Wellington Begonia House Wedding Venue Review
Begonia House is a Glasshouse in the Wellington Botanic Garden in Wellington, New Zealand. We photograph a lot of weddings around the Wellington region and it seems like a lot of people aren’t even aware that Begonia House is a wedding venue in Wellington. This blows our mind because Begonia House is such a unique and alternative wedding venue. So we thought we would review Begonia House as a wedding venue and show you why having your wedding in a glasshouse is such a good idea.
All of the photos in this blog post were taken at real Begonia House weddings by Tim and Nadine Photography
Begonia House looks amazing as a reception venue!
The first thing I have to address is how good the Begonia house looks set up as a wedding reception venue. From a photographer's point of view the Begonia house is a beautiful reception venue. One thing that is often a challenge to deal with from a photographer's point of view is a sunny wedding day. The light in the Begonia House (even on a sunny day) is soft and flattering because it is a glasshouse so the light is filtered through slightly frosted glass. Here are a few examples of the soft light at a Begonia house wedding.
Vendor Credit: Nosh Catering, Furniture from Arch Hire, Dress by St Patrick from Brides on Thorndon, Suit from Barkers, Hair and Makeup by Amy McLennan
You don’t even have to decorate Begonia House for your wedding because it’s already so beautiful
Another thing that makes the Begonia House fantastic as a wedding venue, is all of the plants and florals that are already there. Begonia House is overflowing with lush tropical plants that line the walls and hang from the ceiling, so if you don’t want to spend your time styling your wedding venue, you don’t have to.
The weddings that we have photographed at Begonia House have added only small amounts of styling to the space such as beautiful wooden long tables and accompanying tableware. You could add more if you wanted to, but you don’t have to. Begonia House will look beautiful as a wedding venue space regardless.
Vendor Credit: Nosh Catering, Furniture from Arch Hire, Dress by St Patrick from Brides on Thorndon, Suit from Barkers, Hair and Makeup by Amy McLennan
If you’re getting married in Wellington but still dreaming of an outdoor reception, Begonia House wedding venue is the answer
If you’re a Wellingtonian dreaming of an outdoor reception, the Begonia House wedding venue is perfect because you can have the best of both worlds. Lush plant life, a warm climate, and beautiful light, without risking Wellingtons gale force winds on your wedding day.
The atmosphere at a Begonia House wedding is really unique. Being surrounded by so much vegetation, with plants hanging low down from the ceiling, it almost doesn't feel like you’re in Wellington anymore.
Vendor Credit: Nosh Catering, Furniture from Arch Hire, All Photos by Tim and Nadine Photography
How many people can I have at my Begonia House wedding?
The Begonia House wedding venue fits up to 90 people seated or up to 120 people standing. We have photographed weddings that used the Begonia House for a seated dinner and also weddings that used it for a standing reception. Both worked really well in the space.
Can I have my wedding ceremony in Begonia House?
The Begonia House wedding venue is available from 5pm until 1am. For all of the weddings we have photographed there, this has meant that the couple have chosen to use a different location for their ceremony earlier in the day. Some people have used the Magpie Lawn in the Botanic Garden as their ceremony location, which is just a 5 minute walk from the Begonia House (photos of Magpie Lawn Ceremony below).
Vendor Credit: Dress by St Patrick from Brides on Thorndon, Suit from Barkers, Hair and Makeup by Amy McLennan
Can we have a ceremony after dark in the Begonia House?
Yes of course! An evening ceremony in the Begonia House would look amazing. There are a few things you should take into consideration if you are thinking about this option. Once the sun has set, the lighting also changes, which in turn changes how photos inside the Begonia House look (pretty much the same with every venue). Photos inside the Begonia House at night time tend to be a bit more moody looking than during the day.
If you were planning to have your ceremony or speeches after the sun has set, but you want to best photos possible, we would recomend planning the spots you or your speakers will stand. Some spots inside have better lighting than others. The house lights (the lights on the ceiling in the photo above) are great for lighting the space for photos, but they do tend to have a spotlight effect in some places. If you have any specific questions about this just let us know, we are happy to help.
For a ceremony after dark, you could also consider adding additional lighting, such as ferry lights, festoons, or lanterns on a arch, to add to the ambiance of the environment. You don’t have to add any additional lights if you don’t want to, we have photographed weddings without any extra lights beyond the house lights (which can be seen in the photos above), but carefully adding some will give you a bit more control over how the lighting will look. Please ask us if you have any questions about lighting we are happy to help.
Other Wedding Ceremony Spot ideas
Others have gone for a ceremony location in Wellington city (also very close to the Begonia House) or more adventurous ceremony spots out on Wellington’s rugged coastline in places like Makara Beach. as pictured below.
If you were happy to have a ceremony after 5pm, I can’t see why you couldn’t use the Begonia house as a ceremony location. But I think for most people, finding another ceremony location and using the Begonia house as the reception, dinner, cocktail evening, or after party location will work best.
Vendor Credit: Dress from Paperswan Bride, Hair and Makeup by Michelle Siou, Photos by Tim and Nadine Photography
Want to know more?
If you are interested in having your wedding at Begonia House here are a few useful bits of information for you about Begonia House as a wedding venue:
Begonia House is really close to Wellington City, just a 5 minute drive from the centre of Wellington City, New Zealand
Venue Hire: from $600 to $900
Not included in venue hire: All furniture, styling, sound, catering and clean-up to be arranged by couple.
Parking available on site
There are plenty of accommodation options available nearby for guests traveling from out of town
Begonia House is an incredible wedding venue full of lush plant life and beautiful soft light. So if you have booked/or are thinking of booking Begonia House for your wedding, then you’ve made a fantastic decision.
How do I find out more about Begonia House for my wedding?
You can find the current pricing, booking and contact details for Begonia House on the Wellington City Council's website here.
Or if you have any questions feel free to contact us on hello@timandnadine.com, we would love to hear from you :)
We hope you have a wonderful wedding!
