A Guide to Wedding Planning

Congratulations! You’re engaged!! Ok, so you found the right person, so now what?

Wedding planning! 

While some of the Santiago’s amongst us are cheering excitedly, chances are more high there’s been some mild panic attacks looming at the thought of planning the day you and your love say “I do!”.

Rest assured, this is a more normal reaction. So we have shared below some of our combined 30+ years of wedding experience to help you out and keep the Xanax/Kalma at bay.

One piece of advice to start with – your wedding can be as complicated or simple as you and your partner want it to be! So with this being said: here are our top tips for planning a wedding in Queensland.

1. Enjoy being engaged!

If things go according to plan, you will never be engaged again! So take the time to enjoy this very small slice of your life knowing there is an end goal of an official life commitment to each other.

2. Decide your ‘Why’ and set your Wedding Style

The fun-loving ones of us may have a big wedding to enjoy the party with those they love, others may have a more intimate setting with only a few nearest and dearest to witness the moment. There are a plethora of reasons and options available, so the first question you and your fiancé need to address is why. Unleash your inner Simon Sinek and decide why you are having the wedding and then you can plan your Wedding’s Style and tone of the day from there.

3. Make a list of the must-haves & set the date

Which of your nearest and dearest must be by your side on the day? Keep this list small (see guest list further on). There are the VIP’s in your life that you and your love will need to choose together. Once you’ve made a list of the inner circle, let them know when you’re thinking and ensure they can make the date you’ve got in mind. It’s helpful if you have several days within a fortnight period in mind, but if you’re a bit of a date nerd (eg – you like picking palindrome dates)

4. The B-word… Budget

Sticking to a budget is never easy! There are many beautiful options available for a wedding day. Like we mentioned before, your wedding can be as elaborate or as simple as you and your partner choose. So prioritise what matters most for you as a couple and stick to it. If you both enjoy fine dining, put more of your budget into amazing food (we know a great place that can hook you up with this!). If you’re a creative couple, maybe look into an artist to join you on the day. If you enjoy music, prioritise this in your budget with a live musician or band.

Just because something’s always been done at everyone else’s wedding, doesn’t mean it has to happen at yours – it’s 2023! Pick what reflects you as a couple and prioritise this in your budget.

That being said – if you want ALL the things and have it in your budget, go ahead – we won’t judge!

5. Start Booking

So once you’ve set these foundations, it’s time to start locking in those wedding vendors that you trust.

a) Venue

While we know we are one of the best wedding venues in Queensland, not every couple’s wedding day will fit the Preston Style (refer back to point 2 of this list).

You can read all about how amazing our weddings are here. However if you are chasing a different wedding to what we have on offer, we can still be friends! There are plenty of great wedding destinations here. Venues can book out up to 2 years in advance, so the sooner you lock in that venue the better (it’s ok – keep breathing – you got this!)

b) Photographer & Videographer

Similar to the venue, most photographers and videographers will have bookings 2 years out from the date, so these are the second suppliers on the list to call.



Here are some tips for picking the best photographer and videographer for your day.

c) Accommodation

If you don’t want to spend much time (or any) in a car, then booking closeby accommodation for you, your partner and the inner circle (see point number 3) is a must! Talk to your venue about their accommodation options and work out where

Here at Preston Peak, in addition to our luxury homes; Elliot Close and Panoramic Haven, we also work with many local quality accommodation providers in Toowoomba. Talk to our team when on your wedding tour for options available to our Preston Peak couples.

d) Transport

If you have your heart set on a particular muscle car, or if you want to keep all your guests happy and safe by booking a party bus, these options can get harder to come by closer to a wedding date. So if this is on your list of priorities, the earlier your booking, the better.

6. Choose the Celebrant

A celebrant sets the tone for the most important 15-30-90 minutes of your wedding day. So getting that personality that you and your partner are comfortable with. Some love the outgoing, bubbly party-vibe, while others like the more easy-going, chilled atmosphere. Ask your other suppliers, most of them will know many of the celebrants and can give you an indication of their style.

7. All the… Small things…

This includes things like Flowers, Decorations, Styling, Décor, Cake – any of those finer details you want included on your wedding day. This will depend on your Wedding style and budget to determine how much or little you have. Other points to consider are what you and your partner like.

For example, if one of you is allergic to fresh flowers, then perhaps you’ll need to search for an alternative. If neither of you have a sweet tooth, then perhaps opt for a stack of cheese wheels rather than a cake. There are many unique cake options ideas here.

8. Music & Entertainment

Sound sets the atmosphere for your wedding day. This can range from enjoying the birds chirping in nature to a playlist you and your partner have curated to a live musician or band throughout the whole day (see points number 2 and 4 for this).

Other entertainment options can be found here. However remember there’s still some planning yet to do, pace yourself – your wedding can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be!

9. The Outfits

For some couples, it can be ALL about the fashions, Da-hhr-linnnng!

Others found the perfect match in the local thrift shop. This is one priority you and your partner should be pretty familiar with by now – how the other dresses. One may be sporting some Jimmy Choo’s, while the other is in Converse. The outfits are to reflect who you are as individuals – this can exude class and sophistication, or be as comfortable as a pair of board shorts on the beach. This is your decision – like we’ve said before – it’s 2022! Just because it’s done at everyone else’s wedding doesn’t mean it needs to be done at yours – pick what reflects you as a couple!

10. Guest List

Ok, so take a breath.

This has the potential to be the most stressful thing to organise for any wedding. Start with your VIPs (see point number 3) and go from there. Be mindful of your venue’s capacity and if there are any COVID19 restrictions.

One great question to ask yourselves is “Who will we still have part of our lives in 10 or 20 years’ time?”. Never, ever ask the question “Who will be offended at not being invited?”. (If they get offended at not being invited, are they actually people you want at your wedding? Just saying…)

And if you have someone who is upset, there is the classic excuse, “Sorry – COVID regulations meant we had to keep things small….” 🙂

11. Set a schedule for the day

This may seem like a trivial thing, but for all the plans for your wedding day to be executed well and for your vendors to give you their best service possible, you will need to work to a schedule on your wedding day. This doesn’t need to be as stressful as it may sound. Your vendors will happily help you to work through what the timeline on the day can look like in accordance with your priorities as a couple. The best part is you choose what this schedule will look like ahead of the day and then your wedding planner/function coordinator and other vendors ensure you follow this schedule so you won’t have to be watching the clock on the day.

Another huge bonus of this is if there is a “spanner” thrown in the workings out of the day – a good venue has an experienced wedding planner/function coordinator that will have it all in hand and worked out (usually before you even know there is an issue!). Like we said, a good venue has this service (Remember – not all venues and wedding vendors are equal).

12. Honeymoon (yay!)

After all this hard work, you and your partner will want to reward yourself with a holiday and enjoy time together as a married couple. Work commitments and budget may determine the details of this, but as far as planning a wedding goes, we highly recommend you give yourselves some kind of break post-wedding. It’s a great time to reminisce on the day together and to relax with each other after what can be quite a manic few months leading up to the big day!

Final Thoughts



Stay calm – there’s a lot to go through here. Like we said earlier – your wedding can be as elaborate or as simple as you and your partner choose. When you have the right team with you, it can definitely make your wedding planning and your wedding day a lot easier. Want the dream team working with you for your best wedding day? Contact us – we’d be happy to show you how Preston can make your wedding day wonderful!