Intimate & Elopement Weddings at Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat
Every intimate wedding and elopement at Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat is thoughtfully curated to reflect your story, your setting, and your vision. Set within a remarkable alpine landscape overlooking Lake Pukaki and Aoraki / Mount Cook, our private luxury villas provide a secluded and refined setting for a deeply personal celebration. Each villa features elegant interiors, open fireplaces, and a private outdoor hot tub, creating an atmosphere of comfort and understated luxury. Your wedding experience includes professional celebrant services with witnesses, a signature dining platter, New Zealand sparkling wine, and handcrafted floral arrangements seamlessly arranged to ensure a relaxed and unforgettable occasion.

Your Wedding Experience

For intimate elopement weddings in New Zealand’s South Island, Mt Cook Lakeside Retreat offers complete privacy, refined luxury, and a breathtaking alpine setting. Couples can choose between a Lakeside Villa, with uninterrupted views across Lake Pukaki to Aoraki / Mount Cook, or a Moraine Villa overlooking the dramatic Ben Ohau Range and the golden landscapes of the Mackenzie Basin.

Each private villa features elegant interiors with stone floors, open fireplaces, and curated furnishings, alongside a secluded outdoor hot tub filled with fresh artesian water from the estate, creating an exceptional setting for a romantic and deeply personal celebration.

Our intimate elopement wedding package includes exclusive use of a luxury villa for your ceremony and reception, professional celebrant services with two witnesses, a signature wedding platter for up to eight guests, a bottle of premium New Zealand sparkling wine, and a handcrafted bridal bouquet with matching buttonhole delivered to your villa.

A full list of inclusions is outlined below. For bespoke arrangements, our team is pleased to create a tailored proposal to suit your vision.

Request a Personalised Proposal

Your Wedding Inclusions

  • Exclusive use of a luxury villa for your wedding ceremony and reception.
  • Celebrant and two witnesses.
  • Wedding co-ordination.
  • Wedding photographer provided for 2 hours.
  • For the ceremony, we provide a luxury wedding platter for up to four people and a bottle of New Zealand sparkling wine.
  • A buttonhole and bouquet delivered to your door.
  • Two nights’ accommodation in your choice of Luxury Villa.
  • A bottle of sparkling New Zealand wine on your arrival.
  • Private dining in your villa with breakfast provisions each morning and a three-course meal each night, prepared by our chef and hand-delivered to your villa.
  • One gourmet lunch.
  • Private outdoor hot tub filled with water drawn from our artesian well.
  • On one afternoon of your stay, our masseuse will treat you each to a 1-hour relaxation massage in your villa.
  • On the estate you will have use of the tennis court, petanque, curling (subject to natural ice) and walking tracks.

A selection of bespoke enhancements is available for your celebration. These may include a private helicopter transfer from the Retreat for breathtaking photographs on a Mount Cook glacier, an intimate dining experience with your guests in The Moraine Restaurant, or a private stargazing experience in the Retreat’s Wine Cellar Observatory.

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Terms and Conditions

Payment Policy

A valid credit card is required at the time of booking to secure the booking.

The person making booking must be over 18 years of age.

Unless otherwise stated, a one-night deposit will be charged to your card on booking confirmation.

The balance of your stay is payable on arrival.

We accept payments in New Zealand dollars by MasterCard or Visa, Direct Debit or Cash.

Your credit card payment will be made via WindCave and an invoice / receipt will emailed to the email address you provide.  The WindCave privacy statement can be read here. 

 

Cancellation Policy

As a small lodge with only 4 villas our cancellation policy is rather strict.

Cancellations made up to 30 days prior to arrival will incur a charge of the first night’s accommodation. After that and in the case of a no-show, the total price of the reservation will be charged.

Bookings are non-refundable for any unused nights.

We highly recommend that all guests purchase travel insurance.

 

Child Policy

Children are welcome at the Retreat, please be aware the Retreat is a rural environment with natural tarns and ponds, cliffs and forested areas.

 

Extra beds

Extra beds are available in Moraine Villas at an additional cost per night which includes dinner and breakfast provisions.