{"id":34864,"date":"2014-07-10T07:15:41","date_gmt":"2014-07-09T21:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.easyweddings.com\/au\/articles\/the-art-and-joy-of-weekend-weddings\/"},"modified":"2021-11-10T03:22:02","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T16:22:02","slug":"the-art-and-joy-of-weekend-weddings","status":"publish","type":"au-article","link":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/articles\/the-art-and-joy-of-weekend-weddings\/","title":{"rendered":"The art (and joy) of weekend weddings"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nWhen Wendy Lee welcomes brides and grooms to Dreamers at Mt Beauty<\/a>, her stylish, eco-friendly resort nestled in the foothills of Victoria’s Alpine National Park, she knows it may not be the last time she\u2019ll see them – and that\u2019s something that warms her heart.<\/p>\n Along with her husband Mal, Wendy has hosted \u201ctoo many weddings to count\u201d at the five-acre resort, which specialises in weekend-long destination weddings – and many of her clients are repeat customers, who end up visiting again and again, often with their growing broods in tow.<\/p>\n Wendy says she and Mal, who themselves have been married for 30 years, aim to create an event whose overall mood is that is warm, friendly and reminiscent of a great bit family occasion. And, judging by the number of couples who email her after their weddings with “touching, intimate and thoroughly lovely family shots of their wedding weekends,” they’re doing it extremely well.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have lots of couples coming back for their anniversaries year after year, which is really lovely,\u201d explains Wendy, whose own passion for weddings started when she was just 15 and, with no formal training sewed a wedding dress for a friend who was about to marry.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, when the couples have kids, they\u2019ll often bring them back and show their children where they got married.”<\/p>\n I can’t wait for the day when one of these children chooses to marry here, just like their parents did,” adds Wendy whose own daughter will be marrying at Dreamers <\/a>later this year.<\/p>\n Many couples return to Dreamers at Mt Beauty with their growing broods.\n Dreamers at Mt Beauty<\/a> is a tribute to the passion for wedding perfection that has woven itself through Wendy\u2019s working life in the fashion industry. In her 35 years since she created her first wedding dress she’s created dozens of wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses and even the odd wedding hat.<\/p>\n When Easy Weddings caught up with Wendy, she was about to start hunting for material for own daughter’s wedding. Naturally, she’s sewing the wedding gown.<\/p>\n And, though she no longer has the time to sew too many wedding dresses these days, her style, flair and keen eye for the beauty required in pulling off the perfect wedding have all come in handy in planning the 20-or-so weddings she holds each year at Dreamers<\/a>.<\/p>\n The venue is a two-decade-long labour of love for Mal and Wendy who have turned it from five empty acres into a getaway reputed for its stylish, eco-friendly design.<\/p>\n Aside from Dreamers’<\/a> stunning natural beauty, all buildings offer a stylish bespoke feel that is heavily influenced by Mal\u2019s Masters in Renewable Energy and Architecture \u2013 and Wendy’s own interior design skills.<\/p>\n The result are buildings heavily emphasising sustainable features such as solar energy, recycled timbers, natural fibre curtains, and bamboo and coconut light fittings, alongside luxuries such as spas – and, of course – the stunning natural view afforded by the surrounding snowfields.<\/p>\n Wendy says the resort’s eco-friendly design and reputation are key drawcards for many couples, especially those who are particularly environmentally conscious.<\/p>\n \u201cLots of venues offer nice accommodation, but few offer nice accommodation and<\/em> breathtaking views, especially in Winter, when we’re surrounded by snow-capped mountains, \u201d she says. Wendy<\/p>\n \u201cOur property sits on a stream surrounded by river flats, so no matter what time of year it is, it\u2019s lush and green and just really beautiful. Sometimes, in winter, there’s even snow on the ground, which is absolutely magical and makes for some rather spectacular wedding photos.\u201d<\/p>\n Dreamers’ open-air chapel\n