There are venues, and then there is Mona Farm. Tucked into the heritage-listed town of Braidwood, NSW — roughly halfway between Canberra and the coast — this 124-acre estate has built a reputation as one of Australia’s most coveted luxury wedding destinations, with weddings featured in The New York Times, Vogue Australia, British Vogue, Grazia and beyond.
If you’re considering a Mona Farm wedding, here is everything you need to know — from the grounds and accommodation to catering, costs and the team who will bring it all together.
A Property Like No Other
Mona Farm pairs more than 180 years of history with a thoroughly contemporary sensibility. Beautifully restored 19th-century buildings and English-inspired gardens sit alongside a diverse collection of modern Australian and international art and sculpture, scattered through 8 acres of award-winning grounds. Add a working farm, a wildflower meadow, a glistening lake and a stone bridge, and you have a setting that does most of the visual heavy lifting before a single flower has been arranged.
Because the entire estate is reserved exclusively for your wedding, there’s no shared driveway, no second function competing for staff attention, and no strangers wandering through your photos. It’s just your day, on your terms.
Where the Day Unfolds
Mona Farm’s signature wedding spaces are designed to flow naturally from ceremony to celebration:
- Ceremony locations set across the estate’s gardens and lawns, complete with a wedding arbour, Bentwood chairs and a French-style signing table
- The Woolshed, a characterful reception venue with a piano, commercial kitchen and bar facilities
- The Marquee, a 15m x 20m premium clear-roof structure with sides and floor, included in every venue hire at no extra cost
- Unique alternative locations such as Pear Tree Lane, The Paddock and The Pine Forest, available for an additional setup and staffing fee for couples wanting something a little different
Couples are welcome to bring natural confetti (think petals and leaves) and candles are encouraged in the Woolshed or Marquee for atmospheric evening lighting.
Stay the Whole Weekend
This is where Mona Farm really sets itself apart from a typical wedding venue: you don’t just hire it for an afternoon, you take it over.
Seven luxury guest houses sleep up to 55 guests across the estate, each one reserved exclusively for your booking — meaning total privacy whether every bed is filled or not. Highlights include:
- The Shearer’s Quarters (1873) — the most premium couples’ retreat, with a Japanese-inspired bath house, heated spa and two wood-burning fireplaces. This is typically included in your venue hire for the wedding night itself.
- The Homestead (1853) — five king bedrooms sleeping 12, filled with contemporary art
- The Coach House (1903) — five king bedrooms sleeping up to 13
- The New Stables — five king bedrooms plus a bunk room, sleeping up to 18
- The Old Stables (1859) and The Lake House — romantic, intimate retreats for two
- The Lodge — the property’s pet-friendly option, sleeping six
A weekend wedding requires a minimum three-night accommodation stay (two nights for midweek weddings), and you can choose to cover guest accommodation costs yourself or pass them on directly — Mona Farm handles all the individual guest invoicing either way.
For overflow, several additional boutique guest houses sit in Braidwood town itself, just three minutes away.
Food, Wine and the Mona Farm Table
Dining at Mona Farm follows a paddock-to-plate philosophy under Executive Chef Santiago Fernandez, drawing on the region’s seasonal produce and trusted local growers. Wedding catering ranges from relaxed grazing stations, pizzas and fire-cooked menus through to formal plated dining, all fully customisable alongside curated beverage packages, cocktail experiences and welcome or recovery event menus.
Exclusive wedding couples receive a complimentary overnight stay and wine tasting, plus a personalised menu tasting with the culinary team, as part of the planning journey.
What’s Actually Included
One of the most common questions couples ask is simply: what does this cost, and what do I get for it? Unlike dry-hire venues where you’ll need to separately source a marquee, furniture, toilets, power, staff and rubbish removal, Mona Farm’s venue hire fee is built to include the essentials from the outset. Broadly, wedding costs break down into three areas:
- Venue Hire Fee — covers exclusive use of the estate, ceremony and reception set-up, furniture, the Marquee, bar and waitstaff, your Shearer’s Quarters wedding-night stay, an onsite Operations Manager, and a dedicated Event Planner throughout
- Food & Beverage — calculated per person with a minimum spend that varies by date, plus an 8% gratuity
- Guest Accommodation — booked per house at a discounted wedding rate
For a full, transparent breakdown (including a downloadable budget spreadsheet), Mona Farm’s wedding costs explained journal post is worth reading in detail before you enquire.
The Team Behind the Magic
While Mona Farm doesn’t offer a dedicated external wedding planner, couples are fully supported by an in-house events team — and it shows in the five-star reviews. Hospitality Director Michael de Wet personally walks every couple through logistics, conducts the bridal rehearsal, and oversees the day from start to finish, backed by an Event Planning Team Lead, senior and standard Event Planners, and a Restaurant Manager who coordinates the food and beverage experience. Each couple is also given access to The Wedding Portal — a digital planning platform that keeps documents, appointments and key dates in one place.
Two Wedding Styles Worth Considering
Midweek weddings have become a genuine trend at Mona Farm, offering a quieter, more relaxed pace (and typically a gentler price point). One standout example saw a couple transform the estate into a “Mona Riviera,” complete with a Bollinger Champagne tower, scalloped umbrellas and Mediterranean-inspired seafood for a full Italian-coastline transportation. Browse midweek wedding features →
Winter weddings lean into Mona Farm’s moodier side — crisp Braidwood mornings, darker styling palettes and the Croquet Lawn at its most atmospheric. One couple’s intimate gathering of 75 guests became a masterclass in seasonal styling, proving Mona Farm is just as compelling in July as it is in peak summer. Browse winter wedding features →
Mona Farm also caters beautifully to Micro Weddings (2–30 adults), with a dedicated package for couples prioritising intimacy over guest count.
Planning Your Mona Farm Wedding
A few practical notes worth knowing before you enquire:
- Private site visits are available by appointment, and international couples regularly book the venue sight-unseen via a cinematic virtual tour
- A curated list of recommended suppliers (florists, stylists, celebrants) is shared once you book, many offering exclusive rates for Mona Farm couples
- As a working farm, block heels are recommended over stilettos
- Mona Farm publishes sample wedding-day itineraries — weekend, midweek and micro — to help you visualise how the day actually flows
Ready to Begin?
Mona Farm’s combination of architectural history, contemporary art, genuine working-farm charm and exacting hospitality is difficult to replicate — which is likely why it keeps appearing on the pages of Vogue and The New York Times rather than just wedding directories. Whether you’re drawn to a full weekend takeover or an intimate midweek micro wedding, the foundations are the same: a private estate, a dedicated team, and a setting that does the romance for you.
Planning a Mona Farm Wedding or Elopement?
Having photographed at Mona Farm and worked on weddings featured in Vogue, I know firsthand how the light moves across those gardens, where the quiet, unscripted moments unfold, and how to document a day at this property in a way that feels editorial, honest and entirely yours.
As an editorial and documentary wedding and elopement photographer based in Australia, I travel across the country and through Europe for couples who want their day told as a story rather than staged. If you’re planning a wedding or elopement at Mona Farm, I’d love to be part of it — get in touch to check availability for your wedding date.
