Meet the Ancora Weddings Team

Mark’s hospitality career spans over 30 years and some of Australia’s most diverse and exclusive venues. But his PLB Group story started right here on the Tweed Coast, at Sandbar & Grill in 2005, the venue that would later become PLB Group’s first venture, Osteria Casuarina, in 2010. He now oversees the entire group, and brings the kind of experience that only comes from genuinely loving the industry for three decades.

Mark has been part of thousands of weddings, and his philosophy is straightforward: your guests will spend most of their time eating and drinking, so make sure both are exceptional. It’s a simple idea that shapes everything at Ancora.

If you want a real measure of the man, he has kept nearly 300 couples on track through COVID, and has been found shovelling mud alongside a groom to get a flood-damaged venue ready in under 24 hours. That’s just how he operates.

Emily joined the PLB Group in mid 2019 and has spent the years since doing one thing really well: helping couples find their venue and feel genuinely excited about what comes next. As Sales Manager across all PLB venues, she guides couples from first enquiry through to booking, building tailored proposals and making sure no one feels overwhelmed along the way. Over 500 weddings across sales, planning and coordination means she knows this world inside out.

Her favourite weddings are the ones that throw tradition out the window in favour of great atmosphere, good food, good music and a ceremony that actually sounds like the couple wrote it. Her favourite moment of any wedding day is that specific instant where the nerves settle, the room goes quiet, and then everyone is suddenly laughing and crying at the same time.

On the menu, she will always come back to the slow roasted lamb shoulder.

Isabel joined the PLB Group in June 2011 and has been a cornerstone of the team ever since, splitting her time between Wedding Planner across all PLB venues and Marketing Manager for the group’s two restaurants. It’s a dual role that suits someone who is equally at home crafting the details of a wedding day as she is telling the story of a venue she loves.

Since moving into weddings in 2014, Isabel has been involved in over 1,000 celebrations across sales, planning and on-the-day coordination. She knows what works, she knows what couples need before they do, and she brings a level of care to every wedding that makes the whole process feel a lot less stressful than it probably should be.

Ask her the best part of the job and she’ll tell you it’s the ceremony, every time, without exception. No matter how many she’s witnessed, the moment two people say their vows in front of everyone they love still gets her. That’s the kind of person you want in your corner on your wedding day.

Tahlia joined the PLB Group in 2021 in a front-of-house role, where she got to experience wedding days up close and see firsthand what makes them flow. That hands-on grounding gave her a genuine appreciation for the craft before she ever moved into planning, and the transition when it came felt like a natural fit.

She now works primarily across weddings at Osteria and Ancora, keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes. Highly organised, proudly Type A, and has been part of over 500 weddings to prove it.

Her favourite couples are the ones who want to do things a little differently. Every couple wants their day to be remembered, and watching creativity come to life in unexpected ways is genuinely her favourite part of the job. She brings warmth, a love of the details, and a whole lot of heart to every wedding she’s part of.

Toby joined the PLB Group in March 2024 and hit the ground running, quickly finding his feet across the group’s wedding venues. As a Supervisor, he manages the floor, supports the coordinator and closes down each event, making sure everything runs smoothly from the first canapé to the last drink of the night. In just over a year, he has already been part of around 80 weddings and brings genuine energy and professionalism to every one of them.

Toby is in his element at a big celebration. The bigger the better, as far as he’s concerned. A packed dance floor, a buzzing room, food and drinks flowing freely, that’s where he thrives. And if the tomahawk steaks or lamb and potatoes are on the menu, know that Toby is just as excited about them landing on the table as your guests will be.

Alli has been part of the PLB Group since September 2016, growing through various roles to land where she is now as Operations Manager across all PLB wedding venues and restaurants. A lot of her work happens behind the scenes, recruiting the right people for each event, running training days, managing rosters and run sheets, and making sure every team member is set up to deliver their best on the day. If a PLB Group event runs smoothly, chances are Alli had something to do with it.

She has a special place in her heart for Islander weddings, drawn to the warmth of the family energy and the beauty of cultural tradition woven through every part of the day. But her favourite moment is one she never tires of regardless of the wedding: the bride walking down the aisle.

Warm, deeply invested in the people around her, and a quiet force behind everything the PLB Group does well.

Nadia joined the PLB Group in January 2018 and has built a wealth of experience across the group, now overseeing the event sales and planning team, supporting the operations team, and managing marketing across the entire group. Based at PLB Group’s Head Office in Casuarina, she moves fluidly across all venues, ensuring everything runs to the high standard the group is known for.

When it comes to her personal wedding style, Nadia is all about a garden party vibe. A little fun, a little flirty, and full of good energy. But ask her about her favourite moment of any wedding day and she won’t hesitate: the speeches. When they’re good, they’re really, truly good and Nadia lives for those moments of genuine laughter, love and happy tears that only a great speech can bring.

Ashleigh first joined the PLB Group in November 2018 and works behind the scenes keeping everything that matters most running without a hitch. Accounts, payroll, financial reporting, staff onboarding and recruitment. In short, she takes care of all the details that allow the creative and celebratory parts of the business to do what they do best.

Her focus is always the same: making sure every process, every task and every interaction feels organised, thoughtful and personal, so that both the team and the couples they serve feel genuinely supported from day one.

When it comes to weddings, Ashleigh has a soft spot for celebrations that honour cultural traditions, and her favourite moment of any wedding day is the vows. A self-confessed sucker for a good love story. And when the menu comes out? The lamb has her heart every single time, no contest.