Our original idea was to have a garden ceremony and reception in the Rose Gardens at Maroondah Dam in Healesville. We both loved the idea of a big marquee in the gardens with a spit roast buffet, lots of music and drinks.
And then we got the quotes back…suffice to say that rained on our parade. A marquee in the gardens with 120 people would end up costing us almost double what we had set our budget for.
So I started looking for a venue that would still fit in with the style of wedding we wanted and not cost a fortune. So off to the Easy Weddings Directory I went! We love the Yarra Valley area so I started in that region.
After visiting many websites and sending off what felt like a hundred emails. I got back the quotes and had narrowed it down to 3, and after emailing Stephanie at Elmswood Estate Winery I had found a winner!
We found a small winery in the Yarra Valley that could accommodate 110 people for a ceremony and reception and the icing on the cake? One of their menu options was a Spit Roast buffet. I was in wedding planning heaven!
We went out to visit Stephanie and take the tour and feel in love with Elmswood – the views were breathtaking and it was so close to what we originally had originally planned.
We are all booked in for April 7th 2012, now for the hard stuff.
