Getting Married in Wine Country

Civil ceremonies are held in the Blue Salon or, weather permitting, in the castle garden. For a church wedding, the path leads to the castle chapel in the vineyard – a peaceful place with a long history that many still regard as a place of extraordinary spiritual energy. Those looking for a more traditional setting will find it at Kapfenstein parish church just below the Schlossberg. From there, it is only a short way back to the Schloss, where the reception can begin right after the ceremony – perhaps including a celebratory round of drinks in the castle courtyard.

The wedding dinner is served in the castle dining rooms, where up to 60 guests can gather around a long table. The cuisine is creative and Styrian, regional and seasonal, accompanied by wines from the estate's own organic winery. Amid castle walls and the volcanic landscape, guests dine, raise their glasses and linger over conversation as evening gradually gives way to night. And with 16 individually designed rooms right there at the Schloss, the day does not end with the final glass, but rather winds down in the very place where it was celebrated – high above atop the castle hill.

At Schloss Gobelsburg, the ceremony and the celebration are practically side-by-side. Civil weddings can take place on the park terrace in front of the castle, in the upper garden or in the Baroque courtroom. Even the cloister cellar has served as a setting for couples to say "I do." For church weddings, the Baroque parish church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary stands directly adjacent to the castle. After the ceremony, it is only a matter of a few steps back to the courtyard, where guests are welcomed for a celebratory round of drinks. No long transfers. No interruption to the flow of the day. Ceremony, reception and festivities essentially all at a single venue.

The festivities take place wherever best suits the size and character of the wedding party. The courtroom offers a small, personal setting for up to 45 guests. The ballroom and adjoining rooms provide more space and a more open setting. From May through September, weather permitting, celebrations can also move outdoors into the garden, with space for as many as 300 guests. Then glasses are raised, dinner is served and the dancing begins – amid castle walls, vineyards, and the evening air of the Kamptal.

Wine is part of the estate, the landscape, and the flow of the day – and opens up possibilities that extend far beyond the table. Sometimes it begins with the reception, with hand-turned Schloss sparkling wine served beneath the arcades. Later, perhaps the celebration moves down into the cellar for a tasting amidst the historic vaults or a challenging wine quiz with the wedding party. Or out into the vineyards for a picnic that brings the Kamptal countryside gloriously close. At Schloss Gobelsburg, wine is not simply poured out. It accompanies the entire day. From reception to dinner, from cellar to glass.

Schloss Gobelsburg itself does not have guest rooms. Several Schlosshotels & Herrenhäuser properties are located nearby for the convenience of wedding couples and their guests, however, including Heurigenhof Bründlmayer, the Raffelsberger Hof and Hotel Richard Löwenherz. So that the wedding day does not necessarily have to end at the castle gates. Those who wish to can stay in the region, wake up between the Kamptal and Wachau, and turn the celebration into a shared weekend in wine country.

The ceremony can take place right there amidst the grapevines or in the estate's own Chapel of St. Sebastian, just a few steps away. Christoph von Firmian had the chapel built around 1450 in honor of St. Sebastian, and it was consecrated in 1475. Following an extensive restoration, it is once again used for church weddings today.

The festivities can remain deliberately small, private and personal. Schloss Englar makes its historic rooms and outdoor spaces individually available for the occasion – from the courtyard and garden to the castle interiors and vineyard. Eight uniquely appointed rooms are at the disposal of the wedding couple and their guests. So that the day can end right where it began. At the Schloss. Amidst the vineyards. In total privacy.