Glasshouse Venue Review

Glasshouse is an industrial wedding venue in Morningside – 10 minutes from downtown Auckland, NZ. It burst onto the wedding scene in 2018 and has been popular ever since.

When I’m not photographing weddings, I’m running my other businesses – NZ Venues (a venue guide), Auckland Weddings (a wedding guide), and Smoke (an event photography company).

So I’ve seen a lot of venues.

In this article, I’m going to share why Glasshouse is one of the best wedding venues in Auckland.

NB: all photographs by yours truly.

About Glasshouse

Glasshouse has the best of both worlds. It is a high stud, architecturally designed space in Auckland’s city fringe, yet boasts lush flora and mature trees.

Natural light floods in, making the photographer’s job a breeze.

For couples who want to be surrounded by greenery on their wedding day without asking their guests to travel too far from the city, Glasshouse is a perfect choice.

Glasshouse Capacity

For a seated dinner, Glasshouse has a capacity for 160 people.

For a standing cocktail reception, which is a popular choice for couples in 2020, it has a capacity for 350 people.

For couples who choose to have both their ceremony and reception at Glasshouse, 120 would be the maximum number of guests.

Wedding Ceremonies at Glasshouse

With such a large space, the venue can accommodate both the ceremony and reception. After the nuptials and whilst your guests are mixing and mingling, the catering team can rearrange elements of the room, removing ceremony chairs and replacing them with dining tables.

Winter Weddings at Glasshouse

Choosing a venue that accommodates the possibility of a rainy day is an important consideration in winter, and Glasshouse has you covered.

Nature is appealing year-round, but in winter in Auckland, it’s simply too cold to be outside. Glasshouse allows you to have the best of both worlds.

One advantage of having a wedding in winter is that popular vendors like Glasshouse are more likely to be available on your preferred date. Saturdays in summer are usually booked more than a year in advance for most venues and photographers, so if you’re keen to get married on the weekend in the next 12 months, an off-peak wedding date could be a perfect choice.

Wedding Planning Advice for Glasshouse

The venue is only 10 minutes from the CBD and doesn’t have its own parking, so Uber is a perfect solution for your guests.

Consider having a standing wedding reception, without a traditional dining setting. You get to spend much more time with your guests, and they get to mix and mingle with more than just whom they’d otherwise be seated with. This style is often called walk-and-fork or cocktail style.

If you do choose to have a standing wedding reception, Glasshouse can accommodate this perfectly. Be sure to get some extra furniture from Darby & Grey and create a couple of lounge areas for the comfort of your older guests.

The magic of an evening wedding ceremony is elusive in New Zealand since the temperature drops so quickly after sunset. Glasshouse is perfect for evening wedding ceremonies, so consider breaking the mold and exchange your vows after dark.

Glasshouse Wedding Photography

Glasshouse is a photographer’s dream venue, with natural light during the day, spectacular evening light, a tastefully designed space, and a carefully curated team of vendors ensuring that every Glasshouse wedding looks incredible.