Sunshine Coast Hinterland Tipi Wedding

Jordy and Cam are Sunshine Coast locals, so we met up at the Mapleton Tavern with their little girl Elsie for an informal chat and catch up. We hit it off straight away.

Jordy told me from the get-go she takes ages to make decisions and is very indecisive. Challenge accepted! She also said she found the planning overwhelming as she works full time and with a toddler in tow was making it challenging for her, so they opted to book our pre planning middle package. Jordy and Cam had the freedom to book some suppliers and looked after their RSVP’s whilst Maple Weddings took care of the rest. Oh, what fun we had.

Initially Jordy and Cam’s vision and dream wedding was to be under the stars of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland with a very relaxed vibe and LOTS of fairy lights. They chose the Mapleton Hall as their venue as this offered a space to have both ceremony and reception, it was easier for guests & transport, they had a backup plan with hall and they could have their entire wedding outside as they dreamed.

Maple Weddings was not only their wedding planner but also their wedding stylist in conjunction with the lovely Fiesta Flora on florals. We all met up on site to discuss options and to work with Jordy’s vision. She couldn’t decide if she wanted what was ‘trending’ or to go the classic white and green. A huge decision to make for someone who struggles with decision making! Eventually she had to decide and what a fantastic choice it was. Classic white. Timeless and elegant. The ceremony would comprise of Maple Weddings timber bench seats with the 2-piece arbour plinths adorned with playa blanca roses, banksia hookeriana, white carnations, white alstroemerias, white lisianthus, snow berry, magnolia, eucalyptus and wattle by Fiesta Flora.

The reception would compromise of fairy lights, cable reels with stools and 2 horse floats! The Tipsy Mare on bar and Parma Street Food on pizzas. Chilled. Outside under the stars. Lots of fairy lights. No fuss. Their absolute dream wedding.

Well, the week of their wedding arrived and bam we were in full throttle mode to sort their wedding with torrential rain all week and C19 wreaking havoc with new govt rules and regs around square metre rule. This meant their 100 guests could not fit in the hall (their back up plan for wet weather) and their vision of being outdoors under stars and light tarnished.

The Sunshine Coast wedding community are all legends in rallying together to make weddings happen. Tipi Luxe came on board last minute to erect one of their gorgeous Tipi’s which would play host to the ceremony and reception. Having already booked furniture, lights and dance floor through Equip4Hire for their under the stars wedding both companies rallied together and got the job done without fuss. True professionals.

Needless to say, the entire day was wet! Like super wet! Thank you, Sunshine Coast Hinterland!! However, it was seriously the best wedding. These guys were troopers and were just so happy they could get hitched and have all their family and friends with them in March. The rain didn’t worry or deter them and we were all prepared. By the end of the evening Jordy was quite literally carrying mud around on her dress and was grounded with no shoes! True bride style!!!

When booking your wedding planner there must be a level of trust. These guys trusted me through the whole wedding planning process which meant I was able to recommend suppliers to them in which they had as part of their amazing team. Having a team, we knew and trusted meant the week of the wedding in our scurry all fell together nicely and everyone was so professional. Having recommended the photographer was huge. Photos are such an integral part of a wedding day and are lifelong memories. When I suggested Bec from Ash and Stone Photography I knew she wouldn’t let me (Or the couple) down and was just so fun on site and even got a bit dirty herself! We love a dance on the dance floor, and I just knew she was the perfect fit for Jordy and Cam. The pics speak for themselves.

We asked Jordy to give her version of events and here is what she had to say-

You live on the Sunshine Coast and married on the Sunshine Coast. Did you find this a lot easier being in the same place?

Things were easier in the sense we have a little one and we didn’t have to travel. Mostly I looked at vendors social media to view their style etc. I also liked the fact that I could meet with vendors including Kristy face to face.

2. You booked Maple Weddings middle package with Pre Planning help and assistance as well as on the day coordination. How did you find this experience? Would you recommend to couples to book a wedding planner as well as on the day coordination?

I have recommended Maple numerous times online and in person. Having a wedding planner made the whole process seamless and I wouldn’t change a thing. Maple was worth every cent and if I got married again I wouldn’t change a thing.

3. Did you stumble across any hiccups during the planning process?

The only hiccup in wedding planning was the unpredictability of Covid and possible lockdowns. This was a challenge and all we could do was hope for the best and put some plans in place in case we had to postpone. Kristy was great in that she stayed up to date with Covid Safe Plans and what was needed with regulations etc. With the planning process and generally I struggle with making decisions as I am indecisive person. I also think there is this narrative around weddings that everything needs to be perfect. I don’t think that is realistic and if you change your perspective, I think that allows you to be more flexible in your planning and on your wedding day.

4. What is the fondest memory you take away from your wedding day?

I cant pinpoint one moment. The whole day was so much fun! It was more than I could have imagined. Worst moment was when I lost our room key haha. But again Kristy’s team were there to sort out it out!!

5. Your wedding week and day was very wet. How did you feel about this?

I didn’t mind about the rain. At first I was disappointed as we had so many guests travel and make a holiday out of it. I continued to tell myself that you cant control the weather and there is no use worrying about something you cant control. Life is messy, you just have to go with it. In the end I loved that the rain added a whole other dimension to our wedding! We all (friends and family) still laugh about it to this day.

6. What was the most important part to you both in terms of your wedding? Food? Photos? The ceremony? Flowers?

I love flowers and plants and have a strong connection to the natural environment. This was one of the most important factors for me. We also wanted to ensure that the vibe was a big celebration which meant that entertainment, food and drinks were also important. I felt like the atmosphere of a wedding is so important and all of my vendors nailed this and that was thanks to Kristy and her team.

7. In terms of styling it was to all be outdoors with lights and a casual feel. In the end a Tipi had to be booked and the style changed at the last minute. Did you still feel with Tipi, the rustic furniture booked with us and and Fiesta Floras flowers, you still accomplished the look and feel you wanted- even with the rain!?

I surprised myself that I didn’t have too much input into the styling of the day, normally I’m a bit of a stress head and prefer things done a certain way. I expressed what I liked and didn’t like but overall I had little input and the day turned out perfectly! The rain was great in a way because it meant everyone couldn’t spread out too much which was nice because of the open space. It made it feel intimate.

8. Did you find booking a stylist and florist that work closely together a much easier process to navigate?

So much easier! I think one of the things that made my day so successful was the already established relationship between the stylist and florist. It felt like everyone was on the same page. It felt like luck it all fell into place so perfectly but I know it was due to the very hard work behind the scenes.

9. What is the one piece of advice you would offer any couple?

Get a wedding planner or someone from the industry who can assist with making the big decisions. They will pay for themselves!!! So many of our guests commented about how amazing all of our vendors were.

10. What was the approx spend on your wedding?

In the end I think we hit 30k. There were a few last minute items that were only needed due to the wet weather. We were happy with how much we spent.

The A Team of Vendors

Venue- Mapleton Hall

Wedding Planner- Maple Weddings and Events

Celebrant- Ricky Lapham

Photographer- Ash and Stone

Styling – Maple Weddings and Events

Florist- Fiesta Flora

Tipi- Tipi Luxe

Hair Stylist- Sass and Niki Hair

Makeup Artist- Sunshine Brides

Catering – Parma Street Food

Bar Service- The Tipsy Mare