Gold Coast wedding venue: The Valley Estate in Currumbin Valley designed by restaurateur Cherie Uzan and husband Eddie
Take a look inside Gold Coast's grandiose new wedding venue. SEE THE PHOTOS
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A GRANDIOSE new wedding and event venue, five years in the making, is due to open on an exclusive property in Currumbin Valley in May.
The brainchild of Gold Coast restaurateur and designer Cherie Uzan and her husband Eddie, The Valley Estate already has 100 bookings over the next 18 months despite not even being open yet.
Drawing upon grand European and industrial influences, Mrs Uzan said the lavish and luxurious 3.6-hectare venue included five spaces; the glasshouse, chapel, manor, retreat and sanctuary.
FULL DIGITAL ACCESS: $1 A WEEK FOR THE FIRST 12 WEEKS
While conceived with weddings in mind, the multi-million dollar venue has been crafted to “allow couples to celebrate their once-in-a-lifetime moment in a truly unique space, all the while revelling in the beauty of the hinterland backdrop”.
Growing up in Currumbin Valley, Ms Uzan said it has been a long-held dream of hers to create a unique venue in a location she held close to her heart.
She designed and project managed The Valley Estate to create a “magical space where dreams come true”.
“The build was a large undertaking combining both locally and globally sourced products, materials and design pieces. While inspired by European grandeur and New York industrial, it was important that the building tell its own story,” she said.
“To realise this vision, we used heritage building materials, local artisans and sourced unique pieces from around the world.”
Engaging three local builders, The Valley Estate’s development has delivered a large investment to the economy with up to 100 trades a day on site. With four full-time gardeners employed at the property, there has been a huge focus on the landscaping and grounds.
“It was always integral to the development that the estate reflect the European influence of the buildings while preserving existing trees and championing the natives plants of the local area,” she said.
“This focus has created a natural, yet manicured, photographic nirvana that compliments the estate’s hinterland surrounds. White Jacarandas sit alongside mature olive trees, with water features, grand pots and follies creating innumerable photo opportunities.”
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE VALLEY ESTATE:
- The antique chapel pews were sourced from a church in Milton, New York.
- Vintage 1930s glass whisky cart imported from New York.
- The feature sandstone arches in the manor have all been handcrafted by a local stonemason using traditional, artisan skills.
- Chapel bell is an original ship bell from a 1920s shipwreck
- Plantations of mature olive trees from olive groves in NSW
- Vintage Boat from Flinders Island
- The lighting design incorporates local designers and artisans, featuring hand-blown glass by Soktas, as well as Fluxwood and Alma lighting.
- The stained-glass Chapel windows were designed by Cherie & Kathy Valentine and handcrafted by local Currumbin leadlighter, Bradley Gordon.
Queensland's ‘forgotten’ wedding industry loses $52 million
September, 2020
LOVED up couples are facing a wedding dilemma: Spend $30,000 on a “sit down dinner” with limited guests and no dancing, or wait years to secure a popular venue as thousands of wannabe brides play Russian roulette with the worst health crisis in 100 years.
Make-up artists, transport companies, venue owners, musicians and DJs, dress shops, wedding planners, caterers and photographers have all called for the government to end the hypocrisy of allowing brothels and sex workers to continue trading, yet stubbornly rule out dancing at a couple’s big day.
They say the strait jacket social distancing restrictions for family and friends is crippling the wedding industry and ruining small business, and want them lifted as peak season hits.
A Bulletin investigation has found the wedding industry bled $1.82 billion ((correct)) in the first five months of lockdown. That is more than 20 per cent of its entire contribution to the Australian economy.
Queensland alone is losing about $13 million every week.
“The reason why lots of people are postponing their events is because of the dancing restrictions,” ABIA Weddings Australia managing director Natasha O’Meara said.
“They are thinking ‘why would I spent $30,000 on a sit down dinner?’”
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ABIA Weddings Australia are wanting answers on what the government is going to help.
A spokesman from Premier Annastacia Palaszscuk said: “The better Queensland’s health response, the faster restrictions can be eased.”
“Should case numbers continue as expected the Chief Health Officer anticipates further easing of restrictions on gatherings including densities at venues,” the spokesman said.
“Restrictions on dancing are the result of directions from the Chief Health Officer. Dr Young considers dancing a high risk event.
“Operations of brothels are subject to covid safe plans including contact tracing. Contacts on a dance floor are not as easily traced.”
MAKE-UP ARTIST
DURING a time when small businesses are in desperate needing of support, an award-winning bridal makeup artist says the wedding industry “has been forgotten”.
Hollywell make-up artist Lara Quinn has been in the industry for almost two decades and typically services 80 weddings from March to mid-December.
So far this year she has been hired for only eight weddings.
“When those restrictions first came in, even though you could still get married, you could only have five people at the wedding. Make-up artists weren’t allowed to work,” Mrs Quinn said.
“I usually do seven people per booking, but now I’m only getting one client. I had only my eighth wedding on Monday.
“In terms of what (the pandemic) has done to my business, it’s completely crippled it.”
Mr Quinn had been without worth for almost six months and relied on JobKeeper
She was hopeful some of her clients who had rescheduled weddings for October and November would be able to proceed, providing her income.
“It’s makes absolutely no sense, the sex industry and brothels are still (trading),” she said.
“It’s so hypercritical letting 75 per cent capacity at The Gabba (to watch the AFL grand final).
“You feel like the government is all about state revenue but it’s hurting small businesses. The wedding industry is huge. I do feel like it’s a forgotten industry amongst all this.
“Most of the brides I see are spending from $30,000 to $40,000 up to $70,000. That’s a lot of money they are pumping into small businesses.”
NEWLY MARRIED COUPLE
LOVERS Emma and Sam Cooper spent two years planning for their big day.
Everything fell apart when the pandemic and a maximum of only five people could attend weddings.
Waiting wasn’t an option, however.
“We had such a big build up. I had planned it so perfectly. We were originally scheduled for May 3 on the Tweed Coast,” Mrs Cooper said.
“I had my dress, the boys had their suits, everything was locked in.
“When COVID hit we were devastated.
“We were annoyed. Why did we wait so long to get married?
“If we want to have kids, we need to get married.
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“We are quite young so we were never in a rush, but it just delayed us more.”
Emma, 25, and Sam, 27, persevered - taking a chance on a new date at a new venue.
The couple had been engaged for three years before finally getting the chance to tie the knot on September 6.
They went ahead with 98 guests at Brisbane venue Blackbird.
“None of that stuff (dancing, restrictions) mattered anymore. It was more about us wanting to get married,” Mrs Cooper said.
“The opportunity for our friends and family to be there, which was more important than the partying. We were worried about that at the beginning of the wedding planning.
“Our outlook changed a lot during COVID and we appreciated being able to be married more than the colour of our napkins or those things that just don’t matter anymore.
“We couldn’t be happier to now be married.”
WEDDING VENUE
A CHARMING barn sits empty on a picturesque block of land.
The chic rustic style venue is usually bustling with love longs, dancing couples and loved ones indulging in food and beverages.
Summergrove Estate is based in northern NSW, only 15 minutes from the Queensland border.
It is a favourite venue for Queensland couples, hosting 200 weddings a year.
“The venue brings about 26,000 people to the southern Gold Coast every year,” a Summergrove Estate spokeswoman said.
“From the moment they arrive at the Gold Coast Airport or drive here, they get public transport, stay in accommodation, dine in our restaurants and go to the shops.
“A lot of our clients stay at partnered hotels in Coolangatta like Mantra and Twin Towns. It’s a massive tourism factor.
“About 15 suppliers are involved with each wedding.”
Roughly 80 per cent of Summergrove Estate’s clients come from Brisbane, making the past couple of months difficult to operate as the border bubble only allowed residents from just outside the Gold Coast to attend.
It was a massive win for the business on Tuesday when Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the border bubble would be expanded to the Byron Bay- Lismore area and allowing all residents within Queensland to travel there.
“We had moved over 100 weddings, which has had and will continue to have an impact on our business for a long time to come,” the spokeswoman said.
Hundreds of weddings had been rescheduled for 2021, she added.
While the venue awaits the return of dancing, comedians and games are being used as an alternative to give liven up weddings.
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BRIDAL AND ALTERATIONS BUSINESS
ROSA and Mary Arfuso are coming into what is usually their busiest time of the year.
But instead of handing over wedding dresses, the Varsity Lakes mother-daughter team at Rosa & Mary’s Bridal Shop are meeting with distressed and disgruntled wanna-be wives.
“Now in September, I thought things would be better,” Mary said.
“During the past couple of weeks, brides have come in and they are frustrated because they’ve moved (their wedding) once, twice, some even three times.
“People are thinking ‘we can’t put our lives on hold anymore’. Young people want to be married so they can have children.”
Rosa, 63, and Mary, 46, have run their alterations business for 25 years, but started to sell wedding dresses seven years ago.
Business has always been consistent, Rosa and Mary are having to “give people more for their money” to keep it going through the pandemic.
“There’s not much money around. Priorities are different,” Mary said.
“People still want to get married and still want a dress, so that’s what is making our business continue. But we have to give more.
“We have to work off small profit margins and, as business owners, you don’t pay yourself an hourly rate. I’m sure we’re working way less than an hourly rate.
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