Feature Image: Evan Bailey Photography.
In the state where ‘everyone knows everyone’, finding a unique wedding venue for your big day can be a tall order for South Australian brides, for whom the typical avenue of venue selection, such as asking your inner circle for recommendations, doesn’t quite cut it.
Venyu is the free digital platform that helps couples plan their nuptials, cultivating a growing collection of incredible hidden properties across the state that brides and grooms-to-be can choose from, refining their search by relevant details such as date, property type, and budget.
The brain child of seasoned event planner Melissa Little, Venyu was born in 2016 when Melissa’s sister faced the ultimate bridal battle – your venue revealing they had double booked you three weeks before the big day, a disaster that COVID-affected couples will know only too well. What started out as a scribbled idea on a scrap of paper has become an interactive platform that makes the first stage of wedding planning – the all important venue – less intimidating, presenting couples with hidden gem properties across the state, catered to their specific dates, budget and style.
With something to suit every taste, Venyu currently works with 70 little-known wedding spaces from lofty, industrial warehouses, grand inner city halls steeped in history, vine-covered wineries and sprawling 7000 acre properties.
The South Australian-owned platform even manages 16 of its own properties, where if chosen by a couple, Venyu’s seasoned wedding experts will work with the bride and groom as a free wedding planner, event managing the whole process from start to finish, at no extra cost.
Venyu removes the hours otherwise spent trawling through Google trying to find that perfect, unique venue, only to find they’re booked up for the next four years, and makes it easy for couples who can download a brochure for their desired venue directly from the platform, rather than waiting around for a call while venues are being snapped up.
Founder Melissa, who is able to use her extensive network of connections in South Australia through years of event management, has built a stellar reputation amongst venues who often liaise with her before launching in the market, meaning Venyu has the insider info on the state’s newest wedding destinations before anyone else.
“This week we’re excited to give our followers the scoop on a newly refurbished warehouse space in Hindmarsh” she says.
“It’s urban industrial style meets the vibrant party vibes of New Orleans with a lofty saw tooth roof, exposed brick and beams, a lush VIP room, a huge beer garden with pergola, decking and grass and a beautiful walnut and marble bar. It’s everything Adelaides been missing!”
The tumultuous nature of the last year, which wreaked havoc on the wedding industry, meant Venyu was there for over 20 frantic couples, helping them to source last minute venues due to snap lockdowns or travel restrictions, with one particular couple able to choose from 12 different options thanks to Venyu’s impressive network, despite being just three weeks away from their wedding date.
At a time when most businesses were closing their doors, Venyu has doubled in size with a team of eight staff now dedicated to making the venue dreams of bride and grooms across the state come true.
Find out more about Venyu here.