Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Gardens is home to Australia’s oldest and most famous hedge maze, a circular rose maze and gardens that change character through the year. The estate covers 25 acres of Red Hill ground, and for 2026 and 2027 it is also a wedding venue with a dedicated events partner running the celebrations inside it.

Ever After Effect has partnered with Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Gardens to host weddings inside its grounds, and that partnership covers the 2026 and 2027 wedding seasons. If you are planning an Ashcombe Gardens wedding for 2026, here is what the day looks like, how the planning runs and what to ask before you commit.

What Makes Ashcombe Gardens Stand Out

Ashcombe describes itself in simple terms: not a venue so much as an atmosphere. A little bit whimsical, completely unforgettable. The gardens carry a blend of natural beauty and refined hospitality, with maze walls that curve into quiet corners, rose hedges, and lavender filling the air before it comes into view.

That combination matters for a wedding. Many couples want a garden setting but end up with a patch of lawn beside a car park. At Ashcombe, the greenery is the venue. Guests arrive into a landscape that has been shaped and cared for over a long time, and the ceremony, photographs and reception all sit inside it rather than alongside it.

Ceremony and Reception in One Location

Ashcombe suits couples who want the whole wedding day in one place. You can hold your ceremony in the grounds and then move into a seated marquee reception for between 100 and 300 guests, without anyone driving between venues or waiting through a gap between the vows and the party.

The one-location format changes how the day flows. Guests can wander the gardens during canapés instead of standing in a function room. Photos happen in the same landscape your ceremony just took place in, so the light and the backdrop stay consistent. Speeches, dinner and dancing all happen within a short walk of where you were married.

The Exclusive Partnership for 2026 and 2027

Ever After Effect announced its partnership with Ashcombe in late November 2025, with the gardens joining the group’s stable of venues for the 2026 and 2027 wedding seasons. The partnership is exclusive, which means weddings held at Ashcombe are run by the Ever After Effect team.

For couples who already know and love Ashcombe as a place to visit, that is the point. The gardens they have walked through on a Sunday afternoon are now available for a ceremony and a marquee celebration, with the same team handling planning, food, photography and florals rather than a string of separate suppliers being stitched together.

Food and Wine at an Ashcombe Gardens Wedding

Catering at Ashcombe comes through The Epicurean Group, which shares ownership with the Ever After Effect team. That means the kitchen is not an outside contractor turning up on the day with a set menu. Menus are built alongside your planning, with shared feasts, Mornington Peninsula produce, regional wine pairings, live food stations and wood-fired late-night moments all part of how the group cooks.

This is the part guests talk about afterwards. Food is how people remember how a day felt, and a long shared table with plates being passed around does more for atmosphere than a plated service nobody notices. Dietary requirements, children’s meals and service timing are sorted in the same conversation as your run sheet, because the same team handles both.

Photography, Flowers and Coordination From One Team

Ever After Effect offers photography and videography packages with co-founder Cassandra Catic, who also leads the creative direction for the brand and for each couple’s vision. Florals sit with the same house, so the arrangements match the setting instead of competing with it. Leah Regan leads operations and catering alongside The Epicurean Group.

The practical benefit is fewer moving parts. When the person photographing your ceremony is also across the timeline, they know when the light falls across the maze and when the marquee doors open. When the florist works with the caterer, table settings and food styling are planned together. One team, one vision, one experience.

Building a Planning Timeline for 2026

A garden wedding on the Mornington Peninsula has a rhythm to it, and working with it early removes most of the stress later. A sensible sequence looks roughly like this.

Twelve Months Before

Settle your guest list and your overall budget range, then enquire. The wedding brochure goes out automatically to couples who make contact, and it is worth reading before your first conversation so you arrive with informed questions. Choose your season with the gardens in mind, since the grounds look and feel different at different times of year, and secure your ceremony and reception at Ashcombe as a single booking.

Six Months Before

Work through your menu direction with The Epicurean Group and confirm your photography, videography and floral packages. Decide the shape of your ceremony: who is walking, who is speaking, how long you want it to run. Start thinking about how guests will travel to Shoreham and whether you want to extend the celebration across a weekend on the Peninsula.

The Final Two Months

Lock in final numbers, finalise your run sheet and confirm your wet weather plan, since an outdoor ceremony needs a rain option even in a Victorian summer. Send your suppliers the timeline. Walk your coordinator through anything that needs to happen on the day, and then hand it over, which is what the coordination part of the service is for.

Practical Details for Guests and Couples

Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Gardens is at 15 Shoreham Rd, Shoreham VIC 3916 on the Mornington Peninsula. The gardens are open to visitors Thursday to Monday, 10am to 5pm, and the phone number for general enquiries is (03) 5989 8387. Opening hours can change with the season, so confirm current visitor details directly before you plan a site visit.

Because a seated marquee wedding at Ashcombe accommodates 100 to 300 guests, it suits larger celebrations as comfortably as it suits intimate ones. Most couples travelling to the Peninsula will be coming from Melbourne, so build travel time into your invitations and consider how guests will get home at the end of the night.

What to Ask on Your First Call

A short list of questions will tell you quickly whether Ashcombe fits what you have in mind.

• How does the marquee floor plan work for a guest list at our number?
• Which parts of the garden are available for photos at the time of year we are marrying?
• How does The Epicurean Group handle allergies, dietary requirements and children’s meals?
• Can photography, videography and florals be bundled into our package?
• What is the wet weather plan for a garden ceremony?
• What does the run of the day look like from guest arrival to the last dance?

Frequently Asked Questions

How many guests can Ashcombe Gardens host for a wedding?

Ashcombe hosts seated marquee weddings for between 100 and 300 guests. That range suits large celebrations while still leaving room for a dance floor, a bar and space between tables. If your guest list sits at either end of that range, raise it early in your enquiry so the team can talk through floor plans before you lock in a date.

Can we hold our ceremony and reception at Ashcombe Gardens?

Yes. Ashcombe is set up for couples who want their entire wedding day in one location. You can marry inside the grounds and then move into the marquee for the reception, which means no convoy of cars and no awkward gap between the ceremony and the celebration. Guests can wander the gardens during canapés.

Who caters weddings at Ashcombe Gardens?

Catering comes through The Epicurean Group, the hospitality team behind Ever After Effect’s food offering. Menus are built around shared feasts, Mornington Peninsula produce, regional wine pairings, live food stations and late-night wood-fired moments. Because the kitchen and the planning team sit together, dietary requirements and service timing are handled in one conversation rather than passed between suppliers.

When should we book a 2026 wedding at Ashcombe Gardens?

Bookings for 2026 and 2027 are open, and popular garden wedding dates tend to fill once a venue partnership is announced. Twelve months ahead gives you the widest choice of dates and the best pick of suppliers. If you are working with a shorter runway, enquire anyway, because midweek and shoulder-season dates often stay available longer.

Where is Ashcombe Gardens located?

Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Gardens sits at 15 Shoreham Rd, Shoreham VIC 3916, on the Mornington Peninsula. The gardens are open to visitors Thursday to Monday, 10am to 5pm, and general enquiries can be made on (03) 5989 8387. Opening hours can shift with the season, so confirm current details before you travel down.