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eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality

Outer West Durban

South Africa

The Venue Shongweni

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Guests: 500

Description

If you’re dreaming of a wedding surrounded by natural beauty, The Venue Shongweni in the heart of the Shongweni Valley is a top choice. Conveniently located between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, this venue offers a peaceful, scenic setting that’s perfect for weddings of all sizes—from intimate gatherings to grand celebrations. The dedicated team at The Venue Shongweni takes a hands-on approach, working closely with you to ensure every detail is just right. Couples often highlight the warm, attentive support they receive from the hosts and staff, making your special day truly unforgettable.

Spaces and Capacity

The Venue Shongweni is designed to be flexible and accommodating. It can host up to 500 guests comfortably, making it ideal whether you’re planning a cozy ceremony or a large celebration. The expansive grounds are perfect for garden weddings, with options for both daytime and evening receptions. Whether you picture a sunlit afternoon or a magical evening under the stars, the venue’s elegant facilities will bring your vision to life.

Catering and Vendors

One of the biggest advantages of The Venue Shongweni is the freedom to choose your own caterers. This means you can tailor your menu to suit your tastes and style, ensuring your wedding feast is exactly what you want.

Key Features

Stunning views across the Shongweni Valley, providing a breathtaking backdrop for your wedding photos.
Spacious grounds that comfortably accommodate up to 500 guests.
Beautiful garden ceremony options alongside chapel-like settings.
Versatile indoor spaces perfect for both daytime and evening receptions.
Flexibility to bring in your preferred caterers for a personalized dining experience.
Secure parking available for you and your guests.
Countless photo opportunities amid the venue’s natural beauty.

Overview of The Venue Shongweni

Wedding Venue Type

City Hotel / Venue

Wedding Venue Capacity

Dining Capacity

500

Reception Capacity

500

Wedding Venue Details

Landscaped gardens

Outdoor Reception Space

In-house wedding coordinator

On-site parking

Wedding Catering

Reviews (1)

K
Kirsten & Sashni
11/04/2026
The Venue Shongweni - Very disappointing management The Venue Shongweni - Very disappointing management
Our experience with this venue was unfortunately one of the most stressful and unpleasant parts of our wedding, largely due to the owner’s attitude, behaviour and poor management throughout the process. From the very beginning a few wedding vendors and couples who had used this wedding venue had strongly cautioned us about the difficult and rude nature of the owner, Mary Lee. However, because the venue is really beautiful and our initial engagements with the owner’s son and owner felt positive we proceeded to continue with booking this wedding venue. From the beginning, pricing felt inconsistent and opportunistic. Communication was consistently rude and dismissive. To start leading up to the wedding the final details and payments needed to be made. We were quoted nearly three times the retail price for sparkling grape juice. When we questioned it, the owner bluntly stated that she normally charges triple retail. After we pushed back and suggested an alternative (Grapetizer), the price suddenly dropped to double retail—raising serious concerns about transparency and fairness. Communication was consistently rude and dismissive. When we queried why five extra tables were included in the quote, her response was sarcastic and unhelpful: “How are guests going to drink from the juice dispensers?” Instead of clarifying professionally, she made us feel like we were being unreasonable. On another occasion, when we pointed out an error in her quote, she simply responded by telling us to make payment, ignoring the mistake entirely. There were also major administrative issues. Despite already paying R30,000, she later attempted to charge us an additional R10,000 as if no payment had been made. It was incredibly stressful having to correct her financial records ourselves. On the day of the wedding, things only got worse. She initially set up fewer tables than what we had paid for, which caused confusion among our décor team and caterers just hours before the ceremony. I had to leave the groom’s room to physically count tables and request that the correct number be set up. Her response? Asking me to provide proof of payment right before walking down the aisle. This was completely unacceptable given the scale of the event and what we had already paid. Her attitude throughout the day was unnecessarily abrupt. She shouted at a bridesmaid during preparations and frequently communicated in an aggressive tone. While we respect venue rules, the manner in which they were enforced was unacceptable. Service delivery was also lacking. During canapés, 150 guests moved to the designated area, but juices were not set out as promised. She initially stated that she watches the ceremony and when its close to ending she brings out the juices, but this clearly didn’t happen. We also experienced serious technical issues. We hired professional sound technicians, and they reported electrical problems with the venue when the sound equipment experienced electrical issues. Later in the evening, the power tripped, and we were told it was an Eskom issue. However, the rest of the area and even other parts of the venue still had power. The issue was only resolved after switching off the air coolers and running on a generator—strongly suggesting an internal electrical fault. Unfortunately, they took very long to bring the power back and guests had already started leaving. Speaking of air coolers, after agreeing to pay an additional R4,000 for them, the owner sent a voice note demanding immediate proof of payment and threatening not to set them up otherwise. Yet again the tone of this message was disrespectful. This kind of pressure and tone was completely inappropriate. " kindly send proof of payment" would suffice. The aisle for the ceremony where the bridal party walks down. Unfortunately the bushes weren't completely trimmed forcing my bride and her father to step around it. We had some great vendors namely the sound team. The sound team needed an additional table for the ceremony setup. They asked the venue for a table and the venue charged the sound team directly. I find it completely disrespectful that they would charge our vendors directly instead of contacting me for approval. Especially since the sound vendor was a friend to us. The venue has a strict no alcohol allowed if it is not purchased from the venue. Which is fine but this is the crazy part the owner directly approached some of our guests to question them to find out whether they were drinking their own alcohol. Imagine that. We find this completely inappropriate. If you use this venue please tell the owner they cannot direct approach your guests. Upon leaving the wedding venue. Feeling hurt and despondent because of how the owner treated us, we were still excited that we just got married and we were on our way to our hotel. At that point she decides to send a whatsapp advising she has camera footage that some of our guests were consuming alcohol in the parking. I understand that its a breach of the policy but why did she think at 22:30pm on my wedding night its appropriate to whatsapp me to tell me that. I think a proper business would send an email a few days later. Completely insensitive timing and unnecessary stress after an already difficult day. Overall, the venue itself may be beautiful, but the owner’s behavior, lack of professionalism, and poor coordination made the experience extremely disappointing. A wedding day should be joyful and smooth—not filled with conflict, stress, and constant confrontation. We would strongly advise future couples to proceed with caution when choosing this venue.Our experience with this venue was unfortunately one of the most stressful and unpleasant parts of our wedding, largely due to the owner’s attitude, behaviour and poor management throughout the process. From the very beginning a few wedding vendors and couples who had used this wedding venue had strongly cautioned us about the difficult and rude nature of the owner, Mary Lee. However, because the venue is really beautiful and our initial engagements with the owner’s son and owner felt positive we proceeded to continue with booking this wedding venue. From the beginning, pricing felt inconsistent and opportunistic. Communication was consistently rude and dismissive. To start leading up to the wedding the final details and payments needed to be made. We were quoted nearly three times the retail price for sparkling grape juice. When we questioned it, the owner bluntly stated that she normally charges triple retail. After we pushed back and suggested an alternative (Grapetizer), the price suddenly dropped to double retail—raising serious concerns about transparency and fairness. Communication was consistently rude and dismissive. When we queried why five extra tables were included in the quote, her response was sarcastic and unhelpful: “How are guests going to drink from the juice dispensers?” Instead of clarifying professionally, she made us feel like we were being unreasonable. On another occasion, when we pointed out an error in her quote, she simply responded by telling us to make payment, ignoring the mistake entirely. There were also major administrative issues. Despite already paying R30,000, she later attempted to charge us an additional R10,000 as if no payment had been made. It was incredibly stressful having to correct her financial records ourselves. On the day of the wedding, things only got worse. She initially set up fewer tables than what we had paid for, which caused confusion among our décor team and caterers just hours before the ceremony. I had to leave the groom’s room to physically count tables and request that the correct number be set up. Her response? Asking me to provide proof of payment right before walking down the aisle. This was completely unacceptable given the scale of the event and what we had already paid. Her attitude throughout the day was unnecessarily abrupt. She shouted at a bridesmaid during preparations and frequently communicated in an aggressive tone. While we respect venue rules, the manner in which they were enforced was unacceptable. Service delivery was also lacking. During canapés, 150 guests moved to the designated area, but juices were not set out as promised. She initially stated that she watches the ceremony and when its close to ending she brings out the juices, but this clearly didn’t happen. We also experienced serious technical issues. We hired professional sound technicians, and they reported electrical problems with the venue when the sound equipment experienced electrical issues. Later in the evening, the power tripped, and we were told it was an Eskom issue. However, the rest of the area and even other parts of the venue still had power. The issue was only resolved after switching off the air coolers and running on a generator—strongly suggesting an internal electrical fault. Unfortunately, they took very long to bring the power back and guests had already started leaving. Speaking of air coolers, after agreeing to pay an additional R4,000 for them, the owner sent a voice note demanding immediate proof of payment and threatening not to set them up otherwise. Yet again the tone of this message was disrespectful. This kind of pressure and tone was completely inappropriate. " kindly send proof of payment" would suffice. The aisle for the ceremony where the bridal party walks down. Unfortunately the bushes weren't completely trimmed forcing my bride and her father to step around it. We had some great vendors namely the sound team. The sound team needed an additional table for the ceremony setup. They asked the venue for a table and the venue charged the sound team directly. I find it completely disrespectful that they would charge our vendors directly instead of contacting me for approval. Especially since the sound vendor was a friend to us. The venue has a strict no alcohol allowed if it is not purchased from the venue. Which is fine but this is the crazy part the owner directly approached some of our guests to question them to find out whether they were drinking their own alcohol. Imagine that. We find this completely inappropriate. If you use this venue please tell the owner they cannot direct approach your guests. Upon leaving the wedding venue. Feeling hurt and despondent because of how the owner treated us, we were still excited that we just got married and we were on our way to our hotel. At that point she decides to send a whatsapp advising she has camera footage that some of our guests were consuming alcohol in the parking. I understand that its a breach of the policy but why did she think at 22:30pm on my wedding night its appropriate to whatsapp me to tell me that. I think a proper business would send an email a few days later. Completely insensitive timing and unnecessary stress after an already difficult day. Overall, the venue itself may be beautiful, but the owner’s behavior, lack of professionalism, and poor coordination made the experience extremely disappointing. A wedding day should be joyful and smooth—not filled with conflict, stress, and constant confrontation. We would strongly advise future couples to proceed with caution when choosing this venue.