Mali Brae Farm owners Shelley and Greg Dark picked up the Champion Wedding Services award at the Australian Small Business Champion Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony at The Star in Sydney on April 21.

The night was attended by more than 1100 small business representatives and supporters across the country.

The Moss Vale business was among eight other finalists in contention for the Champion Wedding Services award.

Mali Brae Farm co-owner Shelley Dark said she and her husband Greg were pleased to be recognised on the night.

“It was really overwhelming, we went in with not huge expectations,” she said.

“We were very pleased to win.”

This is not the first award Mali Brae Farm has won in its five years of operation under the Darks.

In September last year Mali Brae Farm won the Most Outstanding Wedding Services award at the Southern Highlands Business Awards.

Mrs Dark said attention to detail was what helped the business stand out.

“We’re very hands-on. We have a personalised approach to our clients and we focus on the customer service side,” she said.

“We try and offer an ‘everything’ approach for our brides and grooms.

“We work very closely with our suppliers [such as florists].”

The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is the only national recognition program for Australian small businesses.

The program aims to recognise outstanding Australian small businesses and encourage high standards of excellence in small business practice.

The event presents an opportunity for business people to network with their fellow peers, teams and sponsors.

The awards are judged by representatives from a variety of industries.

They have relevant experience or an understanding of the operations of a small business.