Starship Sydney on 'Don't Tell the Bride'

So if you've been watching 'Don't Tell the Bride' on Channel 10, you would be well aware of the consequences of letting your husband-to-be organise your entire wedding! It definately makes for captivating viewing!

Last night's episode featured Matt, who along with his friend Darrick, set out to organise his perfect day. 

He planned for his bride to arrive on Sydney Harbour via seaplane, where she would then be transported to the Starship Sydney. Their sunset ceremony would take place on the open air viewing deck, followed by champagne and canapes in the Starship's newly refurbished lounge deck.
 

Almost everything went according to plan, but there was one slight hiccup...

For more info on Starship Sydney, click here.

Click here to view the latest episode and for photo's of Matt and Anastasia's big day.

Spa Afternoon Tea Offer from Park Hyatt Sydney

  Newly opened, The Spa at Park Hyatt Sydney, is the perfect place to unwind. Take time out from your wedding planning or indulge in the ultimate hens day at this gorgeous location.

 Nestled in Sydney's historic Rocks area, just between the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, The Spa has just introduced a champagne afternoon tea offer where relaxing massages and desserts meet!

This amazing offer includes a 60 minute massage of choice, followed by an indulgent champagne afternoon tea where you will indulge in a glass of Moet & Chandon Rose Champagne in the hotel's lounge.

The offer is priced at $150 per person and available on weekdays. For bookings call (02) 9256 1234 or email phsydney.spa@hyatt.com.

For more info jump onto their website.

Project: Innovate 2012

Polka Dot Bride and Girl Friday Weddings founded Project Innovate in 2011. Their aim was to bring to the Australian/New Zealand wedding industry opportunities for education, networking and collaboration.

They plan to motivate wedding professionals in Australia and New Zealand to develop and achieve their personal and professional goals for their businesses.

After the success of Project Innovate 2011, Project Innovate 2012 was born! And this year we are proud to be involved.

The tickets for the event, "Selling For Wedding Professionals," are now on sale and you can grab yours here.

Presented by Saundra Hadley, our very own Features Editor, Amy Collins-Walker, will be there to present our latest Cost of Love survey results.

 Amy Collins-Walker from Bride to Be and Saundra Hadley.

Project Innovate 2012 is also supported by:
Milton Gan Photography
Encore Media
Form Over Function
Funkified
Faye Cahill Cake Design
Gigi & Lulu
Dolci Sapori Imports

For more info on this event and the success of Project Innovate, jump onto their website.

And below is a little sneak peek into last year's event.

A Gorgeous Traditional Wedding Venue

If you grab a copy of our latest issue, you will notice that one of our stunning fashion shoots, Something Borrowed, (page 154) was shot at a gorgeous traditional, sandstone church.

This church was just so divine, we had to share it with you all. Hunters Hill Congregational Church is nestled in one of Sydney's historic suburbs. This traditional sandstone church is warm and inviting and so are the people who run it. They will treat you more as friends than clients and guide you through the preparation process, tailoring details to meet your individual needs.

Below are some pics of the church as well as a sneak peek at the fashion story inside our latest issue.

Isn't it just gorgeous!

Get in touch with the church here.

All photos courtesy of Nick Scott.

For the rest of this story and lots more fabulous planning inspiration, grab a copy of our latest issue.

Exclusive Offer from Random Harvest

Our friends at Random Harvest are offering Bride to Be readers 20% off their new range of bomboniere!

All their products are proudly Australian made and have been since 1981.

The new collection features hand made lollipops, rock candy and indulgent chocolate sauces presented in a white dish.

Surprise your guests with something delicious and fun!

For more details, jump onto their website or phone (03) 9888 7033

AYANA Resort Bali Introduces Wedding Gift Registry

Make your honeymoon dream a reality with AYANA Resort and Spa Bali’s new online Wedding Gift Registry! 

The AYANA Gift Registry allows wedding guests to donate an amount of their choice, towards your honeymoon at AYANA. The donation can be a general resort credit for you to use however you like around the resort, or can be specifically for their new Ultimate Honeymoon Package. 

For more info, visit their website.

And to give you a quick idea how amazing this venue is, check out some of their awards below:

CONDE NAST TRAVELER

2012 Gold List: World’s Best Hotels and Resorts

2011 Readers' Choice Awards:#1Best Resort in Asia, Top 100 Resorts in the World (#42)

2010 Readers' Choice Awards:#1 Spa Resort in the World

2012, 2011, 2010 Gold List: World’s Best Hotels and Resorts

destinasian readers’ choice awards

2012 & 2011 #1 Resort Spa in Asia-Pacific

2012 #1Best Hotel in Bali

WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS

2011 Indonesia's Leading Resort & Indonesia's Leading Spa Resort

2010 Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort&Asia’s Leading Luxury Villa (AYANA Villa) 

 TRAVEL + LEISURE – WORLD’S BEST HOTEL VALUES

2010 Top 20 Hotels for Value Overall

 

Introducing Sky Parlour

We just had to share this one with you all! Let us introduce Sky Parlour, the latest brand we've stumbled across for stunning and original furniture and homewares.

The girls at Sky Parlour source and collect a range of unique products from around the world, celebrating multiple interior decor styles, which means you are bound to find something you love.

The girls make, store and sell their products through their website, skyparlour.com.au.

We think this is the ideal place to find something a bit different. Find the perfect wedding gift or add them to your wedding registry!

Plus, as if that wasn't all enough, the girls also offer an interior decorating service to help you create a look to suit your personal style.

For more info jump onto their website.

A special offer from Hamilton Island Weddings!

 Still looking for your dream wedding venue? Our friends at Hamilton Island are offering some amazing special deals that we just had to share with you, one of which is exclusive to Bride to Be readers.

Firstly, they are offering 20% off Hamilton Island accommodation! There is a wide range of accommodation available and as a member of their clubHIW program, you and your guests will enjoy 10% off at the Hamilton Island Palm Bungalows, Reef View Hotel, Beach Club or Qualia. Plus, if you stay between 1st May and 31st July 2012 they'll double that and offer you 20% off. That's a whole lot of saving!

As an extra exclusive offer to our readers, they are offering $500 off your Hamilton Island Wedding Photography Package if you book your wedding before 31st March 2012.

So, whether you're after an intimate affair at a secluded resort or a traditional, white chapel service, Hamilton Island have you covered.

To find out more call (07) 4946 9222 or jump online. *Conditions apply.

Free Bride to Be Wedding Planner at our online store

For the month of February, if you spend over $75 in one transaction at the Bride to Be online store, then you'll receive a free Bride to Be Wedding Planner - full of all the best planning advice and nitty gritty details for a successful wedding. The Bride to Be Wedding Planner is worth $15.95, but is free for orders over $75.

The Bride to Be online store is now stocking Martha Stewart Party Decorations.

Love and Diamonds Bridal Dinner

 Calling all Melbourne brides, their bridesmaids and girlfriends - this one is for you.

This Thursday, 2nd February, Leonda by The Yarra are holding their bridal dinner. Tickets are $65 and for that you get a long list of features, including:

• Celebrity host Jo Stanley
• 7 of Melbourne's leading bridal boutiques showcasing the latest trends in designer gowns on the catwalk:

Bonita Bridal and Couture
Bernadette Pimenta
Baccini and Hill
Simone Perele
Melbourne Bridal and Debutant
Metti Mazi Couture
Catherine R Couture

• Bouquet and jewellery showcases
• Leading styling company 'Centrepiece by Design' sharing their top tips
• Cocktails, canapes and a 3-course dinner
• Your chance to win a Keshett Jewellery diamond necklace

You can book tickets online here or phone (03) 9819 1933.

Places are limited so get in quick!

New wedding trend we love! Introducing Marryoke

We stumbled across this new wedding in trend in wedding videography and just had to share it with you.

These all come from the UK and perhaps that makes it all the more enjoyable, because the Aussies and Brits do have a very similar sense of humour.

Basically, the idea is to pick a memorable and catchy song for your wedding video and get guests and the bridal party to lip sync.

Here are a few of our favourites from the website marryokes.com. We're hoping to see this take off in Australia soon. Such fun!

Need a wedding videographer or photographer for your big day still? Check out our online directory of suppliers.


Moves Like Jagger - John and Nicola Marryoke from Marryokes! on Vimeo.


Party Rock Anthem - Joel and Laura Marryoke from Marryokes! on Vimeo.


I Gotta Feeling - Paul and Clodagh Marryoke from Marryokes! on Vimeo.

Forget Kate and Wills! Want to see the best weddings of the year...

Our annual Your Day magazine is on stands now. It features the best Australian real weddings of the past year (plus a few destination 'I dos' as well). We're very excited about this issue - every year we think we have the most amazing weddings possible and then all of you up the ante and send in more pictures that blow last year's shots out of the water.

The stunning cover of this issue was Perth couple, Emily and Adrian. The image was shot by Jemma Keech (jemmakeech.com) and Emily's stunning dress was designed by Pallas Couture (pallascouture.com).

Grab your copy now at all good newsagents.

Exclusive offer for Bride to Be readers from Gingerbread Folk!

To celebrate the upcoming summer wedding season, Gingerbread Folk are offering a 10% discount on their personalised 2-in-1 cookie placecard favours. And believe us when we say they are delicious!

Personalised bride and grooms make practical, delightful and delicious table decorations. Not to mention they are so cute.

This offer is exclusive to Bride to Be readers so be sure to mention Bride to Be in your enquiry.

To be eligible for this offer your booking must be received by 31/12/11. For all the necessary contact details click here or visit their website here.

Yum!

SPARKLE Cupcakery launches new T party!

If you are looking to satisfy your sweet tooth then you must experience the Sparkle Cupcakery T Party - the modern and decadent spin on high tea. Enjoy one hour of 6 mouth-watering courses with that someone special or a group of pals (great idea for a hen's day) as they cater for up to 2-20 guests.

They take bookings between 10am - 4pm and prices start from $30-$55 per person depending on whether you opt for a glass of their finest bubbly.

Contact Sparkle on (02) 9361 0690 or celebrate@sparklecupcakery.com.au

Yum!

Starship Sydney Exclusive 2012 Summer Wedding Special

Still looking for a wedding venue? Are stunning views what you're looking for?

If you are, Sydney's unique wedding venue Starship Sydney, is offering an exclusive special for all weddings booked after 1st October 2011 and completed before 30th April 2012. Get in quick to take advantage of their summer packages and the newly renovated Pontoon.

Their summer package has been designed to embrace everything about summer in Sydney, from the shining sun during the day, to beautiful warm evenings and the fresh, cool breeze off the harbour.

The packages include continuous cruising on Sydney harbour, beverages, food, professional DJ, crystal candelabra centre pieces, satin chair covers, private bridal suite, professional reception manager, surround sound system, microphone and much more.

Some conditions apply, full details are available here.