A blog for wedding creativity.
We printed and laser cut this unique custom invitation which was designed by Marja Barisic and Wayne Joyce. If you are looking for a way to personalise your wedding event and excite your guests with a wedding theme, why not create your own custom invitations through us!
Begin brainstorming today.
Music for My Wedding organise wedding entertainment for couples on their big day. They aim to do this in a way that reduces the amount of time the couple has to spend looking. In a way, it’s like high end online dating for finding a wedding singer. Couples complete an online form for what they are looking for, and wedding entertainers approach them with a direct quote. Efficient and effective! Founder, Dierdre Le Blang estimates that most couples find what they are looking for within days. We got to speak to Jo Elms, a wedding singer for Music for My Wedding about her role and her favourite part about what she does.
1. How long have you been singing or performing for? And what are your first memories of singing?
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. School choirs and concerts etc but it was getting involved with theatre at the age of 11 that really changed things for me. I got to sing Elaine Page’s hit ‘ I Know Him So Well’ to a full house! I was also asked to sing ‘The Rose’ at a special concert at the Christchurch Cathedral when I was 12. The Cathedral holds very special memories for me. Especially now, as much of Christchurch (including the Cathedral) was destroyed in the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.
2. How did you get into wedding singing and performing?
I used to sing at a hotel in Christchurch, New Zealand. Just by chance it was called ‘The Elms Hotel’! I was only just out of school singing in my first real paid gig and someone in the audience asked if they could book me to sing at their wedding. I happily said yes of course!
3. What is one of the most interesting weddings you have sung or performed at before?
Just last year I was asked to sing on Fort Dennison for a lovely man who wanted to make a surprise proposal to his girlfriend. He went to such amazing detail to plan everything without her having a clue! Even the staff on Fort Dennison were in on it. I was outside hiding with my guitar and when she came through from the restaurant I came out singing ‘I’m Yours’. The groom then got down on one knee. It was so amazing and we were all in tears. Happily she said yes and then we all celebrated!
4. What plans do you have for the future?
Just to keep doing what I do, music is my life. I love it!
5. What do you do in your spare time when you’re not singing or performing at weddings? Do you have any hobbies or do any other work?
I teach at the Australian Institute of Music during the week, so that keeps me really busy! I love teaching. When I do have some downtime, I love cooking at home with my husband and just relaxing.
6. Any tips for brides choosing the perfect wedding singer or performer for their day?
I love it when Brides know exactly what they want in terms of music. It’s also nice when they make a real effort to incorporate different musical styles to please different age groups. For instance, some Rock & Roll and Jazz for the older age generation. It just means that the dance floor can stay busy all night with everyone being catered for.
Now enjoy a sample of Jo performing:
If you’re in the process of finding a wedding singer for your big day, you can visit Music for My Wedding’s website and also view Jo’s profile here.
Tumbleweed Events went above and beyond for Kate and Rabeh when they needed them most; stranded on their wedding day without any wait staff. Tumbleweed had spent time styling the day leading up to it but when the worst happened, the Bride and Groom turned to Tumbleweed to help get their day back on track. We spoke to Tumbleweed about the day and what it was like to work under such pressure. The team managed to still pull together a successful and unique day for the couple that lived up to exactly what they wanted.
1. Your role in the submission? What did the lead up involve?
Tumbleweed Events set up the day from chairs, tables, arches, table centrepieces to waitressing and table service. We saved the day basically! The staff hired for the event did not turn up so we did the lot. In the lead up to the event we built two rustic tables and decorated chairs to be placed outside the Fairground Follies. We also hung lanterns and large signage however, this was unfortunately thrown together at the last minute as we were too busy setting up the tables for the reception.
2. What was the inspiration behind the day?
The couple wanted the day to be very whimsical and fun. The inspiration was Carnivale!
3. Location of wedding
The ceremony was held at the Royal Automatic Club Sydney and the reception that followed was held at the Fairground Follies St Peters.
4. Event date.
The day was held on March 28th 2015.
5. Who was the photographer?
Photos were taken by Sydney based Shots by Gun.
6. Are there any special details or stories we should know about your submission that make it extra special?
Probably, the fact that it turned into a bit of a carnival with so many things going wrong. I think Kate summed it up perfectly with her testimonial.
“Tumbleweed Events rescued our wedding day! I hired them to plan and style our wedding ceremony and reception space but when the worst thing happened - the wait staff I had booked didn’t turn up to our reception - Adam and Ruth from Tumbleweed Events stepped up and saved the day. We had an empty venue that needed to be set up for 120 guests and no one to set-up or serve guests. Tumbleweed took over and set-up all the tables, arranged the table plans, made the cocktails, dressed the tables with their amazing style, set plates, chilled and served alcohol, drinks, dinner and dessert. They worked until 2:00am to clean, clear and then pack-up the entire venue. Yet they were only hired to style the event! They went above and beyond and never complained once. Their only concern was making sure that the bride, groom and guests were happy. They did all this and still made the place look like a spectacular fairytale! I can’t recommend them enough.” - Kate
9. Which vendors were involved in the day?
Food Stuff Catering were fantastic they cooked all the food in front of the guests including a large paella and beef bourguignon.
Grant MC was amazing as well, he made everyone laugh and had lots of great stories.
Shots By Gun took beautiful photos for Kate and Rabeh to cherish forever.
Tumbleweed are a Sydney based events planning company and they’re available to plan your big day as well!
Choosing the perfect wedding invitation can be difficult and nerve-racking, as it sets the tone and theme for your big day. Not only is its job is to inform the guests, but also encourage them to RSVP ‘yes’ to your wedding. You want your invitations to embody the personality of you and your husband, while hitting the theme and look enticing to guests. Its important to know exactly what you want in order to design invitations and stationary that embodies your personality and wedding tone without costing a fortune. There are multiple elements to invitations that must be thought about upon choosing or designing them. In order to help make your decision-making process easier, here are some tips, tricks and information that you may find useful…
Having an open mind
When you first start looking for inspiration, it’s important to have an open mind. It can’t hurt to look at hundreds of invites before you design one that you love. The more invites you look at, chances are the more you will know exactly what you want. Take your time and observe wedding invites on blogs or at shops.
Start early and take your time
Once you start looking for invitations, you will soon realise that there are millions of designs out there to choose from. This is why it is best to start looking for invitations early and slowly. Its better to make a well-calculated, thoroughly thought out decision than a last minute and panicked one. This way, the end product will be exactly what you want and you will have no regrets. Take your time to browse in shops and online to see what you like and what you don’t like.
Choosing a design
Choosing your design will be hard, but knowing your options is a great way to get started on finding some inspiration or your ‘theme’ and narrowing it down to what you want. Here are some examples of different types of printing:
Engraved
Words are chosen and then ‘engraved’ onto a piece of paper via a metal plate, which is pressed onto the paper under high pressure, creating an indentation. This is the most expensive form of printing. It is also the most traditional, which is perfect if you are planning a traditional wedding. A cheaper alternative is thermography, which produces a similar result.
Embossed
Embossing is the process of raising the paper in the form of text or patterns without the use of foil or ink. This form of printing is also a popular choice, as it produces an interesting 3D design.
Letterpress
Letterpress is the oldest form of printing. It is also a popular choice, as it produces a sharp, professional-looking effect.
Lasercut
Perhaps the most modern and innovative way of transforming your invitations, lasercut allows for you to be the designer, choose what patterns and texts you would like to be cut to produce delicate, intricate and sophisticated invitations. This way, you get to add your own personal touch while producing unique invitations. Our Classic Wedding Invites could be of inspiration to your invitation designs.
Some final tips…
If you’re on a budget then you should consider making certain design sacrifices. Be prepared to go for the cheaper options. Opt for thinner paper or use recycled paper to save money. Remember that less is more and it is better to keep it simple than have tacky, over-the-top invitations. This way, the important elements of the invitations are read, instead of hidden by all the added embellishments. Finally, don’t forget that taste is subjective, and while it is important to create invitations that will entice guests to attend your wedding, it is even more important to choose a design that YOU love. If you want to go for a bolder option then go for it. Chances are, your guests will love it just as much as you do.
Good luck!
We may have just found the perfect wedding bouquets for the autumn months, read on to see our alternatives!
Summer is unfortunately over, and with it has disappeared the wonderful summer weddings with delicate light flowers and pastel colours.
Although this is a tragedy in itself, the colours emerging from this years Autumn weddings are to die for, and we’re left wondering why we even have weddings in the summer to begin with?
Choosing flowers for you big day can be stressful, so we have rounded up some of the most amazing Autumn arrangements inspiration for you to gawk at (and we even tell you where to find them). Summer weddings may just become a thing of the past!
A unique Autumn Bouquet by The Flower Fashion, guaranteed to be an eye catching statement!
A beautiful wedding bouquet consisting of exotic flowers by Oscar & Evie
Bridesmaid bouquet to match their Autumn inspired gowns by Emily Cooper
‘Dare to be Different’ Bouquet from Red Wedding Flowers definitely screams autumn with its various hues of orange and earthy tones!
Vibrant red bouquet with pops of green created by Brides in Bloom
A celebration of Autumn flowers from Flowers from The Garden
Wedding cakes can be quite expensive, quite often couples find no one really eats them and then there’s the left over’s that you can’t bring yourself to throw away but no guests want to take home either! They can be a tricky business at times! Some people just don’t see the appeal in them, for this reason we have compiled alternative wedding cake ideas and options.
There’s plenty of options for couples not into the traditional cake thing and want to change it up a bit. Here’s some wedding cake ideas and alternatives on for special day.
1. Cheese stack
Love this idea, if sweet treats aren’t really your thing, but you still want to stack something for your wedding, some couples have given the perfect wedding cake substitution. Tiers of cheese instead of tiers of cake! Brilliant, less expensive (unless you really like expensive cheese), and can be washed down perfectly with some wine and fruit. They can also be decorated quite convincingly.
2. Doughnut Cake
These little rings of deliciousness are quickly taking the handheld dessert market by storm. Back in the day a doughnut was either filled with jam, glazed, or powdered. But now the gourmet doughnut options are endless, and can be dressed up or down to suit your type of wedding style.
3. Cupcake Tower
This is for those that are still into cake, but would like an easier way to distribute dessert to the guests. Cupcakes are easy, single portioned little desserts that really everyone loves.
4. Profiterole Pyramid
Another one thats easy to split evenly and quickly to guests is the Profiterole Pyramid or Croquembouche Tower. Usually filled with cream or dulche de leche these beautiful creations are favoured by nearly everyone. Can be make to look fancy or dressed down for a more rustic affair.
5. Pie/Cake Pops
This is more of an American tradition, but it is quickly taking Australian weddings by storm as well. The cake or pie pop can be decorated quite elegantly, and arranged in a way that mimics a cake, with less mess, you won’t even have to dirty a plate.
6. Macaron Stand
No fuss alternative to cake, often lasts longer than cake does (although does lose its texture after a day or two) and you can have in multiple flavours that will please everyone.
7. Oreo Stack (no we’re not kidding)
This is less common, although has been done a few times, looks amazing and is sure to disappear quickly. Less mess, less fuss and less cost, there’s always a good reason to eat Oreos. Though, definitely keep in mind bits of chocolate biscuit getting stuck in your teeth though, not a good look for the bride and groom!
8. Bit of Everything Dessert Bar
Why not give your guests (and yourself) a little variety. If you have a large cake those people that don’t like cake will steer clear, but if there’s a whole table of options on the final meal of the night, you are sure to please every one of your guests (except for the ones that don’t like dessert at all, but who needs them anyway). Warning: sugar overload for the dessert lovers that will try to eat a bit of everything.
9. Dessert Shots
You can still have an elegant cake in a small shot glass form. This works well for cheesecakes, trifles and layer cakes that can be messy when in a large cake form. Plus, when it comes to the decision between cheesecake and a normal cake, cheesecake has to win every time!
10. Brownie Cake
Brownie’s aren’t just for break ups and little children, these delicious fudgy beauties can be stacked together to look like a wedding cake. Who doesn’t get excited when they see brownies? You’ll be spoiling your wedding guests with treats from their childhoods.
So what do you think? Have you discovered wedding cake ideas from these?
Here is a snippet of Aaron and Lisa’s wedding video highlighting the most special and joyous moments of the night! When choosing your videographer, make sure that you are clear with them as to what you would like the wedding video to highlight and portray so that all the magical moments are captured for your kids to watch in 10 years time!
The couple were married at Emu Bottom homestead in Sunbury, VIC on January 3, 2015. This beautiful Australian wedding was full of native blooms and rustic touches to create a warm country feel. The bridal party also brought some surprise entertainment to the night making it a memorable one!
Click play to watch the wedding video!
We are excited to announce that we are sending out free wedding invitation samples for the month of June.
Take a peak out our range of invitations here.
Please note:-
Ever dreamt of a Vegas Wedding? Here is the wedding story of Christopher and Jessamine who were married in Las Vegas and then celebrated with a reception party in Australia with their closest family and friends. Here is their love story.
Jessamine: I work for Chandler Macleod Group- an international HR services company. I organize our internal and external events, am involved in project support, admin support and any cultural events.
Christopher: I work at UnitingCare Community for the Holiday Program. We provide care for children who have a diagnosed disability or special needs during the school holiday periods. I supervise the program during the weeks it operates, and facilitate its organization during the rest of the year
We were engaged only two months after meeting, and married 6 months later! Christopher made truffle pizza and sat me down in the back garden where he delivered the most beautiful speech. I cried, and said yes obviously! I don’t have immediate family, and Christopher’s family travel with the circus so we were lucky in that we had a lot of freedom to choose where and how we wanted to get married, without upsetting any parents! We both felt strongly about getting married somewhere that gay marriage was legal, so we decided on the USA… which led to planning the ceremony in Vegas, under the ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign!
To celebrate with our friends, we decided to have a reception back in Brisbane when we arrived home. I did still want some bridal party-esque photos, so I sent notes to my best girlfriends asking them to wear black to the reception, so that we could get special photos together. (They called themselves my non-bridesmaids) I also had silver infinity knot rings made by an etsy store to give to all the girls, and our photographer was brilliant- he loved the concept and we ended up with the most amazing photos that captured our vision perfectly.
Vegas was 40 degrees celcius, so we went with light comfort! I made sure the florist I was working with knew that we were getting married outdoors, so the flowers were appropriate to last in the heat for a few hours! We hired a town car to take us to the ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign, and met the minister and photographer there. My hair and make up was also done along the same lines- styled to withstand a few hours of overbearing sun!
When we got home to Australia for the reception, it was winter and rainy! We chose a restaurant on the Brisbane river that is hugely special to us, undercover (!) and had excellent photo op spaces nearby. The restaurant itself was a sort of French provincial style so the decorations we decided on were rustic and simple- flowers, mason jars, twine and wooden cutlery!
Oh my goodness there are so many! We both chose to repeat traditional vows, but insert our own few lines at the end. I loved that we were able to keep with tradition but personalize it a touch. Since we had the legal ceremony in Las Vegas, we found a website that links public webcams to a live streaming website. We gave the address to our friends and family so that they could watch it happen in real time!
With some help from an etsy provider, we made ‘hangover kits’ as our wedding favours, for guests to take home. These included a bottle of Fiji water, a lollipop, a sachet of hydralyte, a bandaid and two panado, all in a little hessian bag with our wedding details on the front. My bridesmaids and I made 60 of them a few nights before the reception! As people came in there were welcome cocktails (elderflower spritz), along with a sign asking people to take a cocktail on their way in, and a hangover kit on their way out! We also framed and hung photos from our ceremony in Las Vegas, at the reception.
No religious aspects. The only thing Christopher asked to be included somehow was something about the Chinese ‘Red String of Fate’ legend. It’s always resonated with Chris, who believes strongly in fate and kismet. I found a jeweler who makes titanium rings, with a strip of enamel colour set through them- so was able to get one with a red ‘string’ for Christopher.
We spent a long time speaking about this before the ceremony. Both Chris and I were aware that we were getting married relatively quickly, but knew that it was the right decision. For us it was about celebrating finding that person, who you are a better person with together, than you are separately. And then making a commitment to grow together. Making these vows at the ceremony was definitely the most meaningful part of our wedding, and while we missed having friends and family there- we both felt that it was almost more significant, and special, that we got to do this by ourselves.
I was so lucky with this aspect- because I wanted something short and lightweight for Las Vegas, and short but lined for Brisbane- it was a lot easier hunting for white cocktail style dresses than for a full blown bridal gown! As beautiful as wedding dresses are, my style is definitely less formal and much more casual.
My Las Vegas dress ended up being an Elise Ryan kaftan from the UK, and the reception dress was white lined lace cocktail dress from Vividress
I’ve racked my brain, but honestly everything was smooth sailing, and completely wonderful!
If you can- elope! Then have a reception at home with your friends. You get to combine your ceremony and honeymoon, there’s so much less stress and pressure, not to mention huge financial savings, and you get to celebrate twice!
VENDORS
Ceremony – Public venue! “Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign, LV Nevada
Transport – Presidential Limousine.
Celebrant & photography – Reverend Daniel Peck & Pia Peck.
Flowers – Flowers of the Field, Las Vegas.
Hair and Make up – Kelly Moore.
Bridal gown – Elise Ryan
Shoes – Country Road
Grooms suit- Country Road shirt & tie, Tarocash pants, wife’s fedora.
Reception – Jude’s Kitchen, Brisbane QLD.
Stationery designer – Minted Design.
Photos – Bryce Harvey, Harvey House Photography
Hair and Make up – Katharine Donnelly.
Bridal gown – Vivid Dress.
Shoes – Witchery
Grooms suit- Country Road shirt & tie, Tarocash pants, Best man’s jacket after wife rubbed half her face of make up off on his shirt.
Catering – Jude Kitchen.
Cake – The Cupcake Taste, Graceville QLD.
Wedding favours – Clementine Weddings.
At CWI, we had the pleasure of designing the wedding invitation for Marc and Kristine’s special day! The wedding invitations were of a black and white colour scheme which complimented the weddings classic and timeless style that was prevalent in every aspect of the wedding from the wedding decor, to the classical styling and even the venue. In order to design these wedding invitations, we utilised the services of our other other brand Melbourne Laser Cutter, to insure each wedding invitation is produced with precision and beauty. Mark and Kristine were married on January 18, 2014, celebrating their elegant wedding lakeside, at Carousel at Albert Park.
Read on to hear more about their story!
Tell us a little about the proposal and the lead up to the wedding?
We went on a holiday to the US. It was my 25th Birthday whilst we were away and Marc arranged a whole heap of surprises; Massage and facial in the morning at the Bellagio, Dinner at Paris Las Vegas, then we went up to the top of the Paris Hotel tower and Marc dropped to his knee and proposed. After that we went in a limousine to the airport where Marc had also organized a helicopter to go over the Las Vegas strip – very romantic.
Lead up to the wedding was cruisy – we had plenty of time to plan the wedding. It also helped having a wedding planner take off the bulk of the stress.
What was the inspiration behind your wedding theme / vibe?
Theme was a contemporary/modern. I wanted to do the typical traditional wedding things but with a modern feel. Inspiration was taken from multiple weddings.
Favourite detail and/or moment of the day (besides becoming husband and wife of course! or Wife and Wife, or Husband and Husband!)
Favourite Detail – everything fell into place perfectly
Did you undertake any DIY projects, if so what?
Made our own invitation boxes for immediate family and bridal party, got a few of our venue decorations made; Chandelier, “We decided on forever” sign, stationary cards; bonbonierre, well wishes cards, table numbers etc
Any family or religious traditions incorporated into your day?
Cutting of the ribbon (Italian tradition) when we (bride and groom) entered the venue just before cutting the cake.
What does marriage mean to you?
Spending the rest of your life with the one person you can’t live without – commitment
Talk to us about your dress, where is it from? how long did it take to find etc etc
My dress was made by Annette of Melbourne inspired by a J’aton gown. I had found it a few months before Marc had proposed and new that that was the dress I wanted for our wedding.
Any stories in the lead up to or on the day?
Just a fun time planning the wedding; everyone says that it’s stressful etc but it was a breeze for us! Loved every minute of it and would do it all again!Our ceremony was in a Catholic Church in Camberwell; we chose this church as it was located in the middle of each of our family homes. Our party celebration was at Carousel in Albert Park (I always had dreamed of getting married here) which overlooked the lake and city views. Our colour theme was classic black and white and we had floral table runners on each table, a floral chandelier hanging over the centre of our dance floor and a “We Decided on Forever” Sign on the decking with pillars of flowers. It was a cocktail affair with a live band and plenty of singing and dancing.
Also, my other sister that wasn’t in our bridal party surprised us by singing Marc and I “All of Me – John Legend” which was absolutely beautiful and also an emotional song “Thank-you – Dido” which was my Father’s Funeral Song (sorry they are only on our long video!).
My parents passed away when I was younger (both from Cancer – hence the Cancer Council Bonbonierre); so I had my foster father walk me down the isle. The group shot in front of the tree is of my foster family; who I have grown up with since I was 13 (was 26 when I got married). Marc’s brother also passed away when he was younger; he is in one of the photos on my bouquet.
Advice for other couples planning a wedding?
Ensure you have lots of time to plan – no need to rush; you are going to spend the rest of your life with that one person.
VENDORS
Ceremony Venue: Basilica Our Lady of Victories; Camberwell
Reception Venue: Carousel; Albert Park
Photographer: Joseph Koprek
Cinematographer: C2 Wedding Videography
Wedding planner: Helena Walden-Smith; she assisted in finding suppliers/ideas – but I still directed most of the planning/designing
Entertainment (I.e.DJ, live band, etc.): Live Band – The White Tree
Hair stylist: Kim Tavares; Celebrity Hair and Make Up
Make-up artist: Amelia Birch (sourced from MAC Make-Up as she did my hens make-up)
Bridal dress designer: Annette of Melbourne
Bridal shoes: Scanlan Theodore
Bridal jewellery: Swarovski
Bridal headpiece/ veil: Annette of Melbourne
Engagement rings: Kristine – Canturi, Marc – Tiffany and Co
Bridesmaid dresses designer: Diane Calwell
Bridesmaid Shoes: Wittner
Flower girl dresses designer: N/A
Grooms suit: Menz Mode
Groomsmen suits: Menz Mode
Groom & Groomsmen Shoes: Aquila
Pageboy suit: N/A
Wedding Cars: Triple R Luxury Car Hire
Cake designer: My Cake Delights
Invitation designer: Melbourne Laser Cutter for Main Invite; Boxes were handmade by myself for immediate family and bridal party
Chairs: Boutique Chair Company
Chandelier: Custom Made
We Decided on Forever Sign: Custom Made
Table Stationary: Hand Made
Favours: Cancer Council Victoria and Fresh Flowers from the decking/tables
