Tips for planning the ultimate Yarra Valley wedding
As a bride or groom, planning a wedding can be a touch stressful at times, with the couple having to find a venue and then select a whole range of suitable suppliers that they have probably never had experience in dealing with, such as caterers, florists and photographers.
All this is even before any of the family politics start to play havoc with the plans..
If you’re planning a wedding in the Yarra Valley, life is about to get a little bit easier as we offer a selection of short-cut tips to booking the most suitable venue and finding the most recommended wedding suppliers in the area.
Finding the most suitable wedding venue
The number of guests will dictate the size of your venue, but based on the assumption of up to 150 guests, we’d suggest you take a look at the awesome Stones of the Yarra Valley, with it’s beautiful grounds, stables, chapel and stunning views of the valley. Combine this with some fine dining and an excellent wine cellar and your guests will be suitably impressed.
Another favourite wedding venue of ours is Zonzo, with it’s relaxed, rustic vibe and popular sharing platters inspired by the best of Italian cuisine. Zonzo has a great barn for the bo-ho look, as well as a modern chapel for those who don’t want to take a chance with the erratic and unpredictable Melbourne weather patterns.
For a slick, upscale look, Yering Station is an award winning restaurant located on the grounds of a winery with floor to ceiling restaurant windows that look out on the beautiful hills and fields. The views compliment this venues many attributes, although the price per head does reflect this.
Celebrate with the best celebrant
Your guests will remember the celebrant that officiates at your wedding, since they are the ones that dictate the legal part of the day and will have the most microphone time, at least until you reach the speeches later in the evening.
We like to recommend celebrant Maree Livy who has a calm and relaxed presence on a weedding day, which helps to relax couples and keeps them happy and relaxed during the more stressful moments.
If you’d like a few laughs on your wedding day, the Stand-Up celebrant Paul Bonadio knows how to work a crowd and get them chuckling along.
Anthony Cribbes brings a cool country vibe to a wedding and the Yarra Valley probably feels like his natural home. Again, he’s a funny guy and knows how to work a crowd so you’d be safe hands if you select him as your marriage celebrant.
Let your photographer lead you
If you haven’t been married before or been involved with a wedding party previously, you’d be advised to take some advice from your Yarra Valley wedding photographer as they will know the best spots for wedding photos in the area.
Rick Liston, Michael Briggs and Wedding Snapper are popular wedding photographers who cover the Yarra Valley region and always seem to have very good reviews.
Locations for photos include Burnham Beeches, Tarrawarra Estate, Alowyn Gardens and other little gems including the abandoned steam railway tracks, vineyards and historic buildings.
Flowered up!
No, not the dance band from the 1990’s, but the flowers for the wedding. One of the few florists we recommend in the Yarra Valley is Sugar Bee Flowers as they always excel at what they do with stunning floral arrangements both large and small.
We have been blown away by some of their venue decorations in recent years as they are just beautiful.
Take our advice on wedding suppliers in the Yarra Valley region and you’re sure to enjoy the perfect day.
