Weddings are moments of great joy. However, because they only come once, it is important for a couple to ensure that they have thought through all elements of the day so as not to ruin that special day. This means thinking through the venue of the wedding, the catering and the mode of transport. Any one of those things is critical and that’s why you must only engage professionals to deliver on these elements. For example, you should consider Queenstown bus hire for your wedding transportation needs. This removes the stress of how your guests will get to the wedding venue and allows you to focus on enjoying your big day.
Choosing a Great Wedding Venue
Because weddings are designed around the personal tastes of the couple, there is no right or wrong when it comes to getting a suitable wedding venue. People have different tastes and this is reflected in the choices they make. For example, some people will want their wedding in a beautiful garden with trees and flowers as the background while some prefer to have a beachfront wedding. Whichever the venue, there are some key considerations to make.
Can Your Guests Fit?
Depending on the numbers that you anticipate coming to your wedding, one has to be careful. Go for a venue that will fit the number of guests invited to the wedding. There is no point of inviting guests only for them not to have enough sitting space. If your preferred venue doesn’t have the capacity to hold the number of people that you have invited, consider looking for a similar but alternate venue that can hold bigger numbers. If not, you might want to consider reducing the number of people you want to invite to the wedding.
How Will They Get to the Venue?
It is important for the venue of your wedding to be accessible to your guests. If the ideal venue is in a hard-to-reach area, do consider the possibility of hiring wedding transportation to get your guests to the venue. This will also help you manage time as you can get the guests there on time so that the wedding schedule runs like clockwork.
Now that we have covered the basics of choosing a venue, here are some great ideas for a wedding venue in Queenstown.
Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall
This is an affordable option if you are looking for a wedding venue on a budget. The hall is managed by the Queenstown Lakes District Council and all bookings are done through them. Although it doesn’t look like much at first glance, it comes alive when set up for a wedding ceremony and reception. Also, if you have the ceremony after dark, the lights create a stunning setting in the hall and transform it into an amazing wedding venue. The venue can hold up to 100 guests.
Canyon’s Lodge
This lodge is located just 5 kilometres from Arthurs Point and its location offers magnificent views of the Shotover River. The lodge has some rooms inside where a small wedding can be conducted but the numbers that they can hold are very limited. The real deal however is the massive lawn in front of the lodge that can hold substantially more people. The indoor rooms can be reserved in case there is some bad weather but other than that, the lawn is all you need to pull off a great wedding.
Gantley’s Restaurant
Gantley’s restaurant is a beautiful space that is housed in an old stone house surrounded by breathtakingly beautiful gardens. This means that whether you are indoors or outside, you are guaranteed a beautiful background for your wedding. The service there is also top notch so you are assured of excellent food and service all around. It really is a perfect venue if you are looking to combine a beautiful setting with excellent service.
Gibbston Valley Winery
The Gibbston Valley Winery features a unique wine cave that makes for a great photo background. The fine wine, good food and beautiful garden are a plus.
Kinross Cottages
The beautiful vineyards and mountains that form a backdrop to Kinross Cottages make it a fantastic venue for an outdoor wedding. You can decide to have your reception on the wine garden roof to maximize the beautiful scenery. The staff can even throw in a spit roast on the roof which will keep succulent roast meat flowing and certainly liven up your wedding reception.
Millbrook Resort
This resort will give you all that you need in one location. Great food and drinks, top notch service and a beautiful setting. Millbrook Resort is an ideal place if you have a large number of guests and are looking for a venue that will handle all the related logistics that come with serving food and drinks for large numbers. The location is ideal too, being just 20 minutes away from Queenstown.
NZ High Country
The scenery here will blow your mind. Set on a mountain top overlooking Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu and Lake Johnson, this wedding venue will make for beautiful wedding photos. The ground has its own permanent marquee set up so you need not worry about setting one up.
Peregrine Winery
The Peregrine Winery is another beautiful wedding venue with a swooping roof that is designed to resemble the wing of a peregrine. The roof not only acts as an excellent shield from the elements but is made up of translucent materials that allow sunlight in. This not only lights up the venue but makes photography really easy as your photographers won’t have to use their flash or set up artificial lights like they typically do in indoor venues.
Queenstown Gardens
These beautiful gardens are set right in the middle of Queenstown. For those looking for a natural setting for their wedding, these gardens might be the answer to that. It is a public venue, so it might not have the level of privacy that the other mentioned venues have. Lastly, the stunning background might just make up for what the venue is lacking in.