In this episode of the The Wedding Planning Series, we dive into two of the most pivotal aspects of planning a wedding: creating a budget and organising the guest list. Starting with a light-hearted chat about hot chocolate preferences and some personal stories, our easy-going banter sets the tone for an informative session.

We cover the critical first steps of wedding planning, stressing the importance of setting a clear budget and prioritising the non-negotiables. We explain the tedious but essential task of researching vendor costs and putting together a detailed spreadsheet to visualise expenses. We also tackle the tricky dynamics of guest lists, offering practical advice on managing family expectations and categorising potential guests. This episode is packed with useful tips, ensuring listeners are well-prepared to kick off their wedding planning on the right foot.

Key Takeaways:

• Assessing Finances: Figure out where your wedding funds are coming from, whether it’s personal savings, family contributions, or loans. Clear communication about financial expectations helps prevent future conflicts.
• Prioritise Must-Haves: Identify and list the non-negotiable elements for your wedding day. This could be certain vendors, the venue’s look and feel, or specific services.
• Research Vendor Costs: Reach out to multiple vendors to get an idea of pricing. Use spreadsheets to compare and consolidate this information, helping to create a realistic wedding budget.
• Guest List Strategy: Make an initial list of potential guests, then categorise them using a traffic light system (Green for yes, Orange for maybe, Red for no). Be mindful of capacity and budget constraints.
• Family Contributions: If family contributions affect the guest list, be clear and set boundaries on how many guests they can invite.
  
  

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Mellyrain Creative Freebie: Wedding Budget Template - https://mellyraincreative.myflodesk.com/wedding-budget-template

About Melanie
Mel is a coffee-loving, too-loud laughing, Melbourne based wedding planner, stylist and coordinator bringing the #skillz approved by Sia to your open-air aisle, outside the city (yes sirly - she has worked with Sia!) Altering managing world-class events in sport and entertainment (think the Australian Open and Sir Paul McCartney), Melanie has rolled that experience in sunshine and hand-delivered it to couples for a personalised dream wedding experience *yes please* Mel's speciality is helping couples across Melbourne & Regional Victoria. She is a couples go-to and wedding day bestie so the whole wedding she-bang doesn’t become a second full-time job. #nothanks

instagram.com/mellyrain.creative
Contact Mel: mellyrain.com.au/contact

About Tania
Tania is an award nominated, coffee obsessed lover of love, and all round stationery nerd... & that is why she started the Event Wanderer Co. After years wrangling Ballkids at the Australian Open, she stepped into the world of weddings and turned her hand to design, combining a love of stationery with today's modern design and printing techniques to bring her biz baby to life. Tania's speciality is all things stationery and signage and also understanding the stress that event and wedding planning can bring and she's here to help you navigate the chaos of the journey.

instagram.com/eventwandererco/
Contact Tania: eventwandererco.com.au/pages/contact

In our Wedding Planning Series: Twelve Steps from Engaged to I Do, we're setting the stage for a straightforward guide to help simplify the often overwhelming process of planning your wedding.

Over the next twelve weeks, we'll be taking you on a journey, offering practical, step-by-step advice to make wedding planning less daunting. We’ll dive into everything from creating your wedding budget to finding your perfect venue, booking key vendors, and so much more. This season of Cut the Cake is designed to be your ultimate wedding planning companion, so you can enjoy every moment leading up to your big day without unnecessary stress. If you're recently engaged and looking for expert guidance, this series is for you!

About Melanie
Mel is a coffee-loving, too-loud laughing, Melbourne based wedding planner, stylist and coordinator bringing the #skillz approved by Sia to your open-air aisle, outside the city (yes sirly - she has worked with Sia!) Altering managing world-class events in sport and entertainment (think the Australian Open and Sir Paul McCartney), Melanie has rolled that experience in sunshine and hand-delivered it to couples for a personalised dream wedding experience *yes please* Mel's speciality is helping couples across Melbourne & Regional Victoria. She is a couples go-to and wedding day bestie so the whole wedding she-bang doesn’t become a second full-time job. #nothanks

instagram.com/mellyrain.creative
Contact Mel: mellyrain.com.au/contact

About Tania
Tania is an award nominated, coffee obsessed lover of love, and all round stationery nerd... & that is why she started the Event Wanderer Co. After years wrangling Ballkids at the Australian Open, she stepped into the world of weddings and turned her hand to design, combining a love of stationery with today's modern design and printing techniques to bring her biz baby to life. Tania's speciality is all things stationery and signage and also understanding the stress that event and wedding planning can bring and she's here to help you navigate the chaos of the journey.

instagram.com/eventwandererco/
Contact Tania: eventwandererco.com.au/pages/contact

Weddings are days filled with joy, laughter, and sometimes a touch of regret. When a couple's wedding has been and gone, upon reflection there are sometimes regrets. In our time as wedding pros, we see that these regrets are usually the same for most couples. Things they didn’t do that they wish they had. Things they didn’t take into consideration when they probably should have. Putting way too much time into areas and didn’t mean diddly squat on the day. And even thinking “I don’t need to do that” to only look back and say “yep… I should have done that.

In this episode of Cut The Cake, we discuss with a special guest Miri from Married by Miri, 10 wedding day regrets we have found to be the most common in shaping a couples wedding experience.

But this episode isn’t about the doom and gloom of what you will regret when looking back on your wedding day. It’s about 3 experienced wedding pros having the most open discussion based on our couple experiences, and educating our listeners on what you might like to take into consideration when planning your wedding.

Not only do we dive into each regret, but we provide suggestions on how you could possibly avoid experiencing these regrets too. So with all of that said, let’s get into today’s episode.

About Melanie
Mel is a coffee-loving, too-loud laughing, Melbourne based wedding planner, stylist and coordinator bringing the #skillz approved by Sia to your open-air aisle, outside the city (yes sirly - she has worked with Sia!) Altering managing world-class events in sport and entertainment (think the Australian Open and Sir Paul McCartney), Melanie has rolled that experience in sunshine and hand-delivered it to couples for a personalised dream wedding experience *yes please* Mel's speciality is helping couples across Melbourne & Regional Victoria. She is a couples go-to and wedding day bestie so the whole wedding she-bang doesn’t become a second full-time job. #nothanks

instagram.com/mellyrain.creative
Contact Mel: mellyrain.com.au/contact

About Tania
Tania is an award nominated, coffee obsessed lover of love, and all round stationery nerd... & that is why she started the Event Wanderer Co. After years wrangling Ballkids at the Australian Open, she stepped into the world of weddings and turned her hand to design, combining a love of stationery with today's modern design and printing techniques to bring her biz baby to life. Tania's speciality is all things stationery and signage and also understanding the stress that event and wedding planning can bring and she's here to help you navigate the chaos of the journey.

instagram.com/eventwandererco/
Contact Tania: eventwandererco.com.au/pages/contact

This isn’t a regular episode but a quick public service announcement. We've been dropping new episodes every week for 36 weeks, and time has flown—it's already June! For those in Victoria, Australia, especially in the wedding industry, Winter is the off-season. Not many weddings happen, and many people, including vendors, take this time to recharge or travel.

So, here’s our announcement… drum roll, please. We're taking a short break over Winter! But don’t worry, we have epic plans for when we return. We’ll be back with more structured episodes and vendor insights—perfect for wedding planners. Mark your calendars for Season 2, launching on September 3rd, 2024. Until then, catch up on the 36 episodes we've released. Thanks for all your support, and we can’t wait to be back in September!

About Melanie
Mel is a coffee-loving, too-loud laughing, Melbourne based wedding planner, stylist and coordinator bringing the #skillz approved by Sia to your open-air aisle, outside the city (yes sirly - she has worked with Sia!) Altering managing world-class events in sport and entertainment (think the Australian Open and Sir Paul McCartney), Melanie has rolled that experience in sunshine and hand-delivered it to couples for a personalised dream wedding experience *yes please* Mel's speciality is helping couples across Melbourne & Regional Victoria. She is a couples go-to and wedding day bestie so the whole wedding she-bang doesn’t become a second full-time job. #nothanks

instagram.com/mellyrain.creative
Contact Mel: mellyrain.com.au/contact

About Tania
Tania is an award nominated, coffee obsessed lover of love, and all round stationery nerd... & that is why she started the Event Wanderer Co. After years wrangling Ballkids at the Australian Open, she stepped into the world of weddings and turned her hand to design, combining a love of stationery with today's modern design and printing techniques to bring her biz baby to life. Tania's speciality is all things stationery and signage and also understanding the stress that event and wedding planning can bring and she's here to help you navigate the chaos of the journey.

instagram.com/eventwandererco/
Contact Tania: eventwandererco.com.au/pages/contact

In this episode of Cut The Cake we tackle more wedding planning questions you, our lovely listeners, have sent our way for not only advice. But for the honest truths to help you plan your wedding without any unnecessary stress.

Questions we discuss include whether florists take back wedding florals at the end of a wedding and if this is normal. Venue requirements for packing up styling pieces and how this differs from venue to venue. The feasibility of planning a winter wedding in Victoria. And probably the most common question we have been asked recently around upcoming trends for the 2024-2025 wedding season. So let's not delay. Here’s the answers you’re looking for.

About Melanie
Mel is a coffee-loving, too-loud laughing, Melbourne based wedding planner, stylist and coordinator bringing the #skillz approved by Sia to your open-air aisle, outside the city (yes sirly - she has worked with Sia!) Altering managing world-class events in sport and entertainment (think the Australian Open and Sir Paul McCartney), Melanie has rolled that experience in sunshine and hand-delivered it to couples for a personalised dream wedding experience *yes please* Mel's speciality is helping couples across Melbourne & Regional Victoria. She is a couples go-to and wedding day bestie so the whole wedding she-bang doesn’t become a second full-time job. #nothanks

instagram.com/mellyrain.creative
Contact Mel: mellyrain.com.au/contact

About Tania
Tania is an award nominated, coffee obsessed lover of love, and all round stationery nerd... & that is why she started the Event Wanderer Co. After years wrangling Ballkids at the Australian Open, she stepped into the world of weddings and turned her hand to design, combining a love of stationery with today's modern design and printing techniques to bring her biz baby to life. Tania's speciality is all things stationery and signage and also understanding the stress that event and wedding planning can bring and she's here to help you navigate the chaos of the journey.

instagram.com/eventwandererco/
Contact Tania: eventwandererco.com.au/pages/contact

Planning a property wedding is sometimes viewed as the easier wedding planning option. BUT, we are here to tell you that when couples do opt to wed at a property, whether it’s a private estate, a family garden, or an empty paddock, the logistics and details involved can quickly become overwhelming. But with that said, there are so many incredible benefits of planning a property wedding. So we thought what better way to give you real insights than by chatting with a real bride who planned a property wedding at her family farm.

In this episode of Cut The Cake, we chat with Meaghan who recently went through the process of planning a property wedding and we discuss why Meghan and her partner Mitch, opted for this over a established venue and the research they did prior to making this decision.

We touch on the challenges they faced, along with the lifelong memories they made from their day, the non-negotiables they had and that even though it rained on their special day, it didn’t ruin memories they now have.

Plus Meaghan also shares her tips other couples embarking on their own property wedding journey. So, with that, here is Meaghan.

About Melanie
Mel is a coffee-loving, too-loud laughing, Melbourne based wedding planner, stylist and coordinator bringing the #skillz approved by Sia to your open-air aisle, outside the city (yes sirly - she has worked with Sia!) Altering managing world-class events in sport and entertainment (think the Australian Open and Sir Paul McCartney), Melanie has rolled that experience in sunshine and hand-delivered it to couples for a personalised dream wedding experience *yes please* Mel's speciality is helping couples across Melbourne & Regional Victoria. She is a couples go-to and wedding day bestie so the whole wedding she-bang doesn’t become a second full-time job. #nothanks

instagram.com/mellyrain.creative
Contact Mel: mellyrain.com.au/contact

About Tania
Tania is an award nominated, coffee obsessed lover of love, and all round stationery nerd... & that is why she started the Event Wanderer Co. After years wrangling Ballkids at the Australian Open, she stepped into the world of weddings and turned her hand to design, combining a love of stationery with today's modern design and printing techniques to bring her biz baby to life. Tania's speciality is all things stationery and signage and also understanding the stress that event and wedding planning can bring and she's here to help you navigate the chaos of the journey.

instagram.com/eventwandererco/
Contact Tania: eventwandererco.com.au/pages/contact

With many couples finding love on dating apps, the concept of planning a wedding through a similar platform seems like a natural next step - yes? Enter The Best Wedding App! The Best Wedding App encourages couples to swipe right for their favored wedding vendors, just as they would for a prospective love match on a dating app. But it's not just about the swiping; it's about planning your wedding with ease, simplicity and convenience!

In this episode of cut the cake, we have the fabulous Charis White, an experienced wedding celebrant joining us who is also one of the founders of The Best Wedding App. We discuss exactly what The Best Wedding App offers not only couples, but also wedding vendors. How the app works when couples are matched with their chosen vendors. And what makes this app truly unique in the area of wedding directories. So, here is Charis from the Best Wedding App.

About The Best Wedding App + Charis White

The Best Wedding App is made with love by Charis White. Charis is a Melbourne based celebrant and has been in the wedding industry for over 15 years. Throughout her time in the wedding industry, she have discovered a lot of things about the industry, advertising, and the way couples plan their weddings.

With the Best Wedding App, Charis wanted to create a platform with a difference, so she hatched a plan to build a fun, modern and hassle-free app to streamline wedding planning for all budgets and help vendors grow their business without breaking the bank. After 3 years of working with top-notch developers to bring this dating style app to life, The Best Wedding App is finally here and it is the match-maker you never knew you needed.

Get the Best Wedding App
Website: https://www.thebestweddingapp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebestweddingapp/

About Melanie
Mel is a coffee-loving, too-loud laughing, Melbourne based wedding planner, stylist and coordinator bringing the #skillz approved by Sia to your open-air aisle, outside the city (yes sirly - she has worked with Sia!) Altering managing world-class events in sport and entertainment (think the Australian Open and Sir Paul McCartney), Melanie has rolled that experience in sunshine and hand-delivered it to couples for a personalised dream wedding experience *yes please* Mel's speciality is helping couples across Melbourne & Regional Victoria. She is a couples go-to and wedding day bestie so the whole wedding she-bang doesn’t become a second full-time job. #nothanks

instagram.com/mellyrain.creative
Contact Mel: mellyrain.com.au/contact

About Tania
Tania is an award nominated, coffee obsessed lover of love, and all round stationery nerd... & that is why she started the Event Wanderer Co. After years wrangling Ballkids at the Australian Open, she stepped into the world of weddings and turned her hand to design, combining a love of stationery with today's modern design and printing techniques to bring her biz baby to life. Tania's speciality is all things stationery and signage and also understanding the stress that event and wedding planning can bring and she's here to help you navigate the chaos of the journey.

instagram.com/eventwandererco/
Contact Tania: eventwandererco.com.au/pages/contact

When you’re planning a wedding, it’s easy for the expenses to add up. At the end of the day, a wedding is a luxury and there are costs that come with having any type of event, big or small. But even so, whatever your budget is, there are ways to be savvy with you spend your money.

What's more, we have been involved in planning and delivering countless weddings so we have tips galore when it comes to being a Savvy Sally/ Sam and we want to share these with you in this special episode.

So hold on whilst we help you reflect on your biggest areas of expenditure, give you our thoughts on your must-haves and where not to scrimp & save and also, what you can potentially ditch as a whole! & some we know might surprise you!

About Melanie
Mel is a coffee-loving, too-loud laughing, Melbourne based wedding planner, stylist and coordinator bringing the #skillz approved by Sia to your open-air aisle, outside the city (yes sirly - she has worked with Sia!) Altering managing world-class events in sport and entertainment (think the Australian Open and Sir Paul McCartney), Melanie has rolled that experience in sunshine and hand-delivered it to couples for a personalised dream wedding experience *yes please* Mel's speciality is helping couples across Melbourne & Regional Victoria. She is a couples go-to and wedding day bestie so the whole wedding she-bang doesn’t become a second full-time job. #nothanks

instagram.com/mellyrain.creative
Contact Mel: mellyrain.com.au/contact

About Tania
Tania is an award nominated, coffee obsessed lover of love, and all round stationery nerd... & that is why she started the Event Wanderer Co. After years wrangling Ballkids at the Australian Open, she stepped into the world of weddings and turned her hand to design, combining a love of stationery with today's modern design and printing techniques to bring her biz baby to life. Tania's speciality is all things stationery and signage and also understanding the stress that event and wedding planning can bring and she's here to help you navigate the chaos of the journey.

instagram.com/eventwandererco/
Contact Tania: eventwandererco.com.au/pages/contact