Tag Archives: ceremony

“You’ll wear it again, I promise” – Helpful hints for choosing your bridesmaid dresses

There are a lot of big decisions to make when planning your wedding and choosing your wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses can be one of the hardest but most enjoyable experiences. Your bridal party is made up of your nearest and dearest and you want them to feel fabulous during your wedding celebrations.

Choosing the right bridesmaid dresses will need to be done once the bridal gown has been selected. The dresses should complement and not overpower the wedding gown and this can be a fine line. By this stage you will have already chosen your main colour theme and style for your wedding. This colour should be incorporated throughout your wedding for a flow on effect; from your stationary, theming, cake and of course the bridesmaid dresses. The colour of the dresses should therefore either be the same colour used throughout the wedding style or one that complements it.

An option that’s becoming more popular is varying the dress for each of your gal pals. This can be achieved in one of two ways; with one style of dress for all of the girls but in different colours, or with each girl in their own unique dress in varied shades of the same colour palette. You could then opt to have the same shoes and bouquets for your bridal party to keep some similarity between them. This is a great way of creating a less stressful experience as your bridesmaids will then be able to incorporate their own personal style into their combination that will leave them exuding confidence.

A lot of brides still tend to turn to the same style and colour dress for the whole wedding party. This option photographs really well as the groomsmen are all in the same style of suit and each partner then matches up evenly throughout the bridal party.

By far, the best tip for choosing your bridesmaid dresses is enjoying the time with your best friends as you shop and check out lots of different options. So get the girls together with a bottle of bubbly, let the good times roll and make sure you can say seriously “You’ll wear it again, I promise”.

Plan My Wedding Sunshine Coast - Raconteur Photography

Image by Raconteur PhotographyPlan My Wedding Sunshine Coast - Matt Rowe Photography

Image by Matt Rowe Photography

SOMETHING OLD…. how to create a vintage style wedding

Getting creative with your wedding styling is half the fun but my advice is don’t get too carried
away. Pick a couple of pieces you can do yourself and then get an expert to help you. You will
need someone on the day with an eye for detail to make sure your vintage vision comes to life
and doesn’t look like a garage sale.
Vintage styling is all about the details, i have listed below some beautiful ways to add that
special vintage touch to your wedding day.

  • Vintage travel globe – if you met your partner while traveling this is a great idea. Add a
    vintage travel globe, some old maps and an old model aeroplane. It would be a great talking
    point on your gift table.
  • Time for Tea – raid your grandmothers and your aunties cupboards and see how many vintage
    tea cups and saucers you can find. It would be a lovely idea to serve guests their tea at the
    end of the night in these beautiful family heirlooms.
  • If tea is not your thing… why not a retro drinks station. Set up a table with old silver trays
    with crystal glasses and a vintage champagne ice bucket. You can have this after the
    ceremony with drinks on the lawn for guests while you are having family photos.
  • Colour choice is really important when you are trying to create a vintage style. Make sure you
    select pastels with a vintage feel – nothing worse than a bright baby pink. Your colour choice
    should have a little more dusky feel to them.
  • Old books are a great simple way to create the look you are after. You can find them at second
    hand book stores and charity shops. Make sure you get books that are old looking and the
    colour of the hard cover is important too. Add books to your centre pieces, on your gift table,
    cocktail tables with little bunches of flowers and finish them with a beautiful ribbon.
  • Beautiful keepsake – why not give all the ladies vintage hankies at the ceremony for those
    “tears of joy”. Its a lovely moment of your day.With all things stylish, less is more! Keep a clear vision in mind of what you are trying to
    achieve and just make sure you don’t just add things for the sake of adding them.

Plan My Wedding Sunshine Coast- Marion Jonkers Photography

Image by Marion Jonkers Photography

Wedding Guest List – too many people!

Guests lists are to this day still one of the hardest things to do with regard to your wedding.
As a couple you need to sit down with both your parents and work out what everyone’s
expectations are. There is no point you starting the guest list and then two months down the
track your mum says she has 6 really close family friends that just have to be invited!

  • Some things to take into account when working out your guest list…The size of your venue. If the venue only seats 90 guests then don’t invite 110 and hope they won’t all come!
  • Reception costs – know in advance what the per person price is for the venue including food, drinks, room hire charges and styling costs. It may be better to have 10 less guests and get everything that you want.
  • My general rule when adding people to your guest list is ask yourself this – have I seen them in the past 12 months and will I see them in the next 6 months? Work college is a different question – if I didn’t work at the same place would I still know this person in 12 months?

Plan My Wedding Sunshine Coast - Woodland Photography

Image by Woodland Photography

Wedding Budget – do I need one?

Unless your name is Ivana and your dad’s name is Donald…. we all need a wedding budget!
A wedding budget is not about having a cheap wedding, its about making compromises on the
things you decide are really important and the things that are less important to you. For you it
may be wedding flowers or it may be drinks at the reception every couple is different. The one
thing everyone has in common is that we have a figure that we need to work to. The trick of a
good budget is to show you where you are spending money (before you actually hand it over)
so that you can make adjustments along the way.
Keeping things realistic is the key to having a wonderful wedding, the stress of spending way
too much money will make the whole wedding planning process a nightmare (and out of those
nightmares I am sure bridezillas are born).
Your wedding budget is not set in stone, you can change it as many times as you need too.
Some of your compromises may be simple ones like still suppling drinks at the reception but
just not including the most expensive champagne and spirits.

Plan My Wedding Sunshine Coast - Ben Connolly Photography

Image by Ben Connolly Photography

 

Show the Love … How to find the right person to pronounce you husband and wife

Your wedding ceremony is the beginning of your married life and should therefore showcase the love that you and your partner share. It is undoubtedly the most important part of your wedding celebrations. Your celebrant plays a huge role in the ceremony and the overall atmosphere that it has. They should be able to help you decide what is relevant and what is not to ensure your ceremony captures both you and your partner’s desires that you may not even realise you have. The Sunshine Coast is home to an extensive and varied range of celebrants, but finding the right one could be harder than you think.

Choosing the right celebrant is a big decision as they all have their own signature style. Some celebrants are very traditional, whereas others will design a unique ceremony for you. It’s important to meet with your potential celebrant before booking anything in. You can ask the marriage celebrant at your initial consultation what you can expect from their services, this way you can get an idea as to the type and way they will present the ceremony.

When you meet the right celebrant you will find that you have a certain kind of chemistry. If you do not have this connection then they may not be the person best suited for the big day, as without it creating what it is you desire may be difficult. Your celebrant should be able to work with you as a team to ensure the overall outcome of the ceremony is exactly what you envisioned.

Your celebrant should be able to help you and your partner design a ceremony that reflects both you as a couple and individually. Your thoughts and beliefs should be embedded into the ceremony in a creative and unique way. A great way to personalise your wedding ceremony is by writing your own vows, you can talk to your celebrant to get some advice on how you can bring more intimacy into the order of service.

The right celebrant for you will be someone that you can trust to deliver a ceremony that represents both the past and future journey that you and your partner will embark on together. So take the time to find the person that will ensure that the ceremony and the order of service fulfils all of your hopes and dreams. And just like every other feature of your wedding that you plan; your ceremony is a great chance to show the love and have an amazing time doing so.

Ben Connolly - Plan My Wedding Sunshine Coast
Above images by Ben Connolly Photography

Ceremony Locations… a handy map!

Planning your wedding can be stressful…knowing where to start is the hardest part! There are so many beautiful ceremony locations on the Sunshine Coast from the Hinterland to the beach. Check out our handy ceremony locations map to help narrow down your search made by the wonderful Lou from Images By Lou O’Brien

Images By Lou O'Brien Wedding Map- Plan My Wedding Sunshine Coast