Top tips from one bride to the next

In her own words – a Moorabool Valley marquee wedding

 At Austin’s, we’re so lucky to live and work at such a beautiful property. The Moorabool Valley is located just one hour from Melbourne and 20 minutes from Geelong, set amongst large farming landscapes and some of the oldest vineyards in the Geelong wine region. Whilst first and foremost the property is a working winery producing quality, single vineyard wine for both Austins & Co and 6Ft6, it’s also the home, and a private property to the owners and from time-to-time, we host some unique, stunning country weddings. Either converting our working winery into a rustic barrel hall, creating your own magical marquee wedding or setting up tipi’s atop of the Moorabool Paddock, you’re definitely guaranteed to host an amazing celebration. 

 In her own words, Rhi, our Marketing and Events Coordinator, walks you through her own amazing celebration at Austin’s with new-husband, Mitch and shares some words of wisdom for any bride-to-be’s

Let’s be honest, getting engaged is exciting, yet overwhelming. There are so many things to consider when planning a wedding… where do we get married? When? Venue or marquee? Music? Food trucks? Caterer? Celebrant? The list goes on. We learnt a lot along the way, so here’s my advice, from one bride to the next.

My Pre Wedding tips

 1. Find one reliable guide to help you tick off a timely list

What are those 5 P’s? Proper planning prevents poor performance. Well, ain’t that the truth. Bad as it may be, I treated our wedding as another event to plan. I looked for the best guide I could to tell me what I needed to book and most importantly, when. I chose Bride Business as my guide and took it with me to all appointments. I also love that I can have it as a keepsake for years to come. 

 2. Know your budget and guest list before choosing a venue

Be realistic about your budget and tell your future spouse to give or take 10 either side (I’ll let you interpret that). Look online or ask some married friends for a budget template and begin guesstimating costs. There will always be a venue that will fit into your budget, so don’t be pressured and choose based on what’s available. Just like you would buying a house at auction, know your budget and stick to it (with the tiniest flexibility). 

 3. Surround yourself with an experienced tribe

Although weddings look effortless, it’s hard work setting up. Surrounding yourself with an experienced tribe of professionals is worth every dollar. As we opted for a marquee structure, we booked Laura from Weddings of Desire to assist with set-up and styling. It’s such a huge weight off your shoulders knowing if there are any issues on the day, you won’t even know about it as someone else has it covered. 

My Wedding Day Tips

 1. Don’t sweat the small stuff

There are so many exciting things happening in the lead up to your big day that you should take it all in. It truly is the happiest day of your life. You have phone calls, messages, emails and more coming from every direction… So, my best advice is to try and avoid anything that might make you stressed, or take away from any happiness coming your way. You can’t control the weather, people being sick, wind blowing over a huge floral arrangement (yes, that did happen) or your husband-to-be scoring a black eye on the bucks. Just enjoy it and know that everything will be great. 

 2. Be real

I already need a social media detox in 2019 and it’s only March. The world gets so swept up wanting to impress other people on social media that we forget what truly matters – you, your partner and your family and friends. You do you. You can get so carried away with needing everything, because that’s what Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra had. Well, we all don’t need eight weddings in four countries and a Chanel gown for it to be the best day of your life.

 3. Don’t stick to traditions if you don’t want to

When making decisions I would ask myself, will we regret not doing it? From making a speech at the reception, to cakes, bonbonnieres, a father/daughter dance and asking my brother to be a bridesman, I’m so thankful for the decisions we made. 

My Post Wedding Tips

 1. Take reasonable time off

We went on our honeymoon straight after our wedding and are so grateful we were able to do so. Emotions run high and you’re on such an adrenaline rush, you need to take time to relax, unwind and have fun. We are still saying “remember at the wedding when”, and hope we’re still saying it for years to come.

 2. What next?

Plan something to do next. I felt like I was in a wedding bubble that whole year planning our wedding (I think I’m still in it) that I forgot life is still moving on the other side. Whether it’s another holiday, renovating a house or starting a new hobby, just do it. You spend your weekends looking for venues, trying on dresses, making seating plans and sealing invites that you all of a sudden have your weekends back and need to fill the time.

 3. Find keepsakes

I’m not as experienced here, but I’m trying to find ways to have keepsakes for Mitch and I, and for our families. In addition to photos and the video, we’re always looking for ways to store memories. Our celebrant printed off our entire ceremony on beautifully printed paper, our legendary stationary designer is creating a magazine full of our favourite photos and I’m still tossing up about whether or not I should keep my dress… help! We were so honoured to have Ivory Tribe feature our wedding on their website that we can always check in there for a quick five minute scan. How lucky are we! 

 That’s it from me. Good luck planning, have fun and enjoy every minute! x

 PS – if you would like to enquire about a wedding at Austin’s, you can check out our wedding page for more info or you can contact me here. 

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