What would Australia’s best wedding look like?
Well, if it was held in 2023, it would be in Western Australia, following an impressive prize haul at the Australian Wedding Awards.
The Awards were announced at a gala event at the Hyatt Regency Sydney earlier this month. Of the 50 categories, 10 were won by Western Australian businesses, including the most competitive categories.
Of the whopping 27 marriage celebrant finalists, Kardinya’s Candice Bydder, of Celebrations By Candice, took home the top prize. It caps off a successful year for the mum-of-two, having also been named WA’s top celebrant in the ABIA awards in December.
“It goes to show that Western Australia is really punching above its weight when it comes to the wedding industry here. The constant cheers from the WA tables became a bit of a running joke on the night,” Mrs Bydder said.
“That’s one thing that defines our industry here, a sense of camaraderie and teamwork. It’s common to see vendors in a sort of huddle before a wedding – celebrants, videographers, photographers, stylists and the like, all swapping notes to make sure we’re all on the same page.”
Highly regarded wedding musicians Champagne Agency added to their trophy cabinet, adding to a list of recent accolades.
“Collectively, our musicians have been a finalist on The Voice, won a Logie award, supported famous musicians at Perth concerts, played at the Brownlow Medal, won an international songwriting competition, had over a million plays on Spotify, charted and toured internationally, had over a million plays on YouTube, been on rotation on Triple J, been flown on billionaire jets for private concerts, and played at celebrity weddings!”
The agency, led by Reilly Craig of Willagee and Ezereve of Lower Chittering, said awards like these help to “to secure bookings and generate income for talented artists”.
Three WA wedding venues took top prizes – Ambrose Estate in Wembley Downs, Coogee Beach SLSC and Aintree Cottage in Herne Hill. Allure Limousines, based in O’Connor, won the award for Best Wedding Transport. Mobile art workshop business Charcoal & Champagne was deemed to be the nation’s best Hen’s and Bucks experience.
Other hotly contested fields were wedding photography, won by Simone Harris Photography, and wedding videography, won by Wellard’s S2V Studio.
“It is an honour to be recognised for our passion for capturing and telling the unique love stories of our clients with care and attention to detail. At S2V Studio, our vision "Your Story, Our Passion" reflects our belief in the importance of preserving each client's special moments and bringing them to life through the lens of our cameras," S2V founder Sukh Singh Verka said.
In a newly emerging trend in the wedding industry, a category specifically for Elopements and Pop Up Weddings was won by Intimate Elopements by Atalie Park.
Mrs Park, of Hammond Park, said to be recognised nationally in the first year of her business was “absolutely wonderful”.
“We all work so hard within our own small businesses. WA should be so proud for all they have achieved nationally, and it just goes to show how WA wedding vendors have so much to give our beautiful Perth and regional WA couples”.
The full list of winners can be seen at the Australian Wedding Awards website: https://australianweddingawards.au/winners-2022/
