A PHOTOGRAPHER’S VENUE GUIDE
NEWSTEAD
WINES
Newstead Wines is the Lund family’s 11.5-hectare wine farm in The Crags outside Plettenberg Bay, hosting one wedding at a time among its Pinot Noir vines, horse paddocks and polo field.
WEDDING VENUES • THE CRAGS • WEDDING VENUE • UPDATED 2026
01
WHY COUPLES CHOOSE IT
Why couples choose Newstead
Newstead runs one wedding at a time, fully bespoke, and it shows in how the farm receives you. This is a genuine working family wine farm, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the rows, horses in the paddocks, the Tsitsikamma mist rolling over the ridge on the right kind of morning. Both weddings I’ve photographed here felt personal in a way big venues can’t manufacture.
The farm handles the lot in-house, catering, bar, florals, planning, and the two Pinot suites in the converted barn (outdoor showers, fireplaces) mean you wake up on your own vineyard on the morning of your wedding.
01 / LOCATION
Redford Road, The Crags
02 / BEST FOR
Up to 180 (marquee 150–600)
03 / CEREMONY
Vineyard, paddocks or polo field
04 / WET WEATHER
Tasting room / marquee
05 / STAY
2 barn suites on the vineyard
06 / FOOD
In-house, fully bespoke
07 / FROM PLETT
±20 minutes
08 / STYLE
Working family wine farm
THROUGH SHARYN’S LENS
Photographing a wedding at Newstead
The Pinot rows are lower and softer than most vineyards, which lets me shoot couples within the vines rather than in front of them, an intimate frame you don’t get on grander estates. The horses are the wildcard: when the paddocks cooperate, a couple-with-horses frame against the mountains is an instant favourite.
The polo field gives the wide, flat, big-sky option, marquee weddings here feel expansive, and drone-style wides work beautifully. The mist matters too: Crags mornings can be atmospheric, so I keep getting-ready coverage flexible to catch it when it comes.
PLANNING AROUND THE LIGHT
A timeline shaped around your date.
Sunrise and sunset shift throughout the year, so there is no single perfect ceremony time at Newstead. I build each timeline around the sunset time on your actual date, the ceremony space, the weather and the soft light over the Pinot rows and the paddocks.
MAR TO SEP
March – September
The sun sits lower and golden light arrives earlier in the afternoon. Low light through the vines arrives by mid-afternoon and Crags mist can gift a soft start to the day, earlier ceremonies protect the vineyard portrait window.
OCT TO FEB
October – February
Days run long and the light stays strong late. Summer evenings run long over the polo field, a later ceremony keeps the marquee comfortable and lands portraits in the vines at their gentlest.
YOUR DATE
Your personal timeline
Once your date is confirmed, I work backwards from sunset and create a photography timeline around your ceremony, portraits and reception, with enough flexibility for weather and the unplanned moments that make the day yours.
THE RHYTHM
The shape of the day
Getting ready → Ceremony → Family photographs → Golden-hour portraits → Dinner & dancing
FLEXIBILITY
Exact times stay personal
Exact times are created for your date, never copied from a generic schedule.
ONE VENUE, MANY STORIES
Real weddings at Newstead.
Both galleries below are mine, photographed at Newstead.
CHLOE & ADAM / CEBO & DAN
“
The Pinot rows are lower and softer than most vineyards, which lets me shoot couples within the vines rather than in front of them, an intimate frame you don’t get on grander estates.
SHARYN HODGES / PHOTOGRAPHER’S VENUE NOTES
THE PRACTICAL BITS
Plan the day, keep the feeling.
Facts to reconfirm with the venue before you book, capacities and packages change.
BEST FOR
Up to 180 (marquee 150–600)
CEREMONY
Vineyard, paddocks or polo field
WET WEATHER
Tasting room / marquee
FOOD
In-house, fully bespoke
NEED TO KNOW
Before you book.
A photographer’s answers to the questions couples ask most often about Newstead Wines. Venue details and packages can change, so confirm the final information directly.
Up to 180 in the main venue, and from 150 up to around 600 in a marquee on the polo field, one wedding at a time, always.
The two Pinot suites in the converted barn sleep the couple (and a lucky pair of guests) right on the vineyard, with outdoor showers and fireplaces.
Newstead does it in-house, catering, bar, florist and event management, which keeps the day cohesive and the family’s standards on everything.
The tasting room and marquee cover the plans, and Crags weather drama tends to photograph better than it forecasts.
ALREADY IMAGINING IT?
Getting married at Newstead?
Two Newstead weddings in, I know this farm’s soft light, its horses and its moods. If the Lunds are hosting your day, I’d love to photograph it.
