Wedding FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
QUICK LINKS
Booking your ceremony lawn
Booking Team ‘With Love’
Planning your wedding schedule
Celebration drinks & cocktail hour
Wedding easel & signs
Dried flower colour options
Fresh flower info & options Info for your Florist
How do I book a lawn for my wedding ceremony to take place at in a Brisbane Park or Botanical Gardens?
Lawn bookings can be made through Brisbane City Council for exclusive use of the area on the day. Their minimum booking time is 2 hours. As a general guide please commence your lawn booking from 90 minutes before the ceremony start time. This will allow us 1 hour to unload, set up, and have everything ready, looking beautiful when your guests begin to arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony start time.
Who books the ceremony lawn or rotunda through Brisbane City Council? Do we (the couple) arrange this?
Yes, you are required to book this directly through Brisbane City Council website via the online booking application form. Once you complete the booking request they will confirm availability with you.
What if the Brisbane City Council Parks team don’t confirm our lawn booking until 6 months before our wedding date?
That’s no problem at all. It’s standard for the council to tentatively hold your lawn booking for you, until 6 months before your wedding, when they will send you your invoice and a copy of your council permit.
Do you know if there is a way of searching availability of my favourite ceremony location with the council?
You can call the council and ask if it is available on your preferred date. You can also speak to the Brisbane City Council Parks team during business hours on weekdays, however Brisbane City Council prefer if you enquire about booking via their online booking application form, before you contact them by phone.
What if my wedding is 12 months away but my lawn booking isn’t confirmed by Brisbane City Council or Roma Street Parkland until 6 months prior?
It is standard for Roma Street Parkland and Brisbane City Council to tentatively hold the date for couples, then provide your park booking permit 6 months before the date of your wedding.
However, we understand Roma Street Parkland actually confirm bookings for the City View Saddle Lawn (and this lawn only) 12 months prior, so some couples book that lawn for peace of mind and if their preference was for a different lawn, at the time the permit is to be confirmed 6 months prior, they change their ceremony location to the lawn of their choice.
Can we confirm a booking with you prior to confirming our lawn through the council/ Roma Street Parkland?
Yes, providing they have confirmed availability on your date. Roma Street Parkland and most of Brisbane City Council’s parks and gardens will provide you with your park consent form (booking)/ permit) 6 months before the date of your wedding, however they generally put a preliminary hold on the date for you, up to this point.
When applying to hire the lawn via the Brisbane City Council online form, it’s requesting Public Liability Insurance. Do I need to arrange this?
As you are an individual hiring the space (e.g. not a business or a company) it is my understanding that you are not required to obtain public liability. Occasionally couples advise that the form asks them for this. This may either be in response to box ticked, or response provided on your application that indicated to them the hireage was for a business, or sometimes this is simply an error on their online form. You will need to contact the Parks team at Brisbane City Council (via their main phone number) during weekday business hours and they will provide you with directions to resolve this.
Note: There are some designated booking sites require a copy of our public liability insurance for us to access the area, those park booking teams have our current policy on file, so no action is required by you.
I’ve applied to book a designated ceremony space (e.g. at New Farm Park) the response I received from Brisbane City Council advises ‘If any catering/hiring companies are being organised, can you provide their Public Liability insurance.’
I have requested clarity of this from the department that are now looking after park bookings and have received this response:
Response from Brisbane City Council: “Public Liability Insurance is based upon what equipment is bought into a park along with vehicle access. This is for all parks, not just New Farm Park. Something standard like your chairs, signing table and an arbour would not trigger Public Liability.” (response provided 2025)
So, while this statement on their terms may lead you to believe otherwise, the short answer is no, our public liability insurance does not need to be provided as part of your lawn booking e.g. at New Farm Park.
Roma Street Parkland Bookings: Roma Street Parkland lawn bookings can be made through ‘Visit Brisbane’. For your peace of mind that you have a lawn booking in place, Roma Street Parkland may accept a booking at the City View Saddle lawn 12 months before the date of your wedding, then 6 months prior you can request to changing this to the lawn of your choice, e.g. Palm Tree Court.
Roma Street Parkland vendor procedures:
I have been provided with a Vehicle Access Register and Event Supplier Checklist from Roma Street Parkland; can you assist with completing these?
YES! As a Roma Street Parklands registered supplier, we are very familiar with these forms. Please forward them on to me, and for your convenience, I will complete and return these for you.
Do all wedding vendors that will be present at my wedding (e.g. Celebrant and Photographer) need to complete the vendor forms and register with Roma Street Park?
Response via Roma Street Parkland weddings: Celebrants and Photographers are NOT required to submit documents such as public liability insurance and complete the induction, and event supplier checklist. This is because their activity isn’t considered high risk.
However, if any supplier is plugging into electricity or requires permission to drive into the parkland, we then do require their insurance, forms and other documents, because activities involving vehicles or electricity are considered high risk.
Which outdoor Brisbane wedding venues are suited to 120+ wedding guests?
Here are some beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony venues with capacity for 120+ guests.
Harry Oakman Pavilion or City View Saddle at Roma Street Parkland – note availability enquiries and bookings for these lawns can be made through Visit Brisbane.
Lychee Lawn or Fig Tree Lawn at Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens
The Wedding Lawn or Palm Avenue Lawn at City Botanical Gardens
To confirm availability of your favourite spaces, you can enquire with the Brisbane City Council Park Bookings team.
Once you have chosen your favourite ceremony lawn, please ensure your booking time commences at least 90 minutes before your ceremony start time to allow us time to set up and have everything ready and looking perfect for your guest’s arrival. Let us know once your wedding ceremony venue has been held for you, so we can provide your quote for you to secure your choice of ceremony décor.
How far in advance can/should we book?
We accept bookings any time up to 18 months in advance. Likewise, if you would also like to book our Celebrant service, this can be booked up to 18 months in advance as this is the earliest the pre-marriage paperwork (known as the NOIM form) is permitted to be lodged with us.
What deposit do you require? How do I secure the date?
A non-refundable booking fee of $400 is required to secure the date and timeslot for you, this forms part payment of your total quote. Payment details and options are located at the foot of your quote.
When do you require full payment?
Full payment is due no less than 2 months before the date of your wedding.
Additional items such as extra guest chairs can be added closer to the date of your wedding once your guest numbers are confirmed.
What if I’m thinking about changing my ceremony start time?
If you have booked With Love, please talk to us as soon as possible if you’re considering changing your ceremony start time.
If you change your ceremony start time without consulting us first, depending on our schedule of bookings on that date, there is a possibility we may no longer be available for the proposed new time. Because once your date and timeslot is secured with us, we accept or decline subsequent ceremony decor and Celebrant booking requests around the timeslot held for you.
The earlier you discuss this with us the more likely we will be able to accommodate any changes to your ceremony time.
Note: Ceremony start time refers to the time the ceremony actually begins, e.g. the walk down the aisle takes place.
Guest arrival time is normally 30 minutes before the ceremony start time.
Planning your wedding schedule
What time should guests arrive?
Your ‘ceremony time’ refers to the time the ceremony actually begins, e.g. when the walk down the aisle takes place.
Guest arrival time is normally 30 minutes before the ceremony start time.
HOT TIP: We highly recommend including the guest arrival time (being 30mins prior) on your wedding invitations. e.g. For a 3pm ceremony start time, your wedding invitations will state 2.30pm guest arrival time.
Note: If your ceremony location requires guests parking or being dropped off, then walking through a park or garden to locate the ceremony, e.g. at Lower River Terrace in Kangaroo Pt or at any of the lawns at Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, we recommend a guest arrival time of 45min before the ceremony start time.
This will allow guests time to locate your ceremony lawn, and arrive in time, so the ceremony doesn’t get delayed by everyone waiting for guests to arrive when the ceremony is meant to be commencing.
Will having a later ceremony start time work?
Yes! A 4.30pm or 5pm ceremony start time generally works well for couples who would like to spend more of their day with guests and less time doing a photo shoot and also suits couples that are happy to spend 1 hour capturing location photos (e.g. 5pm-6pm), instead of several hours.
This time also works well for summer weddings, with it being both cooler and lighter later in the afternoon.
Alternatively, you could opt to have a ‘first look’ photo shoot mid-afternoon. This is when the Photographer captures you seeing each other ‘wedding ready’ privately prior to the ceremony, capturing your reactions and emotions. Followed by your location photos together, before the ceremony takes place.
A major perk of having a ‘first look’ wedding day schedule, is after your ceremony has taken place, instead of being separated from your guests for photos, you get to then stay and celebrate with your guests after the ceremony.
You also get beautiful golden light for your ceremony photos, and there is also the added benefit of it being cooler by this time of day.
Is there a preferred time of day for a wedding ceremony to take place?
This would depend on your plans for the rest of the day, e.g. you may like to have a 10am or 11am ceremony, followed by some photos around the park or gardens, followed by a celebratory long lunch reception. Brisbane parks and gardens are likely be quieter and cooler during the morning.
Alternatively, you may like to opt for an afternoon ceremony. If you will be having photos together after the ceremony before you head to the reception, here is a general guide of ceremony start time:
Winter weddings: A ceremony start time between 2pm to 3pm
Spring & Autumn: A ceremony start time between 3pm to 4pm
Summer: A ceremony start time between 4pm to 5pm
This then allows you time for golden light and sunset photos around the park or gardens followed by your dinner/ evening reception.
How long should I allow for my wedding ceremony in my schedule?
Most wedding ceremonies are approximately 15-20 mins in length (except religious ceremonies which may be longer), however it is wedding industry standard to always allocate 30 minutes to the ceremony on your wedding schedule.
With the 30-minute ceremony time slot within your wedding day schedule, it’s always nice to have that bit of extra time up your sleeve on the day, and may allow a little more time for guests to congratulate you after the ceremony.
If you are having location photos together after your ceremony, Photographers are usually focused on getting you off for your photos before sunset, in the golden light. With a little extra time up your sleeve you also won’t feel like you are being rushed off for photos too quickly.
HOT TIP: If you love the idea of joining your guests for celebratory drinks after your ceremony, we recommend planning your ceremony start time an hour earlier than the above timings, so you can enjoy that special time celebrating with your guests before you are whisked away for location photos together.
What are the timings for setting up and packing down?
Timings can vary particularly for larger setups with additional chairs and items which may require more time than outlined below for setting up. As a general guide our timings are as follows:
For ceremony only (without cocktail hour drinks)
Based on a 3pm ceremony start time:
We will arrive at 1.30pm to commence set up.
1.30pm-2.30pm unloading and setting up of equipment takes place.
2.30pm everything is ready and looking perfect ready for guests to begin arriving.
3pm ceremony commences (30-minute time slot for ceremony, guest congratulations and group photo).
3.30pm – 4pm Guests mingle, congratulate couple, Photographer does family photos, before newlyweds head off with Photographer around the gardens/ park for photos.
4pm-4.30pm pack down takes place.
OR
Ceremony + Cocktail Hour Drinks
Based on a 3pm ceremony start time:
We will arrive at 1.30pm to commence set up.
1.30pm-2.30pm unloading and setting up of equipment takes place.
2.30pm everything is ready and looking perfect ready for guests to begin arriving.
3pm ceremony commences (30-minute time slot for ceremony, guests congratulations and group photo).
3.30pm – 4pm Guests mingle, congratulate couple, Photographer does family photos, couple enjoy a celebratory drink or 2, guests help themselves to chilled drinks at the drinks bar.
4pm-5pm Guests continue to mingle and enjoy celebratory drinks as newlyweds head off with Photographer around the gardens/park for photos.
5pm/ 5.30pm pack down takes place.
Is there a reason that you commence set up so early?
The reason we arrive (on average) 90 mins to 2 hours before the ceremony start time, is due to the time it takes for us to unload all the items, place the items in the perfect spot with the best perfectly centred backdrop, chairs in neat lines, and cleaned and to put together the arbour, attach arbour flowers etc, and have everything ready and in place 30 minutes before your ceremony start time when your guests begin to arrive.
We take pride in having everything set up and looking amazing as your guests arrive, so they get the full wow factor of your stunning ceremony. It wouldn’t feel as professional if guests were arriving and we were halfway through setting up, with ladders and boxes etc.
At what point do you return to pack down?
Our pack down commences 1 hour after the ceremony start time as standard, unless additional hire time has been purchased, or if a drinks bar and cocktail hour package has been ordered, we return to pack down up to 1.5-2 hours after the ceremony start time.
Unlike setting up, it usually only takes us approximately 30-45 minutes to pack down (with the exception of ceremony lawns without vehicle access e.g. Mt Coot-tha).
What if there are people sitting in the area we would like our ceremony up at?
Don’t worry, we look after that. If need be, we show them the park booking you have provided us with, then we politely ask them to move to a different area. People are always very understanding when they know it’s for a wedding and usually move on as soon as they see us arrive.
Most Brisbane parks like those at Mt Coot-tha, New Farm Park, Newstead Park and Kangaroo Pt have council park maintenance staff visit the booked site before we arrive to tidy any fallen leaves with a leaf blower/ remove any litter etc. and put up a sign advising of your booking. This also encourages anyone that is planning a gathering to move on to a different area.
Ceremony setup
Both of my parents will be walking me down the aisle. Will the white aisle runner be wide enough?
That sounds beautiful having both parents walk you down the aisle. Our white aisles are all luxury width and will work perfectly for both parents to walk you down.
TIP: Let us know if you will be having 2 people walk you down the aisle, so we can set up the aisle chairs with plenty of space.
How can I make sure immediate family are seated in the front row/s?
Before the ceremony commences, your Celebrant usually gets everyone seated ready to share the pre-wedding announcements they’ve discussed with you. They generally advise guests at this time so if you haven’t already done so, it would be worth making your Celebrant aware if you would like them to advise the first row, or first 2 rows (for big families) are reserved for family.
Knowing where to sit, also encourages guests to take their seats. If you have organised enough seats for all of your guests, we suggest your Celebrant advises guests of this during their pre-ceremony announcements, so guests don’t politely stay standing without realising there is a chair available for them.
Can we place ‘reserved’ signs on chairs? You are welcome to add your own chair tags to reserve seats if you wish, however stickers/ sticky labels are not permitted due to the damage caused by glue residue. We recommend using reserved tags which can be tied to the chair with ribbon. You can find printable templates for reserved chair tags on Etsy here.
Do I need to book an on the day Wedding Coordinator? and is this a service the team at With Love offer?
We don’t provide on the day wedding coordination as in our extensive experience as wedding ceremony stylists and also as leading Celebrants for well over a decade each, we know that if you’ve chosen a good, reputable, experienced Celebrant, they’ll confidently coordinate your wedding ceremony as part of their service.
An experienced Celebrant generally coordinates the ceremony, which includes getting the guests seated, sharing your agreed pre-wedding announcements, letting everyone know anything they need to be aware of during the ceremony (e.g. if it’s unplugged ceremony, advising of a rose petal confetti shower at the end of the ceremony etc), and announcing what to expect after the ceremony (e.g. that a group photo will be taking place, followed by family photos, then please enjoy celebratory drinks/ make your way to the reception at X time etc).
Your Celebrant will usually cue the person delegated to playing your ceremony music (or your musician if you’re having live music), for your arrival, and will brief them on when to play the other ceremony music, and when to fade this out so everything goes seamlessly.
If you’ve also booked one of us (Cara or Jamie of Brisbane City Celebrants) as your Wedding Celebrant, you can rest assured that your ceremony will be seamless as you’ll receive your detailed ceremony wording and run sheet, to proof and confirm (which guarantees no unexpected surprises on the day) in addition to exclusive access to our ceremony rehearsal video so you’ll know exactly what to expect and how your ceremony will flow on the day.
For on the day coordination at your wedding reception we suggest having an MC who will work closely with the venue with timings (e.g. speeches timed between courses being served) and announces your entry, cutting of the cake etc.
With this in mind, once you’ve booked a team of professional wedding vendors, we find on the day coordination isn’t required. The only scenarios that they may add value, are if there are 150+ guests that need to be physically directed between locations under a tight timeframe, or at DIY weddings when things need to be delivered, set up then relocated and re-set up within a short time frame.
Can we drop our items off to you to pack, deliver, unload and setup? This isn’t something we are able to assist with, however we find this isn’t necessary as a guest or two can bring your own items on the day. Please remind them to take them with you after the ceremony to either be placed at your reception or returned to you.
How do I go about bringing the drinks on the day?
Normally groomsmen or friends will arrive at least 1 hour prior to the ceremony start time to bring the drinks and place them in our ice filled tubs or bar. Sometimes couples pre-order their drinks and collect them on route to the wedding, on the way in, to save having to find a solution to chill them. On arrival they can place them in the bar or tubs, and we’ll cover them in ice to help keep them chilled.
Hot Tip: We suggest they bring a trolley to make this quick and easy.
Hamptons Style Bar – How many bottles of champagne/ wine will fit?
In the images showcased here, our beautiful Hamptons style bar has 20 bottles of bubbly which fitted perfectly. If you’re planning on having more drinks than this, you could add a table with our ice filled drink tubs.
Hamptons Style Beer Bar – How many cans/ bottles of beer will fit?
This many (approximately 100).
Ice filled drink tubs – How many bottles of champagne/ wine will fit?
Our standard size drink tubs fit 6-8 bottles.
Pictured here our A frame table with the couples platters, our XL ice filled drinks tub and our Hampton style bar.
Can we drop our drinks off to you to pack, deliver, unload and setup? This isn’t something we are able to assist with, however we find this isn’t necessary as a guest or two can bring your own items on the day. Please remind them to take them with you after the ceremony to either be placed at your reception or returned to you.
What colours do you have for the dried floral arrangements?
You can view the gallery showing the options available here:
Gallery: Ceremony Styling Extras
Wedding easel – What size sign will this hold?
Our white wedding easel is designed to fit A3 and A2 signs. A1 signs can be placed on our easel, however if there are significant winds on the day, an extra-large sign can catch the wind.
Our hanging sign stand is a generous size and comfortably fits a wedding welcome sign up to 75cm wide, up to 1m height. This stand suits both acrylic and linen signs.
After your ceremony, one of your guests can take your welcome sign to your reception for you, where it can be placed at the reception entrance to welcome guests there too. We are unable to provide our easel at your reception; however, most venues have a suitable alternative.
How do I go about ordering a welcome sign?
Most couples arrange or create their own welcome sign either through companies that specialise in creating wedding signage, or alternatively, you can order a template for a wedding welcome sign on Etsy, and have it printed on to corflute e.g. by Vista Print or Office Works.
Corflute signs are a lightweight, weatherproof signage solution. Usually between 3mm-5mm thick. As they’re super lightweight, yet rigid, they’re easy to transport.
TIP: Please don’t leave ordering your sign to the last minute as it can take 1-2 weeks to be made. One of our couple’s signs arrived too late, after their wedding day.
We would like a fresh floral arrangement on our arbour, what is the process for ordering this?
Option 1. We can refer you to our recommended Florist at the local Rocklea Markets, who will create a seasonally available fresh flower arbour arrangement in your choice of colours.
You can also provide them with inspo photos too and the Florist will be able to match your wedding arbour arrangement with your other wedding flowers.
How do we get the arbour arrangement delivered?
If you proceed to order the arrangement through our recommended Florist, the day before your wedding you can either:
a. Collect it yourself or delegate a friend/ family member to pick this up for you and deliver it to your ceremony lawn on the day, ensuring it’s stored somewhere cool, out of direct sunlight prior to the ceremony.
OR
b. We’ll collect and deliver your fresh wedding arbour floral arrangement. To make this super easy for you, for your convenience we offer the option of us collecting your arbour arrangement from the Florist at Rocklea Markets for you.
We’ll keep this in a cool place out of the sun until just before we depart, then we’ll carefully pack this in our van and deliver it all the way to your ceremony lawn for you and attach it to your arbour.
A small fee applies for this service, please refer to our pricing for more information.
Option 2. Or you can organise a fresh wedding arbour arrangement directly through your Florist (noting weight limits apply) and have them deliver this to your ceremony lawn to install on the arbour.
It’s worth noting that as this involves additional labour time for your Florist, it will normally incur additional costs. This is also dependant on the Florists availability at the specific set-up time slot. With this in mind, our couples often have their arbour arrangement delivered to them with their bouquet etc. on the morning of their wedding, then arrange for a helpful guest or a family member to arrive early to your ceremony lawn with this, and we’ll attach this to your arbour for you.
After your ceremony – If opting for a fresh floral arbour arrangement, after the ceremony has concluded and we return to commence pack down (normally 1 hour after your ceremony start time or a little later if you have also booked our cocktail hour drink station and furniture) we will carefully remove your arrangement for you, and hand it to a delegated guest to be taken to your reception venue and placed on a table to continue being admired and enjoyed for the rest of the evening.
We will remove your floral arrangement – We respectfully advise that yourselves and your guests are not permitted to remove the arrangement, as our beautiful arbour and your gorgeous arrangement, both risk getting damaged. We’ll be sure to carefully remove this for you, ready to be taken to your reception.
What options are there for styling the arbour with flowers?
Most of our ceremony décor packages include an optional dried floral arrangement on the arbour. Alternatively, you can upgrade to a fresh floral arrangement, or you are welcome to have your Florist provide a fresh arrangement instead and we can assist with installing your Florists pre-made arrangement on the arbour if need be.
If opting for a fresh floral arrangement, after the ceremony we’ll remove this so it can be taken to your reception venue and placed on a table there to be enjoyed throughout the evening.
Do you have examples of how our wedding arbour fresh flower arrangement can be repurposed to continue to be enjoyed at our reception?
The arbour flowers are created on a flat base. The base is made from a really firm sponge like foam, which holds water to serve as a ‘vase’ keeping the flowers hydrated and fresh. The flat base is perfect for placing on a table after the ceremony.
These images show the same flower arrangement, both at the ceremony, then repurposed and placed on the couples ‘sweetheart table’ at their reception.
These images show the same flower arrangement on the wedding arbour at the couple’s ceremony, then later placed on their round reception table that evening.
How does it work if the wedding arbour / wedding plinth flowers are being provided by my Florist?
If you will be ordering your wedding arbour flowers of aisle plinth flowers from your Florist, the ideal options of getting these to the ceremony site are either:
a. Ideally, your Florist will either deliver this to you or your partner along with your other flowers (e.g. bouquet or boutonnieres) and you can have a guest bring this along on the day. Then we can assist with installing this on the arbour.
b. Or alternatively your Florist may like to attend to install the pre-made floral arrangement to the arbour – as we will be there setting up, we’re happy to give them a hand as it’s generally easier for 2 people to do this.
Ideally your Florist will bring along their pre-made arbour arrangements, ready to be installed. Some Florists like to arrive on the day at the beginning of our set up time usually 90 minutes before the ceremony start time, to attach this at this time.
Some Florists request additional time to create these from scratch on site. Given the time constraints of your lawn booking, this isn’t ideal as it means we would need to arrive quite a bit earlier to have the arbour set up for them to work on, which also means your council booking would need to commence at an earlier timer, incurring additional costs to you. Our earlier arrival and set up time is subject to availability.
Can we drop our Florists arrangement/ other items off to you to pack, deliver, unload and setup? This isn’t something we are able to assist with. However, with the options outlined above this isn’t necessary.
Guidance for wedding arbour flowers – As florals typically come in water-soaked bricks known as oasis (which keep the flowers fresh and watered) the water filled bricks do add a significant amount of weight to the arbour, so to ensure the arbour remains stable and withstands the weight. Please advise your Florist a maximum of 1-2 x standard size oasis bricks/ bats can be used. Or if using the sausage string type of oasis, 10-12 can be used as these are smaller and hold much less weight.
Two fresh floral arrangements with a single oasis brick may be used on an arbour if they are placed opposite each other which generally balances out the weight.
How are the flowers attached to the wedding arbour – Flower arrangements are best to be securely attached using cable ties, through oasis cages. Oasis cages with adhesive backings are not permitted due to the damage these cause to our arbours.
After the ceremony we will remove your floral arrangement: When we return to pack down, we’ll carefully snip the cable ties and remove the arrangement for you. To ensure there is no damage to both the floral arrangement and also the arbour, guests are not permitted to remove these.
One of your guests can take them to your reception for you, to continue be enjoyed throughout the evening.
We hope you find the answers you were looking for amongst our frequently asked questions on this wedding FAQ. If you had a question that’s missing, let us know and we’ll look at adding it on here for future couples.
With Love Cara + Jamie x