Hi all, just starting out on the wedding planning journey and the price of things is making my eyes water.

My partner wants a venue that’s away from Sydney with accom options for guests. A ‘destination’ wedding if you will.

I’ve looked into The Villa Navarra, The merribee, Mali brae farm, and Montrose house. So far, the villa has definitely stood out but their pricing is hidden and from what I can see, it’ll be approx 80k for 100 guests.

I’m looking for recommendations or reviews if anyone has recently held or attended a wedding at any of these or similar locations.

Details:
~80 guests, Feb/march 2028 wedding, 50-60k budget but can potentially be stretched, open to soliciting because who doesn’t like a good deal.

Thanks all!

Hi all! Wedding’s coming up fast and I’m trying to get ahead of the “steam the dress” panic before it hits. Would love your collective wisdom!

I’m planning to steam my dress myself, so I’d love to hear from anyone else who’s tackled this solo. Any handheld steamer recommendations? Curious which brands/models work best for heavier fabrics and don’t spit.

I’d also love any technique tips for the dress and veil. Anything you wish you’d known before you started.

And then there’s timing. My dress is a mikado silk ballgown with a train, so it’s pretty structured and heavy. How long did steaming take you, especially if you had a similar silhouette? Trying to figure out whether I need to block out an hour or half a day.

Thanks in advance!

Looking to design an engagement ring but budget is under $4k including the diamond
I found a loose diamond I want from facet land for under $1000 it’s a 2 carat marquise lab VVS1 colour D but the issue is I can’t find many jewellers who set loose diamonds!!
So far I’ve got

Anyone has any suggestions? My partner thinks it’s a bad idea to buy a loose diamond but the mark up is INSANE at the jewellery shops for the same lab I want…it’s going for $3000-4000 alone
PS I am in Melbourne

Hi wondering if anyone has gotten married here? I'm considering it but I can only find one review since they've changed owners in 2024...

Hi! I am thinking of booking a hotel in the city for my wedding party the night before my wedding so we can all get ready there in the morning. I would like to do a first look and take some photos at the hotel before heading to the Opera House/Botanic Gardens for more photos.

Does anyone have any recommendations for hotels with beautiful sandstone, grand staircases or arched windows? So far, I am considering Fullerton Hotel or Intercontinental Sydney but would love to see if there are other options!

I know people don’t like to come empty handed so would it be weird if I asked for their favourite recipe or something like that?

Hi everyone

I'm getting married in Broadbeach next year and I'm looking for recommendations on the best hotels or locations for groom and groomsmen photos before the ceremony.

I've attached a few inspiration photos to show the style we're aiming for.

We're happy to book a hotel room or suite specifically for the photos if it's worth it

​

Hi everyone,

I'm desperately trying to find this WONA dress (I believe it's from the 2024 collection) to try on. This is my dream dress.

I've contacted every WONA stockist in Australia, and searched the website of the New Zealand store, and unfortunately none have it except one boutique in Queensland with a size 18. I'm a size 8 and not in QLD, so flying there to try a dress that size doesn't seem practical, especially since it's hard to judge the fit of a strappy gown when it's that many sizes too big.

The boutiques have said they can order it for me, but I'd really like to try it on first before committing.

I've searched Stillwhite and Facebook Marketplace with no luck.

If anyone owns this dress and would be willing to let me try it on, I'd be so grateful. If you are selling one even better, but just trying it on would help me heaps.

Or if you know of a store or anywhere else I can try this I'd be super grateful.

Thank you!

Hi! I'm looking for a on-the-day coordinator for a wedding in January 2027 in Melbourne (more specifically Daylesford). I've been quoted 2.5k - hoping to find someone a bit cheaper... any recommendations? :)

I’ve been on the look out for a silk satin dress and found this beautiful Ceres gown on Reformation. Unfortunately there’s no stores near me to see the dress in person, so I was wondering if anyone had bought a wedding dress from Reformation before? Any info about the quality of the construction and fabric would be fantastic, thanks 🙏

Has anyone seen a dress like this? The bride on Instagram is @devonmccready and she said it’s a Vera Wang dress, but I’m not sure if it’s vintage or custom made. Any boutiques with reasonable priced dresses like this or even white dresses in this style? Melbourne based, but wedding is in Sydney

Hi everyone

I’m planning my wedding for later this year, and I wanted to buy some rice paper confetti for the ceremony exit but I’m looking online and these look so expensive for what they are!

Has anyone tried to make these yourself?

I feel like I’m in a bit of a sticky situation. My father is not in my life, and my mum has just defaulted to being the person to walk my sister and I down the aisle.

My sis got married last year, and it was a nightmare. My mum was awful, and I’m surprised they’re even talking still (it’s very rocky). My mum wore a suit to walk my sister down the aisle. She says she feels a dress takes the attention away from the bride, but I know my mum - it’s about her trying to make some sort of statement.

Life was hard for us back then, and I get this is a big moment for mum, but I honestly already feel like she’s making this walk down the aisle more about her than me. My sis regrets letting mum walk her down. I’m trying not to be awful, I think it’ll hurt mum, but I’m already over hearing about what dress she should wear, and how she would prefer to wear a suit. I feel like her wearing a suit draws more attention. She loved all the compliments she got at my sisters wedding - it’s like some independent woman type of statement she’s trying to make.

I can’t be bothered for it. Did anyone else walk themselves down the aisle? We’re not having a bridal party, so I’m a little worried about just standing there by myself before the ceremony. But my fiancé was like it’s 10 seconds… just look and focus on me. I think I’d rather do the 10 seconds alone then having to deal with my mum prior to walking down, and just making the entire thing about her. I’m already soooo over even talking about it, it somehow comes up in every single conversation.

Hello! I am planning my Sydney wedding from abroad and I need suggestions for florists. My event is small to start, and I am also looking for smaller, more customized collection of floral needs as my venue included a lot. All of the suggested florists my venue gave me does not do small events. Any suggestions would be amazing!!!

Hi! Will be having our queer wedding in Sydney (April 2027) and we're looking for a photo+video who have done works that are more on the quirky, fun, light, colorful(warm) style. We are not really a serious, editorial-type of couple. If it helps, here are our pegs which are totally not Wes Anderson 100% but I dont know how to describe them:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPZY2E_EflF/?igsh=eDg1eDhjYzB2eXVq

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ3AP0Tg01k/?igsh=MTBpbWhjanlxODhsdw==

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaLPxjntlam/?igsh=OGFkdXNiNWk3dmg=

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaR5jM3oV0n/?igsh=MXJzcmltOXl5NHF6dw==

Any leads will be appreciated!

I need some guidance/advice
My partner and I are looking at wedding dates in the future. We have been quoted a 15% surcharge for our wedding venue as it is during peak season (Dec-Jan).

Should I be expecting surcharged prices from other vendors? Such as photographers, cars, furniture hire etc

For context we are looking into venues in Western Australia, specifically Margaret River

Does anyone have a suggestion for a dress that is this colour but more structured in the bodice and not floor length?

We are doing a lowkey wedding in our home and want our friend to officiate. Has anybody had experience using the celebrants that just do legal paperwork for you on the day, while your friend/family member conducts the ceremony? TIA!

My dress came in, and when I tried it on, I took the first photo because it wasn’t right. The boutique agreed there were issues with it and said they would fix it. At my next fitting, they had completely remade it, so it was an entirely new dress (shown in Photo 2). Now it just needs to be hemmed and have the lace added to the bodice.
Do you think I made the right choice with this design? I can’t help feeling like it was a bad sign that the first dress arrived wrong.

Hi everyone!

Absolute perfume newbie here, and as the title says, looking for suggestions of where to look for perfume. I'm out of time to order samples so need to be able to smell in store.

Seeking a feminine scent, not overly floral. Prefer the woodsy scents; cedarwood, sandalwood etc.

I have to start and finish my search this week. I have already tried Chemist Warehouse, knowing they have a wide range for affordable prices, but they didn't have any samples open that suited my preferences.

Also happy to take any recommendations of perfumes to try, if you know something that would suit. Budget is probably $250ish max.

Please and thank you

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure if this is the right subreddit, but I'm looking for recommendations for jewellery insurance.

My engagement ring was custom made using my partner's grandmother's diamond and has been professionally valued at $34,500.

So far I've requested quotes from Centrestone, JewelCover and Q Report. I never heard back from Q Report. Centrestone quoted around $90/month, while JewelCover quoted $67.74/month.

JewelCover says they would insure the ring for $27,117, even though the valuation is $34,500. Is that normal? I'm still waiting to see what value Centrestone will insure it for.

Ideally I'm looking for:

• Worldwide cover
• The ability to use a jeweller of my choice if I ever need to make a claim
• A company that's easy to deal with if something does happen

I'd love to hear who you've insured your jewellery with and whether you've had any claim experiences.

Thanks!

I feel huge in my dress. I have lost weight but the photos make me feel bigger. This was the 12 weeks before the wedding fitting. Next one will be 6 weeks before the wedding. I used to be a very small girl but gained weight from an auto immune disease. Im now learning to love my new size but I still feel huge. Does anyone else feel this when you see photos of yourself?

Update: I’m in Adelaide

Hi guys, I’m seeking a hair and make up artist for my wedding next March. I’ve reached out to a few but seems like most artists prefer group bookings. I’m only looking to have my own hair and make up done as I’m not having a bridal party and my wedding is also on a Thursday! I’d also love if the person doing my hair could also do my make up but if you have some good recs I’m happy to book two people. Thanks in advance.