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Welcome

Welcome

Hello to all our regular and new readers and welcome to the October edition of our newsletter. Since our last edition in August we have been busy with the start of the Spring wedding season. As usual, the Island has been blessed with beautiful sunny weather and we have had lots of memorable ceremonies both on the beaches and overlooking the ocean and of course, being whale season, at every ceremony those magnificent marine creatures have made an appearance, breaching and lolling about in the waves, much to the delight of our clients and their guests.


As I stand watching our ceremonies, the whales and the delight of everyone present, I feel very honoured to be a small part of such a happy moment and to work in such gorgeous surrounds; surely I have the best office in the world!

In this edition of our newsletter, I’ll take you on a journey through two of our recent weddings. Both very different, but each quite beautiful. That’s one of things I love about weddings on the Island; while two can be in the same place, no two are ever the same. Here at Stradbroke Weddings, we place a great deal of importance on ensuring that the individuality of each of our clients is respected and this results in a unique wedding experience for every couple.
 

We’ll also be giving you a few tips on how to plan for a stress free wedding day and tell you a little more about our ceremony coordination services – one of the most popular services we offer our clients.

Stay tuned also for an update on new items added to our hire inventory. You’ll be surprised how much you can hire through Stradbroke Party Hire. So for those do-it-yourself brides, or for those wanting some magic wand action where everything is done for them, Stradbroke Party Hire is the answer to your wedding prayers!

And for those who want even more from Stradbroke Weddings, don’t forget we’re tweeting at www.twitter.com/islandweddings Why not give us your feedback and suggestions and follow us for all the wedding action as it happens?

For those who’ve been following our Tweets, you will have noticed our online store specials that are offered exclusively to our Twitter followers.

Best regards

Jeannie
 


Expansion of our online shop

Expansion of our online shop

You've asked for it and we listened! Our new range of online products includes lots of new items to make your wedding gorgeous.

Just pop into our store and you'll find a range of beautiful paper and fabric fans. These make pretty favours for guests at ceremonies and will keep them cool throughout your celebrations.

Rice paper table lamps come in a variety of shades and shapes and we are featuring the beginning of our soon-to-be expanded range of these on our site. They make a modern and inexpensive solution to table centerpieces both for cocktail and seated receptions. Our new lantern range also features small hanging lanterns ideal for suspending above table centerpieces or as a border around your reception room. Get creative and explore the possibilities at our online store.

And don't forget, almost all items available for sale on our website are also available for hire through Stradbroke Party Hire, so call us now for a free quote on hire equipment.

Above: A range of pretty fans are just a few of our new product ranges coming online
 


Spring Lilies

Spring Lilies

When Maree, mum of the bride-to-be began assisting with wedding decoration plans, her first port of call was Stradbroke Weddings.

Originally asked to assist with design and installation of ceremony decorations only, our services grew to include not only the ceremony but pre-function drinks and canapés in the park as well as a reception decoration. Phew! It was a big day.

Married on Home Beach, the happy couple were greeted on the morning of their wedding by one of those classic, gorgeous ‘Straddie’ days. Crystal clear blue water, blue skies and the light whisper of a breeze on the beach, just to keep the heat at bay. Perfect!

Stradbroke Flowers supplied a beautiful hand-tied posie featuring a variety of coloured Asiatic and Oriental Lilies. These colours were then incorporated into the flowers at the ceremony which were placed on the bamboo and white muslin pagoda and the bamboo tripods placed down the aisle. A trail of multi-coloured petals led the guests down from the rainforest bordering the beach to the pagoda installed by the water’s edge where white chairs awaited those who wished to be seated.

Once the ceremony was over, our staff moved the tripods and the flowers from the pagoda to the festivities in the park and then on to their reception so they could enjoy them all through the celebrations. One of the tripods even followed the bride and groom to their room after the reception!

Wrote Maree after the day, “THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. It was the most picture perfect day for my daughter's wedding and everything you did for her special day just made it more special. The set up in the park, and especially on the beach. Everything just beautiful. Thank you”.

Above: Lilies themed both the bridal flowers and ceremony installation
 


Full Moon Celebrations

Full Moon Celebrations

When Alex and Tim engaged Stradbroke Weddings last year to plan and coordinate their marquee wedding, they were sure they wanted a cliff top ceremony.

Sometimes when clients book us, it feels like a long time until their big day but after working with couples for over seven years now, we know that a year or so goes by very quickly and before you know it, we’re cueing the music and directing them down the aisle. And so it was for Alex and Tim. Organised and punctual right from the beginning, Alex and Tim were a pleasure to work with and lots of fun. A good sense of humour helps in this business and makes for an enjoyable planning process.

Stradbroke Weddings booked the cliffs for Alex and Tim with a marquee reception to follow on the headland timed to coincide with the full moon. Although the weather dawned rainy on the morning of the wedding, we kept a careful watch on the satellite and were in communication with Alex and Tim to discuss logistics. As the time for the ceremony drew nearer, the decision was made to risk the weather and proceed with the ceremony on the cliffs. We had our complimentary white golf umbrellas on hand just in case the heavens did open up but fortunately, as the day wore on, the weather grew finer and by the time the ceremony began, clear blue skies greeted the bride’s arrival.

Stradbroke Weddings supplied bridal posies combining various shades of red and different textures of blooms including hand-coloured Calla Lilies, Celosia and Tulips accented with Dusty Miller foliage. These flowers were also featured on the bamboo tripods placed at the ceremony site.

Stradbroke Weddings supplied a PA for the event and managed the music throughout the ceremony. As the celebrant announced Alex and Tim husband and wife, two humpback whales began breaching just behind the cliffs much to the delight of guests. You can always rely on the whales!

Celebrations continued in the marquee on the headland with hundreds of fairy lights, candles and soft lighting to match the bridal colours sparkling through the night. Guest dined on a feast of freshly prepared cocktail canapés and the champagne flowed. 

Wrote Alex & Tim after the event, "We would just like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the wedding day you provided for us! It was great not to have to stress about the intricacies! Many people said it was the best wedding they had ever been to and we also had a few ask if we could do it again. Thanks again for making our wedding day something we will remember for the rest of our lives!"

Above: Alex & Tim steal a romantic moment in the light of the full moon
 


Is a stress-free wedding really possible?

Is a stress-free wedding really possible?

When we began Stradbroke Weddings all those years ago, wedding planning was a very new concept in Australia.

Originating in the U.S, it had been born from the need of busy professionals for assistance planning their weddings. One of the comments we frequently hear from our clients is that they never knew there was so much involved in planning even a simple wedding. And therein lies the key; a good wedding planner is there to help you simplify the process of getting married. It is certainly not our job to complicate the event or talk our clients into spending more than their budget allows. This is why we always start with our client’s budgets, from our first initial consult where we workshop your wedding ideas to our last meeting the day before your wedding, our job is to simplify each step and guide you through the process.

So, apart from hiring a wedding coordinator, what can you do to simplify your wedding plans and plan for a stress-free day? Follow these tips and we’ll have you gliding down the aisle without a grey hair in sight!

• The old saying that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail is never more true when it comes to weddings. Our advice is plan, plan, plan and plan some more. While you won’t be able to stop the little things that will happen on your day to divert you, if the big things are taken care of the small stuff won’t make you sweat.

• Keep a list of everything you need to do leading up to the day. As you work through your list, tick items off and add others on when they come to mind. That way, you won’t have to keep saying to yourself that you must remember to do so and so. Once it’s out of your head on paper, you can get down to the job of ticking it off the list

• Delegate, delegate, delegate. Call in as many favours as you can. Whilst you don’t want your family running around being slaves on the day, most won’t mind taking care of a few little jobs for you prior to the day

• Don’t stress about the things you can’t change, like the weather. All you can do is manage it on the day and if you’ve planned for all contingencies, just swing into your plan B

• Above all, have fun. You wedding day isn’t the time to worry about anything. Take a deep breath, relax and enjoy the moment

Above:  Have fun.  It's your day!
 


Christmas break

Christmas break

As we are all well aware, Christmas is fast approaching so we just want to let you know when we will be taking our annual break over the festive season. 

Our office will be closed from Wednesday the 16th of December and will reopen on Thursday the 7th of January.  For those clients whose weddings fall within this period or who have weddings shortly after in Januray, we will still be in regular contact with you and will be attending to your all your needs throughout this period.

We will be in touch individually with all our clients in late November to remind you these closure dates.

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