Wedding planning
Planning a wedding weekend in the Southern Highlands
A practical guide to accommodation, welcome events, transport and photography across more than one day.
A wedding weekend gives you time to catch up with people you might otherwise see only briefly at the reception. A welcome dinner can introduce friends from different parts of your lives, and breakfast the next morning gives everyone a chance to talk about the night before.
The planning works best when you’re clear about what you’re hosting and what guests can arrange themselves. Start with the venue and accommodation, then decide which extra gatherings you would actually enjoy.
01
Book the venue with accommodation in mind
Map the wedding venue against the places your guests could stay. A property with a beautiful house may only accommodate a small group, and accommodation elsewhere in the Highlands can involve a substantial drive.
Ardour Milton Park Bowral offers hotel accommodation alongside its wedding spaces; Montrose House offers a garden estate for the wedding day. Ask each property about the arrangements relevant to your plans, rather than assuming they provide the same kind of stay.
Share a shortlist of accommodation at different price points, with distances to your venue. Be clear about any rooms you’re reserving or paying for, and give guests time to make their own bookings.
02
Give the welcome event a purpose
A welcome gathering is useful when guests haven’t met or are travelling from different places. Drinks or a shared meal can give them a chance to get to know each other before the wedding.
It can be simpler than the following day. Choose a format you’ll enjoy hosting, and be specific about who is invited. If it’s a smaller group, send those details directly to avoid confusion.
03
Put the practical information in one place
Your wedding website or guest information should cover addresses, start times, dress codes and transport. Explain which meals and events are hosted, which need a separate booking and who guests can contact with questions.
For buses, confirm pickup locations and return times with the operator. Use real journey times between the properties you’ve booked, including time to board. Your planner or coordinator can help check that the schedule is workable.
04
Plan the wedding day on its own terms
Extra events won’t solve an overcrowded wedding schedule. The wedding day still needs time for getting dressed, travelling, the ceremony, photographs and the meal.
Think about what you’d like to do together on the day, even if you’ve seen everyone the evening before. Give your photographer the full weekend outline so they understand which people and gatherings matter to you.
05
Be specific about photography for each event
A welcome dinner may need a few hours of candid photographs; the wedding day usually needs broader coverage. Ask your photographer to set out the events, hours, team and deliverables separately in the proposal.
If a change of outfit, a speech or a particular family gathering is important, include its timing. That makes it easier to choose sensible start and finish times instead of guessing how much coverage you need.
06
Keep the farewell easy to attend
A breakfast or recovery lunch can be a lovely way to finish, particularly when people are staying nearby. Consider checkout times and the journeys home before deciding when it starts.
You can also leave the morning free. Guests may appreciate time to pack, have coffee or explore on their own. You don’t need an organised event in every gap to make the weekend worthwhile.
Write the guest version of the weekend
Before booking the extra events, write a short itinerary as if you were attending. Check where you would sleep, eat and travel, and what each invitation asks of you. Any confusing or awkward gaps are easier to fix at this stage.
Common questions
Do we need a welcome dinner and a recovery event?
No. Choose the gatherings you want to host and can organise comfortably. Welcome drinks and the wedding itself may be enough, with free time around them.