If there’s one thing we’re passionate about here at The Bride’s Tree, it’s being eco-savvy and mindful of the environment and implementing sustainable practices. That’s why our magazine is completely online – no paper!  That way, only those who wish to have a paper copy need download and print it. Otherwise you just enjoy its pretty splendour online. 

Get ready to be inspired by these great eco-friendly wedding ideas for your Sunshine Coast wedding! Details below the images. 

1.  Custom made, fabric flower wedding bouquet with rhinestone and pearl brooches from Cultivar.

2. Eco Friendly Wedding Invitations made from recycled paper from Beacon Lane.

3. Argyle Cognac diamond from Ethical Jewellery Australia.  This company only uses diamonds and stones sourced from traders that are against child labour, where all workers experience fair working conditions, where they have the right to not be exposed to toxic chemicals and that guarentee communities directly benefit from the sale of their natural resources.

4. Picnic baskets from Love My Food. These picnic baskets are a unique alternative to traditional table decorations and your guests will LOVE them!  Each picnic basket is filled with gourmet delights such as lebna cheese marinated in olive oil, smokehouse paprika salamis and Moroccan cheese logs with peas and dukkah.  All their food is made from scratch and brimming with local seasonal ingredients and contain no preservatives, additives or genetically modified foods. Photography by Kate Green Photography.

5. Ditch the plastic packaged bombonieres and give your guests a potted herb plant.  Not only will it be a cute table decoration and make your reception venue smell a treat, but your guests will also love taking these home to plant in their own garden. This lavender plant bomboniere is from Flourish Bombonieres. 

6. Instead of asking your guests to choose a gift from a registry, ask them to make a donation on your behalf to a local charity like Australia Zoo Wilidfe Warriors.  Every year their Wildlife Hospital treats over 8,000 native animals and they rely soley on donations to keep this wonderful facility operating.

7. Head down to your local second hand shop and pick up an old window or doorframe which you can recycle into a unique table seating plan.  Alternatively CL Wedding & Events have sourced a fantastic range which are available for hire. Photography by Julian Beattie Photography.

8. Nominated four times as the “Best Destination Spa” in Australia, Ikatan Day Spa in Doonan is an environmentally friendly day spa that uses natural and organic products.  Kick back and relax on the ergonomic spa treatment beds amongst the lush Balinese inspired tropical gardens.  Ikatan Day Spa support and give back to local Sunshine Coast and Balinese community groups such as the Noosa Hospital Club Chemo, Sunshine Coast Oncology Clinic, Cambodian School Project and the Balinese Street kids Community and Orphanage.

9. Secrets On The Lake, Montville is perfect for your wedding ceremony, wedding night accommodation or for your entire honeymoon.  It is nestled beneath mountainous rainforests and next to a tranquil lake and the grounds feature beautiful carvings, rock pools, love seat swings, lush lawns and an antique style boat house.  They also have a bunch of creatively themed treehouse cabins which provide a range of accommodation styles, each exquisitely decorated and carefully constructed to preserve the pristine rainforest environment. 

10. Limited edition, handmade vintage garter by The Forever Dress. This clever Sunshine Coast Designer creates individually designed garters by incorporating pieces of beautiful vintage laces and fabrics. The garter pictured is an Ivory silk and tulle garter with an antique limoge porcelain centre.

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Lovebird Weddings specialise in wedding planning, decorating and styling here on the Sunshine Coast. They have created some of our favourite styles, which have become iconic to the Sunshine Coast. 

Do yourself a favour and check out their pin board of inspiring wedding styling images from local weddings. 

The post Pin Board: Styling Genius appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

It was so hard to choose from all of the amazing shots taken of this wedding by Feather & Stone Photography to include in our free online magazine layout, so we created a Gallery of all of the leftover images for your viewing pleasure! Take an oggle right here. 

It is with extra excitement that we share this with you today, as a little (Love) birdie told us that Lovebird Weddings is today celebrating their 5th birthday! A huge Happy Birthday and congratulations on this milestone goes out to director, Trudy, and all the lovely Lovebird ladies. We are so impressed by the achievements you have made over the past five years in your ingenious styling work and look forward to seeing what you make of the next five and beyond. 

Keep an eye out on our blog over the coming weeks, as the Lovebird Lovelies have some big plans afoot to commemorate this momentous occasion, and we will be bringing them to you first. 

See the full Gallery of Images right here. 

The Hand-picked Team That Made It All Happen

Photographer: Feather & Stone

Wedding Planning and Decorating: Lovebird Weddings

Florist: Mondo Floral Designs

Makeup Artist: TF Makeup

Caterer: Sails Restaurant

Hair Stylist: Ziggies Hair on Hastings Street

Celebrant: Celeste Frost
 

The post Lovely Lovebird Loveliness appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

This shoot actually featured in Volume 4 of The Bride’s Tree free online magazine, however we couldn’t fit in all of the gorgeous images by Marion Jonkers Photography that we would have liked to. So we are sharing them with you now, my pretties! We are not a selfish mob, we would not keep such splendour to ourselves, what do you take us for? 

When you have such stunning blooms by Sunshine Coast florist, Willow Bud, and styling by local wedding decorators, Moments in Vintage – Vintage Furniture & Decor Hire.

Flowers by Willow Bud

Hair by Paula Vasta Hair

Makeup by Jacqueline Foster Makeup

Bridal gowns by Marilyn Crystelle Bridal and suit by Suits Direct (suits to purchase and hire in Mooloolaba)

Styling by Moments in Vintage – Vintage Furniture & Decor Hire

Photographer: Marion Jonkers Photography

Flowers: Willow Bud

Furniture and props: Moments in Vintage – Vintage Furniture & Decor Hire

Suits: Suits Direct

Venue: Mango Hill Farm

Tableware, bunting and tablecloths: The Rose Room

Makeup: Jacqueline Foster Makeup

Hair: Paula Vasta Hair

Dresses: Marilyn Crystelle Bridal

Models: Asha Model Management

The post Lavender and Old Lace Styled Shoot appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

And so she became our resident Thing Finder, who we adore oh so much, we simply had to bring you the full collection in what we like to call… 

The Thing Finder Files

Wooden Place Cards & Guest Book Idea

Blackboard Heart Favours

Zinc Heart Wedding Favours

Vintage-look Glass Float Favours

Blackboard Bunting

Message in a Mason Jar

Boho Tile Wedding Gift

The post Thing Finder Files 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.

I recently visited Novotel Twin Waters Resort to take a peek at a wedding set up in Lily’s On The Lagoon, a beautiful restaurant right on the water. It was a gorgeous day and the 180 degree view of the sparkling lagoon with blue skies above was simply breathtaking, and perfectly complimented by the spacey room with gorgeous styling by the Novotel’s official wedding decorators, Beedazzled Events.

The lovely Donna, who is the resort’s awesome wedding coordinator, took me for a little golf buggy ride around to the ceremony location as well. Beedazzled had done an incredible job of the ceremony set up in the peaceful grassy area by the lagoon, framed by the iconic coastal Pandanus Trees. It was just so pretty!

For their reception, this couple kept things simple, but impressive nonetheless with tall vases placed on mirrors, and also brought in plenty of colour with their super sweet – not just in taste, but in looks – lolly buffet. Nothing spreads the love like lollies shared!

The following images were wonderfully captured by none other than Sunshine Coast wedding photographer, Karen Buckle Photography.

More amazing styling by Beedazzled Events found here and here and in Volume 2 of The Bride's Tree free online wedding magazine here.

More information about weddings at Novotel Twin Waters found here.

More beautiful wedding photos by Karen Buckle Photography found here and in Volume 2 of The Bride's Tree free online wedding magazine here (on the cover and everything!)

The post Twin Waters Wedding with Style appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Everything these incredible stylists touch turns to gold, because they are super clever, on trend with all the hip, happening stuff in the event styling world, and frankly, they are just cool. Look, we can't explain it, all we know is the moment we walk into their showroom we go weak at the knees. Fine, we are groupies! We admit it!

Can you really blame us? Seriously, just take a look at these gorgeous pics by the amazing Lindy Photography. As you will see, this vintage theme is classically white, accented by the gorgeous blue of the hydrangeas. Really, you could compliment this theme with any floral arrangement, as it's just so versatile.

Our fave elements of this style:

• Large white feathers to add glamour
• Charger plates for a bit of extra sparkle to the tablewear
• Singular glass tealight candleabras for magical simplicity
• Lace table runners for old vintage charm

These lovely images were taken by Lindy Photography in the Splash showroom at the recent launch of their new decor catalogue, which itemises all of their styling hire items (psst – it's available to download on their website!) 

More stunning styling inspiration boards by Splash Events can be found here.

The post Pretty Vintage Styling Inspiration appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

Despite a bit of rain in the morning, the afternoon cleared up beautifully, and this lovely young couple were able to be married under a spectacular fig tree in a whimsical garden party wedding ceremony, as they had lovingly planned for 12 months. 12 months and eight years in actuality lead them to this point, their extra special Yandina Station wedding day.

It was upon the recommendation of their Sunshine Coast wedding decorators, Lovebird Weddings, that Brisbane couple, Carly and Anthony, looked at Yandina Station for their Sunshine Coast wedding venue. After hearing all their plans for crochet, punch and garden party fun, that these seasoned professionals knew a Yandina Station wedding would be just the ticket. Carly and Anthony loved that they could have their ceremony, reception and accommodation all in one secluded place – and of course that it fit perfectly with their garden party theme, of course!

 The styling by Lovebird Weddings was simply gorgeous, and Carly added a few of her own touches as well, such as a chalkboard menu, two vintage glass drink dispensers with 80 vintage milk bottles for the guests to hold their punch, and an old typewriter, so guests could type up their guestbook entries and hang them to a potted gold branch, borrowed from a kind neighbour. What a fabulous idea!

Carly and Anthony’s 100 guests were treated to a banquet-style meal, which they felt would encourage conversation and a fun atmosphere amongst the tables of guests. Dancing and live entertainment topped off their special day, which was captured so beautifully by Alison Beal Lifestyle Photography.

“I attached a gorgeous brooch to my bouquet that was Nanna’s my mum lent it to me for the day. It was a special touch for me.”

“Through thick and thin our loyalty to each other prevails. Good times and bad times we stick together no matter how hard and it has made us a stronger couple. We never stop trying for the sake of our relationship. The more you put in the more you get out.”

"My very talented cousin sang a song for us while we were signing. I asked my uncle who is my god father and his wife to witness the marriage certificate, they travelled from Ireland for the wedding and I think they were pretty chuffed to have such an important job. "

"We always wanted a vintage whimsical garden party. Something that reflected as both as a couple and wasn’t a cookie cutter wedding."

"We used the property on the station for all of our photos, it is just a gorgeous location and anyone who has been will agree. So picturesque."

“My cousin’s boyfriend painted and sanded back photo frames for me to create rustic frames to put the table names in – which were all places that mean something to Anthony and I. Each table had a little story about the table name.”

“Anthony’s best man and his partner also made us a post wedding recovery box filled with necesseties like powerade, panadol and chocolate, which was a great idea and was put to great use.”

A word of advice from the bride:

"Our one biggest regret, not videoing the wedding. To all brides to be – do not forget this part. So important.”

Carly and Anthony’s Wedding Secrets Revealed

Biggest Splurge: The flowers and personalised stamps from Australia Post Online Shop. Carly sent in a photo of her and Anthony, and they sent back the photo as stamps for the invitations!

Best money-saver: Purchasing all paper items for the wedding stationery from K-Mart.

Bridal gown: Designed by Tricia Carney from Allure Bridal and Evening Couture

Accessories: Secrets Shhh earrings, Thomas Sabo Pearl Bracelet, head band also made by Allure Bridal and Evening Couture.

Shoes: Zoe Wittner white satin heels with soles were covered in sparkles for the ceremony, Mollini flats for dancing the night away at the reception.

Bridesmaid dresses: Lulu, Broadway on the Mall

Bridesmaids’ shoes and accessories: Charcoal satin heels by Famous Footwear for the ceremony and Mollini emerald flats with gorgeous jewels for the reception.  Jewellery by Lovisa and Collette accessories.

Groom’s and groomsmens’ suits and shoes: Suit, vest and shirt by Connor, tie by Country Road and shoes by Julius Marlow.

DIY: Wedding stationery, bombonieres and framed table names.

Total wedding cost: Almost $30,000… almost double the original budget! The cost was shared between the couple and both sets of parents.

The Hand-picked Team That Made It All Happen (And the bride’s glowing recommendations!)

Photographer: Alison Beal Lifestyle Photography – she is AMAZING! Would recommend her 100 times over, after having both an engagement shoot with her and having her take our wedding photos, anytime we need a photographer in the future we will definitely use Alison.

Florist: Mondo Floral Designs in Maleny. The bouquets and floral styling were to die for. Terri Anne is amazing.  We took all the flowers from the reception tables to my nanna’s grave after the wedding – it made us feel like she was there celebrating with us. There was probably a metre-by-metre carpet of beautiful flowers surrounding her grave site.

Caterer: The Rolling Dolmade Catering from Noosa. Matt Gilinskie is the owner of the company and he should be extremely impressed by his staff – we were! Nothing but professional, no one was ever without a drink the whole night.  The food was divine. Everyone commented on how great the shared banquet idea was, and the triple smoked glazed ham from the baguette bar later in the night.

Bombonnieres: I bought 100 plastic spades from The Princess and The Pirate and little organza bags to put them in. I filled the bags with heart beat lollies (the ones in a pink wrapper with a cute quote printed on them) and made up gift tags to attach with coloured ribbon that said “We Dig You”.

Makeup Artist: Sally Townsend Makeup Artistry! Just the bees knees. From my trial to my wedding make up, my whole experience with Sally was just delightful.

Hair Stylist: My hairdressers Teneille and Margaret from Recre8 Salon in Brisbane came up for the day and styled mine, the bridesmaids and my mum’s hair. They are both lovely ladies and did an amazing job! I was so grateful to them both for travelling from Brisbane for me.

Rentals: Noosa Party Hire. Megan was fantastic, we liaised via email regarding all our needs for the day – she was professional, friendly and prompt to deal with. Ray set up the marquee for us and even went to the trouble of adding on a wall in case of rain blowing through on the night.

Decorators: Trudy and Nadia from Lovebird Weddings. This duo is just amazing. From the very beginning they were on the ball and knew exactly what I was looking for. From suggesting the venue, all the way through to turning my visions into a reality. Without their help our day would not have been a truly personal ode to our relationship!

Transport: We used Noosa Hinterland Tours. Terry was fantastic!

Entertainment: Marty Sima. Fabulous vocals, great variety, he really added to the ambiance of the night. During the garden party he roamed around the guests singing and strumming his guitar.

Celebrant: Mary Elizabeth Baker. We both loved her and thought she did a great job of making our ceremony reflect the two of us as a couple. It was personalised and memorable.

The post Whimsical Garden Party Wedding at Yandina Station appeared first on The Bride's Tree.

You will have the chance to meet with the Sunshine Coast’s finest wedding industry specialists and see the spectacular display of cakes, gowns, floral arrangements, wedding cars and more.

Best of all, at wedding expos such as this, there are always stacks of prize giveaways. On Sunday there is a chance you could walk away with a Hills In Hollywood bridal gown, valued at $1500! Also, every bride that walks through the door will also receive a special voucher booklet, jam packed full of special offers and FREE stuff. 

Show Hours: 10.00 am – 4.00 pm ??

Venue:            Novotel Twin Waters Resort??

Admission:   $10.00 per person, however throughout this week we will be giving away some double passes to the Showcase, so watch this space!

Giveaways: Each bride will receive a showbag filled with information and copies of FREE Brides Diary magazine, Ideal Bride, Sunshine Coast Brides, Queensland Wedding, Wedding & Bride and Queensland Bride Magazine. Valued at over $75.00??

Fabulous Prizes: Warm up your winter wedding planning, come along and you will go in to the draw for any number of lucky door prizes valued at over $10,000.00.  Try your luck at winning a wedding gown from Hills in Hollywood and stick around to go into the mega "Wedding Package Draw" which will be after the second fashion show.?

Total Prize Giveaways – Valued at over $10,000

The highlight of the day would have to be the two bridal fashion shows, showcasing local designers and boutiques

Beautiful bridesmaid dresses in the two fashion shows at the Sunshine Coast Bridal Showcase

Stunning floral designs for inspiration

Groom fashion at the Sunshine Coast Bridal Showcase

Fashion for junior bridesmaids and flowergirls

Gorgeous bold bright pink, black and white theme seen at the last Sunshine Coast Bridal Showcase

Funky themes left, right and centre at the Sunshine Coast Bridal Showcase

Vintage-inspired tablescapes

Ooh! Sweet ideas for your wedding ceremony

Some gorgeous styling to be seen at the Sunshine Coast Bridal Showcase

Images by Mills Photography

The post Sunshine Coast Bridal Showcase – Sunday June 24 appeared first on The Bride's Tree.