In this special feature “CityNews” has gathered insights to ensure every couple has their perfect day.

THERE are so many elements that go into making a wedding a dream come true.

The venue, the dress, the music, dancing, flowers, catering and more, it’s no easy task organising the special day.

Luckily, Canberra’s home to many experts who know how to bring dream weddings to life. 

In this special feature “CityNews” has gathered insights to ensure every couple has their perfect day.

Bringing joy through personal bouquets

DAN Hines and Daniel Duvall, of Hyacinth Bouquets, are welcoming couples out for a consultation to suit a full range of wedding styles.

“We offer a personal service. We’re a small team so you know you will be dealing directly with the florist who will create your wedding flowers,” says Duvall.

“In a business setting I have been doing this work going on five years now, but much longer personally for family and friends.”

His husband, Dan Hines, explains Daniel was stood down from his job at Qantas when COVID-19 hit. 

“While trying to figure out his next move, Daniel decided to follow his passion in floristry,” says Hines.

After studying floristry at CIT and launching the business online, Duvall opened his shopfront in the old Bungendore post office in June, 2021.

“Since moving to Bungendore the local community have embraced us wholeheartedly,” says Hines. 

“Daniel takes pride in creating arrangements that are individual and meaningful for every customer. 

“He is always honoured when asked by customers to contribute to life’s important moments. Through the good times and the not-so-good times he hopes to provide both joy and comfort through his work.”

Hyacinth Bouquets, 53 Gibraltar Street, Bungendore. Call 0403 916058 or visit hyacinthbouquets.com.au/weddings

A memorable location to suit any style

TO suit decor visions both simple and grand, the Royal Hotel Queanbeyan offers a setting to suit all styles, says events manager, Bianca Paquay.

She says the venue has the “unique and memorable” collaboration of contemporary comforts and amenities, integrated with the historic architecture of the original Royal’s ‘20’s brick walls.

“The Royal has a picturesque background at every turn, which is a photographer’s dream!

“We have a Wedding Venue Open Day coming up on March 19 between 12pm and 2pm.

“We’ve set aside our venues upstairs on this day so that couples can walk through the Upper House and Royal Suite. We’re going to have some staff on hand to help answer any questions, but this will give the chance for people to see the venue for themselves, to see if it’s the right place for them.”

The most rewarding part, she says, is seeing the couples getting ready in the morning, “hearts in a flutter in nervous anticipation; and then returning later to our reception venue with the biggest smiles on their faces – ready to start the party as newlyweds.”

Royal Hotel Queanbeyan, 85 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6297 1444, or visit royalhotelqbn.com.au/weddings/

Wedding favours and place markers in one

LOLLY Swagman has explored tastes new and old, in the heart of the Southern Highlands, for nearly three decades, says owner Ian Richardson.

“We have arrangements with a boutique specialty chocolate maker in Melbourne that offers a custom-designed range of chocolates for weddings and other special events,” he says.

“There are four dozen examples, people can select their colours, size and designs, so they are completely customisable.

“We used them for our own wedding, and the design examples we have can be used as just a base for any ideas.

“Having enjoyed it so much at our wedding, we wanted to offer it to others, too.”

Ian says the chocolate can be used as both wedding favours and place markers, “they do a double duty”.

“There are budget bars, with limited customisation, all the way up to medium and large bars in milk, white and dark chocolate, and there’s some that cater to dietary requirements, too,” he says.

“Pricing is variable, based on the number of embellishments such as sparkles or floral designs.

“We will help anybody who comes to us with their own unique designs and graphics, or we can provide some guidance, too, because it can be a bit overwhelming, but they can be highly unique to you.”

Lolly Swagman, 11 Old Hume Highway, Berrima. Call 4877 1137, or visit lollyswagman.com.au

Affordable dream bridal gowns

AFFORDABLE Bridal has been running a successful and friendly business for 22 years, says owner Marguerite Foster.

“I started it so that there was somewhere in Canberra with great service, prices and range,” she says. “People think they have to go to Sydney to see wedding dresses, but we’ve got plenty of brands and styles.”

The shop stocks more than 300 dresses, including wedding dresses, formal wear and bridesmaids dresses, running up to size 32.

“We’re a family business which strives to be a personal, safe, inclusive and friendly environment,” says Marguerite.

“It can be a very challenging, but also satisfying job. I love helping girls find the right dress, and making them feel special.

“I still cry sometimes, after 22 years, when people find the right dress, and everyone is different which makes the job so much fun.”

Marguerite says Affordable Bridal moved in January to a new shopfront in Franklin, and everyone is welcome to book their appointments, and come and say hello.

“We are all very down-to-earth, the new space is great and we have such a good variety of stock.”

Affordable Bridal, Shop 112/227 Flemington Road, Franklin. Call 0493 560589, or visit affordableb.com.au

A love for getting creative with wedding desserts

FOR 25 years, European-trained and Dutch-born pastry chef Wim den Hartog has been sharing his talent in the ACT hospitality business.

Wim says L’Orange Patisserie has been offering cakes, pastries and desserts, for six and a half years now.

His wife, Misty Annabel, says Wim’s love for pastries began at age 13.

“Wim’s passion for pastries is his first love,” she says.

Croquembouche, or profiterole towers, are popular for weddings, says Wim.

“We sell quite a few for weddings, it’s a nice change from a traditional cake,” he says.

“Customers can choose the colours, some choose to have cascading flowers such as daisies, or other decorations as well.

“I love weddings, and I think the dessert is truly the icing on the wedding cake, whether it’s something small in the middle of a lolly table or something more traditional.

“Guests should approach this as a delightful ritual to be enjoyed with friends or family”.

Wim says occasion cakes, high teas and larger cakes are available to order for other occasions, too.

“We have a wide range of European sweets and treats from France, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium,” he says.

L’Orange Patisserie, Manuka Court, 11-15 Bougainville Street, Griffith. Call 6295 3897 or visit lorangepatisserie.com.au

Breathtaking wedding gowns for every bride

ANNABEL’S Bridal Studio has gowns to make any bride’s walk down the aisle completely breathtaking, says owner Misty Annabel.

With more than 16 designers and hundreds of styles in-store, Misty says they strive to make brides feel confident, happy and beautiful on their big day.

“I make sure the process from choosing the gown to the collection of the gown is as organised and as enjoyable as possible,” she says.

“We pride ourselves on listening closely to brides, there’s diversity in our range from design as well as size.”

The business, which is coming up on its 18th anniversary in May, was first started by Misty after seeing a gap in the Canberra market for a luxury bridal boutique.

“My mother has been in the design and tailoring industry since I was four-years-old, I grew up under the cutting table,” says Misty.

“Today she’s our experienced in-house tailor, and helps brides create their personalised dream look.”

Misty also says the business has an event coming up that brides-to-be may like to check out.

“In our trunk shows designers send exquisite gowns and clients then choose what they want from those designs,” she says.

“Our next trunk show is April 15 to 22 featuring designer Martina Liana.”

Annabel’s Bridal Studio, at “The Kennedy”, suite 2, 28 Eyre Street, Kingston. Call 6295 3984, or visit annabelsbridal.com.au

Wedding items that create lasting memories

HAPPY Days Event Hire provides hire items for weddings that are different, fun and ones that will create lasting memories, says owner Natalie Calvani.

“Our light-up letters are fun, bright and definitely make a statement at any wedding,” she says.

“They’ve become an incredibly popular choice. We now have the complete alphabet and numbers in two sizes, 60 centimetres and 1.2 metres, which give our customers more options.

“Other items we have available to hire are our Mirror Me photo booths and jukeboxes that have over 7000 songs available.”

Natalie says there’s music from the ‘50s all the way through to today’s top charts, and the jukeboxes are updated every month with the latest music.

“Our Mirror Me photo booth is not an ordinary booth. The camera is hidden behind the mirror and takes beautiful photos. Our packages are all inclusive so there are no hidden costs,” she says.

Natalie also says Happy Days takes care of delivery and pick up of all their items, offers DIY options or can help style the day so that it’s a “dream come true”.

Happy Days Event Hire, unit 4/66 Dacre Street, Mitchell. Call 6242 7722 or visit happydays.net.au

A creative twist on traditional cake

THE Bunched Co is an online, dessert delivery service, says director Jorja Wallace.

“The business was started more than five years ago with donut bouquets,” she says.

“In 2020/21 we started doing dessert boxes too, and I took over in January 2022, and started creating donut cakes and towers.

“No one else offers the stacks and towers that we do, and up until 2021 no one did donut bouquets which really helped us stand out.”

She says The Bunched Co provides a different experience to traditional wedding cakes, that is a further alternative from cupcakes, “so people can help themselves”.

A former public servant, lawyer and journalist, Jorja says she’s very much enjoying unlearning the hard rules of her previous jobs to explore her creativity.

“It is a complete change for me, a different lifestyle and I am finding myself again,” she says.

“I don’t do the baking part, a bakery makes the donuts for me fresh daily, so I just have to do all the styling and putting together of the bouquets, towers and boxes, which I am grateful for.

“We also cater for christenings, baby showers, birthday parties, donations to charities and a wide variety of gatherings.”

The Bunched Co. Call 0432 114566, or visit thebunchedco.com.au

One-stop shop for event styling

JOSE Ciminelli, CEO of YES Canberra, has a combined total of 30 years’ experience in the event styling industry.

“And we’ve never failed anybody yet,” he says.

“We understand how important a wedding is for everybody concerned. It doesn’t matter who it’s for, we realise the importance of the event to the individual.”

YES Canberra offers a spectrum of colours, choices and styles, as well as covering pretty much everything one might need for a wedding or event, says Jose.

“From simple chairs, covers and sashes, to the whole marquee. We can do a wedding on a remote property, with a portable kitchen, decorations, tables, chairs, glassware and centrepieces, or we offer our very own marquee at the racetrack,” he says.

“We can cater for 500 people with no problems at all, more even.

“We’re the one-stop shop for all your wedding needs.

“We can also do different configurations and themes, such as a western theme with wine barrels.”

Jose also says they’re very competitive with pricing.

“If you’ve got a quote from someone else that you’re not happy with, run it past us and we’ll do our best to save you money.”

YES Canberra is located at 9-11 Huddart Court, but will move soon to unit 3, 71 Vicars Street, Mitchell.

YES Canberra, 9-11 Huddart Court, Mitchell. Call 1800 761196, or visit youreventsolution.com.au

Beautiful imagery for the madly in love

BLUE Ginger Photography is a family business, passionate about telling love stories, says owner Steve Morris.

“We offer wedding, family and couples services in the Canberra, south coast and southern highlands areas,” he says.

“I’ve always had an interest in cameras. My grandfather was a hobbyist photographer.

“I started Blue Ginger in 2015 after delivering images to friends who were just beaming – I was hooked.

“For many couples the idea of having a photo taken is like stepping on Lego with bare feet. My superpower is making people feel at ease.

“Making sure you are not feeling awkward or uncomfortable means I get those natural, unguarded shots that truly capture how someone is feeling.”

Steve says Blue Ginger is stress-free and comes with a crisp high-five, a dog whisperer or help with anything, whenever needed, on the special day.

“I love the intimacy and connection of wedding photos, but I really enjoy the ‘periphery’ that not everyone sees or feels. I’m racing around to find the anticipation or nervousness of waiting for their partner to arrive, or new families hugging. Proud grandparents get me every time.”

Steve says he loves when witnesses are signing the certificate and the newly married couple are sharing a “treasured moment” – a beautiful smile and cheeky kiss when no-one is watching. 

“It’s a beautiful experience that I’m fortunate to be a part of, and a bonus is that I get to call it work.”

Blue Ginger Photography. Call 0427 767595, or visit bluegingerphotography.com.au

Dance routines that make a statement

DALE’S Ballroom Dancing offers classes to help couples and bridal parties impress the audience on the big day, says owner Dale Harris.

“Couples can choose their song, and we can choreograph something to suit them, the music and their style,” she says.

“I have a private studio for teaching all types of dancing that people want to learn for the occasion.”

Dale has more than 20 years of experience teaching dance, having first started dancing herself at the age of six.

She’s since received many qualifications in ballroom dancing and is also a championship adjudicator who travels interstate to judge ballroom competitions.

From absolute beginners to those experienced in dancing, she says she can offer advice and techniques to help make that special dance one to remember.

“It’s always great to see messages come back through from people saying the dance was fabulous or that they had a ball,” she says.

“We have general classes on Wednesdays to practice so people can come and meet me first for a lesson if they like, or if they want to get in touch we can have a chat about what suits them.”

Dale’s Ballroom Dancing, call 0407 066110, or visit dalesballroomdancing.com.au