There’s so many things to consider and think about when planning your special day, below are just a few subjects we’ve touched on to help with your complete wedding guide.
Drinks
- Allow between half a bottle and a bottle of wine per person plus soft drinks for non-tipplers and drivers. It’s far better to have too much wine than to run out and in most cases, you won’t be charged for anything that’s not opened. Remember that guests will expect to be offered both red and white wine. Also expect your guests to drink at least a litre of water over the course of the event especially if it’s summer and the weather is hot.
- The traditional celebrations drink is champagne. If you’d like to serve the best but can’t afford to let it flow feely, offer your guests a glass as a welcome drink and substitute it with a cheaper bubbly for the toast later on. By then your guests will have had their fair share of drinking and their palates won’t be as particular.
- Many couples are choosing to serve a signature cocktail. Martinis and Bellinis are among the most popular. Or Pimms for summer weddings and mulled wine for winter.
- If some of your guests prefer to drink beer or spirits during the reception, you might want the bar to open for them. Don’t feel bad about asking guests to pay for their drinks later in the evening. Everyone understands that budgets only stretch so far. NOTE: Some venues will allow you to supply your own wine, others restrict you to only supplying the bubbles for the toast while others insist on you buying everything from them. Make sure you know from the outset what your chosen venue’s policy is.
- Why not hire a frozen daiquiri machine and then your guests can make their own cocktails? There’s mango, strawberry and fruit tingle or even sex on the beach! Check out www.daiquirigroup.com
Know your bubbles
A vintage champagne, labelled Millesime, on the bottle is one made from the grapes of a single year’s harvest. A non-vintage champagne, labelled NV, is a blend of different years and less expensive.
A sparkling wine that is labelled Methode Champenoise or Methode Traditionelle is made using the classic champagne method and is good quality
Four hip menu ideas
Marcel Leydesdorff from Auckland’s Urban Gourmet catering has the following suggestions.
Spanish Tapas: As an alternative to a finger food/canapé-style wedding, tapas are ideal for a relaxed reception. Guests are encouraged to graze on small, flavoursome dishes that are passed around by staff and placed around the venue. Dishes can range in size from small stuffed olives to more filling items such as bruschetta and skewers and, depending on budget, dishes can be designed as just nibbles or a full meal replacement.
An Italian feast: Large platters of rustic Italian food are laid out in an impressive buffet or placed directly on tables for your guests to help themselves. Italian cooking is all about seasonal vegetables, strong flavours and bountiful presentation.
Finger food off the barbecue: For a relaxed summer wedding, why not serve substantial finger food straight off the grill, Kiwi style. Have the chefs working in full-view, preparing barbecue food such as tandoori-rubbed, salmon skewers or venison medallions wrapped in bacon. The aromas, sounds and bustling activity will add to the party.
Tasting Menu
Perhaps the most extravagant style of menu, several small perfectly-balanced courses that take your guests on a culinary journey makes for an experience that will be remembered for a long time. For a truly impressive evening, pair each course with a glass of carefully-matched wine.
Why not?
Hire a chocolate fountain for dessert and your guests can dip fresh fruit through the flowing chocolate waterfall to create chocolate-covered treats. Check out www.chocolatefountainhire.co.nz
Catering dos & don’ts
DO choose bite-sized canapés that are easy to eat, handle and drip-free. Keep it simple because guests may also be juggling their glass, bag and camera.
DON’T feel you have to be wildly adventurous with the menu. Venison and ostrich might be fabulous, but there is a good reason why salmon, chicken and beef are the most popular choices: most people like them and they’re easy to prepare in large quantities. If you are having everyone from children to grandparents at your wedding, it’s wise to play it safe.
DO consider a buffet. Not only is it cost-effective, it is easy to include vegetarian options that will also appeal to meat-eaters.
DON ‘T feel you have to serve dessert. Instead, choose a dessert-style cake as your wedding cake with carrot, lemon and chocolate-flavoured tiers. Or have a tower of individual, iced fairy cakes.
DO approach several catering companies for quotes. Don’t base your decision on price alone – make sure you have plenty of menu tastings.
That’s entertainment
- Theme your party. What about a Las Vegas-inspired night with showgirls and casino gaming tables for your guests to play on with funny money? Check out www.talentonline.co.nz
- Hire a band and get your guests on the dancefloor. A popular choice is the Nairobi Trio, www.nairobitrio.co.nz, who play acoustic jazz at cocktail hour and then morph into an electric band, playing dance numbers later. Another popular choice is covers band The Mermaids, featuring Kiwi celebrity Joe Cotton.
- Make your party magical by hiring a magician. You could even get him or her to make you and your new husband disappear at the end of the night to make leaving your reception less difficult! Check out www.talentonline.co.nz.
- Hire a comedy act and keep your guests laughing. Christchurch-based company The outwits, www.outwits.co.nz, perform scripted or improvised shows and will even do a comedy re-enactment of your first date!
- Create a circus/carnival atmosphere by hiring aerial artists, circus and street performers, acrobats and dancers. For more info, check out www.talentonline.co.nz.
- Is a band or DJ out of your price range? How about a jukebox? Your guests can choose from over 2500 sounds from the ‘50s to today. Check out www.aucklandjukebox.co.nz. Prices start from $220 with karaoke machines and party lights also available for hire.
Order of events
There’s nothing wrong with breaking the rules and doing it your own way – particularly if this is a second wedding or civil union and you want to keep thing low-key. A traditional reception pans out as follows:
- While the wedding party is having photos taken, the MC invites the guests to proceed to the reception venue where they enjoy champagne or cocktails and canapés. At more formal weddings, there is a receiving line of the bride’s parents, groom’s parents and bride and groom to greet the guests.
- An example of traditional seating for the top table is, from left to right: chief bridesmaid, groom’s father, bride’s mother, groom, bride, bride’s father, groom’s mother, best man.
- Generally, speeches take place before the meal begins or between the entrée and the main course.
- The meal ends with the cutting of the cake, which is followed by music and dancing.
- The last tradition is for the bride to toss her bouquet and for the single women to vie to catch it. Whoever succeeds is said to be the next one up the aisle. As an alternative, present all you favourite female friends or relatives with a flower from the bouquet instead.
The Speeches
Speeches usually begin with the father of the bride (or a spokesman from the bride’s family), who thanks guests for coming, shares some anecdotes from the bride’s childhood and wishes the couple well. His speech is followed by the groom’s, which should end with a toast to the bridesmaids.
Finally, the best man makes a more light-hearted speech. There are, however, no set rules and modern brides are also choosing to stand up and speak at their own weddings.
If the thought of making speeches is daunting and threatening to ruin the day, then get some training. Toastmasters New Zealand runs speech-craft courses throughout the country.
Contact www.toastmaster.org.nz
The First Dance
Seen too much Dancing With The Stars? Worried about your own dancefloor moves not being up to scratch? Start taking dance classes six months before the big day and wow your guests. There are a large number of styles to learn – everything from ceroc, French jive, to salsa and samba. Make a start by checking out www.ceroc.co.nz, www.salsafusion.co.nz or www.latinrhythm.co.nz.
Cutting the cake
Etiquette calls for the cake to be cut by the couple with the groom then handfeeding the bride the first bite and the bride reciprocating. This symbolises their mutual willingness to share.
Check in advance whether your venue or caterers will supply you with a suitable knife for the ceremony. If not, you may need to hire one from elsewhere.
If you are serving your cake as dessert, make sure you have allowed enough time between the cutting and serving.
HOT TIP
Have two pairs of shoes for your wedding day – an elegant high-heeled pair for the ceremony and a still gorgeous but more comfortable pair to slip on later before you dance the night away.