Real wedding: Emily and Michael’s DIY Barn wedding

Emily and Michael were married by Barbara Beames in the Barn at The Briars on Saturday 21st December 2013, and the Barn was then transformed into the reception venue.

Many hours were spent by Emily and her mother in law making 80 metres of gorgeous bunting!

The wedding cake, which was layered on the inside in different shades of purple, the cup cakes and many of the desserts were made by Ellen’s Bakery.

After having wood fired pizza for mains, the dessert buffet and lolly bar meant guests were in sweets heaven!

So many personal touches made this a truly magic wedding, including the rustic signs made by Michael. The guests had fun with lawn games and Mr Whippy made an appearance!

Emily looked absolutely stunning and Michael looked a treat in his purple suit.

The time and effort that Emily and Michael put into designing, planning and creating their wedding was evident to everyone, and it was a truly wonderful experience helping coordinate their wedding day. 

Proposal events

Popping the question has always been a special and important element of getting married, and it is becoming quite popular for the proposal to be an event in its own right!

A great example was when Dan proposed to Ellesse as a production put on by Matt & Jo at Fox FM (http://www.fox.com.au/shows/mattandjo/video/matt-jos-surprisal/). What a fantastic surprise for Ellesse, who had only just started working in the city and thought her boss was taking her to a client briefing! This proposal included numerous celebrities and even a Channel 7 news flash.

The ideas for proposing are endless….

Imagine taking a walk through your local shopping area, continuously bumping into friends and family along the way, then discovering them all gathered together when you arrive at a set meeting point, where the big question is asked.

Or perhaps your partner puts a movie on to watch together, but instead of the movie, you are watching your family and friends put on a performance, leading into your own proposal.

Maybe you are walking along Southbank, stopping to watch the many talented buskers, only to be dragged by one of the performers into the centre where your partner has incorporated your proposal into one of their shows, and all of a sudden your family and friends appear in the crowd.

The ideas for creating a proposal event are endless!

Alternative Hens and Bucks party ideas

Looking for some alternate ides for hens and bucks parties? Here are some local ideas on the Mornington Peninsula.

Cooking class
Get the guys or girls together and learn how to make wood fired pizza at T’Gallant (www.tgallant.com.au) in Main Ridge. Of course, plenty of wine tasting at the same time is a given! This is a great, fun, messy, and yummy way to spend the afternoon.

Or how about learning how to make handmade pasta with Feast Australia in Sorrento (www.feastaustralia.com.au).

Creative Craft
What about a craft workshop to create some gorgeous bunting for the wedding with The Hen Hatch (www.thehenhatch.com). Emma will bring the workshop to your home or to a venue of your choice.

Trampolining
Got heaps of energy? Here’s something different. Check out the new Gravity Zone (www.gravity-zone.com.au) in Seaford – an exciting trampoline experience adventure centre.

Pole dancing
Girls it doesn’t get much more fun than this! Pole Divas (www.poledivas.com.au) in Mornington host some great hen’s parties – learning pole dancing!

Marquee at the races
How special would everyone feel having their own marquee at the races! The Mornington Racing Club (www.melbourneracingclub.net.au/the-races/mornington/corporate-hospitality) has some great priced packages for groups of at least 10 guests.

Tarot card reading
Have a tarot card and clairvoyance party where everyone can get their cards read and find out the mysteries of their future. Andrea Lowrey (www.andrealowrey.com.au) can come to you.

Horseback winery tour
Have some fun on horseback and enjoy the wineries at the same time with Horseback Winery Tours (ww.horsebackwinerytours.com.au) in Red Hill.

Wedding Sub Ceremonies

Wedding couple light unity candle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sub ceremonies are a very popular inclusion as part of the wedding ceremony. There are so many to choose from, or you can simply make up your own. Many sub ceremonies are steeped in tradition or religion, however bridal couples also use them to reflect themselves.

The unity candle is quite common, allowing the bride and groom to both light a candle from their own individual candle, symbolising their unity.

A rose ceremony is a beautiful exchange of roses between the bride and groom, after their vows, as their first gifts to each other as a married couple.

A very popular option is the sand ceremony, where the bride and groom pour different coloured sand into a glass container. The different sands are representative of their lives as individuals, and the sands are then combined together, symbolising their lives joining together as one.

One of the more alternative ceremonies is the truce bell, where a bell is rung during their ceremony and then it is placed in their marital home, where if a disagreement occurs they can ring the bell to remind each other of that happiness and the promises and commitment they made to each other, hopefully ending the disagreement quickly.

A children’s ceremony is a wonderful way to introduce children into a blended family. The bride and groom give their children a token of their promise to them.

There are many other varieties, such as rock/stone ceremony, hand fasting, warming of the rings, butterfly release, water ceremony, garland ceremony, and broom jumping ceremony.

When it comes to selecting your sub ceremony, it is personal choice and should reflect the bridal couple.

Wedding Expo 16th June 2013

A Wedding Expo is being held at the Mornington Racing club on Racecourse Road in Mornington on Sunday the 16th of June 2013 from 10am to 3pm.

Attending a wedding expo is an excellent opportunity to meet and chat with all the different types of suppliers you are going to need for your wedding. It’s much easier than having to travel around to meet them all!

The best element of this particular expo is that the venues and suppliers exhibiting are mainly locals. So if you are getting married on the Mornington Peninsula, this is the ideal expo for you to visit.

Functioning Together is excited to be exhibiting at this expo and a special discount will be available for all brides and grooms who call in for a chat on the day.

*Don’t forget to bring along anyone who is helping you plan your wedding.

When should I start planning my event?

As soon as you become aware that you need to organise an event, whether it be a corporate dinner, a birthday milestone, your wedding, or any other special occasion, take the time to work out when you will need to commence planning. Take into account how important it is for you to have a particular venue and/or suppliers, how busy you will be with other commitments during your planning stage, and how much notice your guests will require.

Getting started early is preferable where possible, but an event can also be organised in a short space of time, although choices are then often limited due to availability.

Generally, if you are planning a wedding, 12 months is an ideal time to start planning, particularly if you have a specific venue in mind. Having some flexibility on your wedding date can also help with your planning. Some couples are even choosing to hold their wedding mid-week, which makes selecting the date much easier!

If you are having a destination wedding (ie overseas), giving your guests more than 12 months’ notice is courteous, as it gives them the option to plan an extended holiday when attending your wedding.

Ideally, planning other types of events, such as birthdays, conferences, and corporate dinners, should commence about 6 months before the event, depending on the size and type of event (some larger events may require 12 months or more of planning). It’s a good idea to lock in your venue as soon as you know about the event, particularly if it is being held during the busy season.

No matter when you commence your planning, it is very important to work out a checklist of all your requirements and a timeline for when all your arrangements need to be made. It is worthwhile spending some time working through these details, to ensure nothing is missed. The more time spent during the planning process, the more successful your event will be!

How much is planning your wedding costing you?

Have you ever stopped to think how many hours it takes to plan your wedding? On average, it can take around 200 hours! Most of us these days are time poor, so using a wedding planner takes away the stress, and it reduces the countless hours of researching and organising involved with the planning process. Afterall, this is one of the most important days in your life, and you want to enjoy every moment – from when you first become engaged, all the way through until your honeymoon.

The cost of a wedding planner is minimal when you factor in the time you are saving yourself, and the knowledge and experience of your planner. For example, if you decide to have your whole wedding planned for you, Functioning Together can provide you with a Deluxe package that costs $2000 – if you break this amount down, you will see that it is very affordable at approximately $38 per week (over a 12 month period).

Many brides say after they were married that if they did it again they would definitely use a wedding planner! So don’t leave it until it is too late and let Functioning Together work with you to create a memorable occasion that you and your guests will all cherish forever.

Mornington Peninsula Weddings

Functioning Together is a proud new member of Mornington Peninsula Weddings www.peninsulaweddings.com.au.

Mornington Peninsula Weddings is a group of quality wedding suppliers located on the peninsula, specialising in creating beautiful weddings on Victoria’s gorgeous Mornington Peninsula.

I am looking forward to working closely with these businesses.