Say “I do” with a backdrop of wow.
Say “I do” with a backdrop of wow.
If you’re planning on getting hitched in the future, the Gold Coast is certainly a good place to do so. With many a delightful location on offer, you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to your big day.
From the beach to the hinterland, or the hinterland with views of the beach, the Coast is your oyster.
Here are a few we think might tickle your fancy, probably get in quite early though because they seem to tickle everyone’s fancy.
Kwila Lodge combines heritage charm with modern elegance, offering a newly restored wedding haven in Mudgeeraba. Once Eco Studio Fellini, this reimagined venue boasts manicured grounds, multiple lodges, and a grand reception centre, making it a standout location for luxe celebrations. With a refined blend of old and new, endless photo ops, and a picturesque setting seen on MAFS 2024, Kwila is where timeless romance meets contemporary style.
Where: 5 Boomerang Rd, Mudgeeraba
Rustic romance meets historic charm at The Acre Boomerang Farm. Set among tropical gardens and featuring a restored 1902 barn, this all-in-one venue brings together ceremony, reception, and planning support in one breathtaking location. Whether it’s an intimate ceremony or a grand celebration, The Acre’s tailored packages, exceptional catering, and dedicated team ensure every wedding is spectacular. Just 20 minutes from the airport, it’s as convenient as it is enchanting.
Where: 55 Johns Rd, Mudgeeraba
If heritage charm and lush garden romance are on your wedding vision board, Braeside has it all. Set across two dreamy acres, this estate features a charming chapel, garden ceremony spots, historic trees, and even a lawn bar. With indoor and outdoor spaces like the Reception Pavilion and Shed Bar, Braeside blends timeless elegance with modern style for a fully tailored, enchanting wedding day.
Where: 251 Gooding Drive, Merrimac
Tucked away in the lush Currumbin Valley, Sol Gardens is a verdant paradise perfect for couples craving a relaxed, nature-immersed celebration. With exclusive use of the seven-acre property, multiple ceremony spots, and a flexible approach to catering and beverages, your day can be tailored entirely to your vision. Optional photo access to a neighbouring farm adds a rustic touch to an already stunning botanical backdrop, making it a true hidden gem.
Where: 10 Bains Rd, Currumbin Valley
The Valley Estate is where wedding dreams come to life, then pour themselves an espresso martini. From its wildly romantic white timber chapel with antique oak pews to the red-bricked Manor dripping in chandeliers and charm, every corner of this private estate is made for magical “I do” moments. Sip cocktails in the Glasshouse (a botanical beauty with floor-to-ceiling glass), wander the perfectly manicured gardens, and dance the night away under festoon lights. Elegant, exclusive and extra in all the best ways, this one’s a love story waiting to happen.
Where: 393 Currumbin Creek Rd, Currumbin Waters
If “luxury farm life but make it wedding” is your Pinterest vibe, then Rosewood Estate is calling your name. Perched on Lamington National Park with coast-to-country views for days, this 100-year-old homestead dishes up rural romance in serious style. And with 250 acres at your disposal? You’ll feel like you own the place (even if it’s just for the weekend). To top it all off, it’s just 30 minutes from the Gold Coast.
Where: 1339 Beechmont Road, Beechmont
Nature’s got her glam on with The Bower Estate, a 120-acre slice of hinterland heaven nestled in the Yugambeh Language Region. This all-in-one wonderland comes with catering, coordination, and accommodation (triple threat alert!), making it a dream for couples who want to tie the knot without tying themselves in logistical knots. From sweeping rainforest views to secret nooks perfect for your post-ceremony smooch shoot, The Bower is where eco-conscious meets absolutely enchanting.
Where: 3165 Nerang Murwillumbah Rd, Natural Bridge
Transport your guests to Europe without leaving the Gold Coast at Wynmere Estate. Nestled in Tamborine Mountain’s rainforest, this private venue blends French garden romance with refined architecture. Choose from three stunning ceremony locations—by the creek, in the Parterre, or at The Residence steps. The reception centre dazzles with chandeliers, timber tables, and Ridgeway Group catering. Wynmere is elegance defined, offering bespoke luxury in an unforgettable rainforest setting.
Where: 108-118 Alpine Terrace, Tamborine Mountain
Perched high on Tamborine Mountain, Highgarden Estate delivers panoramic ocean views and a romantic garden escape across its 25-acre avocado orchard. A cliffside ceremony framed by manicured gardens and a 100-year-old estate creates a one-of-a-kind setting. From rainforest-lined pathways to customisable event options, Highgarden provides the ultimate blank canvas for couples dreaming of a personalised, scenic celebration. Bonus? The location is surrounded by hinterland beauty, spas, wineries, and more.
Where: 268 Long Rd, Tamborine Mountain
For a whimsical and flexible wedding nestled in nature, Tall Trees offers exclusive access to a private estate and vintage-style barn adorned with fairy lights, a roaring fireplace, and a charming bar. The venue caters to elopements through to full-scale weddings, with BYO alcohol and a wide range of catering options. Just 15 minutes from Burleigh Heads, it’s an idyllic spot to celebrate surrounded by towering trees, rolling gardens, and rustic charm.
Where: 1227 Tallebudgera Creek Rd, Tallebudgera Valley
Austinvilla Estate offers a private, award-winning retreat in the lush Gold Coast Hinterland, ideal for couples seeking an unforgettable and serene wedding day. Spread over 111 acres, the estate features macadamia fields, hidden creeks, and stunning wildlife. With boutique on-site accommodation, a licensed bar, and gourmet catering, Austinvilla delivers dreamy ceremonies, unforgettable receptions, and photo-perfect scenery—all with complete exclusivity and attention to every detail.
Where: 31 Austinville Rd, Austinville
Perched above rolling hills with panoramic ocean views, Summergrove Estate is a multi-award-winning destination just outside the Gold Coast. Say ‘I do’ in their glass-fronted chapel, dine under fairy lights, and retreat to one of six romantic villas with a fireplace and spa bath. With exclusive access to the estate and accommodation for guests nearby, it’s a true fairytale wedding spot wrapped in mountain serenity.
Where: 363 Carool Rd, Carool
Nature lovers and festival-style dreamers- this one’s for you. Gold Coast Farm House in the Numinbah Valley offers a BYO, self-catered wedding experience surrounded by rainforest, creeks, and views of Page’s Pinnacle. Choose from ceremony sites like ancient trees or lily-dotted dams, then celebrate under a tipi or marquee. Just 45 minutes from Surfers Paradise, it feels worlds away- perfect for a relaxed, starlit hinterland wedding.
Where: Lot 11 Pocket Rd, Numinbah Valley
Boasting ten acres of manicured grounds, Coolibah Downs is a versatile gem for weddings with rustic elegance or classic charm. With options for chapel or garden ceremonies, marquee receptions, and on-site accommodation, it’s the perfect blend of style and convenience. Located just minutes from the Gold Coast, this estate offers bespoke packages and lush surrounds that make it a favourite for garden and boho-style weddings alike.
Where: 41 Mount Nathan Rd, Mount Nathan
Words by Chelsea Ipsen
Baked goods are life. There is nothing more we want or need than a sweet, crispy pastry and a perfectly brewed coffee on a Saturday morning. Except maybe a water view and an after-pastry side of avo on toast.
And where better to indulge in all of those things than right here, just over the border, Tweed Heads to be exact. Baked at Ancora opened just a short while ago, bringing an edgy, delightful eatery to the northern side of already much-loved wedding venue Ancora.
Baked is the baby of Gavin Rudd (head baker) and restaurateur Mark Wilson, who has gifted us with Osteria, Taverna and Bombay Cricketers Club – all southern beauties and the newbie is of equally exceptional quality (but also maybe better because, pastries).
It’s a long space with huge windows overlooking the sparkly Tweed River running up one side, naturally-inspired tables and chairs and, of course, plenty of greenery hanging overhead. An interior window allows you to peer in at the chefs working their magic and, the best bit, a neon sign shining out from inside reads “currently getting baked” and let us in on that please.
The food, as you would expect from local restaurant royalty, is absolutely exceptional and you may either sit inside and soak up the good vibes or grab a picnic rug and recline on the grassy outside area, which is both perfect for kiddies to run around on and for dealing with food coma type situations.
The a la carte menu is made up of all the very best breakfast and lunch dishes including said Avo Toast (but tastier than your usual) plus Bacon and Egg Benedict Rolls, Pork Belly Burgers and (a personal fave) House Made Sausage Rolls made with organic pork, Granny Smith apples, fennel and thyme. All the things are things you’ll want to eat time and time again.
You may also enjoy baguettes with Salami, Butter and Pickles (GIMME) among other epic flavour combinations and there are take home bread options such as Pain aux Olives with Kalamata olives, rosemary, oregano and black pepper. YUM.
Sweets-wise The Custard Pie is all your dreams come true, as is the Apple Breton Tarte Tatin and the Chocolate Praline Tart. We recommend sampling one of each and also taking one of each home for later.
Oh and their signature (read: perfect) croissants will have you dreaming of sweet Parisian mornings and you’ll probably never stop eating them. Same.
Summer’s (almost) over, it’s fine.
The philosophy of the crew at Baked at Ancora is a simple one; to bring loved ones together over good food and great coffee which, unsurprisingly, is pretty much life goals for us.
How good.
Love you baked (at Ancora) goods.
LOCATION: 118 Wharf St, Tweed Heads
HOURS: Daily from 7am until 1.30pm
Words by Kirra Smith
“Stunning… Exquisite… Divine…”
These murmured variations on the same theme – perhaps punctuated by the occasional intake of breath – are the sounds every bride secretly hopes will echo her footsteps, as she glides down the aisle.
At The Bower Estate however, nestled in the Gold Coast Hinterland on the Queensland / New South Wales border, nuptials tend to take different turn. Here, it’s the estate’s spectacular setting, surrounded by soaring mountain ranges and lush, untouched rainforest, that’s typically the first sight to render a congregation dumbstruck.
And understandably so. The Bower Estate’s 120, lovingly restored acres, neighbour some of Queensland’s most stunning National Parks. It’s a setting so ethereal and other-worldly, that any bride who has always dreamed of a fairy tale wedding, will likely be unperturbed if Mother Nature is first to send guests’ hearts aflutter.
Just 50 minutes drive from Surfers Paradise and 50 minutes from the Gold Coast Airport, The Bower Estate is the living embodiment of one family’s passion for preserving world heritage rainforest and wildlife corridors.
Approaching the estate, the family’s hand is immediately evident in the sea of emerald green, perfectly manicured lawn, which stretches out to the horizon. There it is met by rows of towering hoop pines, planted over a decade ago by the family and now matured into colossal sentinels which mark the edge of the estate, enhancing its sense of seclusion and privacy.
Walking up the graded driveway, it’s impossible not to fall under the spell of such a regal setting. As you emerge on to the breathtaking ceremonial plateau, it feels completely plausible that this could be the type of place a girl might casually lose a glass slipper, or grow her hair long enough to hoist suitors up to her chamber.
With billion dollar views, a real ‘wishing well’ and lawn games to occupy guests in between photographs, the lookout plateau is the perfect place to exchange vows and take wow-factor photos, before meandering up the gently sloping drive to the reception area.
Here guests will be blown away yet again, as they wander in to the slightly unexpected, but straight-out-of-a-storybook, rainforest clearing. Fairy-light-wrapped trees and elegant festoon lights provide a glittering back drop for canapes, champagne and entertainment – be it a band or solo performer. The estate has a charming stage and all AV equipment ready to go, so the choice is yours.
By Camilla Jones
