It's Bespoke, Darling - More than A Wedding Planning Service

One Wedding Wish is more than a wedding planning service. Whilst we still cross things off our checklist, speak to suppliers, organise the wedding logistics, develop contingency plans, occasionally boss people to stick to schedules, and take the pressures of planning from you, we are just so much more.

We listen. We observe. And we create. We capture your love story and turn it into a bespoke work of art. And like all  beautiful works of art, we can't tell you what the finished piece will look like. It moves, and evolves until virtually weeks before your wedding day, as we quietly draw inspiration from the little things  we see - the way he looks at you, the stories you tell us, your shared and individual qualities.

If you would like a signature piece of artwork that will stay with you long after you hang up your wedding dress, speak to us today.

xoxo, Joanie

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Wedding Style Profile - Maggie & Tom

When I met Maggie for the first time, I discovered we share a few things deeply in common. We both adore flowers. And we're perfectionists. I couldn't tell you the number of hours we spent deliberating over floral styling, with Tom ever by her side, ever so patient. In fact, it was just about all we did for the first two months of our six-month journey that I had begun to worry we'd never get to anything else!

As I sit here, contemplating this blog and recollecting the day that was, I can't help but feel a sense of pride, and perhaps achievement, that we persisted through this creative and often challenging process. What resulted are the pictures you now see here, each with its own story, each came to exist because much thought, care and attention were bestowed upon them.

Wedding styling has always been about the details, so stay with me as I walk us through all the delicious, bite-sized details.

Images taken by Gavin Luu Photography for One Wedding Wish

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Ceremony Flowers by One Wedding Wish With the ceremony being truly the most important and sacred component of the entire day's programme, and knowing how much Maggie wanted it to be absolutely right when she graced the aisle to her soulmate and best friend of the past nine years, we decided that One Wedding Wish would personally look after the flowers at the ceremony. The truth is, what was supposed to be "just a few flowers for the pews" at the couple's church, St Mark's in Camberwell turned into twenty glorious floral arrangements for every alternate pew, consisting of fresh premium ivory roses - extra large and in full bloom, apple green sims, pink spray roses, silk peonies, and finished with white orchids and trailing ivy. The two 5-arm candelabras that flanked the registry table were embellished on-site with the same flowers.

It often saddens me to hear the horror stories relayed by church volunteers of the damage wedding ceremonies cause to their beloved church - from irremovable sticky tape to nails hammered into the timber pews. Ghastly! I spent up to a month scouring for the right hooks that would fit firmly but gently on St Mark's pews, and robust enough to support the weight of all the flowers. A little respect for the house of God goes a long way, whatever your beliefs are.

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Behind the registry table, a trinity of candles stood quietly on a timber, ivy-wrapped pedestal - a single rose tucked at the side of the tallest pillar. A few bottles of bubbles are left for guests seated at the aisles of each pew, with a little note asking for thousands of bubbles to awash the church as the couple made their exit as the new Mr and Mrs. It worked beautifully for the photos!

Maggie looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress. In her hands, her bouquet consisted of roses, white hydrangea and silk peonies. As the ceremony progressed inside, bottles of freshly chilled orange juice arrived for post-ceremony refreshments under a giant market umbrella, displayed loosely in white steel tubs on beds of ice. Perfect for the sunny weather we had!

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Over at the River Room, Crown Towers Southbank, the tables were already set for the evening's celebration. Crown truly lives up to its status as a world class five-star hotel, with customer service second to none - nothing was ever too much or too hard. You can't help but feel absolutely pampered, and that's just coming from the wedding planner! I must mention that Rita at Crown is in one word - Godsent! Kylie Meyer is the talent behind these stunning centrepieces.

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The bridal table sat elevated on a stage in the centre of the room, embellished with ambient, low-line decor items such as floating candles over loose orchids in whisky glasses, ivory votive candles and fishbowl vases to showcase the bride and bridesmaids' bouquets. One Wedding Wish added two more delicate arrangements to the table - romantic posies of white lisianthus and ivory roses, tied with the same ribbon used with the menus and bonbonniere.

The bonbonniere is truly another highlight element of One Wedding Wish - mini personalised jars of pure Australian honey from one of the best local suppliers, tucked snugly in a clear cubic box and finished with a two-toned stitched ribbon hand-tied into a bow. I designed the placecards to match the ribbon, and worked with Maggie on the design of the beautiful jar label which read "Thank you from Maggie and Tom. May your life blossom with sweetness." Lovely!

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Thank you Maggie and Tom for letting me share in this very special journey with you. Hope you're having a fabulous honeymoon in Hawaii!

Love, Joanie

See something on this blog that you like? If you're in the midst of planning your wedding and would like to find out more about what a wedding planner can offer to the style and stress-free running of your day, in both a cost-effective and timely manner, email us - we'd love to hear from you.

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One Wedding Wish's First Bridal Bouquet

When a dear friend asked if I would make a bridal posy for her sister's wedding ceremony, I must admit, I panicked a little. Sure I love 'em. There are few girlfriends who are yet to receive a gift of flowers from me. My husband is thankfully relieved that he no longer has to agonise sheepishly over boxes of pre-made bouquets on special occasions because i'd rather spend hours lost in arranging flowers. And of course, styling weddings with flowers - oo la la.

But flowers for a bride to walk down the aisle to her soulmate - I didn't take this lightly. I teetered between styles for a few days.

She came over last night to pick it up.....and alas, all the fuss was for nothing. She loves it! Yay!

For a stately, minimalist bride, we settled for simplicity, romance and a hint of glamour. Large & majestic dark champagne Honeymoon roses in full bloom to contrast with delicate & creamy Emanuelle roses, finishing off with a generous scatter of baby pink Jana spray roses and ripening snowberries.

One Wedding Wish's first bridal bouquet.

Thank you Charmaine for putting your trust in me...

Joanie xoxo

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Wedding Style Profile - Lisa & Heath

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When unmistakable style meets consummate host, a wedding celebration is destined to be one remembered and described by guests as ‘simply magical’.

Choosing the Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens as the backdrop for their late afternoon wedding ceremony and dinner reception, Lisa and Heath’s guests indulged in fine food catered by Blake’s Feast and hand-picked South Australian wines in the lavish marquee overlooking Ornamental Lake. Whether it was chilling out at the ottoman lounge under the stars, dressing up for a few cheeky photos in the photobooth or dancing to a rocking band in fluffy slippers provided for guests’ comfort, the verdict was unanimous - nobody wanted the night to end.
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My favourite memory ~

Role-playing at wedding rehearsals with the girls, and cheering hand-in-hand with Lisa’s nanna as the newlyweds tunneled through the ‘human bridge’ to the getaway Merc!

Special credits to ~

Blake’s Feast, Vintage Photobooths, Dan & Rex, Brett Currell, Harry the Hirer, Triple R, White Designs, Victoria Whitelaw, Janet Hussey, The Langham Melbourne

Images on the Wedding Style Profile and the image below are taken by Gavin Luu Photography exclusively for One Wedding Wish. Please inform us if you see any unauthorised use of these images on other websites.

One Wedding Wish - Lisa and Heath_2

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Do-It-Yourself Bespoke Centrepieces

As the days get hotter, so do the ideas for summer weddings. If you're not afraid to play with colour, I'd like to share an absolutely easy but effective idea that is sure to brighten up your guest tables, not to mention the mood, instantly!  With practice, you can make these gorgeous fruit and floral centrepieces in 15 minutes flat! I had so much fun making these - I hope you do too.

Love, Joanie        

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When Art Thou, O Peony?

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I woke up this morning with but one thought on my mind. The promise of peonies delivered to my doorstep! Pages after pages of bridal magazines have taught us to love them, florists promise we can have them, and Martha shows us all the wondrous yet 'surprisingly easy' ways to use the King of Flowers. Let's face it, peonies could be in a plastic blue bucket tied with ribbon and still look amazing. It's everywhere so often that we all believe we can have it at our calling.

Some news are harder to break to an intended recipient than others. Surely for me, it involves muttering the words, 'peonies' and 'unavailable' in the same sentence, to my brides. It's simply too difficult that I can't yet do it with eye-contact. In this role of making girlhood dreams come true and a personal commitment to materialise everything one's heart desires for a wedding day, I almost hold myself personally responsible for such contemptuous statements. But it's not in my power to control the weather (though I'm doing whatever I can to minimise my contribution to climate change) and if peonies graced us only three weeks in a year, then let there be only three weeks to a year, please!

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My delivery finally arrived, and shoving aside the sweetpea, lisianthus and dusty miller, I ripped  through the papers to get to my peonies. Of the two bunches, one had full blooms save looking a little tired, and the other was buds clenched tightly like golfballs. Those blooms opened up further and unusually over the next twenty minutes. Within two hours, they inverted. By evening's floristry class, they were diagnosed by the instructor as being deformed. It's already late October, but perhaps even that's asking too much of the peony.

I think it's important for brides to have the right information about this gorgeous yet elusive flower, and be prepared to realign expectations. I realise many bridal magazines are distributed nationally, but I was a little shocked to find some promising peonies around January to February! I'd love to know where, exactly?

Truth: November brides have the best chance for peonies.

The fringe months are just too erratic to make any promises. Even then, all brides need a second and third flower option. Not doing so would only leave one vulnerable to potential disappointment. I know I was, today.

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Our New Business Card has Arrived

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Time to update our business card in your files and records! If you would like to receive our new business card in the mail, please send us an email with your postal address, and we'll get one out to you!

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A MIdsummer Night Wedding in Romantic Bali

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Over a leisurely lunch just the other day on Church St, Brighton, with our order of Moreton Bay bug meat risotto, seafood linguini, organic fruit juice and hot chocolate, Daisy and I sat and chatted all afternoon long about her ultimate dream wedding. With mythical colours of deep purple and subtle, muted gold, she envisions a midsummer night wedding in romantic Bali. A sunset ceremony in a pristine white chapel overlooking the Indian Ocean. Trees with lanterns and fairylights. Path of candles and petals. Music under the stars. Beautiful Balinese food, in the company of people closest to their hearts. 

Daisy is blessed with a creative mind and an eye for detail, so you can imagine when the both of us get together, we are there at her wedding in virtual reality.

As many of their guests, including family, would be flying into Bali from Jakarta, I suggested a weekend-long celebration that will have everyone wishing all weekends were as indulgent as this. Arrivals in the late morning followed by a welcome lunch before checking in to guest rooms. In the late afternoon, guests begin to spill into the white chapel and await the arrival of the blushing bride at near sunset, dressed in an Edwardian inspired off-the-shoulder wedding dress, an antique silver floral hairpin by her ear, her tresses entangled with a few small flowers as if she had just awoken from sleeping in a meadow of flowers, the bouquet in her hand  - a little bit of everything like flowers hand-picked from a magical forest. The next day, take everyone on a scenic boat cruise toward the islands, surrounded by clear blue waters and amazing coral reef, whilst grazing on h'ordeuvres and champagne. The couple stays on as guests prepare to head home that afternoon.

I've asked Daisy if I may put up on my blog an inspiration board of all that we spoke about, and so I shall make it a little project of mine to gather more ideas to keep us dreaming on....

Love, Joanie

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The Harmony of Blue and Lavender

Can I honestly say that I could never tire of listening to Stephanie and Samuel's countless stories. Every step of their relationship has been a celebration, from simple yet symbolic gestures that say 'darling, you're on my mind', to the elaborate proposal by Sam, six months in the making, that brought tears of joy to Steph's eyes. Their stories have been a real source of energy for me as I work to design the many elements of their wedding.

This December, their loved ones will be treated to all things that represent their uniqueness as a couple. Steph's love for lavender and Sam for the colour blue has been the springboard for so many ideas that deciding on which ones to incorporate is perhaps the greatest challenge.

The details will be kept entirely under wraps until after the wedding, but I couldn't resist revealing a teaser inspiration board for one of the bespoke elements that I am so excited to be working on ~ perhaps it shall be kept a surprise for the couple too!
Inspired by Lavender



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Beautiful Things Take Time

Beautiful things take time, such as this blog.
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We are looking forward to showing you utterly gorgeous, creative and cost-friendly wedding ideas that we can implement to help you style your ultimate wedding day.
In today's fast and furious world, it seems people sometimes forget to slow down and consider all the things, the people, and the experiences along the way that have defined and enriched them as they are. The latent personality of the couple should be, but so often is not reflected in their wedding style.

We are hoping this blog will change the status quo.

Bespoke means what we will show you are possibilities. We can implement exactly as you see it, but we're just as happy (if not happier) if you would tell us what you want, your wishlist if you like.

Watch this space.

Love, Joanie


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