Wedding planning

  • Courtney & Jayden

    EATONS HILL HOTEL

    COURTNEY & JAYDEN

    Eatons Hill Hotel - Bride and Groom

    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!

    Eatons Hill Hotel - Bride and Groom

    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. 

    Eatons Hill Hotel - Bride and Groom

    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

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  • Wedding Expenses – Top 18 Wedding Expenses You Haven’t Budgeted For

    Top 18 Wedding Expenses You Haven't Budgeted For

    Brisbane Event Planner | Styled Table

    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.

    Brisbane Wedding Planner | Indian Bride and Groom holding magic lamp with smoke coming out of it

    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.

    Brisbane Event Planner | 2 sets of hands holding magic lamp

    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 either charge for rubbish removal or outline in their contract that you the couple must be responsible for removing rubbish off the premises. This also might mean you’ll have to purchase bin bags etc.

    Brisbane Wedding Planner | Indian bride and groom with camel

    BRIDAL PARTY GIFTS

    Deciding whether or not to give gifts to your bridal party is totally up to the couple. Depending on how many people you have in your bridal party this may get slightly expensive for some. Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Parents, Grandparents, other significant others as well as gifts for each other to present on your wedding day.

    BRIDAL PARTY MEALS

    Don’t forget to feed your crew! Brides and Bridesmaids are getting up early in the morning to get ready will need breakfast, snacks and lunch. The boys generally speaking have a little more free time but definitely need to be fed as well. Think of it this way, you and your bridal party don’t get to eat until 6pm. I always like to suggest to my couples that a grazing board or picnic basket is prepared for the bridal party when you go out for your photos after the ceremony.

    BRIDAL ACCESSORIES

    This includes jewellery, hair pieces, hair extensions, shoes, bag / clutch, undergarments, this almost might include purchasing your bridesmaids’ accessories too if that’s what you are wanting to do.

    HOTEL ROOM – FOR THE NIGHT BEFORE

    People always remember to book accommodation for the night of the wedding but seem to forget they need accommodation to get ready in. Some couples like to do this at home or a family members premises. Just keep in mind it needs to be a place big enough for all people involved including your vendors and it needs to have good lighting for your Hair and Makeup artists and Photographers/Videographers.

    Indian Bride close up

    PA SYSTEM / AUDIO

    In most cases celebrants have their own PA system to use at the ceremony that (usually) allows for music from a Bluetooth device to be played through the system. This will be a conversation you will need to have with your celebrant. If they don’t have one, yep you guested it, put it in your wedding expenses.

    THE HEAD COUNT

    It’s so funny how many couples that I have worked with that forget to add themselves into the head count. The most important people on the day who are 100% going sometimes get forgotten. Make sure you are adding yourself and your partner into the guest numbers.

    UNEXPECTED GUESTS

    Oh, those delightful guests that just randomly show up. Unfortunately, this does happen. But in most cases, it could have been avoided. Their RSVP got lost in the mail, perhaps you made a mistake on your count, or just forgot to mark them down as a yes. Double checking with those who you either haven’t heard from or have ticked no is ideal when confirming your final guest numbers. Also mentioning that kids aren’t invited, or they don’t have a plus one to avoid confusion on the day.

    THE UNEXPECTED

    There are just some things you can’t anticipate or expect. I like to allow for a 2% buffer on your wedding expenses budget for these random items you may have forgotten or unexpected additions that need to be purchased. Things happen, it’s better to be prepared.

    Brisbane Event Planner | Indian Bride and Groom laughing

    PHOTO CREDITS: 

    Concept/Planner/Stylist: Olive Rose Weddings & Events
    Venue: Summerland Camels
    Photographer: Smile Darling Photography
    Videographer: McLeish Film & Media
    Cake: The Sweet Society Co
    Celebrant: Married By Hannah Lea
    Florist / Ceremony Décor: Emunah Events
    Reception Decor: Berry Vintage Hire
    H&MU: Blush’d Brides
    Gown / Jewellery: Sajawat Couture
    Stationery: Elefont Stationery 
    Models: Dress Your Inner Self Mannu Kala
    Henna Artist: Sharmeen Thomas Official
    Evie the Camel
    Featured on To The Aisle Australia

    CLICK TO READ MORE

  • 10 Hacks to Make Planning Your Wedding a Breeze

    Planning a wedding can be a stressful time for both you and your partner … but it doesn’t have to be!!! Check out my easy to implement wedding hacks to make planning your wedding that little bit easier.

    BRIDAL EXPOS

    • Create and print out your own sign up form! THIS WILL BE THE GREATEST THING YOU EVER DO!!! Print and cut out your details including *** Your name, Email, Phone number and wedding date. Most vendors will have draws and competitions instead of writing your details over and over and over just use these pre-filled out entry forms!!! GENIUS RIGHT!!!! If you only do one thing from my list of 6 make it this! This will save you hand and your sanity.
    • Create a specific wedding email address so that all your wedding information is in one place. This is such a great idea! It’s free to setup another email so why wouldn’t you. No need to sift through a million emails to find your wedding things. Make it cute like mrandmrsstafford@—- or jenandstandswedding@—- or weddingofthecentury@—-.

    Have fun with it. I also recommend creating folders within your new email address and label them for each service (Wedding Planner, Celebrant, Venue, Etc) so that later on when you need to find a particular email it couldn’t be easier. 😉

    RSVP CARDS

    • On your RSVP cards, put a space for your guests to request a song. This way you will know what your guests want to hear and they will get excited when their song comes on!
    • Number your RSVP cards so you can easily see at a glance if you’re missing any.

    BUDGETING

    • Weddings can be extremely expensive and can get seriously out of hand when you don’t keep to your budget!

    Firstly, work out how much you are willing to spend on your wedding. Secondly, can you afford it? Do you need a longer engagement to save the money, or are your parents chipping in? These questions need to be answered before you start planning your wedding.

    If other parties are willing to help pay, organise a chat with them regarding how much they are willing to pay. Or perhaps delegate certain aspects of the wedding each party can pay for. E.g. Reception catering, bar tab, etc.

    Once a plan of attack has been made create a budget spreadsheet and keep those (if any) helping pay for your wedding updated with expenses. This will avoid any surprise payments at the last minute.

    BE PREPARED

    • Create a Plan B for unexpected weather. I could not recommend this any higher. If you don’t have a Plan B chances are everything that could go wrong will go wrong. So you need to be super organised and on top of this. Talk to your planner or coordinator to discuss a wet weather plan. And to be perfectly honest … wet weather weddings are my all time favourite and they make for STUNNING photos with a chance of a rainbow. Amazing.
    • Create an emergency kit! This is super fun to create and why not make it a fun scavenger hunt between you and your bridal party!!! (Wishing now I did this with my girls). This kit should enclose important lists and schedules for your day as well as health, beauty, sewing, items as well as anything you can think of. Try searching Pinterest for lists you can use.  

    THE DRESS

    • Make sure someone in your bridal party knows how to strap you in and bustle your dress

    This comes in under being prepared but really needs its own section. No point on buying the most beautiful dress in the world and not having a single person that knows how to strap you in or bustle your dress after the ceremony. I suggest taking your mother and one of your bridesmaids to your fitting to learn how to do these 2 things. Don’t just rely on a safety pin and your girls knowledge of wedding dresses.

    • Get your seamstress to add a bustle to your gown. If you’re like me and can’t stand the thought of buying an expensive dress only to have to buy a second one for the reception so you can dance in it! Crazy right! By getting your seamstress to sew a hook or button into your gown allows you to hook the bottom of your train up to the lower outside back part of your gown so that it’s lifted off the floor and you can dance the night away.

    PAWFECT ATTIRE

    • When dressing up your pet for your wedding you to make sure what they are wearing is not constricting or distracting for them. You want to make sure they are comfortable and not irritated. We suggest a floral collar or bow tie which can be situated behind the head or under the chin, this also reduces the chance of them pulling it off before the ceremony. Be mindful that clothing will often result in overheating your precious pet especially in Summer.

    Just remember you can’t control everything! And if something goes wrong it’s not the end of the world and in most cases, can be fixed without any issues. But if something really bad goes wrong, well you’ll have a fantastic story to tell for years to come. If your smiling the whole world will smile with you. Have a fantastic day and just relax and enjoy all the things we take for granted because it’s your day to shine and sparkle. You deserve it.

    Written by Janette Newell      I     Event Planner of Olive Rose Weddings & Events

    About the Author:

    “My passion for weddings showed itself to me when my handsome husband proposed to me. I had always loved weddings but had no idea of all the little details that tied such a beautiful day together.

    This is when the obsession started.

    I will tell you now Pinterest will be your best & worst friend! There’s so many amazing ideas that it can become a little overwhelming. That’s where I come in. Let me help you blend all your stunning ideas and dreams to make a day not to forget.” Janette Newell


    Janette I Brisbane Wedding Planner 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. 

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