The Feel Good Wedding Podcast by Polka Dot Wedding

In our very first episode of The Feel Good Wedding Podcast by Polka Dot Wedding, Dorothy (she/her) is joined by Will Burton (he/him), to share the story of his & John’s unique Sydney wedding.

Will is 27, originally from the UK. He’s been in Australia for three years and works in marketing. Will and John fell in love with Australia while travelling and love the diversity and inclusivity in Sydney. Will enjoys working out, spending time with friends, watching the sunrise and long walks. He also loves interior design and anything creative and is currently loving furnishing our new apartment. Will and John love travelling and hope to travel even more now that we are able to again.

In this chat we discuss:

• How Will & John ensured their day felt relaxing and not constrained by time
• Their approach to choosing vendors
• Why they chose their suits first when planning their wedding
• How they found LGBTQIA+ friendly vendors
• Will’s advice to the wedding industry on making things more LGBTQIA+ friendly
• Plus Will’s tips on planning a day that is uniquely yours.

Will shares, ‘Do it your way. Honestly, don't worry about anyone else. Just do it exactly how you want to do it. You know, weddings cost a lot of money, a once-in-a-lifetime experience and just don't be restricted by those wedding norms and just use the vendors that you know, and trust and you'll have a great day.’

We hope you enjoyed our very first episode! We’d love for you to share on your socials and tag @polkadotwedding and celebrate the launch with us.

Links & vendors mentioned:

Will & John’s Intimate Wedding On The Sydney Harbour Bridge

BridgeClimb

Park Hyatt Sydney

Merchant and Green

Black Velvet Sydney

Etsy

Across the Forest

AHW Studio

ABC by Brad

Find Will:
On Instagram: @willburton.au
On TikTok: @willburton.au
Find Dorothy & the Polka Dot Wedding team:

On Instagram: @polkadotwedding

On the website: polkadotwedding.com

For full transcript and show notes visit: polkadotwedding.com/podcast

Wedding pro? Join our membership here.

The Polka Dot Wedding team is honoured to conduct our work on the land of the BoonWurrung, WoiWorung, Eora and Kuring-gai people. We honour the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past & present.

We all know how planning a wedding can be such a stressful affair. But when the bride is in a wheelchair, that's a whole different level of stress - from choosing and fitting the gown, to finding a wheelchair-accessible wedding venue with adapted restrooms, to needing an expansive dance floor for the wheelchair dance. Throw in the pandemic, and the complexity goes a level higher. But yes, some couples do manage to pull it off. And our guests for this week's episode are one of those couples.

Sian and Gavin's love story is the stuff of dreams. Not only did they get married on Gav's grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary, but they also pulled off a seemingly impossible wedding midway through the pandemic.

In this chat, we discuss:

• How Gavin and Sian first met
• Gavin and Sian's engagement story and how Gavin made the proposal as unique as possible
• How Gavin & Sian decided on the details and vendors for their beautifully romantic wedding day
• Wedding venue accessibility checklist
• Tips on how to find the perfect gown, especially if you're in a wheelchair
• The benefits of asking questions when planning a wedding
• How to successfully host an accessible wedding
• Do's and don'ts for an accessible wedding

We hope you enjoyed and found this episode helpful! We’d love for you to share on your socials and tag @polkadotwedding and help us grow our listening community.
Links & vendors mentioned:

Sian & Gavin’s Romantic Blush Farm Wedding

Top Tips For Making Sure Your Wedding Is Accessible (From Those Who Know!)

Planning A Wedding With A Wheelchair

How To Make Your Beach Wedding Accessible For All Your Loved Ones

Bellingdale Farm

Lola’s Wildflowers

David Webber

Figtree Pictures

MJ Bale

Susan Ogg

Strictly Bridal Dance

Find Sian & Gavin:

On Instagram:

Gavin @gclark91

Sian @sianyc23

Find Dorothy & the Polka Dot Wedding team:

On Instagram: @polkadotwedding

On the website: polkadotwedding.com

For full transcript and show notes visit: polkadotwedding.com/podcast

Wedding pro? Join our membership here.

The Polka Dot Wedding team is honoured to conduct our work on the land of the BoonWurrung, WoiWorung, Eora and Kuring-gai people. We honour the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past & present.

In our next ‘Inspired Weddings’ episode of The Feel Good Wedding Podcast, Dorothy (she/her) is joined by Ava Chand (she/her), to share the behind the scenes of planning her and Ash’s four day Hindu wedding extravaganza.

Ava is a lawyer who works in financial services and probably the epitome of a corporate millennial, she shares that ‘millennial work memes get me through my work week not gonna lie!’.

Ava and Ash got married in May 2021 and just celebrated their first wedding anniversary.

It was so lovely to have Ava share her experience with us on the podcast.

In this chat we discuss:

• How a four day Hindu wedding celebration works
• How they started their planning and colour palette
• What cultural elements they kept in their celebrations
• And what modern personal touches they included
• Ava’s tips for couples planning a Hindu or cultural wedding
• And Ava’s tips for vendors looking to support couples planning an Indian or cultural wedding

Links Mentioned:

Ash & Ava’s Colourful & Joyous Hindu Sydney Bayside Soirée!

Polka Dot You

Submit Your Story

Abhishek and Ananya

Doltone House

Eden and Bell

Zola

Canva

Find Dorothy & the Polka Dot Wedding team:

On Instagram: @polkadotwedding

On the website: polkadotwedding.com

For full transcript and show notes visit: polkadotwedding.com/podcast

Wedding pro? Join our membership here.

The Polka Dot Wedding team is honoured to conduct our work on the land of the BoonWurrung, WoiWorung, Eora and Kuring-gai people. We honour the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past & present.

Wedding gowns tend to be the centrepiece outfit but at Polka Dot Wedding, we think suits also deserve the spotlight! Suits shouldn’t be an afterthought, and they never are at InStitchu. Today, Mary (she/her) is joined by Robin McGowan (he/him) who is one of the co-founders of InStitchu.

Robin started InStitchu with James Wakefield in 2012. At that time, they were looking to build their wardrobe of suits for their corporate jobs. It was rather difficult to find a good-fitting suit that was within their budget. From that experience, InStitchu was born to fulfil the need to provide affordable custom-tailored suits.

In this chat we discuss:

• Finding your own personal style
• How to personalize your wedding attire
• Suiting up for hot and cold climate
• Memorable custom outfits by Institchu clients
• Alternative suiting options
• Institchu’s Perfect Fit Guarantee
• Planning a cohesive dress code for wedding parties and guests
• Tips for a comfortable wedding day

We hope you enjoyed this episode! We’d love for you to share on your socials and tag @polkadotwedding and help us grow our listening community.

Find InStitchu:

InStitchu

On Polka Dot Wedding: InStitchu

On Instagram: @InStitchu

Find Dorothy & the Polka Dot Wedding team:

On Instagram: @polkadotwedding

On the website: polkadotwedding.com

For full transcript and show notes visit: polkadotwedding.com/podcast

Wedding pro? Join our membership here.

The Polka Dot Wedding team is honoured to conduct our work on the land of the BoonWurrung, WoiWorung, Eora and Kuring-gai people. We honour the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past & present.

Engagement season is upon us! In honour of that, we’ve put together this engagement ring guide with Melbourne jeweller Jasmine Fraser .

She’s been in the biz for 16 years, carefully handcrafting custom jewellery for special occasions. Her grandfather owned a jewellery store, so Jasmine’s love for gems and trinkets started at an early age. In fact, she went to trade school right after high school. Jasmine describes her pieces and signature style as “timeless, but with a contemporary edge”.

In this chat we discuss:

• Customizing an engagement ring
• Ready-made vs custom jewellery
• How to choose the right jeweller
• The four C's of diamonds
• Sourcing ethical jewellery
• How to surprise your partner with a ring
• Remodelling rings
• Matching engagement rings and wedding bands
• Proposing without a ring

Where does one begin in choosing an engagement ring? To start, it’s a good idea to put together a mood board of styles that you and your partner like. Oftentimes, a common theme will stand out that will help narrow down your choice.

Some people prefer picking out a ready-made piece because they can immediately try it on. With custom rings, you can be very detailed with how you want it to look. This is why it’s important to work with a jeweller that shares the same aesthetic preference as you, and whom you can trust.

If you’d like to remodel an old ring, the jeweller will first have to examine if the material is suitable. Whichever option you go for, keep in mind that an engagement ring can someday become a beloved family heirloom that you’ll want to keep for generations.

Find Jasmine Fraser Jewellery:

On Polka Dot Wedding: Jasmine Fraser

www.jasminefraser.com.au

On Instagram: @jasminefraserjewellery

Find Dorothy & the Polka Dot Wedding team:

On Instagram: @polkadotwedding

On the website: polkadotwedding.com

For full transcript and show notes visit: polkadotwedding.com/podcast

Wedding pro? Join our membership here.

The Polka Dot Wedding team is honoured to conduct our work on the land of the BoonWurrung, WoiWorung, Eora and Kuring-gai people. We honour the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past & present.