They're trailblazing in the wedding stakes - from a simple idea to a booming business, and all in the name of defeating soul-less weddings. We're a big fan of their vision, so we even more excited to catch up with the masterminds behind WedShed - Amy and Melany and find out more about how they're helping brides and grooms create weddings like never before...
What and why is WedShed the new accessory for wedding planning?
WedShed makes it easy for couples to find unique wedding venues from across Australia and New Zealand. What sets us apart are the venues themselves. We use the word ‘venue’ loosely - we partner with anything from woolsheds and warehouses to wineries and airplane hangars. What’s consistent between them is that they all allow couples the flexibility to create a celebration that says ‘this is us’.
For us, weddings are less about the flashy soirees and traditions of the past and more about people coming together to celebrate love and community – less bridezilla and more bridechilla. WedShed is about helping like-minded and loved-up people find an awesome space to eat, drink and be merry with all the people that mean the most to them.
We also have a directory of amazing Australian wedding vendors to check out and a whole swag of advice and ‘wedspiration’ to help anyone plan their big day.
What was the brainchild that started the business?
We were living in London several years ago and an engaged girlfriend back home asked for help finding a wedding venue, as she was struggling. So we jumped online (naively thinking surely this can’t be too hard) - and were quickly stumped. Unless you stumbled upon a very lucky search term, the same traditional, often soul-less venues kept cropping up.
We knew there had to be more amazing spaces out there, and that there must be plenty of venue owners who wanted an easier way to connect with couples. At the time, Airbnb was well and truly mainstream and the concept of renting out privately owned properties for vacations was pretty commonplace. Yet, there was no Australian platform offering a similar service for events, in particular weddings.
So we had the ‘aha’ moment, cracked a bottle of wine (as you do most weeknights in London) and sat on the idea for a couple of years until we hit a point when it suddenly felt urgent to get the concept up and running.
What’s the hardest part of planning a wedding?
Knowing when to draw the line. There’s endless inspiration and temptation (thanks a lot, Pinterest) that can make it difficult to decide what you actually want your wedding to look and feel like. Our advice would be to go with your first instincts – so often you circle around to what you originally thought you wanted anyway, so save yourself the deliberating!
What’s the most unique wedding venue on your site?
There are a few that come to mind but we’ve got a giant literal cave that people get married in – that’s pretty special! We’ve also partnered with ex-prisons, a gin distillery, a chocolate factory and an old schoolyard.
3 top tips to choosing the perfect venue?
How about 10? We’ve written an article with our top tips to find and pick your ideal wedding venue right here.
Your favourite wedding tip?
When it comes down to it, your wedding is just one day that marks the start of the marriage that follows. We think it’s super important to keep this in mind – don’t get too caught up in the could-a/should-a/would-a of wedding planning and try to remember it’s a time to celebrate love and the joining of two families. Nothing more and certainly nothing less.
If you focus on planning a day that speaks to who you guys are as a couple, don’t get caught up in traditions you don’t really believe in and make sure you consciously take moments on the day to grab your other half, step away from the festivities and marvel at the joyous occasion you’ve created, you are guaranteed the best day of your life.
What was the best part of your own wedding?
We both loved the wedding ceremony! We had no idea how powerful and emotional it would be to stand across from your main squeeze, in front of all your friends and family and make beautiful promises you vow to keep for the rest of your life. It’s seriously something else. And it goes without saying that this is closely followed (or matched) by copious amounts of laughing, drinking and dancing that defines the rest of the day.
And of course if the WedShed team can help inspire your big day, check out their incredible directory of amazing venue options here.
And if our own Travelshoot team can help with photography for the big day, or for the honeymoon, we can help in 90 cities around the globe!