The bridal clock’s ticking and we’re now only 8 months out from Danni and Matt’s 3-day Hamptons style extravaganza. The months have flown by for our bride, Danni Morrison (Design by Danni) and our boss-lady, Rebekah Fusca.
These two super-humans have made some serious wedding planning magic happen, and we’re sharing their event organising secrets (hot tip: apparently healthy doses of OCD and caffeine are beneficial).
Venue Visit – Sunshine Coast Hinterland
If you’ve ever been to Spicers Clovelly Estate, it will come as no surprise that the site visit was everybody’s favourite task so far in the wedding preparations. A truly unique escape in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, it’s the perfect wedding venue for a multiple-event wedding like Danni and Matt’s. And cruising around in rainforest luxury for a day, talking event styling and logistics with venue manager, Emma, was like heaven for Danni and the Mask team.
What happens when you send an interior stylist, an event planner and an Mask Event’s newest event senior stylist, Meg, off-roading in a little Renault Megane through a luxury Sunshine Coast estate? Amongst all the laughs and hilarity, a whole lot of brilliant ideas and organisational gold!
Danni, Rebekah and Meg both found Spicers Clovelly Estate venue manager, Emma, incredibly accommodating and willing to work in with all their (many) ideas.
The venue will host three separate events for the wedding – the Rehearsal Dinner (at the Lake Deck), the Ceremony and the Reception. Each of these events will be held in different areas of the Estate, so the logistics involved in moving all of the styling elements and setting up again in each area are seriously impressive. Especially as all the styling elements will then be packed up after the reception and set up again at Danni and Matt’s Tanawha property where the Recovery Session is being held the next day.
Timing will be key so that the guests have a seamless experience and Danni and Matt can be surrounded by Danni’s signature Hamptons style all the way through their wedding
“The venue is beautiful and traditional, the perfect blank canvas. I’m absolutely confident we’ll be able to transform it into my Hamptons vision”
– Danni Morrison
Danni’s highlights for site visit day?
“All the questions that were still up in the air have been answered. Bek and Meg (Mask’s senior stylist) asked questions I wouldn’t have even thought of, and that’s saying something! Oh, and the gumboots…”
Gumboots? Turns out, our senior stylist Meg really does think of everything – she brought along gumboots for Danni to wear while traipsing around the property in case the ground was soft or the grass wet.
“It was such a nice touch, so thoughtful. Mask really do go above and beyond”
– Danni Morrison
Melbourne Bridal Wear Shopping Trip
If you follow Danni or are blessed enough to know her IRL, you’ll know that her fashion skills and love for styling are fierce indeed. Unsurprisingly, her bridal wear is the one aspect of her wedding that she won’t be handing over (no matter how much pleading we do about playing with the pretty dresses). That said, we’re possibly just as excited as her husband-to-be to see Danni walk down the aisle in her stunning Judy Copley Couture.
We do get to play with the finer details though! Rebekah hit up fashion Mecca, Melbourne, to search out shoes, accessories and bridesmaid dresses.
Danni’s on the hunt for the perfect pair of white Valentino rockstuds (her #1 obsession in life – she already owns countless pairs), so Rebekah’s been digging through Google and Melbourne to find the best (and cheapest, we’re all about keeping those costs down) pair.
The whole planning party celebrated a big win as “Bek worked her magic and found the headpiece I wanted” (Danni). No mean feat, considering it’s no longer being produced. Seriously, these two are unstoppable wedding planning genies.
Bridesmaids’ dresses are still on the to-do list. Danni and Rebekah are looking at local Australian designers to create a custom Hamptons style in cornflower blue (delish). We can’t wait to see what they come up with!
All in all, a successful bridal shopping experience in Melbourne that ticked a lot off the planning list
“You know, Bek was on a girl’s weekend in Melbourne, and as soon as I mentioned there were bridal party elements I wanted in Melbourne, she went out of her way to check out everything I was interested in. I’ve been so impressed with how willing Rebekah and her team are to go the extra mile”
– Danni Morrison
Finalising Wedding Suppliers
Since the wedding takes place over Easter, Danni and Rebekah have been super keen to lock in the suppliers they want very early before they get snatched up by another event. Rebekah, fired up and made it happen, booking in all preferred suppliers:
- Videographer
- Photographer
- Band
- Celebrant
The base for this Sunshine Coast wedding has now been set. Next steps? Mask Events and our beautiful bride, Danni, will flesh out the details and logistics of each event across this 3-day celebration.
The most important question – how is the bride feeling 8 months out from her big day?
“I’m feeling good! It’s been a big shift in the last few months, with how comfortable this l’il control freak has become handing the reigns over to Rebekah and the Mask team. They’re just so across everything, I’m relying on them to say “this is where we are, this is what’s happening next”. I don’t even know what’s next – a very unusual sensation for me – but I like it!”
We’ve got you Danni! And we’re so excited to dive into the details to bring the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception and recovery session to life. Danni’s vision for her Hamptons-style wedding is pretty amazing, and we’re so grateful we get to make it happen.
