Hunter Valley Gardens Wedding

Beautiful elegant gardens, a Hunter Valley gardens wedding is a wonderful setting for any wedding.

The Hunter Valley Gardens located right in the heart of Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley, and consists of fourteen hectares of manicured gardens. It is one of the major tourist attractions in the area and is very popular over weekends and holiday periods. There are ten individually themed display gardens over the property and it consists of a huge waterfall, lakes, over 6000 trees, 600,000 shrubs and over a million ground cover plants. So this place is luscious and green and has a lot of different locations which is great for wedding photography.

For wedding photography, the Hunter Valley Gardens is primarily used for it’s ceremony and location options. Many couples also just come into the Gardens just to do photos. I have actually lost count of how many weddings I have photographed here. It is a popular place.

Winter Weddings

Couples often marry in the Hunter Valley for the beautiful vineyards and imagine walking through fields of vines on their wedding day. In winter the vines are all pruned back and they are little more than rows of sticks growing out of the ground. The Hunter Valley Gardens is a very good option if you are having a winter wedding in the Hunter. And many couples will go there just for photos, while having their ceremony and reception somewhere else.

Wedding preparation

I love venues that have onsite accommodation. Unfortunately, there is no accommodation available at The Gardens itself. But there are so many accommodation options very close by. It is basically surrounded by hotels, resorts, B&B’s and farm stays. So there is no shortage of choices.

Wedding Ceremony

The Hunter Valley Gardens has a number of wonderful options for your wedding

1. Sunken Garden – This is probably the most popular ceremony location for weddings. I have photographed many a wedding here. The ceremony basically takes place on the grass with the waterfall in the background.

2. Lakes Walk Rotunda – This is probably the second most popular location for a wedding ceremony. English style rotunda set amongst the gardens, overlooking the lake. Beautiful location. Even if you don’t have your ceremony here, you can always come here for photos.

3. Waterfall Outlook – this is located above the Sunken Garden, above the waterfall. And is very good for smaller more intimate weddings. Most couples would have the ceremony right near the railing with the waterfall just below them. You would think that be the way to go… but it’s not. The light is terrible and the waterfall is very loud and noisy. It is better to turn the ceremony around and face the other way (like the photo below). The light is much nicer, you can hear each other and the background is quite nice.

4. Oriental Garden – has a beautiful ornate pagoda, red bridge and Oriental plants. I’ve never shot a ceremony here, but it is beautiful for photos. This area is also often used for pre-dinner drinks and canapés.

5. Formal Garden – this is a three-tiered European garden. I am yet to photograph a wedding ceremony here. But it a great spot for large ceremonies, as well as marquee set ups for receptions.

6. The Chapel – if you need to have your ceremony in a chapel for religious reasons, then The Chapel is definitely an option. It seats up to 150 people. If you are not particularly religious, then I would recommend having your ceremony outdoors, somewhere in The Gardens.

Wedding Locations

There are ten internationally themed display gardens! So there are lots of locations. And there are locations between locations. You probably won’t have enough time to go to all of them. But they do drive you around in a buggy which makes it much easier to get around.

Wedding Reception

The wedding reception is generally held in the Garden Terrace. Which is a cafe during the day, but transforms up to 120 people sit-down dinner for weddings. Marquee weddings for up to 200 people can be set up in the European Formal Garden.

If you are looking for a wedding venue, or even a just to do wedding photos, you should definitely check this beautiful place out.

Hunter Valley Gardens

Broke Road, Pokolbin, NSW 2320

If you have found this page helpful are looking for a Hunter Valley Gardens wedding photographer, I would love to be considered. I absolutely love the area and also Hunter Valley Gardens. Have a look my wedding portfolio and view some recent weddings I have photographed. And have fun with your wedding planning!