Day: 2 August 2024

Engaged couples, if you haven’t yet considered the magical charm a winter wedding can bring to your big day, now is the time, as we are thrilled to present our exclusive 2026 Winter Package Special – 100 guests for $12k – a unique opportunity to create magical memories with all of your loved ones, without going over budget.

As you embark on the exciting journey of planning your wedding, and are dreaming of a 2026 celebration, we’re so excited to offer this and turn your dream into a reality. You and your partner will get to celebrate your special day with 100 of your nearest and dearest for just $12,000. This amazing offer is for a limited-time and valid for weddings booked for mid-May to mid-September 2026. 

While we adore the hustle and bustle of peak wedding season, there’s something truly extraordinary about a winter wedding during the quieter months in the Yarra Valley. With our cosy fireplace, luscious landscapes, moody lighting and of course hearty, delectable food and wine, it’s a welcoming venue for a Winter celebration.

Winter’s subdued sunlight offers exceptional advantages for your wedding photographs surrounded by vast picturesque landscapes across our estate. With the sun lower in the sky, it casts a soft, flattering glow, so you need not worry about harsh shadows. Most importantly, it’s the best time of year to get that perfect sunset shot! The longer sunset colours during these months provide a generous window for breathtaking golden hour snaps amongst our gorgeous vineyards.

Embrace the cooler temperatures – Brides, you and your bridesmaids don’t need to stress about your makeup melting off, and you also have the freedom to opt for those darker coloured and stylish long sleeve dresses; Grooms, suit up in your best tux with your groomsmen without the worry of sweating underneath and overheating! 

Wedding Package Upgrades

Enhance your special day with optional upgrades, including:

• Prosecco tower
• Outdoor festoon or fairy lights
• A pre-reception cocktail hour, 
• Lawn games,
• Shared side dishes, 
• Estate Vineyard or Single Vineyard Wine packages
• Grazing stations

And more!

Option to add your Ceremony
You can add an onsite ceremony with a choice of location. 

• The picturesque Lawn, an outdoor option, so stunningly beautiful with bright fresh green grass, trees, and a pristine lake as your backdrop (permitted it’s not raining on the day). The Lawn seats up to 40 guests with additional standing space.
• The warm and cosy Conservatory, for if it is raining, or if you and your guests prefer the warmth of being inside our heated building down by the lake. The Conservatory includes seating for 80 guests with additional standing space.
  

Both options include white-clothed signing tables and chairs, a dedicated wedding coordinator for set-up and liaison with the celebrant, and the use of wine barrels for decoration. 

Work with the best of Yarra Valley‘s florists, with floral arrangements of your choice which will then be set on tables or wine barrels. Select from a range of different ceremony flower options, including arches, arbours, barrels, towers etc.

You will also get the opportunity to add on additional items such as extra seats if you would like more guests to be seated.

Visit Rochford for a Venue Tour

We invite you to visit Rochford for an exclusive Venue Tour with our wedding coordinator, to explore our beautiful landscapes and various location options for your big day. You’ll have the opportunity to sample our menu while you’re here, to decide on your favourite dishes you’d like you and your guests to be served, making for an exciting, fun-filled day out with your fiancé. 

To inquire further about our Winter Wedding Special or any other of our wedding packages here at Rochford, visit our weddings page or contact our wedding coordinator, Nicola, at nicola@rochfordwines.com.au, who will love to chat all things weddings with you!

Embrace the magic of a winter wedding in the Yarra Valley, and enjoy incredible savings for your special day. We look forward to making your wedding dreams come true! 

Rochford Weddings

*Terms & Conditions

This package is based on 100 adults; kids are $45 per child.
Supplier meals are available at $45 each.
An additional ceremony venue fee of $650 applies for the Lawn or Conservatory, which includes seating for 30 guests and standing room.
This offer is valid from mid-May until mid-September 2026 only.

On March 28th, 2024, Josh and Juliana’s wedding unfolded in the heart of the Yarra Valley among the Autumn hues and picturesque winery landscapes at Rochford Wines, transforming their day into an ever so special celebration.

From neighbours to newlyweds, their journey from being next door neighbours for an entire year before introducing themselves, to then fast forwarding years down the track and walking down the aisle, saying “I do” is a heartwarming tale of how the stars beautifully aligned to shape their love story.

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With a fun filled gathering of 80 of their closest friends and family, Josh and Juliana’s wedding day had everything – lively entertainment, a breathtaking sunset, unique personal touches, traditional dances, and many heartfelt moments – all perfectly mirroring their journey together under the sunny skies and the natural beauty of our beloved Yarra Valley Winery Venue.

The ceremony took place on the sunlit terrace with a stunning vineyard backdrop, where the sunny afternoon skies filled the air with anticipation and joy, creating the ultimate setting for the special occasion. As dusk unfolded, the newlyweds were treated to one of the most spectacular sunsets the Yarra Valley has displayed, a breathtaking glow that made their wedding photos absolutely pop. 

Their reception, held in Isabella’s Restaurant, was an unforgettable night buzzing with amazing tunes, happy faces, and a full dance floor. From their first dance under the glow of the fairy lights, to dessert from Bianco Latte’s mouth watering gelato cart (a huge hit among guests), the bride’s iconic wedding cake smash, to the fun-filled dances that blended Juliana’s Italian heritage with Josh’s Australian roots – all coming together to create a truly unforgettable night.

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We had the pleasure of catching up with Juliana, who shared the journey of their love story, the intricacies of planning their wedding, and the unforgettable experiences of their special day. Here’s what she had to share:

Behind the scenes: Josh & Juliana’s wedding reflections & recommendations

R: Can you share a snapshot of your love story… How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of each other? Did you know you had found ‘the one’?

J: I was the “girl next door” – Josh and I met when I moved into the unit next to his and we lived side-by-side for a whole year before ever really speaking. Then we became friendly neighbours, each too nervous to really make a move for a few months but eventually we started dating and fell in love.

Things always felt easy with Josh, everything just clicked from Day 1 and I just never doubted being with him or our future together. I think that’s how I knew he was the one, it just felt right.

R: Tell us your proposal story! How, when, where did it happen, how were you each feeling before, during and after? Was it expected or a total surprise?

J: Josh proposed in the fairy light tunnel at Lightscape, on our third anniversary in 2022. The planning and effort he went to was a beautiful surprise but he had asked me to go ring shopping earlier that year, so I had a feeling it was going to happen!

R: What led you to choose the Yarra Valley for your wedding destination? Was it the winery, country landscapes, outdoors vibes that you had your heart set on? Anything of special meaning to you?
J: We always knew a city wedding wasn’t for us and the Yarra Valley is one of our favourite day-trip destinations that we’d visited dozens of times as a couple. We love the freshness, openness and beautiful landscapes and knew straight away that we wanted to have our wedding in the area.

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R: What made Rochford Wines stand out as your dream wedding venue amongst the many options in the Yarra Valley area? How did our venue complement the vision you had for your special day?

J: The very first stand out feature about Rochford was the architecture of the venue itself. I was in love with the high ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows of Isabella’s restaurant and I dreamed of having our bridal portraits in front of the iconic pointed brick wall. Alongside the venue itself, the grounds are immaculate and the scenery is stunning!

Rochford also offered the most flexibility with their packages, which honestly sealed the deal for Josh and I. Being so accommodating with our particular requests not only let us plan our dream wedding, but we were able to do so within our budget.

R: What was something surprising you found during your wedding planning journey? Was organising your big day easy breezy or more difficult than you thought it would be?

J: I always knew wedding planning would be stressful. There’s so much pressure to have the “perfect” day, please your family, stay within a budget, be true to yourselves, look your best and then on top of that, people keep telling you not to stress!

It was definitely hard, stressful and I invested hours and hours into research and planning – but it was 100% worth it! For me, the more organised I was in the lead up, the happier and calmer I knew I would be on the day itself.

Throughout the planning, I was most surprised by the details that my husband had a strong stance on; our bridal party colour theme, reception tablescapes and favours are just a few examples. Ladies – don’t exclude your fiancé from decision- making!

R: How did you infuse personal touches that were meaningful to you both into your wedding to make the day uniquely yours?

J: In so many ways, our wedding was uniquely us! From the styling to our music choices and dancing. Food was a big part, as we chose dishes that we personally loved rather than choosing based on what we thought our guests would like.

We both love ice cream and it’s our favourite dessert so we booked a gelato cart from Bianco Latte. Not only was this a huge hit with our guests but it really encapsulated us as a couple, on our menu.

The same sentiment applied to our favours. Josh always buys me scented candles instead of flowers so we had personalised candle tins, from a local Yarra Valley supplier, made in “his” and “hers” scents for our guests.

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R: Reflecting on your wedding day, what were the most memorable moments? The funniest, the most emotional? Or is it too hard to pick?

J: Some of the most memorable moments are such random ones or really fleeting interactions. I remember my Maid Of Honour shocking everyone in her speech with hilarious messages I’d sent her about Josh when we first started dating. I remember high-fiving Josh after our first dance that we’d been practising for months.

One of my more special memories was locking eyes with Josh for the first time as I walked down the aisle. There’s such a crazy flurry of emotions right before this moment but I remember feeling so happy, relieved and excited when I finally saw him.

R: What advice would you share with engaged couples to truly make the most of their wedding day? Things like getting ready, getting photos taken, entertainment and venue choice, especially in a picturesque setting like the Yarra Valley?

J: It’s very easy to get caught up in Pinterest boards and the opinions of others when planning your wedding. My best advice is to try and stay as true to your vision as possible and don’t let others – family, friends or vendors – talk you into anything you don’t want. Remember that you know your vision better than anyone else, so don’t second guess yourself and trust your gut!

Specifically for your photographer, send a handful of inspo photos (even better if they’re from past couples at your venue). You have such limited time post- ceremony and if you have sunset photos, so it helps to be prepared with these locations ahead of time.

R: If you could only choose between one of the following, which ones would you both pick?

A. The perfect weather on your wedding day

B. The perfect weather on your honeymoon

C. An unlimited budget to spend and have the most extravagant wedding.

D. $20,000 towards your honeymoon

J: Having been so incredibly lucky to have perfect weather on our wedding day and the most gorgeous sunset, I would say option A! Weather is such an unpredictable factor for Melbourne couples so to guarantee the perfect temperature would be very handy. But to drop 20K on a luxury honeymoon, that’s also very tempting!

R: Lastly, how was yours and your guests’ experience with us at Rochford wines?

J: Nicola and the team at Rochford Wines helped us create our dream wedding and if I could relive our day a hundred times over, I would.

The ceremony and reception spaces were set up beautifully and Rochford’s staff were so kind, warm and professional not only to Josh and I, but our guests too. This was particularly notable for our disabled guests, whose needs were accommodated for with ease.

From the moment Josh and I arrived at Rochford to the moment we left, we were made to feel so special and looked-after. The feedback we’ve had from our guests and vendors has been wonderful, so it’s absolutely heartwarming to know that others enjoyed our wedding as much as we did.

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Josh and Juliana’s wedding at Rochford Wines was the perfect setting for their special day, from their heartfelt ceremony, to the fun filled reception with its unique touches like the gelato cart and scented keepsakes, every element was thoughtfully curated to reflect their personal story. 

For those dreaming of a perfect winery wedding in the iconic Yarra Valley, let Rochford Wines be the canvas for your big day. With our stunning vineyard views and experienced team of dedicated wedding coordinators, we promise to make your celebration as memorable as Josh and Juliana’s.

The Dream Team:
Photographer: All My Wednesdays
Videographer: Solasta Wedding Films
Guests Candle Keepsakes: Yarra Valley Candle Company
Gelato Cart: Bianco latte Melbourne
Flowers: Flowers of Yarra Glen
Celebrant: Katie the Celebrant
Entertainment: Melbourne Entertainment Co
Accommodation: Balgownie Estate