r/AusWeddingPlanning

I’ve started looking into wedding planning and I’m already a bit overwhelmed trying to keep track of all the different vendors. There are photographers, venues, catering, florists, and somehow each one has its own set of emails, quotes, and little details that all need following up. How are people actually managing to keep everything organised?

Hi all

Tomorrow is a big day for me - shooting my first solo wedding for 8+ hours as a content creator and nerves hitting me hard. I really want to do well but I'm stressing over how to actually survive the day.

Right now I have two bags. A smaller one to wear 24/7, and a big one with backup gear and spare bits.
Do people actually carry everything on them all the time?
Or do you just leave the big bag in a safe spot at the venue (or your car) and grab stuff as needed?

Health question lol. I'm borderline anemic and if I don't eat, I will literally pass out (dramatic I know). I know I get a vendor meal, but how does that work?
Do I have to ask for it, or does the venue just tell me when it’s ready?
The couple has a wedding planner. Can I just ask them about the timing, or am I gonna look like a total idiot? I have the run sheet and am fine with all the timings in that regard but I’m just a bit nervous and I really don't want to seem unprofessional

Any last-minute tips on how to pace myself or stay alive tomorrow would be a lifesaver. Ty!!

Hi everyone,

I’m starting to look for my wedding dress in Melbourne and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with where to begin.

I’m mainly looking for a good experience where I can try on different styles without feeling pressured to buy on the first visit. My budget’s around $2,500 (preferably less) but right now my focus is just to explore different silhouettes before deciding what suits me.

Any recommendations on where to go? 

Thank you!

hi everyone! i have been to a handful of weddings over the years, all in australia but also all tinged by the customs of my own ethnicity in varying degrees. most of them were also in the 2010s, with the most recent one still being like 4 years ago.

i'm starting to do research for my own wedding, but as you can imagine, most of the things i'm finding are american and i'm not sure how helpful they are. for example, i keep seeing that expecting cash gifts over physical ones can be rude, but i know that can't be true here because every single wedding i have attended has gone for cards and cash gifts.

in particular, to start, i'm wondering if thank you notes to guests who gave gifts are a thing? i have never received one.

would it be weird to have bathroom baskets with amenities (panadol, listerine strips, hair ties, etc etc)?

anything else i should keep an eye out or know to disregard for an australian wedding?

Something that has absolutely shocked me during this wedding planning process is how many vendors use social media as their sole platforms!

I know in 2026 websites may seem redundant since most people find vendors on social media now but I hate when DM’s or even worse WHATSAPP are the first and primary method of communication. Have a lovely website where I can formally submit and enquiry form pleases.

And I CAN confirm my experience with vendors who DO have websites has been way more seamless and professional 🤷🏾‍♀️

Hi everyone,

We've recently come to learn just how expensive wedding flowers are :(

To cut down costs, we're considering hiring & DIYing & our flowers. We're thinking of hiring some faux ceremony & reception arrangements (there are a few local hire places here in Brisbane) & DIY-ing the bouquets/boutonnieres ourselves. We'll probably do faux for these too so we can make them in advance & cut out a bit of stress.

Has anyone here used faux flowers for their wedding (especially DIY-ed or hired)?

If so, where did you order your flowers from & were you happy with how they looked?

I'm a bit nervous about them looking obviously fake (mostly from a distance/in photos), but otherwise really like the idea.

Any experiences or tips would be very much appreciated <3

Hi fellow Aussies!

I’ve posted this on other subs but I feel like most responses were from American redditors, I’m genuinely interested if there is a culture difference in opinion as my soon to be MIL and the rest of my partner’s family (all Aussies) don’t think it’s rude at all, in contrast to the majority opinion on Reddit.

My partner and I have decided on having a wedding in Indonesia, but because we are an interfaith couple and I wanted to marry in a Catholic Church it’s gonna be too much of a headache to do in Indonesia due to the paperwork. We settled on a small legal church ceremony here in Australia with just our immediate family initially, and invited around 70 people to join us in Indonesia for a symbolic ceremony and a larger, more extravagant reception.

Obviously being a destination wedding, we anticipated that we would get a lot of RSVP no’s. The people who aren’t able to make it to Indonesia for various reasons still want to celebrate with us in some way/witness the actual wedding. My partner and I don’t really want to host two receptions, as the overseas one is our “main celebration.”

Is it rude to allow people to attend the church wedding to witness our union, but not have a local reception after? Our reception is technically overseas, we were just going to have a small dinner with our immediate family after the legal church ceremony. We would just put something like “ we look forward to celebrating with you Indonesia” in the “reception details“ part of the invitation for those interested in coming to the ceremony only.

edit: for clarification, the church ceremony will have a small dinner after, initially only for the immediate family but now people have asked if they can attend the church ceremony as well. My partner and I are trying to decide if we accommodate for the guests who want to come to the church only.

I’ve never written a negative review of a business in my life but I feel compelled to share this experience with other brides-to-be so they avoid the hell I went through with True Society Fitzroy.

I first contacted True Society back in November last year requesting an appointment for a bridal fitting. My wedding isn’t until early 2027, but I find big decisions extremely difficult and get decision fatigue badly, so wanted to give myself plenty of time to avoid stress.

After making an online booking I got a call from a sales representative who wanted to know some more information about the kind of dress I was looking for. I had some sort of idea in mind but said that I was really open to trying a few different styles and getting to know what suited me best. She told me that it was best I come back another time once I knew exactly what I wanted as ‘most brides walk out of here with their dress’. I thought that was odd but decided to take her advice and went shopping around to a few other stores.

A few months later I knew exactly the kind of dress I was after and decided to try True Society again. The same sales representative called me and I told her I had a much better idea of what I wanted now. She sent me a link to upload inspo pics and describe my dream dress which was great.

I arrive at my bridal fitting with two of my bridesmaids. The sale representative greets me by the wrong name and makes us wait about ten minutes before coming back and greeting me correctly. She then takes us to a big change room in the middle of the floor where us and other brides and their families have full view of each other once the curtains are pulled back. No biggie, but I do prefer a little more privacy personally.

We do a lap of the floor to look at dresses (she tell my bridesmaids to wait even though I’d preferred them to be with me) and tells me she’s already pulled out a handful based on my inspo pics. I felt quite rushed and didn’t have any time to explore the gowns on my own. I asked if I could also have a look at bridal minis as I’m thinking of doing a second look but was told they don’t have any available (which I find bizarre since there were heaps online).

Then she says that they’re having a big promotion where I can pull an envelope out of a box to receive a random discount. So I pull an envelope out and it says I’ve saved $800 off my dress if I bought it that day. At that point it became such a massive ordeal with multiple staff members coming over to congratulate me and tell me it’s the biggest discount they’ve seen. My bridesmaids and I could just tell it was all an act and found it so cringey.

So I tried on a few dresses, and each time the curtains were pulled back the lady would do a huge dramatic countdown which just made me feel so embarrassed. Sadly I wasn’t vibing with most of the dresses except one which was not too bad - it had the right silhouette and neckline but I wasn’t sure of the fabric. The saleswoman made the biggest deal out of this dress. She put me in a veil, gave me a fake bouquet, made me walk a lap of the shop including out to the window in full view of the public, as well as OUTSIDE into the courtyard surrounded by 3 staff members all taking photos and videos. Because I wasn’t entirely sure of the dress, the staff then tried to pressure me into FaceTiming my family in case they’d help sway me into buying the dress - including someone overseas where it was like 3am (I didn’t, thank god).

I then said I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and asked if I could get changed back into my casual clothes, and the salesperson told me to spend more time in the dress as I’d “grow to love it”. I had to ask her two more times if I could get changed. My poor bridesmaids were trying so hard to stand up for me but were being totally ignored and pushed aside.

Finally I got out of the dress and went to leave, and was basically told I was making a huge mistake and that they spent so much time with me and it was a real shame I’m not purchasing anything. I thanked her for her time and left, and immediately had a panic attack from the stress and pressure I was put under. An hour later the same salesperson calls me, leaves a voicemail and then texts me asking if I changed my mind and want to come back in to buy the dress while there’s still time. I ghosted her and vowed never to go back.

Edit:

I also forgot to mention that one of the dresses they had me try on was so comically big (I’m talking like, 3-4 sizes above mine). They tried to pull it off with heaps of clips but the vision was totally lost as the part of the dress that was supposed to be around my armpits was all the way around my back. My bridesmaids were stifling laughter when the curtain was drawn back because it looked so ridiculous 😂

Hi all!

My fiancée and I are planning a Southern Highlands wedding for October 2027 and have narrowed our choices down to a few options:

1. Briars Conservatory
2. Peppers Craigieburn
3. Peppers Manor House

We're planning to do a site inspection of all of them anyway, but we would love to get some firsthand insights before we go.

How would you guys rank these venues? Any thoughts, pros/cons, or other recommendations in the area we might have missed?

Hey guys!

I'm debating having a wedding coordinator for my wedding.

Did you have one? Was it worth it?

Hi all! For those of you out there who love film over digital, or digital edited to look like film, who did you book for your photography? I’m looking for recommendations for a 2027 winter wedding in western Sydney. 35mm and super8.

Moody, nostalgic, vintage style, glowy, sentimental family portraits, nothing too posed or extreme because I’m awkward AF.

Have looked at: heartland studio (prob my top pick) the sentimental photographer, solealane (not available) storytelling co, hello heartstrings.

Would appreciate any other recommendations!

My fiancée and I are looking for venues and feeling a bit disheartened by some of the minimum spends. We’re open to spending up to $250 per head but a lot of the places we’ve enquired at don’t make economical sense for a smaller wedding.

Ideally we’d like somewhere near the water (either harbour or beach), within easy commuting distance from the CBD given a lot of guests will be travelling and staying in hotels, and being able to have the ceremony at the same venue is a nice to have but not a dealbreaker.

Would appreciate any suggestions for more intimate venues that might have a lower minimum spend (even if the per head is on the higher end). TIA!

My fiance and I are planning a 2028 wedding and are trying to decide between the Eveleigh on a friday (to keep minimum spend down) or on a saturday at Curzon Hall.

If you have gotten married at either of these places, how was it, how much did you spend and how many people did you have?

Hi!!

I’m a bigger bride (size 20-22) in Melbourne and just wondering if anyone has some recommendations of bridal shops that are size inclusive and have super lovely staff.

Thanks!!

I’m getting so annoyed at venues allowing you to send through an in depth request for quote via the website, requesting pricing etc (the lack of visibility is bad enough) and then calling you to say ‘let’s talk through your dream wedding’ instead of sending me a price breakdown of what I’ve asked for. I HATE talking on the phone, I work full time and have a toddler and don’t have time to do all of these site visits…. God it’s ANNOYING AF!!!

I'm getting married at the end of this year and am trying to incorporate small touches to make my fiance feel loved and special. As the bride in a straight relationship, I feel like a lot of our wedding has just organically centred around myself and what I want, so I want to try and make sure my future husband is feeling the love too.

I've seen a few little things I'm thinking of doing, like sneakily embroidering a message on the inside of his suit jacket and surprising him in the morning with socks with our pets faces on them (as they sadly can't be there on the day), but I'd love some more ideas.

What did you do/are you planning to surprise your partner or make them feel special on the day?