Rachel and Chris first met in her workplace, but struck up a courtship online before meeting and falling in love. Their journey has been what some might call unconventional (but really, what are conventions these days?) The beautiful upshot of that is, their gorgeous baby girl got to share in their wedding day! 

Rachel has kindly shared her wedding planning story with us… 

The Proposal

We were away for our birthday weekend at the Treehouses in Montville and I was 20 weeks pregnant. On the day Chris proposed we had our 20 week scan and found out we were having a … Girl! Chris was really quiet on the way home and I thought maybe he was wondering how he will cope with a mini me! When we got back to our treehouse, Chris gave me a book he had made with all the things he loves about me, and the last page said ‘will you marry me’.

Biggest Wedding-planning Priority

We wanted it to be a smooth sailing as possible – especially with a 1 year old. So picking a venue that could handle everything for us on the day was my number one, and also amazing flowers. We had booked everything 12 months before we got married and once we locked something in we never looked back at it.

Images by Julian Beattie

White on White Wedding Style 

 I didn’t really have a plan for our colour theme or anything. The girls dresses were originally navy but they had to change so when I picked white the flowers and styling just followed.

Stand-out Suppliers

Willow Bud, because Sandi is a dream and her team went above and beyond. Sandi was the florist for our friends wedding two years prior so I knew her work would be amazing. Flaxton Gardens, as everything went exactly how we discussed. Suzanne Riley (celebrant) made our ceremony flow and brought an amazing presence with her.

Advice For Other Engaged Couples

Trust in the suppliers you have picked as they have a lot of knowledge and experience. Try not to overthink the small things and don’t stress if things don’t go exactly to plan due to weather etc as sometimes the alternative is exactly what you always wanted.

What the Future Holds

We want to enjoy family time And spend time with our daughter, Halle. We did things backwards and already have the house and had a baby, so now we get to enjoy all those things together.

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: Flowers! I trusted Sandi from Willow Bud, and new she would do an amazing job.

Best bargain: I got our invitations off Etsy and printed and cut them myself. 

Bridal gown: LUV Bridal

Earrings: Etsy

Shoes: Country Road

Groom’s and groomsmen’s suits: Politix

Tie: OTAA

Groom’s shoes: RM Williams

Bridesmaids’ dresses: Forever New

Honeymoon: We haven’t had a honeymoon yet. We wanted to wait until our daughter was older but now Corona (Covid-19).

Number of guests: 70

Photography: Julian Beattie | Venue: Flaxton Gardens | Florist: Willow Bud | Cake: Chocolate2Chilli | Transport: Champers Rolls Royce Hire | Makeup artist: Makeup by Tihanna | Stationery: Etsy | Celebrant: Suzanne Riley Marriage Celebrant

Thank you for supporting our A-list Vendors below, who were part of Rachel + Chris’ wedding in the hinterland…

https://www.thebridestree.com.au/vendors/celebrants/suzanne-riley-marriage-celebrant-2/

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It seems Julie and Wernher’s wedding was fated to be held at hinterland wedding venue, Flaxton Gardens since back in their first year of dating they noted it would be the perfect place to say I Do.

This couple made sure they stayed very true to themselves – and their budget – in planning their wedding. Even though it was often tempting to stray from the plan! One thing they were firm on after meeting him at a wedding expo was that Sunshine Coast photographer, Matt Rowe, was the photographer whose talents they wanted to have capture their big day. 

There was rain on the day, but Julie and her bridesmaids were well prepared with the coolest mauve gumboots they found in a very surprising place! 

Julie was kind enough to share more of her wedding planning story and all her best tips with us, so read on…

Biggest Wedding-planning Challenge

“Looking at too many options and starting to enjoy going – “oh we could do this” and then having to be realistic with budget.”

The Location

“We had a weekend away within our first year of dating for Wernher’s birthday. We did a lovely evening out for dinner at Flaxton Gardens , and loved the food and ambience. We stood outside the gazebo and a comment was made that it would be a lovely place to have a wedding.”

The Proposal

“After Wernher was away for a week due to work, we got a deal for a night away. It was a lovely place up the mountains with amazing views. After enjoying a sparkling wine overlooking the mountains, we went to get ready for a nice dinner out. Wernher handed me a treasure chest and said that I didn’t have on all my jewellery. Inside was the ring box holding the engagement ring. The kind, lovely (and yet horrible) man decided to wait until it was between the typical “perfect” moments to ensure I was not expecting it – and he succeeded!”

Images by Matt Rowe Photography 

Why Wernher is The One 

“He is my other half. He is very easy going and can deal with me when I am crabby or antisocial. He is a home body like me and always appreciates the small things I do. He talks to me about big or little things and will always take the time to listen.”

Our Next Adventure

“Household projects – there are a few things we want to do around the house starting with landscaping the backyard.”

Something We’ll Never Forget! 

“Nearly forgetting to sign the marriage licence! We held the ceremony outside and just managed to get through the ceremony (with creative shuffling from our celebrant, Toni Collett) before it started to rain. About halfway through she made the wise decision we would do everything outside for ceremony, but officially signing would be indoors due to weather. By the time we headed inside we started getting all the congratulations from family and friends and were moved around. It was close, but we did the official part of the wedding signing…eventually!”

Advice for Future Brides

Work out what you both want from the get go otherwise others will influences you. Ensure that whoever is doing the majority of the planning – include influences from the other partner -and give them a dedicated job. Ensure that if you are not an organised person – have someone who is. Both as a planner for the day and for getting things done. Having people (not family or friends) organising set up and pack down is amazing and saves you having to do 20 things on your day. Lastly have fun and don’t sweat the small things.”

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: “Photography! We knew at the end of the day – all that would be left (beside the marriage) was memories and photos. We wanted the best, and we got it! Matt was amazing with photos -very easy going and professional and made me feel comfortable right off the bat.”

Best money-saver: “Emailing save the dates and invitations. Most of our guests had to fly in and a lot were from overseas so posting (and having the time to get everyone’s updated addresses) was not something we wanted to do.”

Bride’s dress: LUV Bridal 

Accessories: Veil was borrowed from a friend and my belt broach was a family heirloom. 

Shoes: David Jones shoes for ceremony, Aldi gumboots for location.

Groom and groomsmen’s attire: Ed Harry

Bridesmaids’ dresses: Sentani Boutique

Bridesmaids’ faux fur stoles: Forever New

Bridesmaids’ shoes: Myer + gumboots from Aldi 

DIY: Menus and seating chart. 

Honeymoon: We went on holiday to Europe before the wedding and afterwards we had so many family members from overseas so spent time with them.

Number of guests: 55

Wedding budget: $25,000

Actual cost of wedding: $26,500

Photographer: Matt Rowe Photography | Venue + wedding planning: Flaxton Gardens | Florist: Willow Bud | Cheese Wheel Cake: Maleny and Co. Fromagerie | Dessert table: Zoë Clark Cakes | Bomboniere: Chopsticks from Etsy | Transport: Mystic Mountain Tours | Hair: Hair 4 Brides | Makeup: Makeup 4 Brides | Entertainment: Graham Hobson | Dance instruction: Rhythm & Dance Attitude | Celebrant: Toni Collett – Celebrant | Wedding night accommodation: Airbnb 

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Brisbane couple Amy and Duncan can’t fault their hinterland wedding at specialised venue, Flaxton Gardens. Their elegant wedding fashion and styling incorporated rich burgundy florals as a standout feature, bringing colour and romanticism into the mix, ideally suited to the lush winery location.

The bridesmaids wore chic navy gowns, while the bride and groom were dressed in classic sleek black and modestly embellished white for a timeless wedding style. 

The Location

“It is such a beautiful spot. And the Sunshine coast Hinterlands reminds us of where we grew up. Also a lot of our guests travelled from interstate so it is close to an airport, with lots of accommodation nearby. Mariana and the team at Flaxton Gardens were so great to work with.”

Dream Team 

“Everyone was amazing!  My florist Sandi from Willow Bud created the most beautiful flowers and was so fun to work with! Emma Nayler, our photographer, really worked her magic on the day and really made us feel so relaxed. And my dream team in the morning Sally Townsend Makeup Artistry and Evalyn Parsons did everything so perfectly and made my morning so easy and calm! All of these suppliers listened to what we wanted and really looked after us!” 

Wouldn’t change a thing… 

“For all the world I wouldn’t change doing everything we wanted, a wedding is a big expense but to us it was worth it. There is no feeling of, ‘oh I wish I did this.’ It’s such a special time in your life. We had the best day.”

Images by Emma Nayler Photographer 

The Proposal

“I had organised a birthday party for Duncan with a friend of ours, and as Duncan nervously cut into his birthday cake, he pulled out a little black box with a ring inside, I was very surprised and of course said yes!”

I’ll never forget…

“Arriving at the ceremony and feeling a mix of both excitement and nerves. Then seeing Duncan and feeling so so happy to be marrying him in front of our family and friends, they all mean so much to us. The love you feel on the day is incredible. “

Wedding Secrets

We splurged on: Having Emily Marguerite play at our Ceremony, she is such a talented musician and did such a great job.

Money-saving decision: Doing our own bombonnieres, but they ended up costing us more.

Bride’s dress: White Lily Couture

Bride’s accessories: Molten Store

Bride’s shoes: Shoes of Prey

Bridesmaids’ dresses: White Runway

Bridesmaids’ accessories: Colette by Colette Hayman, Lovisa

Bridesmaids’ shoes: Nine West

Groom’s and groomsmen’s attire: Institchu 

Flowergirl’s attire: Ollie’s Place and Myer 

Honeymoon: England, Scotland and France

Number of guests: 72

Wedding budget: $30,000

Actual cost of wedding: Let’s just say it was more than $30,000… 

What’s next for Amy and Duncan? 

“We’re just going to enjoy our newlywed life. We had such a good time on our honeymoon, so we would love to do more travel. We also love doing things around our home and spending time with our fur baby, Monty, who one day may have a baby brother or sister. ” 

Photography: Emma Nayler Photographer | Venue: Flaxton Gardens | Flowers: Willow Bud | Makeup: Sally Townsend Makeup Artistry | Hair: Evalyn Parsons | Cake: Coast Wedding Creations | Entertainment: Emily Marguerite | Transport: Mystic Mountain Tours | Stationery: Paradise Invitations and The Sundae Creative | Celebrant: Merlin Coughlan | Master of ceremonies: Brendan Annikan | Wedding night accommodation: Flaxton Gable + Flaxton Gardens

Thank you for supporting our A-list vendors, who made Amy + Duncan’s wedding so perfect…

The post Amy loves Duncan | Timeless Wedding in the Hinterland appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Bride Samantha says the only thing that went wrong on her Flaxton wedding day is that it went by way too fast! Although not before she, her brand spanking new husby, Robert, and their 120 guests smashed out a good three hours on the dancefloor.

The couple decided it was super important they were able to spend the maximum amount of time as possible with their guests, many who had travelled interstate to be with them on their big day. To achieve this, they made what they say was their best wedding planning decision: they had a “first look” prior to the wedding ceremony.

Then they proceeded to get their bridal party photo shoot out of the way, so that after the ceremony they could relax and interact with their family and friends. Kristy from Wildflower Weddings was the first supplier Samantha booked once they locked in the Flaxton wedding date. 

Although the whole Sunshine Coast hinterland town of Flaxton lost power following Cyclone Debbie, Flaxton Gardens was able to run the entire wedding using generators. If Flaxton Gardens venue owner, Alan Thompson, was stressed about the lack of power, Sam and Rob say you would never have known. Sam and Rob say Alan was cool as a cucumber and everything ran smoothly from start to finish. 

 “I had a lot of help with my DIY projects – everything from wrapping bottles in twine, to stuffing invitations and making our guests bags for the bus trip up.”   “Rob and I wanted to spend as much time with our guests, so we minimised the time spent on photos by having a “first look” and doing bridal party photos before the ceremony. It was the best decision we made.”  “Our wedding theme is something that I really struggled with until I met with the florist, Julia from Ginger Lily & Rose, and we fleshed out the vision together!”  “I followed a lot of people on Instagram – The Bride’s Tree, Lovebird Weddings and White Magazine – for inspiration.”“We wanted our wedding to be fun, relaxed and interactive. We had a lot of guests coming from out of town, and wanted to maximise the time that we could spend with them.” “Rob was really sweet and put together canvases that told our story and placed those around the room, so that guests who weren’t familiar with our whole story could walk around and read them.” “Our guest books doubled as table numbers, and will act as a little time capsule from the day. Every anniversary we open a guestbook from the corresponding table number – so in 13 years time we will read our notes from Table 13!” “Our biggest strength is that we let each other go in our early 20’s so that we could travel. It was a hard decision but ultimately we were lucky enough to choose each other again at the end of it!”  “I went to university with Rob’s flatmate. Rob invited me to go jetskiing one day, and after a couple of summers of that we decided that we liked each other enough to start dating!”

Wedding Secrets

Best money-saver: I saved a lot by putting the invitations together myself rather than outsourcing it.

Bridal gown: June by Pronovias, $2400 – Brides of Brisbane 

Accessories: Samantha Wills at David Jones

Shoes: Tony Bianco

Bridesmaid dresses: The Bridal Company, $385 

Bridesmaids’ accessories: Their own

Groom’s suit and shoes: Indochino 

Groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Indochino

DIY: I collected and wrapped the jars and bottles for the centrepieces, and put the invitations together, but honestly the venue was so great and had a lot of stuff that we could use!

Honeymoon: The Philippines

Number of guests: 120

Wedding budget: $35, 000

Who paid: My family were so generous and covered a lot of it.

 “The dancefloor was a big part that I wanted to get right. Our whole day was planned around dedicating at least 3 hours to dancing!”

Photographer: Wildflower Weddings | Videographer: Memento Films | Florist: Ginger Lily & Rose Floral Studio | Venue + catering: Flaxton Gardens  | Cake: Cake Designs  | Transport: Tropical Coast Tours | Makeup Artist: I Do Makeup Artistry | Hair Stylist: Bliss & Co. Hairdressing | Entertainment: G&M DJ’s | Stationery Supplier: Two Sistah’s Designs | Dance instruction: Smooth Moves | Gift registry: David Jones  | Celebrant: Wish Ceremonies

Thank you for supporting our A-list Vendors, who helped make Sam + Rob’s Flaxton Wedding Day…

Learn more about… Wildflower Weddings + Flaxton Gardens + Ginger Lily & Rose Floral Studio 

The post Samantha loves Robert | Classic Flaxton Wedding appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Both their heartfelt ceremony, where the bride’s brother and groom’s brother-in-law both read a passage of scripture, and their reception were held at Flaxton Gardens. Having their wedding all in one place helped them to fulfil their one desire for the day – to have a relaxed Sunshine Coast wedding day. 

The couple and their bridal party took a short tour to the iconic One Tree Hill in Maleny, a short 10-minute drive across The Range for a photo shoot with their photographer, Roy Byrne. Grace says Roy captured the emotion and joy of their Flaxton wedding day beautifully, bringing a real calm and professionalism to the day. 

  “Our biggest priority for our wedding day was making sure that we were going to create a relaxing environment at our wedding.”  “Matthew gave his groomsmen each a comic book of their favourite superhero which matched their cufflinks on the wedding day.”  “I gave the bridesmaids each a clutch purse and a pair of earrings to wear to the wedding.”

 “We had the little nephews as ushers and the niece as a flower girl. The brother of the bride and the brother-in-law of the groom each read a passage of scripture during the ceremony.”

 “Things that made our wedding day so special were sharing the day with close family and friends and also going to One Tree Hill to get photos.”

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: The wedding dress

Best bargain: The wedding cake

Bridal gown: Justin Alexander dress from Sugar and Spice

Bridesmaid dresses: Elite Bridal and Formal Wear 

Groom’s and groomsmen’s suit and shoes: Ferrari Formalwear & Bridal

Rings: Sheils and Michael Hill

Honeymoon: Cruise to Cairns

Number of guests: 80

Wedding budget: $20,000

Who paid? We saved up for most of the wedding costs on our own. Our parents helped to pay for other things closer to the wedding day.

Photographer: Roy Byrne | Wedding Planner: Flaxton Gardens | Florist: Wendy’s Flowers | Venue + catering: Flaxton Gardens  | Cake: Tome | Hair + makeup: Hot Brushes | Decorators: Flaxton Gardens | Stationery Supplier: Little Peach Co. | Gift registry: Myer Gift Registry | Officiant: Pastor Jake Smith | Wedding Night Accommodation: Flaxton Grove

Thank you for supporting our A-List Vendor, the Flaxton Wedding Venue Grace and Matthew chose… 

Learn more about… Flaxton Gardens  

The post Grace loves Matthew | A Relaxed Flaxton Wedding appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Longtime loves Bianca and Andrew moved to London from Australia seven years ago. When they got engaged, they decided to plan a trip home to wed on home shores amongst their family and friends. They brought a few more friends home with them from the UK, bringing their guest list up to 60 for their informal celebration at Flaxton Gardens. 

Lara and Susie Photography were there to capture every beautiful moment of their very special Flaxton wedding day, 18 months in the making from when Andrew proposed.    “My advice to future brides is to sit with your partner at the start of the whole planning process and work out together what’s really important for you both on the day. It’ll make it easier when others contribute their ideas later on – as long as you still have your must-haves in place it’s easier to compromise on other things.”“We had a first look before the ceremony. Andrew snuck upstairs whilst the guests were arriving and we spent a few minutes together before the ceremony. It was one of my favourite moments; we were all dressed up and could see how excited the other person was. All my nerves went away and I couldn’t wait for things to start after that.”

 “We knew we wanted photographers Lara and Susie to be part of our day as soon as we met them! They’re both so creative and were wonderful in capturing honest moments of the day for us and brought such a good energy along with them.”“The mums were incredibly helpful with some of the intricacies – invite etiquette and helping with table plans. Due to us not being able to make it – we only came to Australia once for planning in the lead up for the wedding – our parents also attended our menu tasting. We were a little upset about that one, but I think they enjoyed themselves!”

“We were very lucky in that both of our mums, who are also good friends, agreed to be our flower girls (We weren’t even allowed to call them flower ladies!) I loved that we could include them and it was very sweet to watch them walk down together – everyone smiled, even when they ended up throwing the petals at our guests, not on the ground. Neither of them had been flower girls before, so never say never!”  “We had one attendant each – we didn’t want a massive bridal party.”“We had family and friends coming together from all over Australia and the UK; it meant a lot to us that our guests made the effort to come so we didn’t want any unnecessary formalities where people might not feel part of the same circle.”

  “Being half-way around the world and me being someone who was used to managing events, we didn’t end up sharing too much of the planning. I used s many bridal blogs for inspiration! They were very useful to find good suppliers when you couldn’t be there to search for them locally as you could see their work online. Polka Dot Bride, Style Me Pretty, The Bride’s Tree and Green Wedding Shoes were a few of the main ones.” “Our photographers, Lara and Susie, took Andrew and I to some nearby spots that they’d found, including a private laneway that was beautiful. It was also a precious half hour to ourselves!” “I was conscious that my dress may have lent a vintage air to things so we tried to steer the day towards more contemporary/classic styling on other aspects.”    

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: The flowers! I have a big weakness for beautiful, old fashioned and sweet flowers and we definitely had fun with them! Our florist, Sandi from Willowbud was beyond amazing, we couldn’t recommend her enough. She was very enthusiastic, came up with beautiful arrangements and worked to our budget without any issues. The results were incredible and neither Andrew nor I regret the bit of extra money on them.

Best bargain: Crazily it ended up being my dress! I went to a designer outlet village in the UK with a girlfriend one day. I found my ivory lace dress there for roughly 25% of the cost it would have cost to buy instore, which was completely unexpected.

Bridal gown: Temperley London

Accessories: Earrings from Monica Vinader

Shoes:  Ted Baker

 Bridesmaid dress: Two Birds 

Groom and Groomsman’s attire: Hugo Boss

Groom and Groomsman’s shoes: Aldo (UK)

Rings: Bride’s rings from Regency Jewells in Hatton Garden, London. Groom’s ring from Jade Jewellers, Hatton Garden. 

DIY: Invitations, seating plan, menu. Flowergirl cones. 

Honeymoon: Fiji

Number of guests: 60

Photographer: Lara and Susie Photography | Florist: Willow Bud | Venue: Flaxton Gardens | Makeup Artist: Tasleema Nigh Makeup Artist | Hair Stylist: Evalyn Parsons Hair  | Entertainment: Moove it DJ’s | Celebrant: Jarred Bayliss

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Stewie must have had some sense knocked into him when he bumped his head on a chandelier at a dinner party some three years ago, because the girl giggling at him ended up his wife. Piano teacher, Kelsey, was taken by this tall – albeit clumsy – drink of water, and now calls him her best friend and husband. 

Their DIY backyard wedding ceremony took place in Kelsey’s grandmother’s garden in Flaxton in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, followed by a reception at Obi Obi Hall. 

Images by Renee Towers Photography. 

“I gave Stewie a double swag for all our camping adventures, he gave me an Akubra hat. We have the groomsmen and fathers monogrammed Zippo lighters and the bridesmaids got the wedding day accessories including a clutch, jewellery and a handmade wrap.“

“Our photographer, Renee Towers, pre-planned all of our locations. The first was in my grandmother’s garden, then at a bridge creek crossing on Obi Obi Road and finally an old dairy farm up the road from the reception hall.”

“One really special part was that my piano teacher, Marion Kilchester, played for the procession. She even wrote a special piece of music just for us that was played when we made our way back up the aisle.”

“My Grandmother passed down her wedding dress and veil so that I could use them if I wanted. I went and tried on gowns in stores but nothing had quite the charm of that dress. My mother painstakingly and carefully altered it whilst maintaining as much of the original charm as possible. To have a similar dress made that just suited me so perfectly would definitely have made a dent in the budget. She did an amazing job especially as one of my criteria was ‘can play badminton in it’!”

Wedding Secrets

iggest Splurge: Investing in the lawn games so that we will always have them to bring out at parties. 

Bridal gown: Passed down from my grandmother, lovingly restored by my mother

Accessories: I made my jewellery.

Shoes: My boots were from EasySteps – SO comfortable!

Bridesmaids’ accessories: I made the bridesmaids jewellery and my mum made them and me caplets. I got their clutch bags at Colette Hayman.

Groom’s suit and shoes: Kingsize Big and Tall

Groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Suits from Ed Hardy + their own shoes. 

DIY: The bar made from recycled pallets, paper garland decoration, and confetti. 

Honeymoon: Severn River at Ballandean

Number of guests: 82

Wedding budget: $15,000

“(My favourite moment) was definitely the complete, exhausted happiness when my husband drove us off in my dad’s restored EH Holden Ute at the end of such an amazing day. Stewie’s favourite bit was the moment the rings went on. He says everything was smooth sailing after that!“

Photographer Renee Towers Photography | Videographer ShowBiz Video Productions | Transport Danny’s Tours | Makeup Artist Libby Hendrie | Hair Stylist Inside Hair | Entertainment Iain Jackson and Marion Kilchester | Celebrant Mary Baker | Wedding Night Accommodation Blue Summit Cottages http://www.bluesummitcottages.com.au/ Honeymoon Accom Severndipity | Pre Wedding Accommodation French Cottage and Loft Hall Obi Obi Hall

The post Kelsey + Stewie’s Flaxton Backyard Wedding appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Cecile and Trent may just be the cutest couple we’ve seen. It definitely takes a very strong couple to work together and live together, as these two events planners do. 

Trent proposed to Cecile in 2013 just as they both completed the Kokoda Trail. They wed in a beautiful ceremony at Flaxton Gardens, following it up with some sensational location shots around the hinterland in Flaxton and Maleny.

They then head back to Flaxton Gardens to rejoin their 105 guests for a relaxed reception. Jennifer Oliphant was there to capture every moment of their special day. 

“I wanted a Tiffany theme as the first present Trent ever gave me was a beautiful Tiffany bracelet. I also wanted a classic and simple theme and I think the Tiffany blue colour is beautiful.”

“We made sure to invite only the people we really wanted in our wedding. We had all our close friends and family there. I also had my parents, sister and her partner, brother and his partner and a close friend travelling all the way from Norway.”

“Make sure to make time during your wedding day to take it all in. Trent and I did all our bridal party photos onsite and then we went off on our own to do our couples photos. We also took some time during the reception to be just us. “

“We’re best mates and we trust each other 100%. We work together and pretty much sit next to each other in our office and we couldn’t imagine having it any other way. I guess an important thing that makes us work so well together is that we share the same values and goals in life. We both very family orientated and we can’t wait to start a family together in a couple of years’ time.”

“We spent a week in Noosa after the wedding with my family from Norway but that didn’t count as our honeymoon. We’re planning an extended trip to Europe and South America in 2015. “

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: Photographer and videographer

Bridal gown: The Bridal Centre

Accessories: The Babushka Ballerina

Shoes: Myer Centre – Brisbane

Bridesmaid dresses: The Babushka Ballerina

Groom’s suit and shoes: Strictly Formal

Groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Strictly Formal

Rings: Stones Diamonds

Gift registry: Wishing Well

Number of guests: 105

Wedding budget: $60,000

Honeymoon: Europe

A-list Vendors

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Flaxton Gardens

Photographer: Jennifer Oliphant Photographer

Cake: Ideas in Icing

Celebrant/Other Officiary: Weddings with Kristy

Videographer: Lumina / Florist: Exclusive Wedding Flowers / Caterer: Flaxton Gardens / Bombonnieres: Candy Buffet / Hair and Makeup Artist: Latonas Makeup / Stationery Supplier: Nic Nac Design / Dance instruction: Larissa Meade / Wedding Night Accommodation: Spicers Tamarind Retreat

The rest of Cecile and Trent’s wedding album full of gorgeous wedding details is awaiting you. 

The post Real Wedding: Cecile & Trent at Flaxton Gardens appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Shelly and Elmsly are a gorgeous young couple, who were recently married at one of the Sunshine Coast hinterland’s premium wedding venues, Flaxton Gardens. They kicked off their wedding planning simply by ensuring their dream wedding photographer, Emma Nayler Photographer, was available, and say everything fell into place from there.

Easy-going and carefree, this cute couple’s only theme concept was simple and elegant. They absolutely acheived this by cleverly choosing some of the hands-down best in the business wedding industry professionals to put together a perfect Sunshine Coast hinterland wedding. Shelly called on the ultimate professionals in floral design, Mondo Floral Designs, so they just couldn’t go wrong on their Flaxton wedding day! 

Crazy beautiful bridal bouquet by Sunshine Coast hinterland florist, Mondo Floral Designs

“We didn’t have a theme in mind we just wanted our day to be simple and elegant.”

“My sister who was also my maid of honour was amazing she helped me out every step of the way, words can’t describe how great she was, it wouldn’t have been the day it turned out to be without her I can’t thank her enough she was an angel.“

“Apart from Elms having a shaving mishap where he forgot to put the longer length blade on his clippers and shaved his beard off by accident we were pretty lucky nothing went wrong.”

“Our wedding was far from traditional so, as our ceremony wasn’t until 4:45pm, due to another wedding at the same venue earlier, we decided to have our photos before the ceremony. We still got ready separately, however we were able to have our first look at each other at the house where we were staying. Elms was outside in the garden waiting for me, so being able to share our first look with just the two of us was really special; a moment I will never forget.”

Shelly and Elmsly’s Hand-picked Team That Made It All Happen

Photographer: Emma Nayler Photographer

Florist: Mondo Floral Designs

Venue and Caterer: Flaxton Gardens

Cake: Sweet Creations / Bombonnieres: Pink Frosting / Transport: 1969 Black Ford Mustang / Makeup Artist: Powder Me Makeup / Hair Stylist: Dot and Birdie Hair Beauty Bridal / Celebrant: Barbara Burt Civil Marriage Celebrant

“Elms and I were so relaxed throughout the whole planning we had little preferences when it came to the wedding the one thing I wanted that I wasn’t compromising on was Emma Nayler Photographer I had seen her work and the incredible and unique photos she had taken with other weddings and always said before we even got engaged that no matter what, I wanted Emma so she was the first person I got in contact with, I found out what dates she was available and planned our wedding date from there.”

“We went to various locations between Flaxton and Maleny, Emma took us to the most amazing spots with incredible views our photos were brilliant and the location was perfect.”

“I was so blessed my cousin who I am really close to was originally unable to make it to the wedding as he had just moved out to Mount Isa for work commitments, however he ended up surprising me last minute and flew home especially for the day, and walked me down the aisle, which meant the world to me.”

“The most special part of the day was our wedding vows, we wrote our own personal vows to each other, we didn’t share them with anyone or each other until the day. The vows Elms wrote to me were nothing short of amazing I couldn’t help but cry they were perfect. Words can’t describe how special that moment was it was just Elms and I for that very instant I forgot anyone else was there.”

“Deciding to go through Flaxton Gardens was the best decision we made, owner manager, Georgina, was amazing and made our day and the time leading up to our wedding absolutely stress free, she went out of her way to make sure our day was perfect and did and thought of everything, We’ve never seen service like what we experienced at Flaxton Gardens we can’t thank them enough.“

Wedding Secrets Revealed

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The bride’s 1000-watt smile says it all! This here is a joyous occasion, and we’re so happy to share it with you all.

Ema and Shaun were married at Flaxton Gardens after a lifelong romance that began for this gorgeous local couple in Grade 7 at Mooloolaba Primary School! Their family and friends flocked to Flaxton Gardens, where they were married in a ceremony with coastline views. Bridal party photos were taken on site amongst the gorgeous gardens and vineyard. 

Tara Lee Photography was there to capture every moment of Ema and Shaun’s fabulous Flaxton wedding. 

Wedding Day Priorities

The most important thing for us was to not make it stressful we wanted to be able to enjoy every minute. The venue was also very important it had to have the perfect feel for us. We knew we wanted a garden wedding. Traditional and romantic.

We Are Family

We had 4 attendats all up – maid of honour and bridesmaid were my cousins, the best man was Shaun’s best friend and the groomsman was my brother. Right from the beginnings the whole family and bridal party where involved. Shaun and I are very family orientated and so we wanted everyone to be as involved as they could. We had a family dinner to decide the food and wine. My bridesmaid was our florist. We had a wedding folder with all the things we had decided on and different ideas that came everywhere we went. My mum and I made all the stationary and the night before the wedding all us girls made the favours.

The Music

We had a Dj that played romantic song love songs – blues- Michael buble, van Morrison etc. after dinner we went with a lot of jimmy Barnes -rock and roll, up beat types of songs- we allowed all of our guest to request songs through out the night. 

The Food

Amazing food!. We had a 3 course dinner with the wedding cake as dessert. We had a 3 drop system and we decided to do one sea food, poultry and meat to be on the safe side it was all amazing! 

Reception Highlight

All the speeches where beautiful and really made the evening. We had a lot of speeches and people were worried there was too many, but  we worked them in between meals and it all worked perfectly. It was very beautiful and moving to have so many people we love speak at our wedding. 

Bridal Party Gifts

We kept it simple for the gifts the groomsmen got wedding underwear on the day for fun but their gifts where their cuff links that said -BEST MAN- and -GROOMSMAN- and that is how shaun asked the boys if they would be in our bridal party. The brides maids got their shoes and accessories as gifts.  

Advice for Other Brides

Don’t stress. Don’t stress about things going wrong, don’t stress about the weather, don’t worry about anything because at the end of the day your still marrying the man you love and that’s all that matters. Relax and enjoy your day together and take in every moment.

Wedding Secrets 

Biggest splurge: The venue, and worth every cent!

Best money-savers: Making the stationary, wedding favours and other thing was a good way to save money. We tried to spend as little or nothing on the little things for the wedding as possible so we could spend more on the bigger thing. My dress was a great buy too. 

Bridal gown: Casar Elegance

Accessories: Earrings found on the Myer sales rack, my bracelet was from Prouds the Jewellers

Shoes: Bridesmaids’ shoes where from Bets. 

Bridesmaid dresses: Hills in Hollywood 

Bridesmaids’ accessories: Handmade

Groom’s and groomsmens’ suit and shoes: Ferrari Formal and Bridal

Rings: Flair Jewellery

DIY: We made everything we could. I am very crafty and love creating so I made the petal throwers, all the stationary- save the dates, invitations, order of service, menus and place cards. Wedding favours, my garters, bridesmaids’ accessories, crystal tablecloth weights, painted all the table words, small embellishments on my dress. And other decorations.

Number of guests: 100

Wedding budget: $40,000

A-list Vendors

Photographer: Tara Lee Photography 

Videographer: Sunshine Coast Videography 

Venue & Decorations: Flaxton Gardens

Celebrant: Weddings with Kristy

Entertainment: String quartet-  Offen Bach strings + DJ Greg Gordon / Gift registry: Myer / Master of Ceremonies: Greg Gordon / Wedding Night Accommodation: Tree Houses Montville / Cake: Ideas in Icing / Bombonnieres: Candy Addictions / Hair and Makeup Artist: Christian Alexander / Florist: The Orange Blossom – Chanteau Masters

The rest of Ema & Shaun’s wedding album is well worth a look! 

The post Real Wedding: Ema & Shaun in Flaxton appeared first on The Bride's Tree.