Darling Don't Panic
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OVERVIEW
You don’t need a wedding planner. You need a wedding bestie.
Your wedding is a cause for celebration like no other in your lifetime—and we happen to think you deserve a wedding planner who treats it as such.
We get excited about every last detail of your day, draw endless inspiration from your love story, and advocate for your best interests every step of the way as we work to craft an immersive affair that leaves you and yours in absolute awe.
With over 15 highly experienced wedding planners across the east coast of Australia, New Caledonia, and Bali—the Darling Don't Panic team is chock-full of seasoned event experts who work hard to bring your vision to life, so you can soak up every precious moment of your engagement and wedding day.
We’re here to hone in on the little details that leave a lasting impression, labour over logistics so you don’t have to, and draw inspiration from your story to create an immersive celebration you’ll savour for years to come.
Whether you’re rocking that newly-engaged glow or have been planning for months on-end and are ready to hand things off to a pro, it’s our honour to step in, shoulder the stress, and plan meticulously on your behalf—so you can rest easy knowing your dream day isn’t just a dream, but a guarantee.
Each of our expert wedding planners in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Bali and beyond is personally trained by our founder and follows the coveted Darling Don’t Panic signature planning process.
We’re a tight-knit team of highly experienced event professionals who stay in constant communication with one another, project-manage like seasoned pros, maximise your wedding budget like nobody’s business, and style your day to pure perfection.
Here, unparalleled expertise merges with a friendly, flexible-as-ever approach to ensure you get the best of both worlds: event authorities you can trust, and a personalised experience you’ll actually enjoy.
We conveniently service the entire East Coast (QLD, NSW, VIC, TAS) - here's an example of locations we frequent:
QUEENSLAND
NEW SOUTH WALES
VICTORIA
TASMANIA
DESTINATION LOCATIONS
We have planners that service all other locations with a small travel charge or you can book a Virtual Wedding Planning or DIY service. More info at our site.
About
With a 10-year career producing everything from book tours to burlesque shows, Jac is no stranger to managing demanding schedules, creative problem-solving on the spot, and curating once-in-a-lifetime experiences with meticulous attention-to-detail. She eventually found her true home in the world of weddings, where she could apply her impressive organisational skills and sharp stylist’s eye in a more intimate way.
Mrs Jac Bowie
Owner & Head Planner
Wedding Brochure
Darling Don't Panic Brochure
View all of our features and complete package inclusions in our PDF wedding brochure.
View BrochureLocation
Service Area Australia | Bali | New Caledonia
FAQ
Attended or seen a fabulous wedding lately? Odds are, the happy couple had professional help. Wedding planners and stylists are not just for the rich and famous. More and more couples are realising that to achieve the wedding they want, they need experts to make it happen.
Plus, apart from being able to help you to stay on budget, negotiate better prices and make your precious dollars go further, we can help to ensure that all that time, money and effort you have put into your wedding is worth it. A wedding is a huge investment, and when you think that you could spend anywhere from $20,000-$100,000+ on your day, it seems a little illogical not to make sure that everything you have been working on and saving for actually turns out the way you want it.
Compared to most wedding budgets, a planner is a relatively small investment and arguably one of the most important. If you want to wing it, that’s totally ok. Plenty of couples go it alone. You just need to consider whether or not you want to maximise the opportunity for you to enjoy every moment of your day, have the wedding you really want and minimise potential for issues or hiccups. Remember, there’s no second chances when it comes to your wedding day.
It’s funny, we get a great deal of initial enquiries from brides who then “disappear” with their enquiry pack, only to come back later in the planning process and find we are booked out- or even still, they’ve paid too much or booked the wrong suppliers.
The best way is to get in touch early. We are more than happy to jump on a free consultation and give you some free advice.
We’d actually love to squash the common misconception that a planner is a luxury and something to book down the track of the journey. A good planner should actually make your budget work harder and save you money!
No – your first consultation with DDP is always complimentary and completely obligation free. At the end of the consultation you can choose whether you would like us to secure your date, which can be done with payment in full (small discount applies) or you can just leave a 50% deposit and pay off the rest before your event.
The average time it takes to plan a wedding is around 200 – 250 hours. That’s 6 weeks of full time work! If you want something extraordinary, something chock full of gorgeous details you will need to spend at least that many hours if not more. And, if you’re planning your big day in a marquee or empty space, and you don’t have any previous event planning experience, plan for 300+ hours at a minimum. Don’t worry though, DDP can create a downright fabulous occasion for you.
We have the skills, experience, contacts and commitment to ensure your perfect day actually happens (and it won’t take us 200 hours to do it).
Yes. In fact, we would recommend it. So many couples (let’s be honest, mostly brides) waste precious time confused and overwhelmed while they jump from one idea to the next and try to find some kind of clarity and direction.
Don’t panic – not knowing what you want or how you’re going to achieve it is completely normal. The sooner you get in touch with us the sooner we can help you to get all those ideas and options and sort them into a concept that feels like it fits. Once you have your direction clear, everything will become instantly easier.
While we’re great at what we do, there are some things even we can’t control. We can’t control the weather, stop your relative from drinking a little too much or ensure a baby doesn’t cry during your ceremony.What we can guarantee is that every potential issue or hiccup that can be prevented or planned for will be. We will have your wet weather plan ready to implement, a spare place setting set up in no time for the relative that unexpectedly turns up and cooling on hand for your marquee when the weather gets warm. Anything that does go wrong will be dealt with quickly, professionally and usually without the bride and groom even noticing.
Weddings are not only about the couple but also the people they love. We encourage you to get your family and friends involved wherever you feel comfortable doing so.
When we first sit down with you to work out how and where we can help, we will talk to you about the ‘team’ you have around you and what areas you potentially see them assisting with. We are also experts at involving grooms (if that’s something you and your groom would like to discuss).
Some couples have family and friends around them that operate like a well-oiled wedding planning machine. Giving support where it’s required, offering appropriate, well-timed and insightful advice, listening to your ideas and your vision and working towards your perfect day without any personal agenda involved.
These couples may very well exist; however, unfortunately, we’ve never met them.
Jokes aside, it’s all too common for well-meaning family and friends to inadvertently make the planning process somewhat harder for the couple. Your wedding is a really big deal and it’s normal for everyone you love to shower you with enthusiastic input and opinions.
Unfortunately, their over-excitement or personal ideas of what a wedding ‘should’ be tend to get in the way of what you really want. Often, ideas offered don’t necessarily feel right for you and can leave you more confused and overwhelmed than before.
There’s a million ways your loved ones can be helpful and involved and including them in the process is super important.
However, in our experience having an expert on side with the sole objective of ensuring that you have the wedding you want can be very handy. It’s particularly useful when you’re thrown an idea that you simply don’t want to go with – it’s much easier to explain your reasoning when you have an impartial expert on your side!
We have lots of fantastic contacts within the wedding industry and that means we can suggest and match you with suppliers and vendors that are your perfect fit.
We only work with the best and there are some businesses that we often recommend because we know them, trust them and are familiar with the quality of their work.
However, our top priority is delivering to you the wedding you want. If that means searching high and low for that elusive vendor or supplier that offers something completely new and unique we will do so and if you have ideas or preferences we will investigate them too.
When suggesting vendors or suppliers to you we always give you several options and quotes to choose from, and a full breakdown of how each does or doesn’t meet your requirements, so you make the final decision.
Absolutely not. We receive no payment for recommendation or referrals from any suppliers or vendors. Some vendors and suppliers do offer our clients a discount if you are referred to them by DDP and that discount is given directly to you.
We do work with some vendors and suppliers on a regular basis, because we know they are the best of the best and will deliver incredible results for our clients. However, we are not locked into a relationship with any one business.
We love gorgeous and gorgeous comes in a million shapes and sizes. From modern romance and industrial glam through to elegant vintage, boho and eclectic or retro cool, we love weddings that stand out for all the right reasons!
No wedding should ever be the same and no DDP wedding will ever be the same. What is consistent about our weddings is that the have the wow factor and they are tailored to our beautiful couples. Every wedding we produce is of the highest standard, and we ensure your styling looks absolutely spot on, but we’re definitely not into copycat weddings (in fact we’re downright against them). We use work with each couple to determine what perfect means to them, and then we make it happen.
Venue coordinators and function managers can be very helpful to the planning process. However, their involvement is always limited to venue-related tasks. Depending on the agreement you have with the venue, they are likely to assist you with areas like food and wine packages and selection, wait and bar staff management and basic set table set up. Some might offer a list of recommended suppliers, however these suppliers are not selected on your behalf or with your individual dreams and requirements in mind.
Ultimately, a coordinator works for the venue rather than for you.
A wedding planner or stylist goes well beyond this. DDP works for you and has your best interests in mind. We can help you with every element of your day, ensuring a cohesive event from start to finish. From styling and full coordination through to advising and working with your venue manager to ensure everything runs to schedule, we do it all. We are also well placed to match you with the best vendors and suppliers that best suit you and what you really want.
We love couples who are in love. Yes, that sounds way too obvious, we know. What we mean by that is that weddings that are about celebrating the love and commitment shared between two people first and foremost are our favourites, because these weddings tend to be the most personal, meaningful and fun occasions.
We also love couples who want their wedding to stand out from the rest. Couples who say no to following rules that don’t feel like them and want a day that reflects who they really area.
We don’t enjoy weddings that are a copy of the same old wedding day everyone you have ever known has had and has no personal meaning to you as a couple. That’s not to say we want all weddings to be completely outrageous, we love classic and elegant as well, it just means that the weddings we love the most are the weddings with heart.
We simply ask for 50% deposit and the balance is due 60 days before your event. You may make payments as it suits you along the way using Credit Card online/in person, PayPal, Cash, Direct Debit or Cheque.
November 2021
May 2021
May 2021
Darling Don't Panic
Thank you so much Riley, we absolutely loved working with you!
Expert Advice
As a wedding professional, Darling Don't Panic offers expert advice to help couples plan their perfect day. Ask a question or read their expert advice.
Get Expert AdviceIs a wedding planner worth the extra cost?
My fiance and I both come from extensive immediate and extended families, we are both Aboriginal descent with my family spreading across the state of VIC and his family spreading across NT, NSW and VIC. As a result of this, we have a huge guest list (trust me, we have been brutal in trying to cut it down.) We are trying to find ways to cut costs where we can, but it is becoming time-consuming for me to research everything. I currently work full time in a job where I travel across the state regularly while studying full time and being a business owner. So my main question are they worth the extra cost?
Darling Don't Panic
It’s surprising how many couples on a small budget hire a planner or coordinator. Apart being able to help you to stay on budget, negotiate better prices and make your precious dollars go further, we can help to ensure that all that time, money and effort you have put into your wedding is worth it. A wedding is a huge investment, and when you think that you could spend anywhere from $20,000-$100,000+ on your day, it seems a little illogical not make sure that everything you have been working on and saving for actually turns out the way you want it.
Compared to most wedding budgets, a planner is a relatively small investment and arguably one of the most important. If planning or styling isn’t for you, then an on the day coordinator is indispensable and very affordable, particularly if you are having a wedding in a marquee or non-licensed venue.
If you want to wing it, that’s totally ok. Lots of couples go it alone. You just need to consider whether or not you want to maximise the opportunity for you to enjoy every moment of your day, have the wedding you really want and minimise potential for issues or hiccups. Remember, there’s no second chances when it comes to your wedding day.
Are wedding planners worth the investment?
Darling Don't Panic
Attended or seen a fabulous wedding lately? Odds are, the happy couple had professional help. Wedding planners and stylists are not just for the rich and famous. More and more couples are realising that to achieve the wedding they want, they need experts to make it happen.
Plus, apart from being able to help you to stay on budget, negotiate better prices and make your precious dollars go further, we can help to ensure that all that time, money and effort you have put into your wedding is worth it. A wedding is a huge investment, and when you think that you could spend anywhere from $20,000-$100,000+ on your day, it seems a little illogical not to make sure that everything you have been working on and saving for actually turns out the way you want it.
Compared to most wedding budgets, a planner is a relatively small investment and arguably one of the most important. If you want to wing it, that’s totally ok. Plenty of couples go it alone. You just need to consider whether or not you want to maximise the opportunity for you to enjoy every moment of your day, have the wedding you really want and minimise potential for issues or hiccups. Remember, there’s no second chances when it comes to your wedding day.
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Darling Don't Panic
Thanks so much Lisa for your lovely words!