Sometimes the right one can be right under your nose for years before you realise it, fall in love, and the rest is history. The rest of wedding planning, that is, because brides-to-be, the right wedding venue for you might be one you already know and love.
You may even have been there this summer, perhaps for coffee, lunch, or even a concert. You might even have a souvenir in your fridge right now. I’ll give you a hint.

Warming up for a night at @villamariawines tonight – who’s coming to see @six60 🍾🥂 🎶

A post shared by Megan Hutchison 💗 She Said Yes (@shesaidyes) on Jan 12, 2018 at 4:47pm PST

Yes, as well as producing some of the world’s best wines and serving up world-class music acts like Jack Johnson (and New Zealand’s own Six 60 just a couple of weeks ago), the beautiful (and New Zealand’s most awarded winery) Villa Maria Winery is also home to some of the most idyllic wedding ceremony spots in Auckland, as well as offering a full service wedding reception venue at its Vineyard Cafe.

Wines in the Vines 🍇🍷

A post shared by Megan Hutchison 💗 She Said Yes (@shesaidyes) on Dec 9, 2017 at 9:14pm PST

Between glasses of Rose (this year’s drop is out-of-this-world-good) I chatted to the team about Villa Maria Weddings, as they become Auckland’s first wedding venue to be gifting a copy of I still do to their couples.
Villa Maria encapsulates so much of what the consummate New Zealand wedding is to many couples: ceremony sites between the picturesque vines or in any of the lush garden spaces in the huge Auckland grounds; beautiful New Zealand wine and food (we checked); and really good (NZ owned) service – not to mention an events team whose job is to make it all easy on you.
Blair and I sat down to lunch a couple of days after Jack Johson in December, just to ensure the food was up to scratch…

Incase you were wondering what my happy place looked like… ☕🍰🍨@villamariawines – After Sunday with @jackjohnson & @theblackseeds (and sampling *all* the wine) we came back for a “little” lunch date at this beautiful spot 💕🥂

A post shared by Megan Hutchison 💗 She Said Yes (@shesaidyes) on Dec 11, 2017 at 6:18pm PST

(It really was)
What I really loved about Villa Maria, after speaking to the wedding and event coordinators, is how completely flexible they were about wedding planning. They’re just as happy to create a completely tailor a bespoke day for you as they are to help you with one one of their wedding packages. For those among us that want to know exactly how much our beverage budget is going to set us back (and I know this is a huge wedding budget concern) they do have set prices available (per hour). For weddings of 60 or more, Villa Maria offer a set price of $200 per guest, inclusive of everything except for beverages ($12,000 for a 60 person wedding).
Honestly, this would have been a huge lifesaver (and penny saver) for our 75 person wedding – it cost us at least twice as much as the $15,000 it would have been here just for the venue, food, hireage and decor.
I am so thrilled to have been able to partner with such an iconic New Zealand company, and such a beautiful Auckland wedding venue, and can’t wait to return with more books for future brides – and for more wine of course!
You’ve just missed the Summer concert series but have a look at their Wedding Information, chat to the team at events@villamaria.co.nz and pop in soon for a vino.

A post shared by Megan Hutchison 💗 She Said Yes (@shesaidyes) on Jan 13, 2018 at 7:44pm PST