Your venue is the first big call you make, and it decides a lot: how many people you can invite, what you'll spend, your plan B if the weather turns and, yep, what your photos look like.
So I've put the Wanaka wedding venues couples ask about side by side. Real prices from each venue's own price list, how many guests they fit, where everyone sleeps and what happens if it rains. All checked in November 2026.
As a Wanaka wedding photographer, I've also added what I look at when I'm planning a day: where the portraits happen, the light, and how much time you'll want for both.
The quick version
- The best-known Wanaka wedding venues are Rippon Hall, Edgewater, Glendhu Station and Dublin Bay, with The Lookout Lodge, Lake Hawea View and Horseshoe Bend Estate for smaller or more private weddings.
- Venue hire runs from $7,500 (Edgewater, May to October) to $19,450 (a two-day Rippon Celebration on a Friday and Saturday in 2027/28). Food, drinks and suppliers are on top at most venues.
- Edgewater is the easiest all-in-one: lakefront ceremony, reception and hotel rooms in one place, for 31 to 100 guests.
- For a big wedding, Rippon (up to 230 under its covered canopy) and Glendhu Station's woolshed (130 seated) have the most room.
- If it rains, check the indoor number, not the headline number. Rippon Hall seats 75 to 80 inside.
- The cheapest ceremony spot is a public park. Wanaka Station Park takes up to 40 guests with a council permit.
- Summer weekends go first, so start enquiring 12 months or more ahead.
Wanaka wedding venues compared
Here's the short version of every venue below. Prices are venue hire only, in NZD including GST, from each venue's own price list in November 2026.
| Venue | Guests | Indoor if it rains | Beds on site | Venue hire (NZD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rippon Hall | Up to 230 | 75 to 80 in the hall | None | $16,500 (26/27), $18,250 to $19,450 (27/28) |
| Edgewater | 31 to 100 | Reception rooms | Hotel rooms | $7,500 to $8,500 (27/28) |
| Glendhu Station | 130 seated | Woolshed, 130 | Ask | On request |
| Dublin Bay | Ask | Your marquee | Kowhai Cottage | On request |
| Horseshoe Bend Estate | Up to 100 | Your marquee | 12, plus glamping | On request |
| Lake Hawea View | Up to 80 | Smaller groups | 12 to 14 | On request |
| The Lookout Lodge | About 20 | Dining room | 7 bedrooms | On request |
| Wanaka Station Park | Up to 40 | None allowed | None | QLDC hourly permit |
Checked November 2026, from each venue's own price list. Prices include GST.
The best Wanaka wedding venues
Each venue below has the facts first, then what I'd think about as your photographer.
Rippon Hall
Rippon is the one most people picture: a vineyard looking out over Lake Wanaka, Ruby Island and the Southern Alps, just out of town on the Mount Aspiring Road.
The Rippon Celebration gives you the whole place for two days. Day one is set-up and rehearsal, day two is the wedding.
- Up to 230 guests under the covered canopy, 100 in the amphitheatre, 75 to 80 seated in the hall
- $16,500 for October 2026 to April 2027
- $18,250 Monday to Thursday, or $19,450 Friday and Saturday, for October 2027 to April 2028
- Includes 12 bottles of Rippon wine, the helicopter landing pad and exclusive vineyard access for photos
- Dry hire: you bring your own caterer, and it's Rippon wine only
Planning something smaller? Rippon also runs Sunday packages for up to 22 guests, and elopements from $3,250.
My photographer's note: vineyard access is included, and those rows of vines with the lake behind are the shot most couples book Rippon for. Leave 20 to 30 minutes for portraits after the ceremony, then sneak out again near sunset if it's a summer wedding.
If you've got more than 80 guests, think hard about the rain plan. The hall is gorgeous, but everyone over 80 goes under the canopy.
Rippon wedding packages and brochures
Edgewater
Edgewater is a hotel right on the Lake Wanaka waterfront on Sargood Drive. It's the easiest venue on this list, because the ceremony, the reception and your guests' beds are all in one spot.
- 31 to 100 guests seated, up to 150 for a cocktail-style party
- $7,500 any day from May to October
- $8,000 Monday to Thursday or $8,500 Friday to Sunday from November to April
- Those prices are for 2027/28 weddings, venue hire only
- Includes the lakeside ceremony spot, gardens for photos, the Pavilion for dinner, the Alcove for canapés and dancing, bar staff, a coordinator, the helipad and a premium suite for the two of you
- Food and drinks come from Edgewater's own menus, no BYO
My photographer's note: the lake and gardens are steps from your reception, so you lose almost no time travelling for portraits. That means more time with your guests, which I love.
If it rains, the ceremony waits for a break and then moves inside to the rooms already set for your reception. Edgewater says itself that this gets tricky with a big crowd, so ask how they'd run it for your numbers.
Glendhu Station
Glendhu Station is a working high-country farm at Glendhu Bay, about ten minutes from town, with a restored woolshed for the party.
- 130 seated in the woolshed, 200 standing
- Marquee site for very big weddings
- Gas heaters, dance floor, toilets and ramp access
- Bring your own caterer, or use one they recommend
- Usually a two-day hire
- Price on request: the station sends its pricing guide when you enquire
My photographer's note: a woolshed is a dream for a rainy day. It's big enough for everyone, and the timber and old beams look amazing in photos. Ask where the ceremony sites are and how far your guests walk to them, especially Nana.
Dublin Bay
Dublin Bay Wanaka is a 38 hectare private property at Dublin Bay on Lake Wanaka. It's about ten minutes from town, five from Albert Town, with 2WD access.
It's a blank canvas. The Complete Wedding Package gives you:
- 72 hours of hire, from the day before until noon the day after
- Separate ceremony and reception platforms
- A container bar, bathrooms, power and water
- Kowhai Cottage on the property
Catering, bar staff and an on-the-day coordinator cost extra. Prices are by quote.
My photographer's note: a private property means no tourists wandering through the back of your photos. The trade-off with any blank canvas is the plan B: you're bringing the marquee, so make sure it's big enough for everyone to sit down inside.
Dublin Bay complete wedding package
Horseshoe Bend Estate
A 17 acre estate with a villa, a pool and plenty of lawn for a marquee.
- Up to 100 guests, more if you hire extra toilets
- The main villa sleeps 6 and the tennis court pavilion sleeps 6 to 8
- Glamping for up to 16 more, priced on request
- Helicopter landings available for photos
- Price on request
My photographer's note: a pool cabana bar and a cocktail hour on the lawn is a pretty fun way to keep guests happy while we're off doing portraits.
Lake Hawea View
A homestead venue near Lake Hawea, a short drive from Wanaka.
- Up to 80 guests for an outdoor seated dinner
- Marquee or indoor option for smaller groups
- The homestead and guest wing sleep 12 to 14
- More beds nearby: a three-bedroom cottage five minutes' walk away, and a retreat seven minutes' drive away that sleeps up to 20
- Price on request
My photographer's note: an outdoor dinner for 80 is magic on a still summer night. Just be honest with yourselves about the indoor option if your list is near the top.
The Lookout Lodge
A private lodge in the Maungawera Valley, made for small weddings where everyone stays together.
- About 20 guests at the dining tables, with an outdoor marquee
- Seven bedrooms, including a private room for the two of you
- Price on request
My photographer's note: small, private and everyone under one roof. It's the kind of wedding where the best photos happen the morning after over coffee.
Also worth asking about
- Mahu Whenua: a luxury high-country lodge, for a fully hosted wedding weekend
- Hawea Hotel: a lakeside hotel at Lake Hawea with its own restaurant and rooms
- Cardrona Hotel: the historic hotel in the Cardrona Valley, about half an hour from Wanaka
- Lake Hawea Station and Lime Tree Lodge: luxury stays for small, exclusive weddings
Check before you fall in love
- The Venue Wanaka: its website was showing as expired when I checked in November 2026
- The Olive Grove: its website hasn't been updated in a few years, so confirm it's still taking bookings
- Criffel Station: check whether it's hosting full weddings, or elopements only
What does a Wanaka wedding venue cost?
Venue hire in Wanaka runs from about $7,500 to $19,500, and that's before you've fed anyone.
The catch is that those prices aren't apples with apples. It comes down to dry hire versus a venue that brings its own team:
- Venue with its own team (Edgewater): furniture, bar staff and a coordinator are in the hire price. You add food and drinks from their menu.
- Dry hire (Rippon, Glendhu Station, Dublin Bay): you get the place. You bring the caterer, hire gear, bar staff and sometimes the marquee.
So $16,500 at Rippon and $8,000 at Edgewater can end up closer than they look once everything's added.
How to spend less on your venue
- Go off-season. Edgewater is $7,500 any day from May to October, against $8,500 on a summer weekend.
- Go midweek. Rippon's 2027/28 Celebration is $18,250 Monday to Thursday and $19,450 on a Friday and Saturday.
- Go small on a Sunday. Rippon's Sunday packages for up to 22 guests cost a fraction of the full two-day hire.
- Use a park for the ceremony. A council permit costs far less than venue hire. There's more on that below.
Is $10,000 enough for a wedding in Wanaka?
For a tiny wedding or an elopement, yes. For 80 guests, the venue alone will use most of it.
At Rippon in 2027/28, for example:
- An elopement for just the two of you is $3,250
- The all-inclusive elopement is $6,550, with a celebrant, photographer, flowers and a cake for two
- Vines & Vows for up to 22 guests is $10,850, with a celebrant, photographer, bubbles and a cheeseboard
If a small day is where you're heading, have a look at how I do Wanaka elopements. And if you're adding photography into the budget, my wedding pricing is all there.
Wanaka wedding packages: what "all-inclusive" really means
"Package" means something different at every venue, so read the list of what's in it, not the name.
- Edgewater full wedding: venue, furniture, staff, coordination and your suite. Food and drink are extra.
- Rippon Celebration: the venue for two days, 12 bottles of wine and the helipad. Everything else is yours to book.
- Rippon Vines & Vows and elopements: these do include a celebrant and photographer.
- Dublin Bay Complete Wedding Package: the site, platforms, bar and bathrooms for 72 hours. Catering and staff are extra.
- Planner packages: some wedding planners sell all-inclusive weddings at Rippon and other venues, with catering, flowers, celebrant and photos bundled in.
Whatever you're looking at, ask for an itemised quote that shows GST, alcohol, guest accommodation, the celebrant, photography, flowers, music, transport and the on-the-day coordinator.
And if a package comes with a photographer but you've already got your heart set on someone, ask whether you can swap them out before you sign.
Wanaka wedding venues with accommodation
First work out who needs a bed: the whole wedding, or just you and your nearest and dearest.
Room for lots of guests
- Edgewater: a lakefront hotel, so guests book rooms on site. Ask about group rates when you enquire.
Room for the wedding party or family
- Horseshoe Bend Estate: 12 in the villa and pavilion, plus glamping for 16
- Lake Hawea View: 12 to 14 in the homestead, with up to 20 more nearby
- The Lookout Lodge: seven bedrooms
- Dublin Bay: Kowhai Cottage on the property
No beds on site
- Rippon Hall: book rooms in town and sort transport. It's close, but nobody wants to organise taxis at midnight.
If it rains: Wanaka venues with a real plan B
The one number to check is how many people fit inside, sitting down, against your guest list.
- Glendhu Station: the woolshed seats 130, so a big crowd still fits
- Rippon Hall: 75 to 80 in the hall, everyone else under the covered canopy
- Edgewater: the ceremony waits for a break, then moves into the rooms set for your reception
- Dublin Bay and Horseshoe Bend: your plan B is the marquee you hire, so make it big enough for everyone
Rain isn't the end of the world. Some of my favourite weddings had rain, because the couple just leaned into it. Sophie and Sam had thunderstorms and pouring rain on their day, and they had the BEST time.
I carry clear umbrellas for the bridal party, and wet days give you moody skies and cosy photos inside. Have a plan, then let it go.
Getting married in a public park
If you just want a ceremony by the lake, a council reserve is the cheapest option in Wanaka. Wanaka Station Park is the main one, and it's popular.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council rules for wedding ceremonies on reserves:
- You need a permit, charged by the hour (GST on top)
- Wanaka Station Park takes up to 40 guests, and only 12 weddings a year
- Most other reserves take 30
- Two hours maximum, including set-up and pack-down
- No marquees, arches or umbrellas, and nothing tied to trees
- No confetti, petals or rice
- One drink each for a toast, and no glass
- Up to 8 chairs for older guests, and a small stereo but no amplified music
- The park stays open to the public, and receptions aren't allowed
The lakefront itself is LINZ land, not council land, so ask LINZ about that.
Full details are in the QLDC wedding and civil union guidelines.
My photographer's note: because it's a public park, there will be other people around. A weekday or an earlier slot means fewer strangers in your photos.
Arriving by helicopter
A few Wanaka venues can land a helicopter, which opens up mountain-top portraits on the same day.
- Rippon: the landing pad is included in the Celebration. If you don't book the flight through Rippon, there's a $300 landing fee. Flights through Rippon start from $2,650 for 2027/28.
- Edgewater: has a helipad for approved events like weddings. Book it with the hotel.
- Horseshoe Bend Estate: helicopter landings for photos.
I photographed a surprise proposal up on Coromandel Peak with Pete from Wanaka Helicopters. It was a bluebird day with no wind, and those views are next level. Have a look at the Coromandel Peak proposal.
Tip: book the flight for the light, not the clock. Mountain light is best in the hour before sunset.
Planning your day around the light
Wanaka summer evenings are long, so your best light might land in the middle of dinner. Rough sunset times through the year:
- December and January: around 9.10 to 9.30pm
- February: around 8.50pm
- March: around 8pm
- April: around 6.10pm (after daylight saving ends)
- May to July: around 5.10 to 5.25pm
- August: around 6pm
- September: around 6.30pm
- October: around 8pm
- November: around 8.50pm
The mountains hide the sun earlier than the official time, so plan for golden light about 45 minutes before these.
In summer, I'll pinch you both for 15 minutes between mains and speeches. In winter, you'll want an early afternoon ceremony so there's still light for portraits.
Whatever the season, build breathing room into your timeline. Between locations, after the ceremony and throughout the day. Those little pockets of time are where the magic happens.
Questions to ask before you pay a deposit
- How many can sit down inside if it rains?
- What's in the hire price, and what's extra? Think GST, staff, furniture and cleaning fees.
- Do we have to use your caterer or suppliers?
- How many hours or days do we get, and when do we need to be packed up?
- What time does the music have to stop?
- Where can guests stay, and how do they get home?
- Any rules on confetti, petals, candles or drones?
- Is there an easy, step-free path for older guests?
- Where does the sun go down from the ceremony spot? (This one's for me.)
- What's the deposit, and what happens if we have to change our date?
Final thoughts
Pick your venue for your guest list and your plan B, not just for the view. Every venue in Wanaka has a view.
The days I love most are the ones with a bit of breathing room in them. A venue where everyone fits, a timeline that isn't rushed, and a couple who are ready to roll with whatever the weather does.
Got a venue (or two) on the shortlist? Flick me a message with your date and I'll tell you how I'd plan the photos there. Let's chat, lovers!
Wanaka wedding venues: FAQ
What is the best wedding venue in Wanaka?
It depends on your guest list. Rippon Hall suits big weddings with a vineyard view, Edgewater is the easiest all-in-one with accommodation, Glendhu Station's woolshed is the safest bet for rain, and The Lookout Lodge suits weddings of about 20.
How much does a wedding venue in Wanaka cost?
Venue hire runs from $7,500 at Edgewater from May to October to $19,450 for a two-day Rippon Celebration on a Friday and Saturday in 2027/28. Catering, drinks and suppliers are usually extra.
Is $10,000 enough for a wedding in Wanaka?
For an elopement or a very small wedding, yes. Rippon's 2027/28 elopements start at $3,250, and its Sunday package for up to 22 guests is $10,850. For 80 or more guests, venue hire alone takes most of $10,000.
Which Wanaka wedding venues have accommodation?
Edgewater has hotel rooms for guests. Horseshoe Bend Estate, Lake Hawea View, The Lookout Lodge and Dublin Bay have beds for the wedding party or family. Rippon Hall has no accommodation on site.
What's the cheapest place to get married in Wanaka?
A council reserve. Wanaka Station Park takes ceremonies of up to 40 guests with a QLDC permit charged by the hour. For a full venue, an off-season weekday is the cheapest time to book.
Can you get married at Wanaka Station Park?
Yes, with a QLDC permit. It's limited to 40 guests, two hours and 12 weddings a year, with no marquees, arches, umbrellas or confetti.
Which Wanaka wedding venues are good if it rains?
Glendhu Station's woolshed seats 130, and Rippon Hall seats 75 to 80 indoors with a covered canopy for bigger groups. At marquee venues like Dublin Bay, your plan B is only as big as the marquee you hire.
How far ahead should we book a Wanaka wedding venue?
Summer weekends book out first, so start enquiring 12 months or more ahead. Winter and midweek dates are easier to get, and cheaper at some venues.
