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Welcome to the seventh annual WeddingWise Awards!

We’re honouring the best of the best in New Zealand & Pacific weddings, as chosen by the public and by our editors. With greater competition and more attention to online reputation each year, WeddingWise Awards are more difficult to earn than ever before. So winners, be proud to be listed among the best of the best!Congratulations to all of the amazing wedding vendors who are honoured this year! Read below to learn about each award and see the winners.

2016 Top Rated NZ Wedding Vendors

This is our most prestigious award which is given to the vendors who stood out for receiving the highest praise from their customers. To qualify for this award vendors must have received 15 or more positive WeddingWise ratings and reviews in 2016. The winners of the 2016 WeddingWise Top Rated Vendor Awards are:  {listings1}This group of NZ’s finest wedding vendors continue to set the highest standard of service, as evident by their large…

Spring weddings are all about nature and DIY.

We’ve been stuck indoors all winter daydreaming about the sweet little flowers getting ready to bloom, and about how we can incorporate them into our special day.With spring wedding season upon us, it’s finally time to turn our dreams into realities. We’ve done all the prepping there is to do - from finding the ring to booking the caterer to choosing the dress - and now it’s time to get crafting!Here are a few spring DIY ideas to inspire and delight your creative spirit. Have fun!

Bring the Outdoors In

Spring is the perfect season for an outdoor tent reception. Why? If it’s sunny your guests can frolic, and if it’s rainy, they’ll have shelter. But of course the best part about an outdoor spring wedding is being surrounded by the beauty of the natural world. Why relinquish that beauty to outside the tent? Wildflower garlands and foliage canopies are a stunning way to earth-up a boring canvas tent. Bring in…

If the traditional simple floral arrangement isn’t quite your style or allergies are an issue during your ceremony, you might be looking at other options for stunningly creative centerpieces and bouquets. Although contrary to traditional decor, non-floral items can be used in beautiful ways to construct breathtaking motifs for your big day.

Cages & Lanterns

With or without floral accents, lanterns are a timeless choice for any centerpiece or bouquet. The metallic surface can be left in a pristine state, which will coordinate with any colour scheme for patterns. To add a antique feel, rough up the metal a little with some sandpaper or add some brassy tones to imitate tarnish. Lastly, spray paint the entire piece according to your colour choice. This can make old metal look good as new.

Sweets & Candies

Want a piece that you won’t have to waste? A quick and easy cotton candy bouquet won’t last long into the reception. This way you and your partner can share the…

We’ve teamed up with Megan from She Said Yes to bring you a 10% discount on this beautiful wedding planning book. Read on to find out more…

A beautiful wedding begins with a beautiful planner

There’s so much to organise, and the little white book is designed to make that much easier – incorporating wedding planning as a seamless and simple part of day-to-day life.  A compendium of everything you need to plan your wedding, a 12 month count-down diary with checklists at regular intervals, journal prompts, space to record appointments, and most importantly, room for your thoughts to record everything memorable about the process.

Get yours today for 10% off!

Order your Wedding Organiser and get 10% off when you use this special coupon code for WeddingWise.co.nz readers only.Enter this coupon code at checkout:weddingwiseWe’ve got to say this looks like a mighty-fine wedding planning product. Beautiful and thoughtfully designed, with everything you need and nothing you…

Spring and I are “best buds” because who doesn’t love the first glimpse of a daffodil or delight in the scent of freesias? From the romantic pastels to the vivacious bright and colourful, in the floral sense of the word, we’re spoilt for choice on what we can offer for springtime weddings.For beautiful brides-to-be there are so many amazing flower choices in the spring for your floral arrangements. It’s a season that sparks the imagination because it’s simply brimming with options.

Flowers To Celebrate The Joy of A Spring Wedding

Flirty freesias add a burst of romance, elegance and enduring beauty.  Either mixed with other blooms or all on their own, they’re classically refined so you’ll fall in love all over again.Bright eyed ranunculus radiate charm.  They are simply the George Clooney or Ryan Gosling of flowers!  They’re bold and they’re not afraid to stand out from the rest.Dreaming of snap dragons will add a magical touch to your floral…

Fun Flavours

Gone are the days of boring old fruit cake. Though this might confuse Nana a bit, most couples are opting for a fun mix of flavours that they actually enjoy eating, and also that represent their personalities and style a bit more closely.At Sweet, we have over 20 different flavours to choose from – ranging from classic Vanilla and Chocolate, to Nutella, Jaffa and Salted Caramel. We’ve even had a request to do a ‘lolly cake’ wedding cake!Couples these days also aren’t limited to just one wedding cake flavour, with the trend being to choose one flavour per tier of your cake, so your guests have a bit more choice.We tend to recommend couples opt for a chocolate-based flavour, a fruit-based flavour, and something a bit more neutral like vanilla or caramel, as this tends to satisfy most guests tastes. Our most popular flavour is Raspberry & White Chocolate – an amazing combination – or for summer weddings, something fresh and zingy like Lemon & Raspberry…

“The day began with the sun sparkling by the water’s edge as we exchanged vows. White linen curtains billowing out across the sand, framing the commitment of long time lovers.  We were with the people closest to our hearts who toasted us with champagne by the foreshore”.Beach weddings are always so romantic and I remember one I had the pleasure being involved in on Waiheke Island a few years ago. They were a couple from Europe and had come to New Zealand for their wedding - just the two of them ,no family or friends. The brief was to find a private beach where there was some shade. There had to be a heart of red roses in the sand which they could both stand inside of for their ceremony. They arrived in a vintage car that drove along the beach to the location. The witnesses were the photographer and I and, when the ceremony was over, we all had a glass of champagne.Beach weddings are always very relaxed. You can create some rustic ocean glamour using a combination…

Flowers: Flower Gallery by Virginia ThompsonDaniel + Clare were married at the beautiful Mudbrick winery on Waiheke Island. The day dawned with blue skies and sunshine but slowly deterioriated… Daniel + Clare were such troopers though, not letting the weather dampen their spirits. They braved the wind and even a bit of rain, allowing us to capture some beautiful portraits, both at Mudbrick and down at the beach. They are such a great couple, having been together for ten years, so it was a joy to photograph their big day!

We photographed this beautiful couple on a sunny afternoon in June to celebrate their engagement + upcoming wedding. We took advantage of all Cornwall Park has to offer, including the forest + lush greenery, which nicely complements their eyes & clothing! Harry + Alex were so much fun to photograph which comes across in their photographs, they are so in love! Harry’s a camera enthusiast too so we incorporated this into the shoot which made for something cool and unique for them.

As an alternative celebrant, I’ve been to more than my fair share of costume weddings, and I can tell you they are always a lot of fun!A costume wedding often has a theme (some popular themes include: medieval, steampunk, wild west, “Halloween”, masquerade, favourite book characters, etc.) and having the guests in costume serve to make the day even more special. But for some guests the idea of dressing in a costume for a wedding is completely foreign, and they may not be so keen to participate. Here are some tips for pulling off a successful costume wedding.

Are You Both Into It?

If you want a costume wedding, but your partner isn’t keen, then it’s probably not a good idea to push it. If you’re both excited about it, you’ll be able to get others excited about it as well. But if one of you is rolling his/her eyes behind the other’s back, it’s a great way to get your marriage off on the wrong foot.Likewise, if one or both sets of parents are footing the bill, and they…