Shaws Road Winery

Shaws Road Winery is a family-owned farm and winery at 225 Shaws Road, Arthurs Creek, about 45 minutes from the Melbourne CBD and 15 minutes from the heart of the Yarra Valley. The family planted its first vines in 1986 and built the winery in 2007, and today it describes a 1,500-acre family farm with 19 acres under vine across three vineyards. Past the vines, rounded hedges and paddocks of cattle roll away to the Kinglake Ranges, and from the highest point you can see the Melbourne skyline.

It suits couples who want a relaxed, rustic day: a ceremony on the grass, good food and wine from the vines outside, and a farm to wander for portraits. This guide follows the day in order, the way we photographed Jessica and Max's wedding here in March 2026: getting ready on the farm, the ceremony among the vines, our portrait route, the reception room, the day hour by hour and what to ask the venue.

Getting ready on the farm

The venue's own pages don't describe a getting ready room, but a directory lists a private Bridal Day Suite with an ensuite and refreshments, reserved for the couple on the day. Ask the venue what is included. The farm also has two self-contained one-bedroom apartments on the first floor of the farmhouse, each with a king bed, a private entrance, a balcony, a clawfoot bath and a kitchenette.

Jessica and Max both got ready on site. Jessica's room had dark walls, a timber ceiling and a tall window with sheer curtains, which gave soft, even light for the dress, and it opened onto a balcony with a black railing above the vines and green hills. Her dad saw her for the first time out there. Max and his party had one of the farm's brick apartments, a two-storey building among the gums. Its timber balcony looks over the rounded hedges and paddocks, and inside, a room with gold floral wallpaper and a hallway panelled in teal made easy backdrops for a few portraits of the men.

Ceremony among the vines

Couples marry outside, looking over the vines and the hills. A directory also lists an indoor ceremony in the Atrium, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and gives a range of 2 to 120 guests; confirm both with the venue.

Jessica and Max married on the grass between two vine rows, with a cypress hedge and gums behind the guests. A white timber arbour trimmed with pink, peach and white flowers stood at the end of a grassy aisle, with white folding chairs either side and a small round table with a white cloth for the signing. The guests gathered beside the vines while Jessica was still on the balcony. Max walked down the aisle first, Jessica followed on her dad's arm, and the vows were read from cards into a microphone. Afterwards they walked back up the aisle through a shower of petals and straight on down a vine row.

The invitations said 3.30 and the processional began at 3.46, so allow a quarter of an hour for guests to arrive and settle. The aisle is grass, so let guests in heels know.

Portraits around the farm

Everything is a short walk from the ceremony. Our route on Jessica and Max's day, in order:

• The vine rows. Long grassy rows right beside the ceremony, so portraits can start the moment the family photographs finish. On a grey day the green holds beautifully.
• The farm road. Lined with tall gums and wide enough for every guest at once. We made the big group photograph here.
• The rounded hedges. A little higher up the farm, with a brick-paved terrace. The wind here caught Jessica's veil and carried it right over the hedges.
• The paddock fence. Cattle in the paddock and the hills behind, for a frame that could only be this farm.
• The hedge path to the lone gum. A long path between the hedges that ends at a single pale gum, lovely in black and white.
• The lookout. A gravel lookout under the trees, with the valley falling away below. A flowered white arbour stood here for portraits.
• The hillside garden above the dam. Shrubs on the slope, with the farm dam and paddocks below.

Jessica and Max's family photographs took about a quarter of an hour, and their portraits about 35 minutes, which covered every spot on that list. The apartment balconies face the sunset, so on a clear day the hedges and the lookout catch the last light; in late March the sun sets a little after seven.

Reception at the winery

The venue offers flexible reception spaces for a cocktail party, a shared feast or a custom format, for up to 120 guests at a cocktail reception; it doesn't publish a seated number. Its functions page mentions a private function room and an alfresco area, and the restaurant was fully enclosed in 2020, with a log fire and air conditioning. The menus are seasonal and local, with wine made on site. A directory says catering can be in-house or outside, and that exclusive use is available.

Jessica and Max's reception was in a long room on the valley side, with tall black-framed windows over the hills, timber beams, lantern pendants and a brick floor. Long timber tables with black chairs ran beside the windows, set with pink roses in small vases, and the cake stood on a wine barrel by the window. In the room next door, hung with bunting, guests found the bar and the painted welcome sign. After dinner the chairs went back against the windows and the brick floor became the dance floor under the DJ's coloured lights. The frames don't name the room, so ask the venue which of its spaces suits your numbers.

A day at Shaws Road Winery, hour by hour

This is how Jessica and Max's day ran, with our two cameras' clocks lined up:

• 2.30pm Getting ready: Jessica's gown in the window, Max and his party in the apartment.
• 3.20pm Into the gown.
• 3.30pm Guests gather beside the vines and take their seats.
• 3.35pm Jessica's dad sees her on the balcony.
• 3.46pm Max walks down the aisle, and Jessica follows at 3.51.
• 3.53pm The ceremony, with the rings at 4.09 and the first kiss at 4.10.
• 4.11pm Signing, then the walk out through petals.
• 4.35pm Family photographs on the farm road and among the vines.
• 4.55pm Portraits in the vines, by the hedges and at the lookout, until about 5.30.
• 6pm The entrance and the cake cutting.
• 6.10pm Dinner, as the light fades over the hills.
• 7.35pm Speeches.
• 8.10pm First dance, then the family dances.
• 9.45pm The bouquet toss, then the chair dance just after ten.
• 10.25pm The sparkler send-off outside.

If it rains

The venue doesn't publish a wet weather plan for ceremonies. A directory names the Atrium, with floor-to-ceiling windows, as the indoor option, and the restaurant has been fully enclosed since 2020, so the reception is under cover either way. Ask the venue which room would take your ceremony and how it would be set. Jessica and Max's afternoon stayed grey from start to finish and the ceremony went ahead outside; during the vows one guest held a floral umbrella over the woman beside him. A cloudy day suits this farm: the light stays soft on the vines, the hedges and the hills.

Practical notes

• The address is 225 Shaws Road, Arthurs Creek VIC 3099, about 45 minutes from the Melbourne CBD.
• There is a large car park, built in 2022, with room for coaches.
• Visit Yarra Valley lists disabled and wheelchair access. The ceremony is on grass and the portrait spots are on paths and lawns, so ask the venue about the easiest route for older guests.
• The two farmhouse apartments suit a couple or a single guest; they aren't suitable for pets or children over 18 months. The venue names no other stays, but St Andrews, Hurstbridge and Yarra Glen are the nearby towns.
• A directory says six hours are included, with music ending at 10pm and the venue at 10.30pm. Confirm your times, since Jessica and Max's night ran to a 10.25 sparkler send-off.
• A directory says couples with exclusive use can set up on the day.
• The venue doesn't publish rules on petals, confetti or sparklers. Jessica and Max's guests threw petals and lit sparklers, but ask the venue before you plan either, especially in the fire season.