Accommodation Options for your Hunter Valley Wedding

If you’ve decided to marry in the Hunter Valley, you’ve already done an admirable job of picking one of the best locations around for guest accommodation. There is an abundance of accommodation in the Hunter Valley to suit any budget and any mood. From cabins to five star luxury lodgings, the choice is entirely yours – or that of your guests.

So where to start? Obviously you will need to have the date decided, and ceremony and reception venues booked so there are no sudden changes. Then simply search websites and listings to discover the array of accommodation options available. You may wish to book family and some guests into their accommodation close to, or even at the reception venue if available. Some couples choose to provide a shortlist of suggested accommodation to wedding guests, or you could give yourself a break and let guests do the work themselves. With so many quality locations available, they shouldn’t have any trouble finding somewhere that suits their style and their budget.

Guests can pick from hotels, resorts or may even choose a self-contained option such as a holiday cottage. This can be a great idea for small groups of friends or families.

And don’t forget your own accommodation of course. It’s the first night of the rest of your lives together, so if you’re not immediately jetting off for an overseas honeymoon, you’ll want to make it special. Romantic cottage or bed and breakfast, heritage hotel or luxury resort, it’s all possible when you marry in the beautiful Hunter Valley.

What better way to start married life than by waking up to breathtaking views, beautiful quality surroundings, and a fresh delicious breakfast?

Create Your Own Wedding Website

About two and a half years ago I was invited to a close friends wedding. The invitation was gorgeous in its simple elegance. It took me a moment to realise the reason it looked so simple, neat and clean was that there wasn’t all of the usual information cluttering the space.

My eye fell on a note at the bottom of the invite which directed guests to a website for more detail. Clever.

Logging onto the website I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when I got there I was in awe and completely impressed. In fact, it pulled at my usual ‘wedding-envy’ feelings that I try to keep squashed … the ones where I wish I got to plan my wedding all over again because it was so much fun the first time around!

The reason this website was so perfect was that it was both practical and emotional. There was information pertaining to the wedding but also stories and anecdotes, which aroused the overall feelings of a couple madly in love.

As the website loaded, a romantic song started to play. The homepage was full of pictures of the lovebirds, and the story of how they met captured your attention. Reading the story firsthand, in their words, made me feel closer to the couple and in a way also made me feel more involved in the wedding than if I had only received a paper invitation.

Further pages presented us with maps for the church and the reception, accommodation options with prices and lastly an itinerary.

As it was an ‘away’ wedding, the itinerary for guests was jam-packed for most of the weekend. There was golf, BBQ’s and a brunch for the day after the wedding. But instead of making you feel like you were obliged to attend all activities there was a simple RSVP button for each separate one so you could choose what you wanted to attend.

This couple were lucky enough to be great friends with a web designer, so their website had all of the bells and whistles mentioned above. If you like the idea of this but don’t have the money in your budget for a web designer, you can try creating a website yourself.

There are a lot of free options out there you can use. That way you can play around with it and if you aren’t happy with the end result you haven’t wasted any money. Check these ones out as a starting point:

WordPress

Blogger

Tumblr

Weebly

So if you are looking for a way to get some of the clutter off your beautiful invitation, or even if you are looking for a way to eliminate the need for a paper invitation altogether, look into creating a website specially for the big day!

A Perfect Wedding Dress for the Ultimate Occasion

It’s the day to shrug off inhibitions, leave everyday worries behind, and step into the role of princess, goddess and screen siren, all rolled into one. In short, it’s your day. It’s a day of romance, love, indulgence and yes, excitement. And there’s nothing quite so exciting, as starting the search for your ultimate wedding dress. Whether you’re looking for traditional, contemporary or vintage, your dress is out there waiting for you. Now you just have to start looking.

The first consideration when deciding on a dress is of course, your style. Are you formal, fun, or perhaps into elegant with simple lines? Even colour is an option for many women these days. The choice really is unlimited. It makes sense however to stick to cuts and styles you already know suit you and are flattering to your shape. Then, and here’s the fun part, start browsing through magazines and visiting bridal shops (or designers) to try on a range of dresses. Take a friend or take your mum, sister or a soon to be sister-in-law. Weddings can be stressful times so it’s worth making this very exciting part of it as light-hearted and enjoyable as possible.

The one thing to remember is to allow plenty of time. Whether you’re having a dress created from scratch, or buying one that’s ready made you may still need time for it to be altered, and you don’t want to leave this until the very last moment.

We know you’ll look gorgeous whatever you decide on. So go on, get to it. Start the search for a dream wedding dress that will have you looking and feeling like a princess on your big day.

The Last Minute Wedding Checklist

If you have already started planning your wedding, you will know there is a lot of detail that needs to be prepared in the lead up to the big day. It is a wise idea to have a timeline that you can follow so nothing gets left out and this will also ensure the big items – such as the dress and the cake – will be ordered within plenty of time before the wedding.

But what about those last minute details? What happens when you are only a few weeks out from the wedding and the preparations have reached fever pitch? Try to keep a checklist handy just for the purpose of these last minute tasks, as these can often be the most important ones of all.

3 – 4 weeks out:

– Have your hair and makeup trial runs if you haven’t already. Take pictures of the style and look you want to make it easier to explain to the hairdresser/makeup artist.

– Pick up your dress and your wedding rings. Try both of them on to make sure everything fits well.

– If you are having ceremony programs, proof read them one last time and print them out.

2 weeks out:

– Confirm payment due date with all suppliers, and also how they would like payment – i.e. cheque, bank transfer etc.

– Call guests who were unsure if they could attend the wedding or have not RSVP’d yet (interstate guests, pregnant friends etc) to finalise numbers.

– Give caterers/reception manager the final head count – it is likely you will also be required to pay a further deposit for the catering at this stage.

– Pack for honeymoon. It may feel early but next week will be busy so get this out of the way now, especially if it requires washing clothes.

1 week out:

– Finalise speeches and toasts if you are giving them.

– Prepare a final running order sheet and give to the MC.

– Practice walking in your wedding shoes. If they are a bit tight wear thick socks with them around the house for a couple of hours until they stretch.

– Have a manicure and pedicure and don’t forget to buy the nail colour so you can do touch ups and fix chips.

– Go to the hairdresser to touch up the roots if you need to, but don’t experiment with a new hair colour!

– Groom and groomsmen to pick up suits and try them on.

– Groom to get a haircut.

– Call all suppliers one last time to confirm bookings and details.

– Call ceremony/reception site to ensure suppliers will have access on the day.

– Give seating chart to reception manager.

– Put together a beauty emergency kit to keep with you on the day. This should include things such as band-aids, safety pins, ladies hygiene products (even if you are not due – stress can do funny things to a woman), gloss, the lippie you will be wearing for touch ups, a small vial of perfume etc.

Stick with this and the lead up to your wedding should be smooth sailing. Good luck!

Finding a Perfect Spot to Tie the Knot

So you’re getting married! One of the first steps is to decide on the perfect spot for your nuptials. Choosing the right location shouldn’t be stressful, but it is tremendously important. It will be the centrepiece of the most romantic of day in your life so you’ll want somewhere that suits you both and caters to all of your needs for a sparkling, romantic wedding ceremony.

If you are looking to marry within your faith, there are several churches in the Hunter Valley region that could provide the location for your ceremony, and are close to a myriad of wonderful reception venues. Or if you are looking to make the most of one of the most beautiful valleys in the country, then you may decide on an outdoor ceremony. How about an English style garden or a gathering among the vines? You may wish for a backdrop of sweeping valley views. The choice is entirely yours.

To be organised, consider the number of guests you will have, proximity to the reception, transport, and bathrooms. Don’t forget to check if there’s easy access for delivery of chairs and other hired materials if needed. It’s also vital to have a wet weather option so it’s wise to opt for somewhere with cover nearby. You may try restaurants, reception venues, hotels resorts or even cottages to see if they have locations where ceremonies can be held.

So why not start your search online right now? Or hop in the car – what better excuse to spend a weekend enjoying the Hunter Valley than the urgent need to scope out the location for your perfect wedding ceremony?