Xavier College Memorial Chapel

The Memorial Chapel stands on the hill at Xavier College in Kew, a sandstone building with a great Ionic portico and a dome on a high drum that you can see from all around. It was opened in 1934 as a memorial to the Old Xaverians who died in the First World War, and it is still the chapel where many of the college's graduates come back to marry. Inside, tall arched windows fill it with warm light, and a red carpet runs down the aisle between timber pews to a marble altar in front of the old high altar.

This guide follows a wedding day there in order, the way we photographed and filmed Kira and Nick's ceremony in January 2026: getting ready, the ceremony, photographs outside, and moving on to the reception.

Getting ready nearby

The college has no getting ready rooms for couples, so you'll get ready at home or in a hotel and arrive at the chapel dressed. Kira and Nick both got ready at their family homes in Kew and Carlton. A short drive was all it took, and the photos at home, by the pool and in the garden, gave us a relaxed morning before the formality of the chapel.

Plan your arrival for the front of the chapel. Kira arrived in a black car onto a red carpet laid in front of the portico, with her bridesmaids waiting for her on the terrace.

Ceremony in the Memorial Chapel

Weddings here are Catholic ceremonies, and they are booked through the college's Chapel Coordinator rather than a venue manager. The college doesn't publish who is eligible or how many guests the chapel holds, so those are the first two questions to ask. Your priest will also point you to a marriage preparation program; the Archdiocese of Melbourne keeps the list of approved ones.

The chapel itself does a lot of the work. The red carpet aisle draws every eye to the altar, the tall windows along both sides keep the light warm and even, and there is a grand piano at the front and a gallery above the entrance, from where you can see the whole chapel at once. At Kira and Nick's wedding the bridesmaids stood in red on one side of the altar and the groomsmen in black tie on the other, the two of them sat together in the sanctuary for the readings, and the register was signed at the altar table at the end.

Ask the coordinator where the photographer and videographer may stand and whether flash is allowed. We work quietly from the side aisles and the back, and the light through those windows means flash is rarely needed anyway.

Portraits on the portico and the terrace

Everything you need for photographs is within a few steps of the chapel doors:

• The portico. Four sandstone columns and a broad flight of steps. It is where Nick dipped Kira after the ceremony, and the columns frame a close portrait beautifully.
• The terrace. A stone balustrade with the city skyline far in the distance. It catches the wind, which can lift a veil into the air.
• The lawn. Where guests gather after the ceremony, with room for family photos in the shade of the trees.

The rest of the campus is a working school, so check with the college before planning portraits anywhere else. Most couples take their longer portraits after the ceremony at their reception venue; Kira and Nick did theirs in the Regent Theatre above the Plaza Ballroom.

Kira and Nick's ceremony, in order

The camera's clock was set to a different time zone that day, so here is the order and the length of each part rather than clock times:

• The first half hour: guests arrive, take an order of service and fill the pews; the priest greets family at the front.
• The arrival: Kira arrives onto the red carpet, and the bridesmaids walk in first.
• About 45 minutes: the walk down the aisle, the welcome, readings and a homily, the vows, the kiss, and the signing at the altar table.
• Afterwards: the walk back down the aisle, a kiss at the back of the chapel, then hugs and photos on the portico, the terrace and the lawn for about twenty minutes before the cars leave for the city.

After the ceremony

There is no reception at the college, so plan the move. Kira and Nick went into the city to the Plaza Ballroom beneath the Regent Theatre on Collins Street, stopping at a hotel nearby on the way to rest and change. Allow for weekend traffic between Kew and the CBD, and give your guests the reception address and parking details on the order of service or your wedding website.

If it rains

The ceremony is indoors, so rain only matters for the arrival and the photos outside. The portico gives you a sheltered spot for both, and its columns and steps work just as well in soft grey light. The terrace and the lawn are the only places you'd lose.

Practical notes

• The college is at 135 Barkers Road, Kew, about 5 to 6 km east of the city.
• There is a Chapel Oval car park on campus; ask the college about access on your date. Tram 16 runs along Glenferrie Road and stops at Barkers Road.
• The chapel is not open to the public outside services and booked events, so arrange any visit beforehand through the college.
• The college doesn't publish rules on confetti or petals; ask the coordinator before you buy any.