bride's wedding a day to remember.
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"Amazing food!"
The waiters are so accommodating and were very nice to all my guests. My guests said they were so happy with the quality of food and the waiters who served them. A stand out was Caroline, she was so lovely and attentive! Would definitely have any event catered by them in the future.’
"They catered to our dietary requests brilliantly and the waiters were very nice to all my guests"
We recently had Essential Catering for our wedding at Paynes Rise! The food was delicious and the stall option gave the exact 'relaxed' summer food vibe! They catered to all our dietary requests brilliantly and everyone was raving about the delicious food!
"The food and staff were amazing and they offered many flexible options"
We recently had Essential Catering & Events cater our wedding. The food and staff were amazing and they offered many flexible options to suit our needs. Overall we are very happy with the choice we made!
"It was brilliant!"
We booked our wedding with Essential Catering and it was brilliant! They were so accommodating and easy to work with in the build up to the wedding, and amazing on the day! The food was delicious and our guests raved about it. I'm looking forward to hearing more about these guys in the catering scene!
We’re here to help make your dream wedding a reality. With our extensive experience, dedication to excellence, and commitment to sustainability, Essential Catering & Events is the perfect choice for your wedding at the picturesque Hawthorn Arts Centre.
From the moment you reach out, our expert event managers and catering team will work closely with you to bring your vision to life. We understand the importance of every detail, and our goal is to ensure your wedding day is seamless and stress-free.
Whether you need assistance with menu selection, event planning, or ensuring everything runs smoothly on the day, you can count on us to deliver an unforgettable experience for you and your guests.
Yes, our dedicated events manager Katrina has put together menus for hundreds of Melbourne weddings and she will be delighted to share her advice.
Simply contact us and chat to our events manager Katrina and she will put together an itemised wedding catering quote for you.
Yes, you pay an initial installment to lock in your booking, and the balance is due 10 business days prior to your event.
Yes, we have a variety of mobile kitchen equipment we can bring, including oviens. We just need allocated space to work from that has access to power.
Yes, we do charge additional fees if there is not a kitchen we can use to prepare your catering. We will itemise all the details of the additional charges in your custom quotation.
You get:
expert advice on your menu
free, no-obligation quote
tasting session
dedicated events manager on the day
pre-wedding staging and event setup (if required)
tables set with cutlery, dishes and glassware
waiters to serve your food and drink selection to your guests
all cleanup after the event
Yes, we cater to any dietary request that you or your guests may have. In order to plan the menu, we ask that you provide a list of each guest and their specific dietary requirements at least ten days in advance of your wedding. If your guest has a specific food intolerance, we will prepare a dish specifically for that guest. Plus, if there’s a dish you love, we can make it gluten free, vegan, dairy-free, nut free, etc. For each request that deviates from our main menu, we charge an additional $12 per person.
We invite you to our commissary kitchen in Bayswater North to taste a selection of yummy delights prepared by our team of foodies. Have your questions answered, taste a selection of amazing dishes from your menu of interest and our events teams will work with you to develop a draft schedule for your big day. Our chef and sales manager are on site to answer any questions you may have about finalising your menu. You are sure to leave with confidence that your wedding catering is in good hands.
Yes, for children aged 2-12 we can provide a child’s meal for $18 per person. Alternatively, if the children are eating the same food as the adults, we offer a 25% discount off the adult price.
Typically, we ask to know the numbers two weeks prior to the wedding so we can start preparing for your event in advance.
Our menu prices are based on at least 40 guests. We can cater for smaller numbers, but a surcharge will apply.
It depends on the style of the event. For finger food events, we allow one food waiter per 50 people and for seated events we allow one waiter per 25 people. We believe plenty of staff make for a smooth, stress-free event for your guests so we always have more than adequate numbers of waiters and bartenders for your wedding. We also provide a dedicated event manager on site to supervise the waiters and bar staff during the food service at your wedding.
As per our terms and conditions, if you wish to cancel:
with 176 days’ notice or more: 100% of the deposit will be refunded
with 21-176 days’ notice: 50% of the deposit will be refunded
with less than 21 days’ notice: the cancellation fee equals the total deposit and all non-refundable charges
If you wish to postpone:
with 21 days’ notice or more: 50% of the deposit will be refunded
with less than 21 days’ notice: the cancellation fee equals the total deposit and all non-refundable charges
Our COVID-19 policy states:
if the lockdown occurs 72 hours before midnight on the day of the event, there will be no charge for your event and the deposit will be refunded
if it occurs less than 72 hours before midnight on the day of the event, you will be liable for costs incurred
As per state government mandates, all our staff will be double vaccinated by 26 November (if not sooner). Read our COVID-19 policy.
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