Crown Aviary — Attraction in Melbourne

Picking a wedding location is one of the biggest decisions that we had to make when we decided to get married. We wanted something central to the city so that it was easily accessible for our travelling guests. We wanted our ceremony and our reception to be at the same location, and for the ceremony space to have both an open air and undercover option should we have rain on the day. The Crown Aviary ticked all of the boxes for us and some. Set on the roof of the Crown building, our ceremony backdrop was the city of Melbourne. The reception venue was well presented and was spacious for the number of guests that we had. The menu was delicious, and we received multiple compliments throughout the night. There was always a staff member on hand to attend the guests and to guide us throughout the day. We were so impressed with the amazing Wedding & Social Events Manager, Linley, who helped to bring it all together. From discussing our vision for the day, to menu tastings, to coordinating our suppliers and more, she was such an amazing support throughout the coordination of the event,...

Crown Aviary is basically a large tent on the roof of the building. Access is via the Crown Towers hotel lobby lifts. It's a bit of a rabbits Warren to get there walking past Heston Blumenthals and Koko and then a side door inside the Crown Spa are, smelling strongly of chlorine. There are several large flights of stairs up to the roof level which was a real chore for all the ladies in heels, especially at the end of the night when feet were sore and everyone had had a bit to drink. The venue is attractive with views to the sky and the city and the big tent building has been glammed up a little with chandeliers. On 40°C day, the air-conditioning kept the venue very comfortable, even with over 200 guests and dancing. Staff were friendly and plentiful as always at Crown. I was told there were lifts to the Aviary for disabled access and people who didn't want to brave all the flights of stairs but...

We paid $250 per head for their Xmas 2020 lunch, plus more for drinks. This is what that got us. Overcooked lobster, bad smelling prawns, dry turkey, bland ham, well-done steak (no option for rare because they pre oven the steaks), a long black hair in the cauliflower, slow waiter service, desserts that all look different but mostly taste the same with some exceptions and worst of all, a horribly burnt, undrinkable coffee - in Melbourne! Safe to say it's the biggest waste of money for food in living memory and we eat out a lot. The crowd was mostly cashed up bogans so you'd expect glowing reviews because of the tacky decor and "unlimited drinks". If crown want to survive 2021 they better work on their offering because the Bali crowd only has so much disposable income before the Harvey Norman 60 month interest free periods end and all those...