Hunter Valley wedding venue in Pokolbin
Say it among vines.
A chapel in the vineyard, a barrel hall above the cellar and a terrace that catches the last light. One wedding each Saturday, and the estate is yours.
Weddings at Ember Hill
A Hunter Valley wedding venue on a working vineyard
Ember Hill is a Hunter Valley wedding venue on 14 hectares of vines in Pokolbin, planted in 1971 on the slope below an ironstone ridge. You marry in the white chapel among the rows, eat and dance in the barrel hall, and take canapés on the terrace as the ridge turns the ember-red colour that gave the estate its name.
It is a winery wedding venue in the full sense. Your guests arrive to a glass of our own traditional-method sparkling, aged for years in the cellar under the hill, and the menu comes from the kitchen at Lees, our restaurant. The wine poured at dinner is made a few hundred metres from where you sit.
We take one wedding each Saturday, so the chapel, the barrel hall and the terrace belong to you and your guests for the day. Pricing starts at $185 a guest with a minimum of 60 guests. Below, you will find the spaces, what is included and how to book a viewing.
The spaces
Three places for one day
Most couples use all three: the chapel for the ceremony, the terrace for the hour after it, and the barrel hall for the reception.
The vineyard chapel
A small white chapel set among the vines, a short walk from the cellar door. The rows run right up to its walls, and the doors open onto the vineyard so you walk out straight into it. Seats 120 for the ceremony.
The barrel hall
A long hall lined with the barrels that hold our base wines, above the cellar where the bottles age. It seats 140 for dinner or holds 180 for a standing reception, with room for a dance floor at one end.
The terrace
The terrace looks over the vines to the ridge. It is where your guests gather after the ceremony with a glass of sparkling and canapés from the kitchen, while you take photographs in the rows with the light going gold.
The day
From the chapel to the barrel hall
A Saturday at our Pokolbin wedding venue tends to follow the light. The ceremony in the chapel in the afternoon, then the terrace as the sun drops behind the ridge, then the barrel hall once it is dark, when the candles are lit and the barrels around the walls catch the glow.
Our team runs the day from the first guest to the last. They look after the timing, the service and the handover between spaces, so you are not the one checking the clock. The kitchen at Lees cooks the reception menu, and the cellar pours the wines.
Pricing
What a wedding at Ember Hill costs
Every wedding is quoted on its guest list and its menu. These are the fixed points.
- Price
- From $185 a guest
- Minimum
- 60 guests
- Day
- Saturdays, one wedding a day, with exclusive use of the chapel, barrel hall and terrace
- Included
- Sparkling on arrival, the reception menu from our kitchen, and our team on the day
- Not included
- Accommodation, which is easy to find nearby in Pokolbin and the surrounding Hunter Valley
- Capacity
- Chapel 120 seated; barrel hall 140 seated or 180 standing
What is included
Sparkling, the menu and the team
Every guest is met with a glass of Ember Hill sparkling on arrival. It is the same traditional-method wine we pour at the cellar door, aged on lees in the cellar under the hill, and for many guests it is their first taste of the estate.
The reception menu comes from the kitchen at Lees, where head chef Tom Avery writes food to suit our four cuvées: raw fish and shellfish, young vegetables, slow-cooked meat and desserts built on honey and nuts. You will choose your menu with the kitchen well before the day, and dietary needs are planned for at that stage.
Our wedding team is part of the price. They set up the spaces, run service, manage the timings and keep the day moving between the chapel, the terrace and the hall. If you want to taste the wines before choosing which to pour, book a cellar door tasting on your viewing day.
The light does most of the work. Our job is to keep the day on time around it.
Booking
How to book a viewing
Most couples visit before they decide, and many stay for lunch at Lees or a tasting afterwards.
Send an enquiry
Tell us your preferred Saturday, a rough guest number and how you picture the day. The enquiry form on our contact page has a wedding option that sends it straight to the team.
Come for a viewing
We walk you through the chapel, the terrace and the barrel hall, and talk through timings, numbers and the menu. Viewings are easiest on a weekday, when the spaces are quiet.
Receive your quote
After the viewing we send a written quote based on your guest list and menu, starting from $185 a guest for at least 60 guests.
Plan the day with us
Once your date is confirmed, our team works with you on the menu, the wines, the running sheet and the details, right up to the morning of the wedding.
Events and guests
Other Hunter Valley events, and where guests stay
The barrel hall also hosts a small number of other Hunter Valley events, from milestone birthdays to long dinners for a company or a club. The capacity and the kitchen are the same as for a wedding, so send us the details and we will tell you what is possible on your date.
Accommodation is not on the estate. Pokolbin and the villages around it have a wide range of places to stay, from cottages among the vines to larger hotels, and most are a short drive away. Book early for a Saturday in spring or autumn, when the valley is at its busiest.
Please plan how your guests get home. A booked shuttle or transfers from their accommodation mean nobody needs to drive after the reception, and we are happy to share timings with your transport company. For everything else about getting here, see our visit page.
Questions
Wedding costs, guest numbers and dates
How much does a wedding at Ember Hill cost?
Weddings start from $185 a guest, with a minimum of 60 guests. That price includes a glass of our sparkling on arrival, the reception menu from the kitchen at Lees and our team on the day. Your final quote depends on your guest list and the menu you choose, and we send it in writing after your viewing so you can see each part of it.
How many guests can the Ember Hill wedding venue hold?
The vineyard chapel seats 120 for the ceremony. The barrel hall seats 140 for a dinner reception or holds 180 for a standing reception, and the terrace is used for canapés at sunset. Our minimum is 60 guests. If your guest list is larger than the chapel, talk to us at the viewing about how to arrange the ceremony.
Which days can we get married at Ember Hill?
Weddings are held on Saturdays, and we take one wedding each Saturday. That means the chapel, the barrel hall and the terrace are reserved for you and your guests for the day, with no second event sharing the spaces. Spring and autumn Saturdays book out first, so enquire early if you have a particular season in mind.
Is accommodation included in the wedding package?
No. There is no accommodation on the estate, so guests book their own. Pokolbin and the surrounding Hunter Valley have a wide range of places to stay within a short drive, from vineyard cottages to larger hotels. We recommend sharing a few options with your guests early and arranging a shuttle so nobody needs to drive home after the reception.
Can we have a ceremony in the vineyard chapel and a reception in the barrel hall?
Yes, and most couples do. The chapel sits among the vines a short walk from the barrel hall, and the terrace between them is used for sparkling and canapés while photographs are taken. Our team manages the move between the three spaces, so guests always know where to go and the kitchen times dinner to the moment everyone is seated.
How do we book a wedding viewing at Ember Hill?
Send an enquiry through our contact page and choose the wedding option. Include your preferred Saturday, your approximate guest numbers and any questions. We will reply to arrange a viewing, usually on a weekday when the spaces are quiet. Many couples stay on afterwards for lunch at Lees or a cellar door tasting.
Come and see the chapel
Book a viewing of the chapel, the terrace and the barrel hall. Weddings from $185 a guest, minimum 60, one each Saturday.