A traditional white wedding was never on the cards for Liana and Matt. They wanted a wedding venue, where they could add plenty of colour and personality. Bride, Liana, shares how they designed their very own wedding festival at Maleny Retreat.

Wedding Priorities

Making sure we had the wedding we wanted to have and not be tied down by the traditional wedding structure. We wanted the day to be filled with fun, happiness, colour and love and we wanted all our friends and family to leave having had a great time.

Biggest Challenge

When we first got engaged we were both very overwhelmed with the whole wedding thing and initially planned an elopement to Iceland as it seemed like a less stressful option. It became clear that we wanted our family to be there (and they also really wanted to be there) and so our elopement turned into a small destination wedding and in the end the logistics of that became too difficult. So we decided to keep the date but do it back home.

The hardest part was knowing where to begin, it seemed like such a huge task, but once we got the ball rolling everything just started falling into place.

Our DIY Reception Venue

Our wedding was never going to be traditional and we didn’t want to be held back by the typical wedding structure, so a DIY wedding was very attractive to us. It meant more work, but it also meant we got the wedding we wanted. When we foundMaleny Retreat we loved that it was a one stop shop, no needing to move around to different locations. We loved that our friends and family could stay the night in the glamping tents.

Images by Brody Grogan Photography

Witness Raffle

Our ceremony was my favourite part of the day, and I will never forget that both Matt and I picked each of our closest friends in our raffle draw for our witnesses. We thought someone must of rigged it, but it was just a crazy coincidence.

Most Emotional Moment

Honestly the whole day was so emotional. We definitely needed a holiday after just to recover. The most emotional moment was probably when we read our personally written vows to each other. That was pretty special and I will never forget it.

The Proposal

Despite pestering Matt for months about getting engaged, the proposal came as a surprise. We were in New Zealand on a family holiday, and we had a night to ourselves in Auckland. We were staying at a fancy hotel and had dinner booked in at Sky Tower. We were getting ready for dinner in our hotel room and only had 5 minutes before we had to leave, typical me always running late was doing my hair in the bathroom.

I called from the bathroom that I was unsure if it looked okay, and Matt said to come out and show him. I came out to him on one knee with a ring. He asked, “Will you marry me?” Tears started forming in my eyes at the same time as I blurted out, “F**k off, you’re going to make me cry, and my make up is going to run, and we have to go or we will be late.” Matt asked, “Is that a yes?” and my response was, “Of course!”

We celebrated with a bottle of champagne at dinner, headed to the casino afterwards and managed to win the cost of the evening including our accommodation at three card poker. It was a pretty fantastic night.

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: Definitely my wedding dress. I am a very colourful person and knew a white dress wasn’t going to cut it. Vanessa at When Freddie Met Lilly helped me design my gorgeous pastel dress. It was absolutely stunning with all the hand-sewn embellishments on the bodice, it was super comfortable and made me feel amazing. When I was trying it on for alterations I included getting a sparkle layer of tulle added, which meant having to take the whole skirt apart, but it was worth it.

Best money-saving decision: Having cocktail style food. The Pizza Fusion woodfired pizza was a huge hit and quite affordable compared to sitdown style food options we looked at, plus it suited our wedding style much more and was delicious. Who doesn’t love pizza!

Bride’s dress: When Freddie Met Lilly

Accessories: Flower hair piece from Ginger Lily & Rose

Shoes: Ceremony shoes were from Irregular Choice (rainbow gnome heel). Reception shoes were aqua and lilac glitter Doc Martens.

Groom’s suit: When Freddie Met Lilly

Accessories: Custom tie made by my mum, cuff links from Etsy (wooden with embossed duck)

Shoes: Brown boots from Wild Rhino

DIY: Friends and I made a million colourful pom poms which were used as the basis for the decorating theme. I also made our wedding invitations (with the help of a graphic artist friend and my sisters and mum). I made the welcome sign which was also a timeline for the day. I got my graphic artist friend to design the Bar Menu sign, which I printed out. I made a signing board from a custom drawing of hubby and I in our wedding gear, that I got it printed on a canvas. I made the glitter bar for our guests to sparkle themselves up for the reception. I made our card box for wedding gifts, which was a white letterbox with decal stickers.

Honeymoon: Bedarra Island Resort

Number of guests: 75

Wedding budget: Approx $50,000

Actual cost of wedding: $62,000

The Dream Team

Photographer: Brody Grogan Photography | Venue: Maleny Retreat | Florist: Ginger Lily & Rose (No longer in operation. Try one of these!) | Beverage catering: The Vintage Bondwood Bar | Catering: Grazing table: Platters by Kiki | Woodfired pizza: Pizza Fusion | Doughnut van: Jam Factory | Gelato cart: Wheel and Spoon Gelato | Hair: Rolling Scissors | Makeup: Dewy Beauty | Furniture hire: Berry Vintage | Stage hire: Perry’s Hire |Styling: Berry Vintage and Pretty Bonito | Celebrant: Cassandra Bowles Celebrant | Entertainment: Ramjet | Photo booth: iShoot Photo Booth | Wedding night accommodation: Maleny Retreat

Thank you for supporting our A-list Vendors below, who were instrumental in making this colourful wedding a dream come true…

The post Liana loves Matt | Maleny Wedding Festival Full of Colour appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

As you know, our latest free online magazine came out yesterday, and it’s full of all kinds of inspiring real weddings that I adored so much, it was impossible for me not to share them with you my dear readers. It’s because I adore you with all my little heart, lovely Sunshine Coast brides! 

So I thought I would share with you my top 4 real wedding picks from our Summer 2015 magazine, which is free for you to view and download. Here goes. In no particular order… 

Bec and Brett’s Maleny Retreat wedding (pictured above was all smiles all the time. From wedding cake and help-yourself afternoon tea with panoramic views of the Glasshouse Mountains to the lawn games to the carnival style marquee reception. What’s not to love? Photo by Don’t Say Cheese Photography. 

If insanely gorgeous flowers that make you spontaneously combust from the full frontal assault of pretty is your thing, then you will enjoy Rebecca and Rhys’ Flaxton Gardens wedding. Photos by Chesterton Smith Photography. 

This couple wanted to keep things intimate, so the Sunshine Coast hinterland’s own French-provincial inspired luxury estate, where everyone could make a weekend of it, was a wonderful choice. And that Jacaranda tree in full bloom… oh, if I had the emojis, there would be heart eyes all up in this place right now. Make sure you check out Stephanie and Ben’s Spicers Clovelly Estate wedding. Photos by Jennifer Oliphant Photographer. 

Finally, Kori and Jonathan’s Maleny wedding took place at Weddings at Tiffany’s, making use of the clean white space and adding colour and flavour with a hint of Mexico to celebrate their heritage. Photos by Deb Boots LOVE STORIES. 

So those were my top 4 Editor’s picks for my fave weddings from our latest magazine. Cause I’m the Editor. And I was picking my four faves. Totally legit… Okay fine, I may have pulled the wool over your eyes, dear readers. In a manner of speaking. While yes, you’re right, four is the total number of real weddings in our summer edition, they really are all my faves! 

I hope you have not lost all faith in me for this deceit. I’m pretty sure you’ll be with me once you have seen them all – picking one fave is impossible when they are all so amazing! 

The post Editor’s Picks: 4 Fave Real Weddings from The Bride’s Tree Magazine Summer 2015 appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

The very talented Roy Byrne Photographer was there to capture all of the special moments. And let me tell you, there were many. 

“For me marriage was uniting us as a family, we have 3 beautiful children & have shared ten years of our lives together, we felt ready.”

“Right before my dad walked me down the aisle, we stopped in the doorway and had this special moment. All my bridesmaids had left the room and there was this silence. We held hands and looked at each other and he said with tears in his eyes, “This is it babe.’” It all hit me, I am a grown woman and his only child, this is where life has led us. I’ll never forget that moment I shared with my dad.”

“I was whisked away on a surprise trip to Sydney and after a fancy (expensive) rooftop dinner over looking the harbour, my dessert plate came out with ‘will you marry me’ written in chocolate sauce, just gorgeous.”

“One of the stand out points for me was that weather. Was that for real? We specifically chose the 16^th of August because Google tells us that month has one of the lowest rainfalls in the entire year for the Sunshine Coast. I had gumboots under my dress; my fishtail braid turned into a rat’s nest and my dress was soaking wet and heavy.

“Looking back I can definitely see the funny side of the weather, and to top it off we woke to a glorious blue sky with not a cloud in sight.”

“My best advice to other brides is to be yourself, go with your instincts and let your wedding express your personality and style. Don’t get caught up in what everyone else is doing, pick what you love and live within your means.”

“When we first viewed Maleny Retreat, I knew instantly this was it. This big blank canvas of green grass and the most amazing backdrop of my hometown of The Glass House Mountains.’  I have to say the venue was my inspiration; I kept it simple and elegant. I let the venue speak for itself.”

Wedding Secrets 

Bridal gown: Allure Bridal, Hills in Hollywood

Veil: Ebay

Shoes: Ruby Shoes

Jewellery Accessories: Bride – Adorne, Eve Boutique; Bridesmaids – Forever new

Bridesmaids dresses: My little Bow

Grooms & groomsman suits: Suits Direct

Grooms shoes: Windsor Smith

Ties: Suits Direct

Rings: Michael Hill

DIY: Flowers, cake, reception styling.

A-list Vendors

Photos: Roy Byrne Photographer

Ceremony + Reception venue: Maleny Retreat

Ceremony Styling: Style le Aisle

Cinematographer: Bxcsmxth

Catering: The Spit Roast Company / Hair:  Josh Walker Hair Artistry / Makeup: Miranda Emblem / Celebrant: Sunshine Coast Celebrant Dee / Music: Sunshine Coast DJs

Do yourself a favour and take a peek at Kieran and Sam’s full wedding album. 

Maleny Retreat Open Weekend is on February 7-8. 

The post Real Wedding: Kieran + Sam in Maleny appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Trent and Melitta initially bonded over play dough creations and sand pit adventures. They first met at their pre-school, where they both grew up, on Bribie Island, however it was quite a number of years later and a day at the races that saw them come together. 

After six blissful years together, Trent proposed, and what followed was a “westival” at Maleny Retreat. “A westival?”, you ask. Indeed, a wedding-meets-festival that has the key elements of a relaxed atmosphere, live music, great food, oodles of space and every friend and every family member that could be gathered to celebrate.

Maleny Retreat is the perfect Sunshine Coast hinterland wedding venue for such an event, and Andrea Thompson was there to capture the day. 

“Trent took his groomsmen to the barber on the morning of the wedding for some ‘male-bonding’.”

“My parents, bridesmaids and some very close friends all stayed with me the night before. We made the bridesmaids bouquets and the groomsmens pins together. I wrote all of my bridesmaids and some of my special friends a letter and gave them all their Samantha Wills jewellery as their gifts.”

“Our celebrant was amazing and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room when we exchanged our vows. Walking down the aisle to Led Zeppelin “Thank You” was also pretty special. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.”

“We have a lot of interests that are the same, but we also love completely different things. We respect each other as individuals.”

“We wanted our wedding to be fun-filled and not too formal. A gathering of our closest friends and family to celebrate, drink, eat and dance. It was more of a ‘wedstival’ than a wedding.

Once we had agreed on a marquee wedding and the location, we really wanted to make the most of the beautiful surroundings. If anything it was a whimsical, almost minimalistic style, but with some key features like the beautiful light up letters and the vintage caravan bar. One of my bridesmaids described it as “vintage, bohemian with a touch of glitter”.”

“I am biased, but it truly was a beautiful wedding and the best day of our lives. The day/night was exactly how we wanted it – lots of dancing and laughter.”

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: The key elements like the band and the vintage mobile bar – but they are what made the day/night so great. 

Best money-saver: We asked our guests (excluding family and bridal party) to pay for their meal in lieu of a gift. We had tossed and turned about this decision for a while and we also ran it passed a few guests to get their thoughts. They were also very supportive of it. It meant that we could invite more people and didn’t have to cut numbers down.

Bridal gown: Anna Campbell dress purchased at The Babushka Ballerina

Accessories: Bo & Luca head crown, Samantha Wills earrings, Crocodilli bracelet (custom made), I borrowed the veil from a very dear friend

Shoes: Jimmy Choo

Bridesmaid dresses: I asked them to pick their own dress. Their only stipulation was that it had to be ‘blue’. I wanted my girls to feel like themselves and be the individuals that they all are, so it didn’t make sense for them to be dressed the same. It worked out perfectly and they all coincidently ended up with an element of lace as well, which was beautiful.

Bridesmaids’ accessories: Samantha Wills jewellery and their own shoes.

Groom’s suit and shoes: Suit from Suits Direct, bow tie from Mrs Bow Tie, and Zu shoes.

Groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Pants and braces were from ASOS, they wore their own shoes and picked out their own socks and bow ties.

Rings: Michael Hill

DIY: Invitations, table settings, decorations, the bridesmaids bouquets, the groom and groomsmens pins, my Aunty made the bunting for the cake table.

Honeymoon: Bali, San Francisco, Las Vegas and LA. We met up with about 30 of our friends in Vegas for a birthday celebration! It was an absolutely awesome honeymoon.

Number of guests: 138

Wedding budget: $32,000

A-list Vendors

Venue: Maleny Retreat

Bride’s bouquet: Mondo Floral Design

Makeup Artist: Allure Bridal Stylists

Photographer: Andrea Thompson Photography / Caterer: SafeHands Catering Sunshine Coast / Cake: Sweet Art Sugar Decorations / Transport: Highland Connexion / Rentals: Perry’s Hire / Entertainment: Mo Swagger / Celebrant: Melissa Pecci / Wedding Night Accommodation: Maleny Wedding Retreat / Light Up Letters (T & M): AV Ideas 

You simply must take a look through Melitta & Trent’s full wedding album. 

The post Real Wedding: Melitta & Trent at Maleny Retreat appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Not wanting all the fuss and time-consuming planning of a traditional wedding, Tegan and Emmanuel decided to turn their engagement party into a surprise wedding for their 100 guests at the expansive Maleny Retreat. The 100-acre property has plenty of accommodation and even additional camping grounds, so they made a full weekend of it and had a fabulous fun fair wedding day with their nearest and dearest. 

Marion Jonkers caught all the festivities on camera. 

Surprise Wedding

We didn’t want a bridal party, boring speeches, the excessive planning and decorating that is the usual expectation. So when it came to planning our wedding we wanted to do something a bit different. We were very busy with work and were in no rush to organise a wedding quickly. We started to organise our engagement party and thought, why not do a wedding the day before with our close family and friends as a surprise. 

Paddock Party! 

Our wedding was a fun, relaxed, country style “Paddock party” with a funfair atmosphere  under a red marquee. We had a food vendor van, photobooth, arcade machine, giant Jenga game, self serve popcorn and ice cream machines. We chose eclectic decor – bunting, festoon party lights, Persian rugs and large red velvet floor cushions and lanterns adding a Moroccan element.

Bridal Party Photos

Joy, the wedding co-ordinator at Maleny Retreat, drove us and our photographer, Marion Jonkers, around the beautiful 100-acre property to several stunning  scenic locations for photos. She even drove us up the road to capture  the sunset over a neighbouring dairy farm and we had some photos taken with some Friesian cows.

Weekend Getaway for Everyone

We wanted a weekend and not just one day as people travel large distance so we wanted to make it a worthwhile catch up. We finally found the perfect place where we could stay with everyone and then book what we wanted on top of that. Maleny Retreat accommodated us and our family as well as supplying a-frame tents for our guests to stay in. For a few others they were able to set up tents to stay in. This was great as it saved people paying for accommodation and not having to worry about drinking and driving.

Food Van Catering

Food for the night was easy and fantastic. We looked into caterers and couldn’t find anything within budget that would keep everyone happy. Then I came across a business called the Pasta Cruiser and they could accommodate gluten free, vegetarians and the mass crowd of hungry boys. The were friendly, arrived early, the food was fantastic and filling, their van was professional and offered heaps of variety as people got to go up and order their pasta and then choose their sauce. The food was cooked to order, which made time for great conversation for people lining up.

Dance Lessons

Secretly three weeks before they wedding we had five dance lessons to put a routine together for our first dance together to the song by Frank Sinatra ‘Under my Skin’. It went great, but we were a few steps behind as by this time we had both had a couple of drinks.

Personalised Wedding Favor

Emmanuel’s mates made home brew which was bottled with personalised labels featuring the bride and groom ( Tegs and Muzza ) as a surprise gift.

Delightful Photography

I booked Marion Jonkers as our photographer and could not have picked better. We had a small budget and only booked her two weeks out as we weren’t certain on getting a photographer. I’m so glad we did though as the photos and her professionalism were outstanding. She understood we just wanted some natural shots and didn’t want the typical painful three hours of wedding photos done but just to capture our day and our friends and families happiness.

Wedding Secrets 

Best bargain: My dress was $400 from Penny Lane Bridal. We tried to do a low budget wedding. 

Rings: an antique diamond engagement ring from London, which was made during World War II (as we are both in the military) and a wedding band made to fit.

DIY: Bouquet, Ceremony flowers and decorations and ceremony back drop. Home brewed personalised label boutique beers featuring the bride and groom. 

Number of guests: 100

A-List Vendors

Photographer: Marion Jonkers Photography

Celebrant: Margarita Priori-Smith

Venue + accommodation: Maleny Retreat

Cake: Raw Sugar Café in Toowoomba / Marquee hire: Nomadic Tents / Arcade game hire: Widespread Amusement / Hair & Makeup: Mooloolah Hair Studio / 

View Tegan & Emmanuel’s full wedding album. 

The post Real Wedding: Tegan & Emmanuel in Maleny appeared first on The Bride's Tree.