Ask The Experts, Get Answers
We're here to help! So if you need some advice or a suggestion, please feel free to post a question here. If we don't have the answer, we'll talk to an expert in the field that does!
Guests:
What Should We Wear?
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We are both in our 50s and are wondering what to wear? The wedding is late afternoon and the invite says "formal wedding attire".
Reception & Flowers:
Any seasonal flower suggestions?
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We are planning our wedding in February next year, and our colours are baby blue, silver, black and white. Do you have any suggestions for seasonal flowers? Preferably I would like white roses, since there are not...
Jewellery & Accessories:
What size heel?
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My fiance is 5'3" tall. Is it best to wear flat shoes or small heels?
Beauty:
When should I start my skin regime?
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For how long before my wedding day should I be getting skin treatments, facials etc?
Wedding Party Etiquette & Attire:
Bridesmaids Dresses: Tailor-made of Off-the-rack?
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Bridesmaids dresses: tailor-made or off-the-rack? I have 3 bridesmaids - 2 of whom are scattered about the North Island, and one who is in Australia. Would my best 'cost effective' option be to get them tailor made,...
Dresses & Suits:
Can my flower girl wear cream?
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Can my flower girl wear a cream dress if my wedding dress is white?
Style & Theme:
How do I style Church Road Winery?
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I am due to get married at Church Road Winery and am stuck for a theme. Does anyone know the venue and can help? Would like to keep it simple.
Pre- and Post-Wedding Functions:
Etiquette for an Engagement Party at a Restaurant?
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My partner and I are quite young (both twenty-one). We are looking forward to throwing an engagement party and have decided to have it at a restaurant. Are we expected to pay for everyone's meals? Or can we just put...
Etiquette & Family:
How do I deal with my parents?
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A couple of years ago it came out that my mum was having an affair with a family friend. My parents split up and my mum has since bought a house with her new partner. My dad was understandably really hurt by this, as...
Stationery & Wording:
Invitation wording for the beginning and end?
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What is the best way to word an invitation when you would like someone to attend the ceremony and dance only?
Photography & Videography:
Is it normal to pay the photographer up front?
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Is it normal to pay the full cost of wedding photography before the day? Our photographer is asking for the full amount beforehand, but what if something goes wrong on the day?
Gifts & Registries:
What does "No Gifts Please" mean?
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My husband and I have been invited to a friend's wedding early next year, and on the invitation, it has written, "No Gifts Please". Does this mean they want money instead, or does it mean they just want us to join...
Pre- and Post-Wedding Functions:
Who do I invite to our engagement party?
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Who should I invite to our engagement party - all the same people we want at our wedding? I'd like my workmates at our engagement party, but I'm not quite sure we can afford to have them all at our wedding. Not sure...
Stationery & Wording:
Do I have to include an RSVP return envelope?
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Do I have to supply guests with a return envelope for their RSVP cards?
Dresses & Suits:
Where can I find an eco-friendly gown?
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Are there any eco-conscious or earth friendly wedding gown designers in New Zealand?
Jewellery & Accessories:
Which veil should I wear?
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I'm having trouble making up my mind on what length veil to have. I want a single-tier, positioned at the back of my head, and H2B really doesn't want cathedral length. My dress has a chapel train, is strapless and...
Gifts & Registries:
Can we telll them about our registry for our engagement party?
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We are currently planning our engagement party, and I was wondering if it would be okay to include a gift registry card with our invites. I don't want it to seem like we expect any presents, but at the same time, we...
Rings:
Can I put 9ct with 18ct gold?
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I am shopping for my wedding ring and have been told that since my engagement ring is 18ct gold, I will have to get an 18ct gold wedding band to match it. I am not planning on taking the wedding ring off (whereas I do...
Style & Theme:
How Do I Choose My Colours?
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Hi. I'm just in the early stages of planning my wedding, but I am really stuck on choosing the colours. My fiance really wants a dark, royal blue, which I really like, but I am not sure what to match with it. We are...
Dresses & Suits:
Do I Need to Pay Customs Tax on My Dress?
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We are living in London but are coming home to NZ to get married in January. I have bought my dress over here, and since we are traveling home via India, I would like to courier my dress home so that I don't have to...
Etiquette & Family:
Do I Have to Invite His Family?
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I have a very small family, while my fiance has a very large family. We have a very small budget, and while my family is giving a large amount towards the wedding, his is giving nothing financially - and yet they...
Ceremony & Vows:
Do You Have Any Union Ceremony Ideas?
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My girlfriend and I are getting married in a few months and are getting down to the finer details of our planning. We're looking at doing something in our ceremony like the classic candle lighting or sand ceremony,...
Venues:
Where Can I Seat Just 30 Guests on a Budget?
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I am on a very low budget. Do you know of a venue that would allow a wedding party of approximately 30 and is self-catering?
Wedding Party Etiquette & Attire:
Best Woman Needs a Suit!
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Our Best Woman requires a full women's suit with all the extras. Do you have any suggestions within Auckland or anywhere in NZ?
Planning & Budgeting:
How Should My Budget Be Divided?
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I see the average amount spent on a wedding in NZ is $30,000. How is this money normally divided? E.g. 50% for venue (food and alcohol)...
Gifts & Registries:
Can You Help with Our Wedding Registry?
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We need to decide about our wedding registry. We already have most house wares, and if we do get something new, we are looking for something of higher quality or a bit different. I don't think I could go to one...
Dresses & Suits:
What Colour White Can I Wear?
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I am fair with green eyes, blondish hair and a cool complexion. What shade/s of white or off-white would suit me best? I definitely can't wear yellow or orange colours. Is there an off-white that would look good on...
Dresses & Suits:
What Colour Shoe Will Work?
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I have a dark grey tails suit for my wedding coming up, but I am unsure of the best colour shoes...can you advise me please.
Wedding Party Etiquette & Attire:
What Goes with Red?
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I am wearing a red wedding dress and don't know what colour I should dress my bridesmaids in. Can you help?
Wedding Party Etiquette & Attire:
Homemade Bridal Party Gifts
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I want to give creative, homemade gifts for my bridesmaids and groomsmen. Do you have any suggestions of gifts that are also affordable, as we have quite a few members in the party!
Dresses & Suits:
What fabric will suit me?
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I'd like a Medieval-style wedding dress, preferably in a velvet type material, but I have quite a large stomach and hips...and I am not sure velvet is the right material. Can you advise please?
Etiquette & Family:
Who Do We Please?
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I'm planning a wedding ceremony where I grew up in Southland. My partner, who is from Chile, is really taken by this beautiful spot by a lighthouse...but my (very large) family is concerned that there is a lot of...
Ceremony & Vows:
How much are celebrants?
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We would love to know roughly how much celebrants charge for their services and the questions we should ask.
Gifts & Registries:
Can We Just Ask for Money?
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How do we ask for money in our wedding invite without having a little poem about it? I think the days of thinking it is rude to ask for money are gone and outdated. All of our friends have done the same, but I really...
Venues:
Gardens in Napier
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We would love to have an outdoor wedding, but we are having difficulties finding a venue. Many of the parks and gardens in the region (Hawke's Bay) are in poor condition, located in high traffic zones or are too far...
Reception & Flowers:
Help with the flowers!
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I'm having trouble deciding on wedding flowers. We are getting married on the beach in Nelson. My late grandfather grew dahlias, which are not traditional wedding flowers, but I thought may be a nice touch for...
Dresses & Suits:
How risky is it to order my dress online?
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I want a beautiful dress (who doesn't), but I can't afford to pay off the rack prices. What are the risks/advantages with online made-to-measure dresses?
Reception & Flowers:
Do we have to do a first dance?
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Is a first dance compulsory? My partner and I initially decided not to do one, but guests seem to expect it! Any alternatives to mark the transition from eating to mingling / dancing?
Wedding Party Etiquette & Attire:
How should we coordinate the men's attire?
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We are planning an evening black tie winter wedding, and I am having trouble deciding how to match up the groom, best man and my three grown up sons who will be walking me down the aisle. The groom would prefer a tie...
Reception & Flowers:
How much alcohol should we buy?
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Alcohol! How do we decide on the amount of alcohol to buy? We have 200 guests, but not everyone will be drinking. We want champagne, white wine, red wine and 2 kinds of beer. Is there an allocation I should be...
Stationery & Wording:
How do we invite guests to a wedding with no reception?
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We are getting married in Rarotonga and are not having a reception afterwards. How do we phrase this in a letter/invitation so that people know what is happening but also know we'd love to have them there?
Guests:
What about inviting workmates?
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We have split the guest list in two, and now I have a few spares I can invite. What is the etiquette when inviting workmates or employers? I have been in my current position for almost a year. Do I invite my boss?
Stationery & Wording:
How do I tell them what to wear?
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My wedding will be held on a cliff by a beach, and our invitations were very informal. So how should I indicate to guests that they do not need to wear "black tie", but also not shorts or sandals?
Beauty:
What's a Good Foundation?
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Can anyone recommend a good foundation for the wedding day? I know it needs to be one that looks good in photos, looks natural and comfortable and lasts all day. Any suggestions would be great! Thank you.
Stationery & Wording:
How Do We Tell People It's Adults Only?
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My fiance and I are quite keen to not have children at our ceremony or reception. How do we make it clear to people (other than not including their children's names on the invites) that it is an adult-only affair,...
Dresses & Suits:
Where Can I Find Plus Size Wedding Dresses?
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Where can I find plus size wedding dresses off the rack in New Zealand? I'd even be happy with a nice selection of cocktail dresses if I could find them in any other colour but black! I might be big, but I don't want...
Wedding Party Etiquette & Attire:
What Do We Do about a Man of Honour and Best Woman?
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I'm having a male "maid of honour" and my fiance has chosen a female "best man" for our wedding, partly because they're our best friends and partly because we both have large numbers of siblings, and it seemed unfair...
Transport:
Where Do I Find Classic Holdens?
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My hubby-to-be loves Holdens, so I am trying to find some older classics to hire in the Wellington-Kapiti region. Can you please help? Thanks!
Wedding Party Etiquette & Attire:
Who Pays for Wedding Party Attire?
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My fiance and I are paying for our wedding ourselves. Is it bad etiquette to ask bridesmaids and groomsmen to pay for their outfits?
Reception & Flowers:
How to be Frugal with Flowers
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My fiance doesn't necessarily want our wedding party to have flowers, due to our tight budget. I on the other hand am undecided on what type I'd like. Are there any alternatives we could use?
Guests:
How Do I Tell People They Aren't Invited?
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My wedding is two months away. We have had an absolute blast planning, right up until we started the guest list, which we struggled through (I have a rather large, extended family). Now we are getting RSVPs, and I...
Reception & Flowers:
Tell Them About the Toiletries
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I'm looking for wording (to put in a frame possibly) that will sit next to a basket of personal/emergency items to leave out in the bathroom of the reception facility, but I just can't think of the right words to...
Etiquette & Family:
The Dreaded Money Question
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We have just started planning our wedding, and so I've been researching for prices so that we can set a budget. My parents have said they will help us pay for the wedding (we haven't talked numbers yet), however, I'm...
Wedding Party Etiquette & Attire:
A Bridesmaid and a Baby
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When we got engaged in January, I asked one of my friends to be a bridesmaid. Now, after her wedding and honeymoon earlier this year, she is four months pregnant and due 3 weeks before our wedding. She insists she is...
Planning & Budgeting:
The Emergency Wedding Kit
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I would like to know everything I will need in order to get through the wedding day - in a kit.
Venues:
A Wellington Venue with a View
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I'm desperately trying to find a venue for a wedding in Wellington that has ocean views. My sister has already been married at The Boatshed so I can't really get married there. Any suggestions? Seems to be a lack of...
Etiquette & Family:
Kids at the Reception
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If I don't want kids at my wedding reception, do I still need to invite my flower girls?
Etiquette & Family:
Who gets a gift?
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Who do I need to buy a gift for? I have bought my Bridesmaids gifts and our MC, but who else? Our Mothers?
Ceremony & Vows:
Can you help with music?
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I'm having trouble finding music for our ceremony, as it is a non-religious service...but I would still like modern music. Do you have any recommendations? Particularly for the "Signing of the Register"...
Ceremony & Vows:
Where do I find sand?
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We are looking at doing a sand ceremony...a friend did one, and we loved it. However, we just need to find the sand! If you have any recommendations of where to look, that would be much appreciated.
Venues:
A Wedding in a Public Garden
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I am planning a garden themed wedding. Do I need to seek permission to use a public park or reserve?
Wedding Dresses:
How early is too early to dress hunt?
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When should I be hunting for a wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses? I have so many people telling me I don't need to worry about the wedding dress or the bridesmaids dresses now, because the wedding is not until...
Stationery & Wording:
Wedding Invitations
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We're having a hard time finding any wedding invitations that we like. We've been to a few bookshops etc. We'd prefer not to have to design our own.
Pre- and Post-Wedding Functions:
The "Day After BBQ" Guestlist
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We're having our wedding in Queenstown. We'll be having guests from Dunedin and Christchurch and some from overseas as well. Our ceremony venue is very small, so we're having an intimate ceremony with just family and...
Planning & Budgeting:
I want an eco-friendly wedding
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I really want to have an eco-friendly wedding, but I'm having a lot of trouble trying to find vendors in NZ - any help??
Ceremony & Vows:
Is my marriage recognised internationally ?
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If my son, who is British, marries his Chinese fiancée in New Zealand, will that marriage be recognised in the UK and everywhere else in the world?
Wedding Party Etiquette & Attire:
What should I get for my groomsmen?
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We don't know what to get our groomsmen as presents for their roll in our wedding... any suggestions would be very helpful!
Wedding Party Etiquette & Attire:
What should I get for my bridesmaids?
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I know I'm supposed to get gifts for my bridesmaids, but could you suggest some ideas?
