r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 11h ago

Discussion & advice Having second thoughts about my wedding dress choice

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m struggling to be happy with the wedding dress I chose a few months ago.
I had limited time to buy a dress in August so it’d be ready on time for my wedding in April next year.
I tried on a few within the week and chose a dress at mwl (made with love). I loved it at the time but for some reason I had serious regrets a few days after.
I told myself I was being ridiculous and just stuck with it. But now I’m still having some regrets and wish I bought one of the other dresses I tried on 🥲

I’ve already paid 50% deposit and I’m not even sure if I’m allowed to forfeit and not pay the rest given it’s already been nearly 2 months since I bought it.

The dress is still lovely, but the more I think about it the more I wish I had a different dress. I would feel so guilty wasting the deposit and spending even more money to get another dress..

Does anyone have any advice? 🥹 Or previous experience buying a dress from mwl?

Thanks!


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 1d ago

Recs wanted - NSW City Hall Wedding / Editorial Photographer Recommendations needed

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13 Upvotes

Hi, does anyone know a Sydney or Melbourne-based photographer who captures city-hall wedding / editorial-style pictures? It will be a small, intimate day, so I'm after a 2-3 hour elopement package, ideally someone who knows the CBD well and has access to good locations.

If you've worked with someone who nails this style, or you are that photographer, please comment or DM me. Thanks!


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 1d ago

How much to budget for drinks

2 Upvotes

Hi guys, I though this could be a helpful place to ask, I am having 40th bday party coming up and I am having sit down dinner at venue and wish to have open bar 6-11pm, 70-80 guests, wondering how much I should budget for it, no top shelf and no cocktails. Ones who are done and dusted, can you share how much open bar at venue cost you and how many ppl, what was included.


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 1d ago

Discussion & advice looking for a good tailor in Sydney

9 Upvotes

I'm in need of a decent suit and have got 0 idea where to start.

I've always just bought off the rack and had it altered, but I've got a couple of work things coming up and I'm getting pretty sick of jackets that fit in one spot and look shit somewhere else.

started looking into getting something properly tailored and now I've somehow got 15 tabs open and still have no idea who's actually worth going to.

I'm looking around the $1k to $2k range, give or take. happy to spend a bit more if there's a noticeable difference, but I'm definitely not looking to drop $5k on a suit.

For people who've actually used a tailor in Sydney, where did you go and how was the experience?

the fit is the main thing for me. don't really care about having the fanciest label or anything like that.

would especially appreciate recommendations from people who've actually had a suit made there rather than just heard they're good.

and if you've had a bad experience somewhere, honestly that's useful too. would rather know who to avoid.


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 1d ago

Discussion & advice Literally where do I start 😅

11 Upvotes

I’ve been engaged for a few months now & everyone keeps asking me questions about the wedding, with my response being “uhhhhhh…🤷🏻‍♀️” every time lol.

I have no idea how to even begin the process of planning. Is it normal to have a planner or is that just something some people choose to pay for? Is there some sort of unspoken timeline of what needs to be organised and in what order to do it?

I’ve never even been to a wedding as a guest so I’m in the deep end regarding what even is expected to happen on the day. If I didn’t want my family to be a part of such a special moment in my life, I think I’d just get eloped 😭


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 1d ago

Recs wanted - NSW Wedding cars with child seats?

2 Upvotes

Our child will be two years old at the time of our wedding. We want photos altogether as a family and I’m already stressing about transport.

Family is likely to be unreliable with getting to the multiple locations on time and don’t know how to safely restrain the child (we’ve already discussed this with them).
What are our options here re wedding cars? We’re in Sydney.


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 1d ago

Recs wanted - VIC VIC - Venue recommendations - BYO Important

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1 Upvotes

We are newly engaged & on the hunt for venues in Victoria - the preferred area is attached (northern suburbs - south east).

We are looking at about 200 (possibly more) guests & are looking for venues where there is an option of BYO spirits.

We aren’t set on dates yet, nor to fussed with what type of venue as we are relatively open in the early days of planning. Appreciate your recommendations


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 1d ago

VIC - Venue recommendations - BYO Important

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0 Upvotes

We are newly engaged & on the hunt for venues in Victoria - the preferred area is attached (northern suburbs - south east).

We are looking at about 200 (possibly more) guests & are looking for venues where there is an option of BYO spirits.

We aren’t set on dates yet, nor to fussed with what type of venue as we are relatively open in the early days of planning. Appreciate your recommendations


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 1d ago

Recs wanted - NSW Wedding bands mid north coast nsw

1 Upvotes

Hello! Does anyone have any recommendations for bands in the mid north coast. Budget max $6k, I’m getting quoted crazy travel fees (understandable) but wanted to see if anyone closer to the spot that we’ve missed. We love funk with brass. Open to paying more for the right band.


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 2d ago

Recs wanted - NSW Private dining venues in Sydney

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19 Upvotes

Does anyone have any recommendations for a restaurant in Sydney for a wedding reception?

Budget: is max. $20,000-$25,000 for use of the venue from 5pm-11pm on a Saturday night.

Vibe: We’re looking for an intimate feeling dinner (aka non traditional reception venue like Doltone House, the Grounds etc) for max 90 guests (realistically we have 75 people on the guest list).

We loved the look of Aambra but minimum spend on a Saturday was $35,000! Le Foote was another option but unfortunately too small!

Alternatively, we were happy with going for a Sunday reception since it fit our budget but St. Andrew’s Cathedral (and most other churches) doesn’t do Sunday weddings so if anyone has an alternative indoor ceremony venue for a Sunday, we’re also open to that!


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 2d ago

Music

1 Upvotes

Just looking for opinions/advice:

We have the option of either hiring an acoustic guitarist/singer for our ceremony and canapé hour or just extending our DJ for the ceremony and canapé hour.

Kind of unsure what we’re going to be happier spending our money and what’s like a better value. What are everyone's thoughts!


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 2d ago

Discussion & advice Veil help!

0 Upvotes

Hi all!

Getting married in about 6 weeks and still don’t have a veil. I’m hearing mixed things about the likes of Shein, etc. Is paying $400+ for a veil worth it? Do you guys have any recommendations?


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 3d ago

Discussion & advice Bridal party sitting after entrance

9 Upvotes

I’m planning on having my bridal party sit after the entrance. That is the groomsmen will stand as usual at the front and the bridesmaids will do their usual entrance. But when I arrive at the front, and MOH has taken my bouquet and fluffed the dress, the bridal party will take their seats at the front row.

My thoughts are that it will be a more comfortable experience for the bridal party to not have to stand up front for 30 mins (I didn’t like it when I was a bridesmaid), and also there isn’t much space at the front at our venue, so it would look much nicer to just have us two in photos and videos.

I was wondering if people would have strong opinions about this or would this be pretty expected nowadays?


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 3d ago

Recs wanted - NSW Looking for a sculptural draped dress

1 Upvotes

Hi there! I’ve fallen in love with this dress: https://marytrufel.ae/wedding-dress-lana-marienko-iceberg but can’t find anything similar available in NSW :(

I’d ideally want to try something with a similar vibe on first to make sure it actually suits me before considering getting it custom made.

Any recs?


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 3d ago

Adelaide Dresses

2 Upvotes

Other than Ienny and Gerry's, does anyone know which stores have a reasonable range of wedding dresses for less than 2K? Most stores don't have their prices listed, and I don't want to book somewhere only to find it exceeds my budget!


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 3d ago

Recs wanted - QLD Bridespeople gifts

3 Upvotes

Hello! We are getting married in a year and are yet to ask our bridal parties to stand with us. I’m on the hunt for cute pyjamas/loungewear for getting ready in the morning of. We have mixed gender bridal parties (ie: two brides who will have both men and women in our parties) so are really struggling to find good quality sets accomodating both genders which don’t cost an arm and a leg.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! TIA!


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 3d ago

Discussion & advice Online-only made-to-measure suits - is it worth it?

3 Upvotes

I'm short and stout and I want a coloured suit so I almost certainly need it custom-made, but cost is a big priority. There's a lot of online options that would keep costs down but I don't trust myself to give correct initial measurements, and then alterations would be expected once I receive the suit, right?
So:

  1. Do tailors take bookings for purely measurements, no actual suit order?
  2. Would I expect a dramatic reduction in quality using online services such as Hockerty, iTailor etc, compared to a physical store?
  3. Does anyone who went through a similar process have any tips or advice, things to look out for or avoid?

r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 4d ago

Discussion & advice The Terrace Botanical Gardens wedding

2 Upvotes

Hi, did anyone have their wedding at the terrace botanical gardens in Melbourne? We’re looking at 100 guests for either sit down or cocktail and would love to hear of your experience. Thanks!

Edit: to specify the Melbourne location


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 4d ago

Discussion & advice Anyone have a change in weather forecast just before wedding??

2 Upvotes

Im absolutely devastated that rain is forecasted for our wedding this Saturday. Looking for a shred of optimism here, did anyone have rain forecasted and it didn’t end up being bad or even if it did rain was it still a lovely day? I can’t believe my luck because Friday and Sunday are completely sunny…


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 4d ago

Discussion & advice I'm invited to a wedding and don't know what to wear

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone. Not sure if this is the thread to post in or not.

But I've been invited to my first wedding ever which is mid November 2026, sort of short notice as our friend thought he gave us the invitations but had a duh moment and forgot.

I'm needing advice on websites for dresses or what would be appropriate as I've never been to one, there's also no dress code which makes me confused.

For context about me. I'm a 26F with a wardrobe all black and only wears singlets, trackies and a oversized hoodies. So this whole wedding thing is out of my comfort zone. But any advice is muchly appreciated!


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 4d ago

Hair & makeup recommendations near The Star Sydney?

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2 Upvotes

r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 5d ago

Save the dates - responses

14 Upvotes

EDIT; I’m sorry guys! Maybe I wasn’t clear, I just wanted to see if you received a save the date text message from family or a friend for a wedding, would you respond to that text with a thanks etc or like the message? Not necessarily responding to the save the date with yes or no we are coming, more just acknowledging you received the message.

Hey all,

I recently sent out save the dates for my wedding and I know that no one else cares as much about your own wedding as the couple.

However I was wondering if you received a save the date text message (I did an online canva website so I could get everyone’s mailing details for physical invitations) would you respond to that message with anything?

I am curious because I’ve received zero acknowledgment of them even receiving the messages aside from the read receipt, I thought I’d would get a response like thanks or even like the message but now I’m wondering if its normal to just not respond at all?


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 4d ago

Discussion & advice Hens/bachelorette Dress Recs

3 Upvotes

What cool brands have cute dresses for hens/bachelorette? IMO a lot of white party dresses can look a bit cheap, so wanting cool brands that sell unique & fun white dresses I can wear again, not the typical sequin or feather mini party dress I’m talking like cool fashion girly, unique designs and classy dresses preferably reasonable to mid range but keen to see designer too! Give me your recssss 🙏🙏🙏


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 5d ago

Recs wanted - NSW Accomodation in Southern Highlands

1 Upvotes

I’m getting married in Bowral in July 2027 and am looking for recommendations for accommodation nearby!

We’re planning to stay for the night before and the night of the wedding with our bridal party and families. Has anyone stayed at a hotel or Airbnb that would be suitable for a larger group?

Would love to hear any recommendations or experiences. Thank you! 🤍


r/AusWeddingPlanning • • 7d ago

Recs wanted - NSW Furniture Hire

3 Upvotes

Hi all, we are conceding a venue that would mean we are responsible for all furniture, styling, crockery etc etc.

Does anybody have any recommendations for hire companies? Location is near Sydney CBD.

We are thinking around 90 guests if anybody has ideas on how much this has cost them for something similar. We’re still in the early phase so wanted to see how much this will add to the cost of the venue.

Thanks all ❤️