Lismore Barn, bi-fold doors open onto the deck with a table set for two

Elope at Lismore

The Barn · Martinborough

Three nights, just the two of you. Marry on day two overlooking the vineyard, dinner at the best restaurant in town that evening, a whole day to do as little or as much as you want — then home. From $1,000.

A wedding designed just for two

Most venues will sell you an elopement by taking their wedding package and removing the guests. Lismore Barn was built for two in the first place — a claw-foot bath looking out over the vines, chesterfields by the bookshelf, a deck that catches the evening sun and nobody else on the estate to share it with.

You arrive on a Thursday as two people and leave on a Sunday married, having spent the days in between eating well and doing very little. That is the entire idea.

The couple kissing beneath the arbour after their ceremony

The programme

How three nights at Lismore usually run

The days below are how most couples use the time. Nothing here is compulsory — it's your stay.

01

Arrive

In from 3pm. Unpack, walk the grounds, open a bottle on the deck and watch the sun go down. Dinner in the village, five minutes away.

02

Marry

Your ceremony on the deck, overlooking the vines. Then a three-course dinner at Karahui, our sister restaurant in the village — just the two of you, properly fed, celebrating your day.

03

Martinborough

The day married couples usually spend on a plane. Cellar doors within cycling distance of the square, a long lunch, an afternoon in the bath with the vineyard in front of you. Nothing booked.

04

Homeward bound

Start the first day of the rest of your life together with breakfast in the village and a leisurely departure at 11.

Three nights, the Barn, just for two

$1,000 – $1,500

The three-night stay and your wedding-night dinner at Karahui. Where you land in that range depends on the season and which days of the week you book — midweek outside peak is the bottom of it. Direct bookings only; we'll quote your dates.

Included

What you get

  • Three nights in Lismore Barn, exclusively yours
  • Three-course dinner for two at Karahui on your wedding night
  • The deck for your ceremony, overlooking the vines
  • The estate for your photographs
  • Luxury linen, full kitchen
  • Claw-foot bath, king bed, private deck and garden

Arranged for you

What we'll book on your behalf

Not included in the price, but we'd rather make the calls than hand you a list. Tell us what you want and we'll come back with names, dates and costs.

  • A local celebrant
  • A Martinborough photographer
  • Flowers
  • Hair and make-up
  • A cook at the Barn, if you'd rather not go out
  • Witnesses, if it's genuinely just the two of you

The legal bit

Marrying in New Zealand

You'll need a marriage licence from Births, Deaths & Marriages, and a licensed celebrant to conduct the ceremony. Two witnesses must be present. Apply for the licence well ahead of your dates — and if you're coming from overseas, earlier still.

We do this often enough to be useful about it. Ask us and we'll walk you through the order things need to happen in.

Tell us your dates

Send us the days you're thinking of and we'll come back with availability, a price for those dates, and a celebrant who's free.

Or call Dan on +64 27 254 2251.