Marquee weddings offer a charming blend of natural landscapes and customisable celebration spaces. Today, we're exploring what you need to know about planning a seamless marquee wedding day as we chat with Julia Vardy from the picturesque Mewburn Park.

Nestled 2.5 hours from Melbourne, Mewburn Park marries historical buildings with beautiful country surroundings. With multiple wedding spaces, including a grand clear marquee, and on-site accommodation, it's an ideal choice for a weekend escape wedding. Julia's expertise makes her the perfect guide for navigating marquee wedding logistics.

In this chat, we discuss:

• The amazing history of the family-run Mewburn Park business
• Tips for selecting the right wedding venue
• The importance of vibing with your vendors
• Pros and cons of a marquee wedding
• Key considerations for a summer marquee celebration
• Creative ways to personalize the marquee's blank canvas

From understanding power requirements to preparing for weather contingencies, Julia shares her insights on merging your dream vision with realistic planning. We'll also cover coordinating with other vendors and personalizing marquee decor to craft a unique atmosphere reflecting your styles.

Julia offers a behind-the-scenes look at running a venue, highlighting special moments that make each event memorable - from the pre-ceremony excitement to the magic of the grand reveal. Learn how to create an unforgettable experience by finding the perfect setting and thinking through all the details.

Tune in for a practical guide to planning your marquee wedding at Mewburn Park's breathtaking venue, leaving nothing to chance.

Links & Vendors Mentioned:

Mrewburn Park Instagram

Find Julia & Mewburn Park

On Polka Dot Wedding: Mewburn Park

On The Web: Mewburn Park

On Facebook: Mewburn Park

On Instagram: Mewburn Park

On Pinterest: Mewburn Park

Find Dorothy & the Polka Dot Wedding team:

On Instagram: @polkadotwedding

On the website: polkadotwedding.com

This podcast was produced by Polka Dot Wedding

The Polka Dot Wedding team is honoured to conduct our work on the land of the BoonWurrung, WoiWorung, Eora and Kuring-gai people. We honour the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past & present.

A wedding day where everything falls magically into place - that's the power of a great wedding planner. In this month's episode of The Feel Good Wedding podcast, Sarah Johnston from Girl Friday Weddings pulls back the curtain on hiring a pro for your big day.

With over 15 years of experience, Girl Friday Weddings opened its doors in 2009. This award-winning Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane boutique wedding planning agency offers services ranging from full planning to day-of coordination. Founder Sarah Johnston has built the business around helping couples create their dream wedding, whether that's an intimate elopement or a grand affair.

In this episode, Sarah shares insider tips on how locking in a planner early on can be a game-changing move. She provides a behind-the-scenes look at the strategic decisions that elevate your celebration while keeping it budget-conscious. You'll learn Sarah's approach to assembling a dream vendor team and avoiding common pitfalls and overwhelmed feelings during planning. She also shares advice on crafting a wedding day that feels effortless, seamless and completely you.

In this chat, we discuss:

• The benefits of wedding planners
• What is an in-house planner vs an external wedding planner?
• How can you choose your wedding vendors wisely?
• The value of relationships in weddings How to beat overwhelm and prioritise what is important to you
• The wedding word budge myth
• How to make the most of your wedding budget and figure out what's important

If you're looking to better understand the role of a wedding planner and how they can help craft your perfect day, don't miss this episode

Links & Vendors Mentioned:

Girl Friday Weddings

Celebrant Kate

Find Sarah & Girl Friday Weddings

On Polka Dot Wedding: Girl Friday Weddings

On The Web: Girl Friday Weddings

On Facebook: Girl Friday Weddings

On Instagram: Girl Friday Weddings

On Pinterest: Girl Friday Weddings

Find Dorothy & the Polka Dot Wedding team:

On Instagram: @polkadotwedding

On the website: polkadotwedding.com

This podcast was produced by Polka Dot Wedding

The Polka Dot Wedding team is honoured to conduct our work on the land of the BoonWurrung, WoiWorung, Eora and Kuring-gai people. We honour the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past & present.

Often, there’s a dilemma when it comes to wedding photos. We all want to have beautiful pictures that contain even just a speck of the emotion of the day—but so many of us feel awkward in front of the camera.

Fortunately, this isn’t an impossible problem. This month's guest, Dani Bartlett exemplifies our point that no one is truly “unphotogenic.” All they need to do is find the right photographer that helps them get comfortable.

Dani is the face,  the talent behind Melbourne-based wedding photography studio, Dani Bartlett Photography, providing wedding photography and family portraits for lovers of fun and colour.

In this chat, we discuss:

• How to not feel awkward posing for wedding photos
• What to look for in wedding photographers
• Balancing candid and formal photographers
• Completely candid vs guided candid photographers
• Games for candid photography
• Effective posing techniques
• Breathing fresh life into family portraits

Your wedding photos are treasures you only have one day of getting. You’ll probably look through hundreds of wedding photographers as you search for the right one. One way to help you is to look through their galleries. That way, you can get a clearer sense of the ins and outs of their work throughout the ceremony.

When you’ve chosen a photographer, communication is key. Meet with them in person, have dinner, and just chat to help you get to know them better and—importantly—feel more comfortable. How relaxed you feel with them allows you to feel more confident in front of the camera on your pre-wedding shoot and wedding day, and it’ll translate in the photos.

Ultimately, what’s important is to trust your photographer and have fun. Communicate what you want and trust their direction. They might throw a prompt or game at you to lighten your portraits. Go with the flow. Explore where the prompts take you; you’d be surprised at how lovely you and your partner look when you’re just relaxing and having fun.

Links & Vendors Mentioned:

Dani Bartlett Photography

Find Dani Bartlett Photography:

On Polka Dot Wedding: Dani Bartlett Photography

On Facebook: Dani Bartlett Photography

On Instagram: @danibartlettphotography

On Pinterest: Dani Bartlett Photography

Find Dani Bartlett:

On LinkedIn: Danielle (O’Halloran) Bartlett

Find Dorothy & the Polka Dot Wedding team:

On Instagram: @polkadotwedding

On the website: polkadotwedding.com

This podcast was produced by Polka Dot Wedding

The Polka Dot Wedding team is honoured to conduct our work on the land of the BoonWurrung, WoiWorung, Eora and Kuring-gai people. We honour the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past & present.