Thursday, October 1, 2009

Well Established

Yesterday Annabelle and I went to Melbourne to attend The Wedding Establishment showcase event, every detail organised by the lovely Tanja Radman - what energy this woman has - she was positively inspiring and we had so much to talk about. The event was the ideal opportunity for brides to meet a select range of quality wedding industry suppliers, all in one place.

An earlier event was held at the Tea Room QVB the previous week during the infamous Sydney dust storms that turned the city red. Check The Wedding Establishment site for a complete rundown of all the exhibitors.


The Tea Room QVB in Sydney

This second event was held in Melbourne at Comme in Alfred Place - such a lovely building. One of the grand upstairs areas was transformed to accommodate all the exhibitors.


Comme in Melbourne

As we ascended the wide original staircase we were greeted by waiters carrying platters of delectable finger food and cool drinks - just perfect for the relaxed environment. Models in stunning Mariana Hardwick, Ava Madison, Baccini & Hill and Pallas gowns mingled amongst the guests giving us all a sneak peek into the amazing array of dress choices. It was so nice to finally meet Louise from Harvey&Ella who let us in on her recent trip to France where she has sourced some exciting new fabrics. Her bridesmaid dresses are fantastic - the kind of dress you would actually wear long after the wedding.


Left to Right: Baccini & Hill, Ava Madison, Pallas and Mariana Hardwick

Annabelle and I were so pleased to finally meet many of our advertisers and suppliers - those whom until now had only been a familiar voice at the other end of the telephone line. The beautiful letterpressed invitation that we received for the event was printed by Chapel Press who had many examples of their stationery on display. These stylish, embossed thank you cards were a surprise treat from Chapel Press in the goody bag.



Then there were the cakes - oh the cakes! Babycakes had an inspiring macaroon display, giving brides an alternative to a traditional wedding cake. Splendid Servings had a fantastic yellow and black themed cake that would have been perfect for our Ladies and Gentlemen story in Issue 7.


Babycakes macaroon display


Splendid Servings striking cake

After chatting with the lovely Jessie from j studios and seeing examples of her great work, we practically had to drag ourselves away from chatting with the girls from Infinity Photography - they had a a great stand enticing brides with their beautiful albums. Across from Infinity was A Piece of Paris who had a sophisticated range of wedding stationery. I was interested to learn they offer a styling service as well.

One of our final ports of call was Kate Hill Flowers that was decorated with the most glorious display of fragrant flowers. We also saw a gorgeous helleborus and sweetpea bouquet from Texas Flower Rangers that just seem to capture the essence of spring.

There were many other exhibitors, too many for us chatterboxes to speak with them all. Please do check The Wedding Establishment site for a complete list of contacts.

Before we left Comme we stopped in at the restaurant downstairs for lunch - we were in heaven and wished our ultra-delicious meals would never end. Alas, they did and we had to hurriedly make our way to the airport to fly home to Adelaide. Not hurriedly enough as it turns out we missed our plane! What a fun day though.

Posted by Jane Cameron

3 comments:

Destination Inspiration said...

wow, what a great experience. I love the thank you cards they're gorgeous.

j. said...

thank you so much for your kind words. It was awesome to meet you guys!

Jessie Broome
j [studios]

budflowers said...

Babycakes macaroon display is so cool, I'm very impressive