The Duke of Marlborough Hotel

The Perfect Bay of Islands Wedding Venue

Celebrate your wedding at a New Zealand icon in the beautiful Bay of Islands, near Paihia. The Duke of Marlborough Hotel in Russell offers a unique wedding destination where you can experience the historic charm of New Zealand’s first licensed hotel. The Duke is located on the waterfront in the heart of romantic Russell and offers a majestic Northland wedding venue for you and your guests.

The Duke’s grand ball room with ornate ceilings, chandeliers and polished wooden floor boards opens up directly onto sun filled decks overlooking the sea. The function room is filled with individually upholstered chairs seating up to 140 guests comfortably. There is also a private dining room providing an intimate ambience for smaller weddings.

With award winning chefs and restaurant managers the Duke offers exquisite cuisine and exceptional service. We meet with the bride and groom and tailor the menu and wine list to ensure a memorable celebration for you and your guests. The Duke has an on-site wedding co-ordinator with experience in planning and delivering tailor made, personalised weddings to guarantee a truly memorable day.

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What our customers say

We are so glad that we chose the Duke as our wedding venue. They absolutely exceeded our expectations. The Duke itself is a stunning venue, located at the waterfront of dazzling Russell. The functions staff was incredibly helpful, had attention to detail and accommodated all wishes we had. On the day everything was well organized and worked out fantastically! Our guests were stoked by the food - that was the best cured fish many of us had eaten. The indoors and outdoors set-up was fantastic. The staff was flexible, accommodating, kind and responsive. We loved the small, neat touches that made us feel like we were part of the Duke's tribe. We would absolutely choose the Duke again and will be glad to return. Thank you!

- Magdelena & Richard, Thursday 8th Feburary 2024,

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