EPISODE 3

FINDING THAT DREAM WEDDING VENUE Guest: Poho Flowers

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THE WEDDING DIGEST, BY WEDBOOKER

FINDING THAT DREAM WEDDING VENUE

How do you find your dream wedding venue? We’re so pleased you asked! On Episode 03 of The Wedding Digest Ally shares her tips on how to match with your perfect location to celebrate your matrimony, and a few details to consider. Lucy and Ally also caught up with one of our incredibly talented wedBooker florists, Ed from Poho Flowers in Sydney. Ed reveals what he expects will be the floral trends for 2021 and his tips on briefing your florist to ensure your bloomy dreams are brought to life. We hope you enjoy this episode. Much love, The wedBooker team xo

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HOW TO FIND THE PERFECT VENUE There are so many incredible Wedding venues around Australia, so where do you even start looking?

First, it’s a good idea to build a check list of the non-negotiables including the number of guests, location, style and budget.

Then write a list of the things you can be flexible on for example the room layout, whether the needs to be ceremony onsite or separate.

Once you have your check list, head to platforms like wedBooker which offer you a White Pages of the very best wedding venues in the country. wedBooker’s specially designed search allows you to narrow down your options based on your non-negotiable requirements including style, number of guests and location, saving you time. Think of it as a Bumble for wedding venues! With hundreds of venues in their directory wedBooker is certain to uncover some cool and unique venues you may not have thought of or discovered before.

If you already have a vision of what you want, for example a vineyard or beach wedding, then you are halfway there! There are so many amazing venues with a variety of styles all around the country. The wedBooker venue search also enables you to search by style too! If you aren’t sure what your style is or what you want your wedding to look like, sit down with your partner and talk through what you both like. You can build out your own unique style, you don’t have to choose just one for example you can have modern with a touch of boho! You want your wedding to reflect you as a couple. Need some inspiration? wedBooker can help with that as well, our wedding inspiration page is filled with incredible real-life weddings to feast your eyes on and be inspired. WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING TO STAY LOCAL OR GO FOR A DESTINATION VENUE This is a big one for a lot of couples, do you get married in Melbourne or the Yarra Valley? Brisbane or Byron Bay, Sydney or Bowral? There are advantages to both staying local and a destination wedding. It comes down to what your dream day looks like. A local wedding is convenient for guests (assuming the majority live in the same city as you!) which means that majority of guests are likely to RSVP yes! It also means your guests aren’t forking out extra money for accommodation and transport.

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You’ll also be working with local suppliers and it’s handy being able to pop into your wedding venue with your suppliers as often as you need to plan your big day. A destination wedding usually requires guests to commit to least one night away. A destination wedding is a fun way to have all the people you love with you for a full weekend of celebrations, and often the wedding is followed by a recovery the next day. This is a great way to re-live the night and catch up with guests again after your big day. However, you must consider the additional costs to your guests including accommodation and transport. It’s also important to ensure your chosen destination has plenty of accommodation options for your guests so they aren’t forced to book in the next town. A destination venue may mean you have limited site visits and it’s more cost-effective working with local suppliers who you may not be as familiar with. However, often these locations are known wedding destinations, so your wedding venue should have a list of suppliers they’d recommend who they’ve worked with before. WHAT TO CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING YOUR FINAL DECISION If you would prefer to have your ceremony and reception at the same spot then you need to ensure the venue can cater for both, and what that looks like.

ASK ALLY

“What is the difference between an Event Manager

and Wedding Planner?”

An Event Manger is your go-to for the logistics of the venue, anything related to the venue including AV,

dance-floor, food and drink service, they have the answers.

A Wedding Planner, is essentially your trusted personal assistant and

best friend for everything to do with your wedding. Their wealth of

experience means you can ask them for assistance or advice on anything

you’re unsure about. A planner helps bring your vision to life,

finding and liaising with suppliers and importantly negotiating the best possible prices for you. An experienced wedding planning

knows the best suppliers to work with, those who have a proven track

record, and they also help to coordinate the wedding on the

actual day so it all goes all smoothly. Essentially, they take all the stress

away from a couple! If you want to know more Ally is always available to answer your questions, send her an email at

hello@wedbooker.com.au

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If your venue can’t cater for your ceremony, or you’re not happy with their options, then you’ll need to look for a ceremony location nearby. Ask the venue, they will more than likely be able to suggest options local to the area. Ideally, the two locations shouldn’t be more than 20minutes a part, any more than that you lose valuable time celebrating with your loved ones! If you find a couple of venues you love, then it’s time to start the process of elimination. Compare quotes for each, what does each venue include in the contract, do they have the tables and chairs your heart desires, or will you have to hire some in? How many of your non-negotiables does each space tick. The final piece of the decision making comes down to the dates they have available. If one venue has everything you want but the date is in summer instead of your desired season of spring would you choose the other venue instead? These are some considerations you may need to make, work out what is more important to you, having the 10/10 venue but not the perfect date, or the perfect date and the 8/10 venue. Can you make the 8/10 venue a 10/10 without spending too much extra? It comes down to what is more important to you as a couple. QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR VENUE It may be an obvious one but it is important to read the contract! Look over your check list and ask them what they have in-house which will save you money on hiring externally, rigging for flowers, AV, tables, chairs and a dancefloor are the big ones. Also make sure you’re clear on their bump-in and bump-out times and what the additional costs are if you need to add extra time onto this to ensure there is enough time for your suppliers to get their work done without stress. It’s also worth checking to see if they have a wedding booked on the same day before your wedding as that will affect your bump in timings.

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TODAY’S GUEST: POHO FLOWERS FLORAL TRENDS FOR 2021 Dried flowers, boho bunches and beautiful nude and blush pallets have played a starring role in weddings throughout 2019. Ed from Poho Flowers in Sydney predicts pops of colours to make a comeback in 2021, expect splashes of citrus hues, deep purples even black! A surprising flower is also expected to take centre stage, step aside peonies, dahlias are tipped to play a starring role in 2021! Typically found in grandma’s garden the underrated dahlias come in every colour of the rainbow and are in season for much longer than the desired peonies. Ed says while dried flowers had their time in the sun last year, they will still feature but less prominently in 2021.

TIPS ON HOW TO BRIEF YOUR

FLORIST

Ed’s best tip for briefing your

florist is to have an open-mind! Florists are creatives and they know their craft

intimately, so trust that they will produce something

greater than our less-experienced floral minds can

conjure. If you place too many restrictions on your florist,

then you’re potentially hindering their best work! In

saying that, be clear with your budget, and a mood board helps so they have an initial

understanding of what you’re looking for. Then let the florist

do what they do best and come to you with their ideas

and creations. Remember, this is all about having fun, so

enjoy the process!

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HAVE A QUESTION FOR ALLY?

Submit your wedding question via Instagram Direct Message

and Ally will answer it in next week’s episode.

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