News & Articles
Winter Wedding
1 Sep 2008
Marisa admits her first snow wedding had its challenges – including the 2-hour distance, sub-zero temperatures and the couple's newborn baby – but with the right planning and advice, she says you can achieve your dream wedding, no matter how daring or daunting the task.
“Natalie and Iain love the snow – they go every chance they get. They wanted to get married on Mt Buller, but they were worried about their newborn baby, what they'd wear and how it would all work. But my message to brides is, if you've got a professional to help you through, anything is possible.”
A Lavish Affair did the research and took care of all the logistics, including the babysitter, trucking in the decorations, getting permits for road access to the top of the mountain, making and delivering guest welcome packs and creating the indoor wonderlands to match the stark winter landscape of the snow-covered mountain.
Marisa's design inspiration was to line the windows, timber pillars and the tabletops of the Cattleman's Café with bare magnolia branches and soft tea lights, transforming the simple café into a moody restaurant retreat. Natalie and Iain said that effect was mesmerising, especially considering they only had a $1000 budget to dress up a tin-lined room.
“The venues were magical, all the service providers behaved like the Queen's staff and the touches garnered so much praise from our guests.”
Behind the scenes, Marisa and her staff were working hard to create that magic.
“With frozen fingers, we were putting on the chair covers, and the fabric was so tight because of the cold. We also had to hop in our car to deliver the guest packs to where people were staying on the mountain. The gift boxes contained a good ol' winter warmer of bottled red, luxury chocolate and a hot water bottle in a snowflake cosy. I also had to trudge through the snow carrying the wedding cake when no one else would. Trying to dodge skiers at the end of the run was a walk I don't want to take again anytime soon. At the end of the night we were really tired and the aches and pains could be well and truly be felt, but we couldn't have been happier to see our couple and their guests partying the night away,” says Marisa.
The finishing touch was snow falling halfway through the reception, which the bridal party guests leapt into with complete abandon – indulging in a hilarious snowball fight. Who said a wedding planner couldn't cue the right weather?
