Wedding Venues with Lodging in the Texas Hill Country: How a Stay-Over Wedding Weekend Works
With lodging on site, your closest people stay where everything happens, from the rehearsal to Sunday breakfast.
Most wedding weekends are spread across a venue, a hotel and a lot of driving in between. At a venue with lodging on site, the people closest to you can stay right where everything happens, from the rehearsal to Sunday breakfast.
Moonshadow Ranch is a wedding venue with lodging on site, in Burnet County in the Texas Hill Country, about 45 minutes from Austin. The ranch house has six bedrooms and sleeps 13, and the Silo sleeps four more. With four-day access, your closest people stay through the whole weekend instead of coming for one evening.
Here is how that weekend works.
How does a four-day wedding weekend flow?
Four-day access usually runs Thursday to Sunday, though it can start any day. A typical weekend looks like this:
- Thursday: vendors and drop-off. Rentals, decor and supplies arrive. Setup happens without a clock running.
- Friday: ranch house check-in and rehearsal. Your people settle in, you rehearse where the ceremony will actually happen, and nobody has to drive anywhere after the rehearsal dinner.
- Saturday: the wedding. The bridal party gets ready in the Silo, which is free on the wedding day. The ceremony can be outside with the pond behind it, and the reception is in the barn, which seats 200 at tables plus 20 on the mezzanine.
- Sunday: checkout. A slow morning, then everyone heads home.
Because the setup day isn't the wedding day, the wedding day can just be the wedding.
Who sleeps where?
Each ranch house bedroom has its own private bath, and each one suits somebody different.
| Room | Bed | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Master Bedroom | King | Whoever did the planning. Jacuzzi tub, walk-in shower, pond views, and the quietest room in the house |
| Honeymoon Suite | King | A couple who wants privacy. It sits above the detached garage, with its own entrance and a covered walkway to the house |
| Cowgirl Room | King | The guest who needs an hour alone before dinner. Upstairs and set apart from the main house |
| Fun Room | King | Kids. It has a tub and connects to the Blue Room through a walk-through door |
| Blue Room | Four-poster bed | Parents who want the kids right next door in the Fun Room |
| Flex Room | Full | Whoever needs it. Near the front door |
| The Silo | One king, one queen | The bridal party, a family of four, or the two of you |
The house sleeps 13, with six private baths, a full kitchen and a hot tub on the porch. Room by room detail and photos are on the lodging page, and we wrote more about where your out of town guests actually sleep.
Why staying over changes the weekend
Nobody drives home at midnight
The barn seats 200, and most guests will head home after the last dance. The ones staying on site just walk across the yard. There's no waiting on a ride out in the country, no deciding who's driving, and no county roads in the dark.
More time with the people who traveled
When your closest people stay on site, Friday night after the rehearsal turns into its own small party. Saturday morning is breakfast in the kitchen instead of a hotel lobby, and the people who traveled farthest get the most time with you.
A slow Sunday
Sunday is checkout day, but nobody is rushing to beat a hotel deadline. There's breakfast in the full kitchen, one more round of stories from the night before, and goodbyes that don't happen in a parking lot.
How does booking the lodging work?
Lodging is booked separately from the venue.
- The ranch house is booked on Airbnb or VRBO, where you'll find current rates and availability. Links are on the lodging page.
- The Honeymoon Suite comes with the ranch house. When the house isn't booked, it can be reserved on its own directly with us.
- The Silo is booked directly with us, and it's free on the wedding day for the bridal party to get ready. For overnight stays, contact us for current rates.
Dogs are welcome with a deposit. Let us know in advance.
Once your date is set, book the ranch house for the nights you need. That way the rooms are held for your people.
The Hill Country setting
The ranch sits in Burnet County, in the Texas Hill Country. Austin is about 45 minutes away, so it's far enough out to feel like a getaway and close enough for guests flying into Austin. Directions are on the getting here page.
Guests who arrive early or stay through Sunday have plenty to do nearby. We put together a list of things to do on a Hill Country wedding weekend.
Frequently asked questions
- Is lodging included with the venue?
- No. The ranch house is booked separately on Airbnb or VRBO, and the Silo is booked directly with us. The Silo is free on the wedding day for the bridal party to get ready.
- How many people can stay on site?
- Seventeen. The ranch house sleeps 13 across six bedrooms, and the Silo sleeps four.
- Where do the rest of our guests stay?
- There are hotels in Cedar Park, Georgetown, Burnet and Lampasas, all within about 35 minutes.
- Does the weekend have to run Thursday to Sunday?
- No. Four-day access usually runs Thursday to Sunday, but it can start any day. Day-of access, 7am to midnight, is also available.
- Can our dog stay with us?
- Yes. Dogs are welcome with a deposit. Let us know in advance.
- Can we have the ceremony and reception here?
- Yes. Both happen on the property, so nobody has to change venues. See how that works.
Plan your weekend
Send us your date and we'll send the pricing guide, including how lodging works with four-day access. Request it here, see more on our weddings page, or contact us to book a tour.