Are you ready for some beautiful, brides? Today’s post is all about oohing and aahing at the pure loveliness that is the CL Weddings and Events wedding planning pin board here on The Bride’s Tree. I’ve given you a little taste here, but you seriously need to click for more pretty, pretty, pretty! 

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Before you look over these ahmayzing photos by Bonnie Jenkins from Joy and James’ wedding at Maleny Retreat, you simply must read the story of how James proposed in Joy’s own words… 

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“It was just like a fairytale and I will treasure the memory my whole life.

James and I were on our way back to the UK for a friends wedding in Sept 2011. We decided to spend a couple of weeks driving through Northern Italy and France. James had asked if he could plan the last part of our holiday as a birthday surprise for me.

To my delight James had booked us into a gorgeous suit along the Champ Eylsees, Paris.
After a full morning of visiting all the beautiful sights the city could offer James surprised me when he said he had booked me into a day spa for an afternoon of pampering. After the spa we went back to the hotel to get ready and go out for a romantic dinner.

After dinner as James and I walked along the Seine River across from the Notre Dame Cathedral we came to bench with a lady sitting next to a huge bunch of beautiful flowers. As we got closer the lady noticed us, stood up and started playing Pachelbel’s Canon on her violin. At this stage I thought she was just another street busker. Little did I know that James had organised her to be at that very spot at 9pm. James sat me down on the bench and handed me the flowers and said ‘The flowers are for you. I also have a card for you’. I before I realised what was happening he gave me a beautiful post card of the Eiffel Tower on the front. I turned it over and read ‘Will you marry me? James xx. I gasped with surprise and delight and looked at James on bended knee with a gorgeous princess cut diamond ring. All he could manage was to mumble something close to the actual question but that didn’t matter because I was already happily nodding YES!

I remember thinking that it felt like we were the only two people in the world when I looked into James’ eyes at the moment. That was until we noticed everyone around us clapping and cheering. Nothing like an audience to snap you out of balling your eyes out!”

“No matter how organised you think you are, there will always be last minute things that need to be done. I recommend a wedding planner for all of those bits because as a bride there is only so much running around on the day that you can do before you have to sit back and have your hair and makeup done and walk down that aisle.”

“It started to shower when I was due to walk down the tree aisle but I was running a touch late (well maybe 20mins late) so it cleared by the time I was ready.”

“Having our two families and all our closest friends come together was the best thing about our wedding day. It is the best feeling when all the people you cherish are there to celebrate how much you love your partner.”

“We stayed at Maleny Retreat because there are so many beautiful views and areas to take photos and we wanted to stay close to our guests. It was so handy having the golf carts to zip around the large venue. “

Our Dream Team

Ceremony and reception location: Maleny Retreat

Photographer: Bonnie Jenkins

Wedding planner: CL Weddings and Events

Florist: Ginger Lily & Rose Floral Studio

Caterer: First Class Functions

Transport: Highland Connexion

Makeup Artist: Joy and Rachelle Barrett

Hair Stylist: Paige Schubring and Nicole Pihl

Decorations and Rentals: CL Weddings and Events

Entertainment: 16 Strings

Stationery: Kerrieanne

Dance instruction: Dance Romance

Celebrant: Lesley Forest

Wedding night accommodation: Honeymoon suite, Maleny Retreat

“We always wanted the ceremony to feel elegant and quite formal but then have a fun festival vibe to the reception so everyone could let their hair down. We wanted to avoid that ‘boring’ time between the ceremony and reception so we added fun elements like the jumping castle and giant garden games for everyone while the canapés and drinks were served.”

“We didn’t really have a theme in mind right from the start but we both really wanted our guests to enjoy themselves and have a fun and memorable time right from the minute they arrived.”

“We loved having our wedding over a whole weekend. At Maleny Retreat there was room for 54 of our guest and more with their own tents to stay a couple of nights. It meant that we got to spend more time with all our guests that had come from interstate and the UK.”

Our Wedding Secrets Revealed

Biggest splurge: Our Honeymoon. A three-month round-the-world trip to Asia, Europe and the USA

Best bargain: My dress! I saved $1000 by ordering it from a bridal boutique in the UK. I found my dream dress here in Brisbane and after doing some research I found I could get the same dress cheaper. I was lucky I had my sister-in- laws, who both live in the UK, to pick it up and send it over to me.

Bridal gown: Maggie Sottero

Accessories: Necklace from MYER

Shoes: ZU

Bridesmaid dresses: Forever New

Bridesmaids’ accessories: Lovisa and Forever New

Groom’s suit and shoes: Elio Moda Brisbane

Groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Tony Barlow, Brisbane

Rings: Xennox Diamond World and Anthony’s

Bombonieres: 

DIY: My sister and bridesmaids made metres and metres of gorgeous bunting to match my invite colours. That was my favourite small detail of the wedding. I also made the mock festival VIP lanyards for place names. James built a wooden gazebo for our guests to sit under and he also made me a giant LOVE sign. A friend made our seating plan for us to look like a music festival poster, instead of table numbers we had stage names!

“We hot and cold canapés for between the ceremony and reception and chose a banquet style for the dinner. We liked the idea of four main and sides being served on platters at different times so everyone could share and interact like a ‘family style’ meal.”

“We had so many wonderful friends and family with amazing talents help us with everything from our cake, photography, DJ, celebrant, jumping castle, setting up and decorating. We couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help.”

“We had already planned to go back to England to visit James’ parents who were unfortunately unable to make it over to Australia for the wedding. So James’s mother and sisters planned a gorgeous small church blessing and high tea reception to celebrate our marriage for all the friends and relatives that missed out on our Wedding in Australia. So we decided to get round-the-world flights and visit Singapore, Thailand, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, UK and USA over three months.”

Maleny Retreat is having an Open Day this weekend! This is a must-see venue. Details here. 

The post Real Wedding: Joy and James in a Marquee in Maleny appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

The pair dreamt of an Australian beach wedding in beautiful mid-morning light. For their Noosa wedding ceremony, they chose an incredibly beautiful spot at Casuarina Gardens, Noosa Heads, where there are also so many great spots to have idyllic photos taken. Like the ones we have here by AKA Weddings – Katja Anton Photography. We are definitely big fans! 

After the ceremony and bridal party photos, Ali and Adam travelled in style to their restaurant wedding reception at Noosa River. Rickys River Bar + Restaurant was the absolute perfect waterfront wedding venue for this loved up couple and their 102 guests to enjoy amazing food and wine. 

“We wanted a morning wedding to catch the best of a spring day and have the whole day and evening to celebrate.”

“When planning our wedding, we prioritised working together, keeping it true to our personalities, staying grounded!”

Wedding Secrets Revealed

Biggest splurge: Reception venue

Best money-saver: Using a local, family-run salon for hair and makeup

Bridal gown: Abbey Bridal

Accessories: Myer

Shoes: Alan Pinkus 

Bridesmaid dresses: Forever New 

Bridesmaids’ accessories: Myer

Groom’s suit and shoes: Studio Italia

DIY: Collection of bottles and jars for flowers and arrangement of reception flowers and invitations

Number of guests: 102

“For food we had tapas on arrival, then a two-course, modern Australian a la carte menu our guests were able to order from on the day. This was an important feature for us as we didn’t want the typical alternate drop chicken or steak. Our Guests said how great was to choose.“

“The reception venue had excellent food and great wine. Being able to offer fantastic food and drink was important to us.”

Ali & Adam’s Hand-picked Team That Made It All Happen

Photographer: AKA Weddings – Katja Anton Photography

Florist: Blooms of Noosa 

Reception Venue + Catering: Rickys River Bar + Restaurant 

Decorators: CL Weddings and Events

Cake: Cupcakes Cuisine

Transport: Limo: Noosa VIP Limousines  Boat: Noosa Dream Boats Bus: Noosa Hinterland Tours and Charters

Makeup Artist: Sophie Maffina

Hair Stylist: River Terrace Hair Studio

Celebrant: Judy Brooks – Marriage Celebrant

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I'm sure once you see the images of the beautiful venues below, you will only want to see more. So that's why you should take a lovely drive up the range today to enjoy the last day of the Maleny Montville Wedding Professionals annual bridal showcase. This collective of the best of the best wedding suppliers will help you to plan the wedding of the year! 

Below are links to all the venue reviews we shared with you this week, and once again the information you need to attend the many different showcase locations and places open for inspection today. And… the prizes you can win if you come along! 

By the way… the hinterland area is usually a few degrees cooler than the coast – just another incentive to mosey on up to see us today. 

Flaxton Gardens

Spicers Clovelly

Vue de Lumieres

House of Laurels 

Pomodoras on Obi

Make sure you come along and say hi to The Bride's Tree team at Maleny Manor today. We would love to meet you, and you could win some fabulous prizes! Last chance! 

The post Just in case you missed it… appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Right, it's the New Year, the world did not end in December 2012, so it's time to get serious about planning your wedding. We have just the way to kick off your year with some very productive researching.

On January 12-13, there is but one place you should be – at the Maleny Montville Bridal Showcase! This is your best opportunity to see all the best wedding venues in the picturesque Maleny and Montville in our Sunshine Coast hinterland. There is no more romantic place in the world, and there are no better wedding professionals than the ones you will find at the Maleny Montville Bridal Showcase. 

Chesterton Smith Photography

All of the best hinterland wedding venues will be hosting you, so over the course of the weekend, this is a brilliant time to have a good old nosy about them. 

You can still pre-register your interest in attending the showcase, specifying which venues you are most interesting in viewing, and you will gain entry into a prize draw to win $1,500 cash to spend on your wedding with the amazing Maleny Montville Wedding Professionals! 

Andrea Sproxton Photography

KJ Artistry

$1,500… think of all the ways you could put that money to great use – hair and makeup, cakes, photography, beverage package, celebrant's fees… the possibilities are endless! And let me tell you, your fiance will love you even more for shaving a bit off the cost of the wedding. Or… now, just putting this out there, but you could maybe just omit telling him and give that little bit of the budget back to your dress shopping!

CL Weddings and Events

There are also a bunch of other prizes you could win, including a cake by the incomparable Lee Berryman of Cake Designs, who is an amazing pastry chef with a wealth of experience, including having worked at Harrods of London. 

The Bride's Tree team will be stationed at Maleny Manor on the day, and we can't wait to meet all of you lovely Sunshine Coast brides! Alongside our little stall, you will find a bunch of brilliant wedding industry professionals, and many more at each of the venues showcasing over the weekend. Next week, we will be sharing with you some of these venues and the details you will need on where you can find all of the Maleny Montville Wedding Professionals you have been dying to meet. 

Maleny Manor

Photo by Calli B Photography

Bill Scurry Marriage Celebrant

 Penny Riddoch Photography

The post A Weekend of Hinterland Weddings appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

On Monday we had our lovely guest blogger, Hayley Shum of Wholehearted Studio, out thing finding again for us. In case you weren't aware, wedding stylist Hayley is on a mission to find affordable and stylish wedding favours in local boutiques. 

On Tuesday we brought you some gahmayzing fabric-inspired custom-designed wedding stationery by Stand Tall Design. We j'adore the rustic country feel in rich colours. 

Wednesday was quite exciting at The Bride's Tree HQ, as we shared a super-dooper funky styled shoot, which was held in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, and featured a number of bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses. The theme of the shoot itself was quite unique – a quirky hen's tea party! Love! 

We continued on with the quirky hen's tea party idea on Thursday by sharing a really easy cake topper DIY project. 

The end of the week seemed a perfect time to highlight one of our gorgeous galleries of images, guaranteed to inspire. This one was from Sunshine Coast wedding planners and stylists, CL Weddings and Events. 

Make sure you check out yesterday's Photo of the Week by Luke Going Photography. It's a real beauty!

Now, once you have caught up on everything we've been up to this week, if you're looking for something to do, why not join a bunch of other brides in Maleny and set a world record? Just your average Sunday on the Sunshine Coast… It's how we roll here. 

The post Just in case you missed it… appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Below are a few of our faves from this gallery, full of amazing wedding styling, but to view the awesomeness in its entirety, you'll need to click here. Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend!

The post Gallery of the Week appeared first on The Bride's Tree.