Best wedding venues in the Southern Highlands.

I've been marrying couples in the Southern Highlands since 2014, and one of the things I'm asked about most is venues.

There are plenty of great options, which can make choosing one surprisingly difficult. A good place to start is with a simple question: what kind of wedding do you actually want?

A big vineyard wedding is going to feel very different to a small garden ceremony or a private country estate. So rather than give you another enormous list of venues, I've grouped some of the places I know well by the kind of wedding I think they suit best.

If you want the full Highlands experience

Bendooley Estate and Milton Park Country House are both great choices if you want the venue to feel like a big part of the occasion.

Bendooley has The Stables, The Book Barn and the grounds, and there's a reason it's become such a well-known Southern Highlands wedding venue. It has that timeless country feel without feeling overly formal.

Milton Park is a different kind of beautiful. The house and gardens have much more of an old-world feel, so if you're picturing something elegant and traditional, it's well worth a look.

If vineyards and big views are high on the list

For the vineyard option, I'd look at Centennial Vineyards and Eling Forest Winery.

Centennial has those wide Southern Highlands views and a bit more drama to it. Eling Forest feels more relaxed and understated.

Both give you the vineyard setting, but they don't feel like the same wedding. That's why it's worth seeing them in person rather than choosing purely from photos.

If you want something relaxed and country

Growwild Wildflower Farm and Mali Brae Farm both work really well for couples who don't want the day to feel too formal.

Growwild is all about the gardens and natural setting, and it changes quite a bit depending on the season.

Mali Brae has that country feel too, but one of the things I've always liked about working there is how well everything runs behind the scenes. When the venue team has everything under control, the couple can actually enjoy themselves.

If you're picturing a classic country house

Peppers Manor House and Somerley House are probably the two I'd put on the list.

Peppers has the classic Southern Highlands look and works particularly well if you want the ceremony and reception to flow easily within the one property.

Somerley feels a little more private. The heritage house and gardens give it that country-estate feel where, for the day at least, it feels like you've got the whole place to yourselves.

If you're worried about the weather

Have a look at Briars Conservatory.

The Conservatory gives you the natural light and garden feel without being completely at the mercy of the forecast.

That's a pretty appealing combination in the Highlands, where the weather doesn't always read the wedding-day brief.

If privacy matters

Caoura Cliffs is one of the less obvious choices on this list, which is part of what makes it so good.

The escarpment views are incredible, but what really stands out is how secluded it feels. If you're looking for somewhere that feels removed from everything else, this is one I'd put on the shortlist.

And one that's worth travelling a little further for

Greyleigh technically sits outside the Southern Highlands, but I'm including it anyway.

It's one of my favourite properties I've worked at in NSW. The gardens, the reception spaces and the setting all work beautifully together, and it's absolutely worth considering if you're looking around the broader region rather than drawing a hard line on the map.

If you're keeping it simple

If you're planning a simple legals-only ceremony or an elopement, you don't necessarily need a traditional wedding venue at all. A local pub, cafe or Airbnb might be much more your style.

Sometimes the simplest option is the right one, particularly if you want the day to feel relaxed, personal and completely your own.

So, which one would I choose?

There isn't one venue on this list I'd call the best for everyone.

I'd start with how you want the wedding to feel.

Big and celebratory? Quiet and private? Country and relaxed? A vineyard? A heritage property?

Once you know that, narrowing down the Southern Highlands wedding locations that actually suit you becomes a lot easier.

And if you're stuck between a couple of them, I'm always happy to tell you what they're actually like to work at. I've spent enough wedding days at these venues to know that what a place feels like on the day can be just as important as what it looks like online.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose between Southern Highlands wedding venues?

Start with the kind of wedding you want rather than trying to pick the venue with the best photos.

A large vineyard celebration and a small garden wedding can both be brilliant, but they're going to feel completely different. Work that part out first and the venue shortlist usually becomes much easier.

Do Southern Highlands wedding venues book out early?

The popular ones certainly can, particularly for Saturdays and peak wedding season. If you've found somewhere you love and have a date in mind, I'd enquire sooner rather than later.

Can you help us if we're deciding between two venues?

Absolutely. I've worked at all of the venues above and can give you a pretty good idea of how each one actually feels on a wedding day, not just what you see in the photos.

Planning a Southern Highlands wedding?

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