This month, we questioned multi award-winning wedding entertainers NikNat Entertainment founded in 2008 by husband and wife team Nik & Natalie Edser. Here’s what Nik had to say about his favourite wedding locations in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, wedding songs and more!
1 – In your opinion, what are five of the best locations for a wedding reception around Brisbane and the Gold Coast? Can you tell us a little about why you recommend them?
It is so difficult to choose only five wedding reception venues when there are so many amazing venues the Gold Coast has to offer. However, we have worked on curating a list with a focus on having diversity of what they offer. In no particular order.
The Intercontinental – Sanctuary Cove
This stunning venue offers couples the choice of multiple wedding reception locations to cater from intimate right through to larger weddings. The Grange room is the most popular choice with beautiful timbers that we love. The Grange is a spacious and open plan room with plenty of floor plan options to suit your style and has stunning timber support posts and ceilings which are beautiful when accented with up-lighting and fairylights. The style of this room provides an elegant balance between a contemporary and rustic feel.
This little hidden gem provides couples with everything they need in one location and has a very strong rustic feel. The reception area looks amazing once we bring it to life with our uplighting to enhance all the timbers of the room. If you are after a rustic and timber look and feel, this is the perfect choice for you. The reception room also has a generously sized dance floor in the centre of the room.
A beautifully lined marquee provides a touch of class and elegance at Coolibah Downs. For those looking for a wedding that is contemporarily styled you need to visit this venue. The white-lined ceiling punctuated by chandeliers provides a perfect cover for a night of fun and celebrations. Surrounded by luscious greenery of the estate, Coolibah Downs gives plenty of opportunity for breathtaking photos, and the option of having your bridal dance under the Love Tree.
With a choice of rooms for receptions, we find the most popular room is the Horizons room. This is a great choice for couples looking for an elegant style reception. The room has floor to ceiling windows giving fantastic views of the ocean, a great dance floor and has the bonus of having somewhere for guests to stay on site. Due to all the glass, uplighting this room is not possible however the room comes equipped with downlighting which can be set to the colour of your choice to match your theme.
Offering not one, but two locations – The Restaurant or The Barn – Summergrove is a great choice for couples who are after stunning hinterland views for their day. Both these locations provide amazing views of rolling hills with the coastline in the distance. These both look incredible with the addition of up-lighting at night and lead themselves to live music during the afternoon. The Barn is a great choice as it’s a light open canvas that leads itself to timber tables and natural styling, whilst the restaurant provides an elegant style and feel.
With all the venues we recommend, the one thing that we suggest to couples is to think of the overall aspect of the day and the feelings that they want to remember. Having a great time with family and friends is possible at any venue, but not all are suited to the styles and wishes you might have for your day.
2 – What are five of the most frequently requested wedding songs? Do you see any specific songs becoming more popular in the year ahead?
One of the most popular requested tunes by our couples for their grand entry into the reception is “We Found Love” by Calvis Harris. This is a fantastic song for entry as it builds nicely and creates great energy in the room.
For the cake cutting, “Sugar” by Maroon 5 has become one of the most requested songs, closely followed by “Cake By the Ocean” by DNCE.
The most popular song requested for the Father / Daughter dance continues to be “I Loved Her First” by Heartland.
Ed Sheeran continues his domination of wedding first dance. “Thinking Out Loud” was extremely popular but has been replaced by “Perfect” as now being the most requested first dance song.
The most popular last dance of the night song continues to be the classic “I’ve Had The Time Of My Life” by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes. Yes, this is the song from Dirty Dancing. We have seen some impressive “lifts” of some of the girls by some (sometimes a little too intoxicated) guys. So far, nobody has been dropped, but it is always a little scary!
It is so difficult to know what is going to be popular coming up. I think a lot of the classics will continue to be the most requested songs, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Ed Sheeran release another song that becomes a modern-day wedding classic.
3 – In all your years of experience, what have been some of the highlights? Any unusual stories you could share?
Having been the entertainer at hundreds of weddings, it is so difficult to choose any highlights. My biggest sense of achievement and highlight is when the couple come to say goodbye at the end of the night by giving me a huge hug and letting me know they had the time of their lives.
As far as unusual stories go … I have seen quite a few things that will always stick in my memory, but most of the best stories and memories are the surprises! I love helping to prepare and execute surprises that couples, or their guests have planned. From a groom surprising everyone (including his Bride) by entering the room in a mankini (a memory I wished I COULD get rid of); a Bride surprising her Groom with a jumping castle just for him, being in on the surprise of close relatives being able to attend after the couple thought they couldn’t, arranging recordings to be played as a surprise over speeches, and of course surprise fireworks … there are so many amazing things I have had the honor of seeing and being a part of.
0 Comments