Thursday, February 25, 2010

Venues: The Shortlist

From a list of about 60 venues, we've finally narrowed it down a bit based on our prerequisites: it had to have a 'venue only' hire price (no $150 per person wedding packages), allow DIY catering and decorations, and be reasonably easy to get to both for our guests who live all over Greater Sydney, and in terms of getting from the church to the reception.


Here are my top picks so far:


1. Mosman Art Gallery



I love the classy vibe of this place even though we haven't actually been there yet. The wooden floors and exposed brick walls would make it seem really cosy in winter (and we may be able to do something with draping on the ceilings to make it even more intimate). So far the Mosman Council website has been very informative and upfront about venue hire and optional extra costs. The best thing is that we can provide our own catering, do our own decorating and the hire cost is charged at an hourly rate. We'll be having a look next weekend, so fingers crossed it all works out as this has been one of the few places we've both immediately agreed upon.










A friend of mine recommended St Anne's Ryde (even though she wants to have her own wedding there one day!) as it is a beautiful old church with a newly built function centre. I checked it out last weekend with my mom and Phoenix (who set the alarm off accidently) and we really liked the look of the church. The lady who came to check up on us after the alarm incident said the centre has become popular for tea after the ceremony and there have been a few receptions there too, so I think it definitely has potential. Photos on the site show a well-equipped, modern commercial kitchen so catering wouldn't be a problem. Plus we'd save transport costs by not having to travel between the ceremony and reception venues.



I don't think we've got prices on this on yet, but it looks like a pretty good view and I love that the sunshine will be streaming in on a potentially cold winter's day. Much attention is drawn to the fact that alcohol is permitted on the premises and that full moon weekends are especially beautiful..




I can't really tell much about this venue (which is part of the Collaroy Services Beach Club) from the photos, but it's reasonably priced for venue hire, only costs $10 to become a member of the club and is close to where a fair proportion of our guests live.







Also a nice-looking venue, but drinks can only be purchased from the bar and it looks as though it's on the ground floor. 





When I found this venue through a council site, I got really excited that this was the one. It's cheap to hire, relatively new and in a good location. But when Phoenix and I took a look one weekend with my mom, she wasn't very impressed. It's really not bad but walking in up the ramp you can see out over the backs of apartment blocks. The ramp is a bonus though as we may have a few grandparents attending. The image is from the wedding of Hope and Gavin featured on Offbeat Bride.



Dating back to 1783, this house is Australia's oldest European dwelling. I actually can't believe they let people use it as a function venue. The only problem is that the dining/drawing room and colonial kitchen each have a seated capacity of only 40. And there's a set caterer. Well, I can always dream. I think this would be such a pretty venue and really tie in with our vintage theme.






That's all for now! (A shot from our engagement party..more photos and DIY ideas to follow)



Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Paper DIYs

I've always loved paper in its many different forms, so it's no surprise that it will feature heavily in our wedding. It's cheaper than fresh flowers, can be organised days or months before the wedding, and then reused for other occasions afterwards.

Here's a few of my favourite DIY fresh-flower-alternative paper projects with links to tutorials for each.




Monday, February 1, 2010

The Colours

Spice, charcoal, ivory and navy.

I think the names alone rather perfectly sum up the vintage, Indian, geek-chic look we're going for.

We're getting married!

It all happened so fast on the 22nd of January at 1.33am. The last week or so has been a whirlwind of activity, from searching for a reception site near a pretty church that is reasonably DIY-able, to designing my dress and choosing colours. This blog is hopefully where I (and my gorgeous husband-to-be) will gain new insights and clear my head enough to focus on one thing at a time.

So who are Phoenix and Moose?


Moose: A 20-year-old graphic design student who loves 'making things', anything vintage, reading, blog surfing, general inspiration-collecting and heading to the beach once in a while.

Phoenix: A 21-year-old DJ extraordinaire studying hotel/events management whilst selling items of the olfactory nature. Into vintage, Shelbys, fashion design and dreaming big.

Stay tuned for inspiration, planning ideas and general wedding-obsessiveness!