Where I'd get married in Melbourne if I wanted the reception still going at 1am

Melbourne does not really do the demure garden ceremony and early exit thing. It does warehouses, laneways and a dance floor that is still full when the venue finally has to kick everyone out.

Two Ton Max is the obvious starting point. Tucked into the alleyways of North Melbourne, it is a proper industrial warehouse with exposed beams, white brick walls and polished concrete underfoot, seating up to 240 or squeezing in 350 for a cocktail style night. Weddings here run until 1am, which in Melbourne wedding terms counts as generous.

For something with a bit more polish, Alfred Place sits inside a restored 19th century building down a Melbourne CBD laneway, styled in proper Edwardian and Art Deco detail, soaring ceilings, marble and rich emerald finishes throughout. It holds 120 seated or 350 for cocktails, with food from Rockpool Dining Group under Neil Perry, so the catering does a lot of the heavy lifting on its own.

Butler Lane in Richmond is the pick if you want your guests to forget they are five minutes from a train station. A converted warehouse behind a hidden landscaped courtyard with a green feature wall, it seats 180 banquet style or 300 for a cocktail event, and you can hold the ceremony under that courtyard wall before moving the party inside. Catering runs exclusively through Peter Rowland Group.

What all three actually have in common is not the industrial look, plenty of venues fake that with a few pendant lights and exposed brick wallpaper. It is that they are genuinely built for a big night, not just a nice afternoon that quietly winds down by nine.

If a quiet early finish sounds like your idea of a nightmare wedding, start your shortlist with these three, then go see them at night, not during a daytime open house, because that is when you will actually know if the room has it.

Sugar Honey is the social media and advertising agency behind What's The Buzz, and wedding advertising across Melbourne is one of the things we do best. Get in touch at info@sugarhoney.com.au.