Hunter Valley Wedding Chapels

Are you searching for beautiful Hunter Valley wedding chapels that will be perfect for your wedding? There aren’t that many Hunter Valley wedding venues with chapels. I have photographed a lot of weddings and I have seen my fair share of wedding chapels. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Well… not that many ugly.

Traditional church weddings are definitely on the decline at the moment. Less and less couples are choosing them. Outdoor wedding ceremonies are the most popular way for couples to say their wedding vows. But a lot of couples are opting for cute chapel weddings. And when I talk about chapels I am not talking about religious churches. Just non-denominational chapels where you can have your own marriage celebrant conduct the ceremony for you.

I love outdoor wedding ceremonies, but there are some advantages to a chapel wedding, particularly in the Hunter Valley. Unless it is a cloudy day, or you are positioned perfectly for the ceremony, the light and the direction of the sun can be really unflattering for wedding photos. The light in Australia is really harsh and if you are standing in full sun then it creates dark shadows on your face which sometimes don’t look great.

The other reason outdoor weddings can be challenging is because of the heat. The Hunter Valley can get really hot and it is always much hotter than Sydney or Newcastle. So a beautiful chapel can protect you from the sun as well as give you protection from the rain.

So here are some of my favourite Hunter Valley wedding chapels that you should check out. Most of them I have photographed weddings at, and a few I haven’t, but think it would be awesome for a wedding.

1. Peppers Creek Chapel

This beautiful Hunter Valley wedding chapel is one of my favourites places of all time for beautiful wedding ceremonies. It is a beautiful sandstone chapel set amongst the vines at Peppers Creek in Pokolbin.

One of the best features about this wedding chapel is that you ALWAYS get beautiful ceremony photos here. And I mean always. It doesn’t matter if it’s sunny, rainy, hot, cold or whatever. The light is really even on the couple at the front. There is no crazy sunlight from the side, no backlighting issues, and no horrible artificial yellow tungsten lighting coming down from lights. The light is even and beautiful. And the sandstone background helps to give the images a nice warm glow.

When you view this property, it might look smaller than you think, but it actually fits a lot of people. The sides of the chapel are glass sliding doors, so it completely opens up. So more people can be seated or standing around the sides. I’ve done weddings for 150+ and it didn’t seem too squashed.

There is no air conditioning at this chapel and there is no real need because the sides of the chapel fully open up. So it is like having an outdoor ceremony but with the protection from the sun and the rain. And there is often a nice cross breeze. I have never felt too hot shooting weddings here.

You may feel that the front of the chapel isn’t wide enough for you and your wedding party. But if you look at the photo above you will see that they have a wedding party of 10 people, plus the couple, plus the celebrant. So you can fit 12 people there.

I have done weddings here where they have turned the ceremony and faced it towards the side doors overlooking the vines to fit a large wedding/bridal party in. They move the chairs around and the couple stands on the deck with the vines in the background. It may seem like a good idea in theory, but the reality is that it doesn’t work as well. The main issue is that you get terrible backlighting. So try to avoid doing this. Keep the ceremony facing the normal way and you are guaranteed beautiful photos at this awesome Hunter Valley wedding chapel.

Address: 1946 Broke Rd, Pokolbin NSW 

2. Peterson House Chapel

This is one of the newest wedding chapels to hit the Hunter Valley and it is one of the best. It was only recently built in 2020 and it is probably the largest wedding chapel in the Hunter Valley. It is located at Peterson House Wines right in the center of Pokolbin.

Pretty much every visitor to Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley has to drive past this place and now it is a real landmark in the landscape. I believe that because of its location, because you can’t miss it from the road when you visit, and because of their upgraded facilities, Peterson House will be booked out for at least 18 months in advance. And even longer for peak dates.

Peterson House has recently upgraded all their wedding facilities and now they have one of the best wedding venues around. And the Peterson House Chapel is just awesome. It can fit 220 people seated. There are two levels, there is a good PA system and it has air conditioning.

Just a couple of quick tips if you do have a wedding here. I recently did a wedding there for 200+ and they had to open the side doors and put a couple more rows of seats in the doorways. Because they did this, they turned the air conditioning off in the chapel and the room got extremely hot. And it wasn’t a particularly hot day either. So try to keep the air-conditioning on and doors closed if you can.

The other tip is for the stage area where you say your vows. It is a huge area with a huge sandstone wall behind you. As nice as it is, I think it looks better in photos if have a large arbour or flower display of some sort. It breaks up the vastness of the wall.

Address: Corner Broker Road and, Wine Country Dr, Pokolbin NSW

3. Chateau Elan Chapel – Carriage House

Located within the grounds of The Vintage at Chateau Elans in Rothbury is a gorgeous sandstone chapel called the Carriage House. I have photographed heaps of weddings here over the years and it is lovely.

The Carriage House wedding chapel is located on the edge of a golf course surrounded by a small trees, bushland and gardens. It is everything that you look for in a gorgeous little chapel in the country.

It is fully air-conditioned (which you need in the Hunter Valley), has toilets, two levels, PA system and can seat 120 guests with some standing room available. And it is located in a lovely area that is close to the Chateau Elan wedding venue.

It is not listed at number one or two just because the light inside isn’t quite as good as the other two venues, but it is good enough. A lovely little chapel that you should seriously check out.

Address: Vintage Dr, Rothbury NSW

4. The Chapel at Enzo Weddings

The Chapel at Enzo Weddings is a hugely popular and wonderful chapel located on the working vineyard property of Peter Drayton Wines Ironbark Hill. I have photographed so many weddings here over the years and they have some of the friendliest, most hardworking staff anywhere in the Hunter Valley, if not Australia.

It is located on 30 acres of land with vineyards as far as the eye can see. This is a more modern style wedding chapel that features floor to ceiling windows that overlook the vineyard. It is also fully air-conditioned.

From a wedding photographers point of view, it is one of the tricker venues to photograph because this floor to ceiling window makes everything very backlit. But couples probably can’t tell the difference. But lovely chapel and a great place to shoot. Highly recommend you check this Hunter Valley wedding chapel out.

Address: 694 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin NSW

5. The Convent Chapel

I have photographed countless weddings at The Convent Hunter Valley, but I have never photographed a ceremony in their gorgeous little chapel.

The Chapel was built in 1888 and is a Welsh Baptist Chapel that has been fully restored. It is lovely and suitable for smaller more intimate weddings. It can hold up to 40 guests.

The only thing is that The Convents normal location for an outdoor ceremony, which is outside Circa 1876 between the rows of Wisteria trees, is so much better for a wedding ceremony. But if you love the look of this historic chapel then it is definitely a good option.

Address: 64 Halls Rd, Pokolbin NSW

6. Hunter Valley Gardens Chapel

The Hunter Valley Gardens also has a wedding chapel that was built back in 2003. It is air-conditioned and can fit 150 guests seated. Its main feature is the large stained glass window at the front of the chapel with its massive cross and the words “I am the vine, you are the branches.”

It is a nice chapel, but probably not my favourite. It’s a little dated and doesn’t have as much charm and character as some of the others.

Address: 2090 Broke Rd, Pokolbin NSW

7. Lovedale Wedding Chapel

Lovedale Wedding Chapel is located on 27 acres of beautiful country landscape with awesome views of the Watagans and Brokenback Mountain Ranges.

Built by hand by the owner who also lives on-site, the Chapel was newly constructed at the end of 2004. It sits amongst the vines and can accommodate 108 seated.

Address: Address: 842 Lovedale Rd, Allandale NSW

8. Ever After Chapel

Ever After Chapel is a heritage-listed chapel that is around 130 years old and now open for all religious or civil marriage ceremonies.
It was built in 1888, it is a fine example of the late 19th century Victorian Gothic Revival style. Lovingly renovated, with a pitched ceiling of 10 feet, ornate columns, white marble walls, painted floorboards and 12 original stained glass windows. And it can accommodate up to 130 people seated.

Address: 43 High St, Greta NSW

9. Little Paddocks Chapel

There is a really cute white chapel in the Hunter Valley town of Glendon which is near Singleton. It is called Little Paddocks Chapel and I have been following them for a while on Instagram. I don’t think they are quite ready for weddings yet, but I think in the very near future they will be.

This little chapel was once called Anglican Church of St Mary’s Glendon and was erected in 1899 and it was pretty run down. The new owners have been restoring the chapel and I am hoping that they open this beautiful chapel for weddings. So follow them on Instagram to keep up to date.

Hunter Valley Wedding Chapels Conclusion

We hope this page has helped you along on your wedding planning journey. The Hunter Valley has some awesome wedding chapels so it’s worth checking them out in person and seeing which one works for you best.

And if you are still planning your wedding and looking for a fun, relaxed, and candid wedding photographer for your big day, we would love to be considered. Check out more of our work and get in contact if you like what you see.