Courtney & Jayden
EATONS HILL HOTEL COURTNEY & JAYDEN What can I say about this beautiful couple? Courtney and Jayden sort me out as their wedding planner soon after booking their wedding venue with Eatons Hill Hotel. As a busy family with some cute as a button children their priorities for the day were to be stress free and have everything handled for them. AMAZING! However it wasn’t an easy road for them. Due to the amazing year of 2020 we tackled postponements from life and covid but after 2 years of planning we finally made it down the aisle at Eatons Hill Hotel in 2021. And it was beautiful. THE VENUE: Eatons Hill Hotel Eatons Hill Hotel has a beautiful lakeside ceremony area with stunning gardens but due to wet weather on the day we moved to Plan B and it was absolutely stunning. Eatons Hill Hotels venue coordinator and staff were so incredibly helpful on the day, and we moved the ceremony setup into one of their large function rooms upstairs to The Hills West room and the reception area was moved from The Fig Tree Deck into The Green Room. The staff were incredibly accommodating to my couple. Thank you, Eatons Hill Hotel, you made their day so special! THE SETUP Courtney and Jayden’s colour palette was red, white and toffee with a few navy blue elements. The One Stop Wedding Shop did a beautiful job creating their ceremony setup including florals and bouquets. I cannot recommend Deb and John enough, they truly go above and beyond for their clients. THE CEREMONY Held in the Hill West Room of Eatons Hill Hotel, the ceremony was performed by the lovely Robbie. It was an extra special ceremony for her because she is a close family friend of Courtney and Jayden and she made their wedding her very last one for her career as a wedding celebrant. Such an amazing achieve Robbie. THE RECEPTION Held in The Green Room of Eatons Hill Hotel, the reception was an informal cocktail style format with a beautiful buffet spread catered by Eatons Hill Hotel. With no formalities such as speeches, first dance and cake cutting the couple spent the rest of their beautiful night mingling with friends and family and having the best day / night of their lives. Thank you Courtney and Jayden for choosing me to be apart of your wedding day. It was truly an honour to work with you and get to know you both. Wishing you every bit of happiness. Janette CLIENT REVIEW FROM OUR BEAUTIFUL COUPLE “Janette is put on this earth to be a wedding planner! Not only did she make our day so perfect, she made it completely stress free! Even on the day, I was the most relaxed I’d been during the whole process. How often do you hear of a bride having literally no stress on the day of their wedding… Janette handled everything perfectly! Including postponing our entire wedding and making so many changes to our plan when we had to change things. She even made sure everything was done and perfect while having a newborn of her own. Janette was worth every cent and more! Do yourself a favour and hire Janette! You won’t regret it.” ❤️ – Courtney and Jayden THE TEAM Wedding Planner: Olive Rose Weddings and Events Venue: Eatons Hill Hotel Photographer: LM Images Celebrant: Marry Thee – Robbie Reeman Invitations: Invitation Designs by Eliza Ceremony décor and florals: One Stop Wedding Shop Hair and Makeup: Hollywood Brides Cake: Jackie’s Cakes By Design Bridal Gown: Exquisite Gowns by Yvonne Bridesmaid Dresses: Elite Bridal and Formal Wear Congratulations Courtney & Jayden
Wedding Expenses – Top 18 Wedding Expenses You Haven’t Budgeted For
Top 18 Wedding Expenses You Haven’t Budgeted For Wedding expenses and wedding budget. The words that sends shivers down most people’s spines. But creating a wedding expense budget is something that I truly believe will set your wedding up for success and avoid those costly mistakes a lot of couples make. I know, I know … wedding expenses and budgets are not people’s favourite things to do. Hey, I get it. It’s annoying and quite frankly you’re creating a wedding budget when in most cases you have no idea how much things cost in the wedding industry. THAT IS HARD! How are you supposed to budget for items you don’t know the amounts for as well as maybe have no idea that you need something to make your wedding day a success. Below I have listed to top 18 wedding expenses I have found in my experience that couples tend to either forget or just don’t know they need for their big day. DAY OF COORDINATOR Probably one of the most important factors when setting your day up for success is a Day/Month of Coordinator. Yes, you may have a Venue Coordinator – however that is not the same thing. A mistake that a lot of couples make, that the Venue Coordinator doesn’t handle all details of their day. A Venue Coordinator only handles aspects that directly involve the venue. E.g., Catering (only if it’s inhouse), Table setup (most times doesn’t include styling or decorating). Now what does a Day/Month of Coordinator do? A Coordinator is someone who can professionally execute all of your hard work you put into planning your big day. Creating run sheets, timelines, floorplans, contacting all vendors to make sure they know the details you require on the day, coordinating setup, cueing music and festivities, plus so much more. A Coordinator understands the logistics and timings of a wedding and will personally oversee all planned festivities to create a beautifully effortless and seamless day. No matter how good anyone’s planning is something will always happen that can’t be controlled. This also means handling any wet weather arrangements. Being your first point in contact, this frees you from any stressful situations that you don’t need to be involved in on your big day. Everything will be taken care of so that you can concentrate on the important things, like getting married! VENDOR MEALS Another big element couples don’t know to add into their wedding expenses is providing a meal for their ALL DAY vendors. These are your Wedding Planners/ Coordinators, Photographers, Videographers, DJ’s, etc. Essentially vendors that have a very long shift on your day. In many cases vendors have this added in as part of their contract to be supplied a meal. But hey think of it this way, these people have gone above and beyond for you on your wedding day to make it absolutely perfect. They haven’t had lunch because they’ve been by your side. At most they have shoved a cracker or muesli bar into their face that’s been steaming away in their hot car. Look after your vendors because they most certainly have looked after you. MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE Not a big expense. It’s $50 bucks. But a lot of couples don’t realise that they are responsible after their wedding to purchase their wedding certificate online via the Government site. A fantastic celebrant will advise you of this. It’s their job to submit the legals after your day and in most cases, they will send you an email once this has been done and when and where you can purchase your marriage certificate. If in doubt, ask your celebrant. They can help. ALTERATIONS When it comes to wedding attire unfortunately one size does not fit all. Annoying I know. Generally, these alterations take place roughly one month out from your big day. Sometimes it is a small amount, other times it’s significant depending on the circumstances. Ask your bridal store for their recommendations when trying on your gown or suit. HAIR AND MAKEUP TRIALS A trial is testing out an artist’s skills to see if they can nail your Pinterest inspiration and if it suits you and your bridesmaids. Keep in mind sometimes it doesn’t work out and there might be multiple trials to get a result you want. Also factor in if you are wanting trials for your bridesmaids, flower girls, mothers, etc. While it’s not necessary (especially for the kiddies) it’s something to think about when planning your wedding expenses. BEAUTY TREATMENTS These can be any number of appointments. Tanning, waxing, eyebrow sculpting, teeth whiten, haircuts, dying your hair, skin and beauty products, nail appointments. It all adds up. Have a think of all the things you want done, because hey, treat yo self and incorporate them into your wedding expenses. DAY OF STATIONERY You’ve ordered your invitations, but have you thought about name placement cards, wedding favour tags, menus, table numbers, welcome signs, seating chart, little signs for your candy bar or dessert table to let people know that it’s gluten free. There are so many options out there. And sure, of course you don’t need it all but if you do … put it in the wedding budget. POSTAGE Another expense that people overlook. Delightful postage costs. For wedding invitations you’re generally looking at approximately $2.00 per invite. POWER & LIGHTING This is one of those things that no one thinks about. This is more for our DIY venues, for example a rural property or out in a field. You need to think about how you are going to get power and lighting and sometimes heat to your reception. This might be in a form of a heavy-duty generator. Be mindful that generators are noisy, and this might put a dampener on the evening. Overloading the power source is another thing too. I’m my experience hot water urns are notorious for shorting out the power. RUBBISH REMOVAL Again, for those DIY weddings in most cases these venues will
Planning a Wedding During Coronavirus COVID-19
Well then … where do I begin? I wanted to write this post firstly to provide couples getting married in 2020 with the tools to make the right decisions for their day when it comes to the Coronavirus COVID-19. Secondly, I wanted to spread some calm into the industry and to show couples that us as vendors are here for you. All we want is to make your day the most perfect day and we will whatever we can to do that. So, let’s take a breath … (actually do it, I feel like we all need to chill) breath in and out. Ok I think we are ready.
How to Decide Who to Invite to Your Wedding
Having a few hiccups deciding who to invite to your wedding? Whether it be your parents that are insisting you invite their friends or your partner that’s wanting to invite people you haven’t even met keep reading to see how you can cull your guest list whilst keeping everyone happy.
Top 3 Questions Wedding Photographers Get Asked
So, I’ve found all my vendors, now what? ASK YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS ABOUT YOUR TIMELINE! The wedding cake is eaten, the booze is gone, and your feet hurt from dancing… But what is left remaining are your photographic memories! So, to ensure these piccy’s are perfect in every way, let’s just take a second to talk about 3 of the main questions I get asked as a photographer! “My lover and I don’t really like photo’s being taken. Do we have to make photo’s a big deal?” Sweet! Not totally into photo’s? That’s cool! The one thing I suggest doing is googling what time the sun sets on your day and we will work backwards from there. Therefore if you’re not totally into photo’s then you want to make sure that the photo’s your wedding photographers do take are at the perfect time (while you are at it, google golden hour photo’s, you’re welcome). We want to be out taking photo’s at least 30 mins before that time of the sunset. But also remember that other factors may come into play, is it raining? Are you in a forest getting married? Is there a storm about to roll in? Here, lemme show you what I mean … Photo Credit: Smile Darling Photography This glorious couple were getting married for the second time around, while photos were still important to them, hanging out with their guests came first! So because of this, we got to sneak out just before sunset to capture them a few WOW photos for the albums and walls (and thank you cards, duh!). “What’s the best time to get married? I want to have lots of time to greet my guests but also not feel rushed for my photo’s either”. Yep! Yuck, I hate feeling rushed… But, let me talk about a few factors that come into play if you decide to have your wedding in the middle of the day/early afternoon (10am -2pm). I mean, I’m pretty good at photoshop, but I can’t edit out squinting from the sun. Is it summer? #aussiesummer #itsanofromme – Think of yourself! You are going to feel hot and sweaty outside. How long do you really want to be taking photo’s for anyway? If photos are important to you that you want ‘lots of time for’ then you want to make sure they are in some beautiful sun, not harsh! Good wedding photographers don’t need hours of your time to take good photo’s! Therefore depending on the weather/time of the year I think any wedding photographer will agree that if they could grab you for an hour of your time around the 4pm mark, we are stoked! Because any more time then an hour is a bonus for us, you will be surprised as how much we can do in an hour! Below I have placed an image of a photo taken in the early afternoon! Unfortunately, I can’t photoshop your squinting from the sun, I wish though! Its always best to say your I do’s in the afternoon or EARLY morning! Photo Credit: Smile Darling Photography “What if it’s raining on my wedding day? And what if we don’t get that golden hour light we were planning on?” Let me let you in on a little secret, raining photos/cloudy photos are even BETTER! If you are willing to get out with an umbrella (if it’s raining) I am more then stoked to capture some fun in the rain! It might not be totally ideal, but stuff it, you only get married once and they say its good luck! If it’s too dramatically pouring with rain and you don’t feel comfortable – We can talk about an undercover option for your photos AND we can also take some sweet, romantic night-time images. Your wedding photographers would need know more then 5 mins out in the weather to take some super beautiful images for your wall and album! But I don’t think my words can do rain images justice… Let me show you what I mean. Photo Credit: Smile Darling Photography After every storm comes a beautiful rainbow…Golden hour ain’t got nothing on this. Photo Credit: Smile Darling Photography Let’s just embrace the weather, it will be even better than golden hour and we can have a whole lot of fun…Just like these guys! Remember you only get married once; your images are going to be so much better if you forget there is even images being taken! Relaxed, documentary images as your day unfold are the BEST! Written by Mary Miller | Smile Darling Photography https://www.smiledarlingphotography.com.au/ I help couples plan, organise & create the wedding of their dreams. Feel free to look around my website, & keep an eye out for my FREE downloadable checklists. WANT AWESOME INFO, INSPO & ADVICE? Sign up below to our mailing list! Don’t worry, we don’t spam. Unsubscribe at anytime. 🙂 CONTACT US FOR A CHAT!
How to Keep Your Guests Cool in Summer
Dreaming of an outdoors Summer wedding? Let’s have a chat about how to keep your wedding guests cool in Summer. Summer is only just around the corner and if you live in Australia like me, well it’s pretty much Summer all year round. And because of that the last thing you want is for yourselves and your guests to be uncomfortably sweaty, dehydrated and just plain hot and bothered. So, here are some fun ideas to keep everyone happy during your beautiful Summer wedding. PLENTY OF DELICIOUS COLD DRINKS This might be an easy to figure out, logical thing to do. However, the number of Summer weddings that forget to put out cold drinks at their ceremony is just crazy. Especially for an Australian wedding. Sure, they have perhaps some beer and wine after the ceremony, but you need to remember that your guests arrive 30 minutes to an hour prior to your ceremony even starting. Therefore, have chilled bottles of water in ice buckets ready for when your guests arrive. This will be a live saver for a Summer wedding, trust me! SHADE, SHADE, SHADE! For an outdoors Summer wedding shade is a MUST. When inspecting venues check out what sort of shade or covers, they have to offer your guests before and after the ceremony. If your heart is set on a particular venue and your guests don’t have any access to shade at the ceremony, consider hiring some large café style umbrellas and setup a cocktail hour nearby. Or if huge umbrellas aren’t your style look into some cute paper parasols for your guests. I will suggest that perhaps for the ceremony, at least for the time your guests are sitting down don’t have the parasols up as this blocks the view of the other guests as well as from you and your partner seeing everyone’s smiling faces. Just a note. You can get your celebrant to announce to guests to put them down during the ceremony. BEAUTIFUL HANDHELD FANS Fans are a cute way of keeping your guests cool in Summer. They also don’t obstruct anyone’s view and don’t make any noise. Woohoo. A great idea is to utilise your fans and make them into your programs for the day. Print out your timeline onto the fans it’s always a hit with the guests. AN AMAZING ICE-CREAM CART Because there’s nothing quite as refreshing as an ice-cream on a hot Summers day. Why not hire an ice-cream cart or van for your Summer wedding cocktail hour! It’s always a huge hit with the guests and will keep everyone as cool as a cucumber. FUN SUNGLASSES Provide a basket of fun sunglasses for your guests to wear. Personally, I think this is a fantastic idea, especially the fun, crazy sunglasses for your Summer wedding. Shields your guests’ eyes from the sun and at the same time creating amazing photos for you to cherish. Weddings that I’ve been to that have done this truly have some cracking photos and the guests have a ball with them. Definitely a must in my opinion. AN AWESOME COOL DOWN STATION Having a cool down station at your Summer wedding is the best idea. You can stock it with so many fun and useful things such as sunscreen, bug spray, chilled towels, thongs, cold water in spray bottles for some refreshing cold mist. The options are endless, have some fun with it. By applying my Summer wedding tips to your day your guests will thank you and you’ll be the talk of the town. Because with all of these fun Summer wedding ideas to keep your guests cool, your guests will have a fantastic time and you’ll have the BEST DAY EVER! Happy planning, Janette xx Written by Janette Newell I Olive Rose Weddings & Events I help couples plan, organise & create the wedding of their dreams. Feel free to look around my website, & keep an eye out for my FREE downloadable checklists. WANT AWESOME INFO, INSPO & ADVICE? Sign up below to our mailing list! Don’t worry, we don’t spam. Unsubscribe at anytime. 🙂 CONTACT US FOR A CHAT!
How to Keep Your Guests Warm in Winter
Thinking of having a Winter wedding? It’s a beautiful time of year and especially in Australia, there’s less storms and no chance of sweating off your makeup or in your suit jackets. As it’s increasingly getting more popular to have weddings outdoors, I have listed below my 8 tips to keep your guests warm in winter!
3 Reasons to tie the knot on a boat
So, you’re on the hunt for the perfect wedding venue, you love the beach wedding idea but hate sand because yep it just gets everywhere! And you’re wanting to be able to wear those amazing heels that you found on Pinterest right?!. I feel your pain. So I have the perfect win win solution for you because have you thought about tying the knot on a boat? So incredibly simple and elegant but more so than often boats get overlooked and forgotten as a beautiful wedding venue. Here are my top 3 reasons you should tie the knot on a boat. 1. Perfect for small intimate weddings One of the wedding ‘trends’ at the moment is an increase of smaller intimate weddings being held. Number one, it’s cheaper. The less guests you invite, the less food, stationery and equipment, etc you need to hire. Tying the knot on a boat significantly limits how many people you can invite as they have strict regulations to how many people can safely be aboard the boat. And this also give you an excuse to give those guests who you didn’t invite. And number two, couples are not wanting either people they don’t know at their wedding or wanting to be spending all day and night going around saying hello to everyone and not actually having the time to enjoy themselves and each other. 2. Creating a memorable unique experience As boats and yachts are generally overlooked by tying the knot on a boat creates an incredible and memorable unique experience for your guests that they will be talking for years to come. That’s the main reason isn’t it … you want to impress the pants off your friends and family and to be truly proud of the event you’ve planned. Imagine cruising down the river with gorgeous skyline views, and now wouldn’t that make for perfect photos and a stunning highlights film with magical sunsets. 3. Live out your Titanic dream The great thing about tying the knot on a boat is that you’ve already picked your wedding theme without lifting a finger. The nautical theme. Grab some inspiration for your wedding photography from the Titanic and recreate that stunning scene on the bow of the ship. Also think about getting a beautiful veil or my favourite a gorgeous bridal cape!!! How amazing would that look floating in the wind behind you. If you’re needing some inspiration check out the styled shoot I created with 3 real couples on a gorgeous luxury yacht. There’s so many ideas and amazing opportunities when it comes to a tying the knot on a boat. Think of unique ways to make an entrance/exit, styling and all the gorgeous things that come with planning a wedding. Most of all think about your wedding team, who will go the lengths to create an amazing day for you and your fiancé and will fit in nicely with you and your guests. Check out my beautiful team below that helped my create the luxury yacht shoot. Happy planning, Janette xx Written by Janette Newell | Olive Rose Weddings & Events SHOOT CREDITS Planner / Stylist: Olive Rose Weddings & Events Yacht: Waterline Charters (Patriot 1) Photography: Renee Brazel Photography Cake: Cake My Day By Jo Gowns: Jordanna Regan Couture Suits: Black Jacket Suiting Florist: Miss Popsy Videographer: Mcleish Film & Media Stationery: The Rustic at Heart Jewellery: Wendy Louise Designs Hair & Makeup: Beauty By Bliss Mr & Mrs: Shamika Vilches & Joseph Muller Mrs & Mrs: Skye Ronan & Jayde Purnell Mr & Mr: Paul Morgan & Bryden Graham I help couples plan, organise & create the wedding of their dreams. Feel free to look around my website, & keep an eye out for my FREE downloadable checklists. WANT AWESOME INFO, INSPO & ADVICE? Sign up below to our mailing list! Don’t worry, we don’t spam. Unsubscribe at anytime. 🙂
How to Create a Disney Princess Wedding Without Being Tacky
We have all dreamed of a fairy tale wedding, the horse drawn carriage, beautiful settings and romantic lighting for days. I have definitely noticed an increased demand for themed weddings such as Disney and or movie related theming’s. Must be because of all of us 90’s babies coming through haha. As much as I love everything about a Disney themed wedding too much of a good thing can seriously clash and look tacky and not put together. What we are after is subtle touches to create a mood, a romantic atmosphere, which means a little less reception tables lined with figurines and collectables. Sure, it’s completely up to the couple themselves and if that’s what they like by all means go ahead. No judging here. But what I want to show you is that there’s so many beautiful ways to implement your favourite Disney movie into your special day to truly wow your guests because it’s that what we all want … to be the talk of the town. 😉 Let’s get rid of the tackiness and replace it with captivating displays and settings that would make Walt Disney proud. 😉 Let me show you one of my recent styled shoots where I brought the elements of Disney film Tangled into a romantic wedding setting. By using beautifully subtle touches of the film as elements and small details that can either be noticed by an obsessed Disney fan or be overlooked and seen as gorgeous small details of a romantic wedding setting. The vision I wanted to create is where a couple can achieve both, have their Disney wedding without the tackiness. And use the key elements of the movie in subtle ways to achieve an elegant romantic setting. Elements First thing that you’re wanting to do is figure out what elements are the highlights of the Disney movie. For example, my Tangled shoot. The elements I wanted to capture was wild overgrown landscapes, long blonde braided hair, tiara, refined royalty, elegance, lanterns as well as her signature purple and gold colourings. List as many elements as you can think of and then choose only a couple to work with. Less is always more. Because the more you try to cram in every single element the harder it is to pull it all together. Incorporate Meaning, how are you going to show off these elements in your wedding, remembering subtle touches are key. Because I wanted to capture both the overgrown and refined royalty elements, I spilt them up. The overgrown landscapes became the theming for the ceremony setting, whilst the refined royalty / elegance elements were the theming for the reception. Note, that you don’t have to shove every single element into all aspects of the day. Simple is best. You can see the overgrown elements of the ceremony being the floral ceremony arbour and the bouquet (representing the vines grown around the tower). And at the same time, we chose our ceremony location on top of a mountain surrounded by rain forests. A little tip, choose your venue with your theming in mind, as it will make is easier for you to pull together your vision. My reception styled table just oozes elegance with our crisp white stationery with gold foiling and the brass candlesticks and beautifully arranged florals. Fit for a princess. We also did keep a little overgrown element with our stunning cake for our tower. All tied up Now that you have figured out what elements you wish to incorporate into your wedding setting it’s now time for the hardest part, pulling it all together. Making sure everything you’re adding to the setting has a purpose and seamlessly blends in. We managed to get printed on top of the chocolate boxes the sun pattern and the quote ‘You are my new dream’ from the Disney movie. As generally this would be one of those ‘tacky’ features we had it printed in gold foil to match the stationery and made sure the writing and the boxes weren’t huge that it took over the table. Because they matched the stationery perfectly, they blended into the whole setting with zero effort. Most of your guests probably wouldn’t even realise that it’s a quote from the Tangled Disney movie. And this is exactly the effect you want. Disney nerds and obsessed fans will pick this up straight away (and obviously love it) and the other weirdos that don’t like Disney so much will love it as well because it’s gorgeous and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. That’s a win in my books. 😉 See below for more gorgeous pictures of our shoot. SIDE NOTE Also, just a side note. Picking the perfect team is literally the make or break for an amazing event. Without the right people to take on your vision, your vision won’t be everything you hoped it would be. I could not have pulled it off without this absolutely amazing team! Check out my team below. Happy planning, Janette xx Written by Janette Newell I Olive Rose Weddings & Events Planner / Stylist: Olive Rose Weddings & EventsVenue: Binna Burra LodgePhotographer: Heather & BloomsCake: The Sweet Society CoFlorist: Bumble & BloomChocolates: Little CocoaH&MU: Makeup & MeGown: Goddess By NatureSuit: Black Jacket SuitingStationery: Invitation Designs by ElizaJewellery: Wendy Louise DesignsRings: Love Lara JewelleryBride Model: Lauren WaltonGroom Model: Connor BaxterHexagon Arbour: Cali Collection Hire I help couples plan, organise & create the wedding of their dreams. Feel free to look around my website, & keep an eye out for me FREE downloadable checklists. WANT AWESOME INFO, INSPO & ADVICE? Sign up below to our mailing list! Don’t worry, we don’t spam. Unsubscribe at anytime. 🙂
How to Create a Beauty & the Beast Styled Wedding
Wanting a Beauty and the Beast styled wedding but not sure how to go about it whilst avoiding the tacky yellow and blue situation? We got you. 😉
My vision for our stunning Beauty and the Beast inspired styled shoot was to show couples that you can have your thirst for all things Disney quenched whilst creating a gorgeous romantic setting that will WOW your guests.