Many to wed in the year ahead

AFTER a year of cancelled events and postponed weddings, one company is set to hit the ground running with the aim of providing seamless event management into the new year.

Gathered Events owner and coordinator Bonnie White said while the company offers a range of services and packages that can be tailored to suit needs.

“We do all types of events but mostly specialise in weddings,” she said.

“We can assist with vendor management, styling, directing of bridal party, music coordination, liaison with catering, photographer, band, and MC.

“I offer packages for wedding planning, wedding coordination and special events such as engagement parties and baby showers and things like that.”

Having opened her own business Events By Bonnie years earlier, mid- 2021 Ms White decided to rebrand her services using the new name Gathered Events.

Kicking off the year strong, Ms White said she was steadily working towards developing her client base in early 2020 until the pandemic hit.

“It was a funny year to run an events business, I had a wedding in September which sadly had to be cancelled but the couple still eloped which is great for them,” she said.

“It was a heartbreaking year for a few couples who had to cancel or postpone their weddings.

“However, in the past month, I’ve had more interest come through than ever… it’s really exciting to see couples beginning the planning again.”

Using her experience to her advantage, Ms White said she seeks to incorporate a unique experience for all her clients while also supporting the region’s producers and talent.

“I’m very personalised with the couples and I focus on building the relationship with the couple to make sure their wedding is a true vision of them,” she said.

“I want to support local businesses because Ballarat does have such great suppliers. I worked with Annie Gould from The Refined Bloom Co and she’s fantastic and I’m local based when looking for suppliers and vendors.”

To make up for lost time, Ms White said next year is already shaping up to be a huge one for the wedding and events industry.

“It looks like a busy year for 2021 wedding season which usually is September to March,” she said.

“Just still working through enquiries but it’s looking like it will be two years of weddings in one which will be a bit crazy but will be good.

“Going forward for events it will be interesting to see if people do the sit-down weddings as much or will want to stick to the cocktail theme so people can move around which might be more flexible.”