Month: January 2018

We all know Central Otago is a dream wedding location but when Jim Pollard get’s behind the lens, the photo’s are ALWAYS amazing. Stunning scenery, a gorgeous couple and insanely beautiful images, today’s wedding is full of inspiration for a South Island shindig (and how gorgeous are the bridesmaid dresses!) Enjoy!

In three words describe each other as individuals…

Kate about Manson Loyal, Fun, Generous // 

Manson about Kate Driven, Creative, Beautiful

How did you meet? 

We met through mutual friends in our hometown Dunedin, our relationship started as a friendship and grew from there.

In three words describe your wedding style…

Vintage, Rustic, Relaxed

What were your save and splurge items for your wedding?

I splurged on the dress, saved on the decorations

What music did you play for those special moments?

Walking down the aisle –  Ho Hey, The Lumineers

Announced as husband and wife –  Happy, Pharrell

First Dance – Make you feel my love, Adele

Where did you go for you honeymoon and why?

We haven’t gone on the honeymoon yet but are planning to go to Thailand. We’re keen to have an adventure that combines relaxation and a few parties with plenty of swimming, exploring beaches and great food!

What advice would you give to future brides to be? Any tips or tricks?

If you start to feel nervous or stressed remember that on the day the guests are your close family and friends who love you and are there to support you.

If someone gets lipstick on their dress you can use hairspray to remove the stain. Saturate the spot with hair spray, let it sit for 10 minutes, then dab it with a damp cloth or sponge. I know this works as one of my bridesmaids got red lipstick on her grey dress and this did the trick and averted disaster!

What do you love most about being married?

When you get married there’s a sense of your relationship deepening, you’ve both made this commitment to one another and there’s a shift in your perspective. You want to do the best you possibly can to make ever day more amazing than the last which makes life pretty wonderful. Calling each other husband and wife is actually pretty cool too!

CREDITS

Photographer Jim Pollard Goes Click
Flowers The Flower Room
Hair Kylie Hayes and Nelson Morrison – Moha Hairdressing
Brides Dress Designer Raimon Bundo
Bride’s Accessories House of Kavina
Bridesmaids Dresses & Accessories Liam from Ruby
Groom Suit Barkers
Groomsmen Ace Suit Hire
Venue The Winehouse
Catering In2Food
Invitations Paperless Post

The full moon last night got me thinking (don’t even get me started on the Mercury retrograde December…*) about all you newly engaged babes planning your nuptials, and the importance of realising that not one wedding planning style suits everyone. Sure, we all need to cover the same important stuff like starting your wedding budget and writing your guest list, but what does astrology say about your wedding planning style?
*Incase you didn’t notice, Mercury retrograde is when the planet is apparently moving backwards when viewed from earth, sending conversations haywire, scalding carefully laid (wedding) plans, and seemingly wreaking havoc on everything from important work contracts to your iPhone and computer.

Your Star Sign, the Planets and Your Wedding Planning Style

Here’s how to plan your wedding, according to your Zodiac Sign and ruling planet. Each planet has an effect on our astrological makeup, and, in turn, our personalities and organisational style.

The ARIES Bride – Chaotic Passion!

Ruled by Mars, the Aries bride’s wedding will be one of high excitement and passion, and your wedding planning style will be of a similar vein. The Aries bride moves FAST with wedding planning, just like she does in her relationships, career or lives in general, so don’t be surprised if you’ve somehow got your wedding venue booked before you even announce your engagement.

Beware… Often more confrontational ‘Rams’ can find themselves butting heads with friends, family and wedding planners, due to their boundless energy. Be aware of this and don’t be in too much of a hurry to rush through planning your wedding without really thinking about each decision and vendor you book. The little white planning pack will help with that, giving you a very detailed checklist and FAQ for all the wedding vendors you work with, to ensure you are both on the same page.

TAURUS Wedding – Why the Bull is the most Beautiful Bride

Ruled by Venus, the ‘Bull’ pays close attention to details in all things, so wedding planning will be no exception. Drawn to all things beautiful and romantic, your ruling planet Venus – planet of love and attraction, will be your guide towards a picture perfect wedding.
Beware, this is a lavish affair – the Taurus bride won’t spare any expense, so stay on track with your wedding budget, and consider using the budget spreadsheet, as well as your little white book.

The GEMINI Bride – Non-stop fun!

Geminis, you lucky brides-to-be, you are practically designed to plan your weddings: happy to let other people help out, while you have fun along the way, planning an understated but elegant wedding!
Geminis are ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication, making Gems the chatty, friendly babes they are. Happy to let their BFFs and bridesmaids take the reigns, fuss and organise your wedding for you, ensure YOU are still having enough input in your big day (even though you’ll love it whatever it is!). As well as getting amongst all the fun of the parties, do take the time to think about what marriage means to you, and how to make your ceremony personal and special. Don’t let the fun pass you by in a whirl either, take notes throughout the year in your little white book, and when it comes your vows and wedding speeches, you’ll have plenty to draw from.

Wedding planning with CANCER and the Moon!

The moon rules one’s moods more than any of the planets, so its significance to your wedding planning style is equal to any other. The moon instils the Cancer bride with palpable emotional energy, she is sensitive and sentimental. Your wedding ceremony will be personal and special, and the wedding itself oozes culture and uniqueness. Thoughtful vows, seating arrangements and tear-jerking speeches are the Cancer bride’s specialty.
What to look out for: sentimental Cancer won’t want to leave anyone out, so starting and sticking to the guest list can be a struggle. You will make sure everyone feels welcome, loved and special, but ensure you have time for those most important to you, by keeping the numbers reasonable. Throughout your wedding planning experience, of all the Zodiacs, you are most in need of taking time for yourself too. Take stock, relax, and reflect on your wedding plans in your little white book – the sentimental in you will love to look back on it in future years to come.

LEO – The Bold, Assertive Wedding Planner

Oh LEO, you Sun-ruled superstar, I cannot wait to see your wedding! Leo brides are not easily impressed, their powerful, fiery presence demand a big, bold and expensive wedding. You’ll need the best venue available and the most luxurious feel to your day – not to mention the fashionable statement you’ll want to make with your wedding dress.
While you should soak up every moment of the attention your lavish wedding extravaganza ensues, make sure you plan a wedding that’s all about you, the right way. Of course, you’ll also want to keep stock of the wedding budget, and when it comes to the big day, let go of the reigns, trust and relax – we all know you’re the boss!

The VIRGO bride (It me!) – Multitasking, organised precision and confidence (Perfection, right…?)

Like Gemini, this Zodiac sign is ruled by Mercury, but rather than chatty gem, we see Mercury’s energy in the Virgo Bride’s multi-tasking ability and capacity for organisation.
Executing wedding planning to-do’s with ease, you’ll be through the 12 month planning checklist within days (I booked my wedding venue 4 days after getting engaged).
While every single detail is important to Virgo, your fault-finding ways can have your friends, family and bridal party at their wits end helping you strive for perfection, and you also need to learn to let go. You probably don’t need me to tell you to keep on track of your wedding budget or your little white book checklists, I know you’re already working through it religiously.
Oh, and ensure to give thanks to everyone for their help, rather than merely giving constructive feedback!

The LIBRA’s Wedding Planning Style – Exquisite, Romantic Perfection

Libra and Taurus are the charmers of the Zodiac, sharing a ruling sign, though the Libra Bride is more likely to use their charms to achieve social harmony. Your ruling planet, Venus – of love and romance, further fuels that diplomacy.
The Libra bride needs everything to be in balance, with absolute, exquisite perfection. The goddess of love and beauty demands a wedding of soft, feminine perfection, a scene from a bridal magazine, with touches of love and romance throughout.
So, how does that affect your wedding planning style? While peaceful and loving, you can also be moody, stubborn and indecisive. Indecision is fraught with difficulty when wedding planning, as you need to be firm with your choices – a change of mind is difficult and expensive. Trust your instincts, Libra, and work with your partner. You also find it difficult to say no to anyone, and as a result can get stressed out too.
Take stock, relax, and reflect on your wedding plans in your little white book – the sentimental in you will love to look back on it in future years to come.

The SCORPIO Bride – Cool, Calm Collected

Scorpio born are passionate and assertive people, but mysteriously manage to stay cool, calm and collected under ruling planet Pluto. Resourceful and smart, you may wish to undertake some DIY projects, possibly leaving them til the last minute to finish off…

Your wedding itself will be exciting, you don’t do anything by halves, and Scorpio can be a little intense with their planning. You want it all done the right way (your way) and that’s a non negotiable.
I suggest you work closely with your bridal party, allow them to help out now and then, and be flexible about your expectations. While you have a tough surface, we know you feel emotions more deeply than most Zodiac signs too, so don’t be afraid to lean on your fiance a little.

A SAGITTARIUS Wedding Planner – The Lucky One

Planetary giant Jupiter rules the Sagittarius bride, one of the biggest personalities in the Zodiac. Sagittarius wedding planners like to dream big, with possibly a little too much optimism (i.e. that Pinterest wedding that’s way out of budget…
Often impulsive, the ‘Archer’ star sign will have fun wedding planning, perhaps leaving things til the last minute and maintaining a little mystery. When it comes to your wedding, though, you can’t leave too much up to chance. While you’ll want to try your luck and never want to miss a last minute exciting opportunity, you also need to get organised and stay on track with realistic timelines and checklists. Some things just shouldn’t be left to chance and luck, you know. Start your 12 month checklist now, even if you’ve got longer to go, and keep on track with the little white book, while leaving just a few things up to chance!

The CAPRICORN Bride – Disciplined, Structured Efficiency

With Saturn as this Zodiac’s ruling planet, Capricorn is renowned for her discipline and maturity. Sometimes referred to as the ‘authoritative figure’ of the Zodiac, the ‘Goat’ wields efficient, planning perfection – you’ll have organised the bridal party before they’ve even had a chance to say “Yes” to “Will you be my Bridesmaid“. Saturn and Capricorn crave structure – yours will be a well planned production with sophistication and class, you’re budget conscious, but not at the expense of quality.
With so many considerations to wedding planning, you may feel a little overwhelmed from time to time – there’s so many guests to accommodate, so many things to add to the wedding budget, and so many things to get structured and organised (with outstanding discipline and efficiency).
You’ll thrive using the little white wedding planning pack, keeping on track with the excel budget template, updating your guest-list spreadsheet and ticking off those to-do’s in the little white book.

The AQUARIUS Wedding Planner – Anything Goes for this laid-back bride!

Individualistic Aquarius is inspired by ruling planet Uranus, planet of innovation and originality. Expect surprised from an Aquarius bride, this will not be a mediocre affair. Unique, personal and totally original, the Aquarius reading this will already be thinking of what she can do differently at her wedding – and anything goes.
How to plan a wedding that’s all about you (the right way) is the first thing you’ll want to read, Aqua brides, while thinking about your style and personality all the way through. Aquarians love to inspire and create change in the world (the perfect Bride Tribe babes!).
While you want to plan a wedding that’s totally ‘You’, don’t feel too pressured to make everything original and unique, you still want to have a sense of cohesion, and ought not put too much pressure on yourself to change the status quo.
I suggest you choose a few priorities, and make those your projects, inspiring each of those with your own je ne sais quoi, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel at every turn. Being original and different can also be expensive, so keep an eye on the wedding budget.

The PISCES Princess – The Zodiac’s Cinderella Wedding

Finally, the Cinderella of the stars, the Pisces Princess sometimes has her head in the clouds, and wedding planning can be no exception. She gets her most obvious traits (sensitivity, imagination and spirituality) from ruling planet Neptune, and her wedding will be enchanting, magical and whimsical. It’s all about love.

As ethereal as Neptune’s influence can be though, it can also be pretty intense, and you may be disappointed if others don’t listen to your dreams, or tell you they can’t be done.
In your quest for the greatest love story ever told, and most romantic, beautiful and magical wedding imaginable, you’re likely to encounter a few hurdles, and at times feel frustrated and stifled by less fanciful things like the guest list and wedding budget. Don’t let your dreams pass you by though, in the midst of wedding planning, write down your thoughts, hopes, and what you are grateful for in the little white book as you plan your magical day.
Now that you all know your nuptial attitude according to your zodiac sign, make sure to get and stay on track with the wedding planning index. Happy planning star-crossed lovers!

You said “Yes!”, took a teary-eyed selfie and announced your upcoming nuptials to the world, but there’s one more thing you MUST do immediately…
When things go awry, mostly they’re fixable.  Whether it’s a wedding dress that’s too small (mine) or wedding cake smashed en route to venue (also mine), there’s few things that can’t be solved. However, if your engagement ring is damaged, lost, or even stolen, and you haven’t notified your insurer of your rock – or you don’t have insurance at all (seriously?) there is very little you or anyone else can do.

Nothing can replace the sentimental value of your ring, but if something happens to it, at least with adequate insurance, you can get your money back. Remember, if there’s an engagement ring on your finger, you need the little white book in your hands, undoubtedly the best wedding planner book for making sure you don’t forget anything important (like this!)
Ensure you’ve properly insured your engagement ring by having a quick read through the below. It could save you a lifetime of regret.

Insure your Engagement Ring

Of course, it will always be devastating to lose jewellery that represents something so special, but it would be so much worse if you were unable to cover the cost to replace it. In most cases, adding your ring to your contents insurance costs less than 1% of its value, and it’s worth it for the peace of mind alone.
As you may know, in a past life I was a lawyer and worked on some insurance litigation cases. Oh, and I lived in Christchurch until a couple of years after the earthquakes. Having adequate insurance is something I feel very strongly about.  So strongly, in fact that it’s included in our wedding planner book (the little white book) all of 5 times, to remind you (first steps checklist, budget pages, a note on travel insurance, a reminder, and yet another note on your honeymoon planning pages)

How to ensure you get Adequate Insurance

The most important thing you can do to protect your engagement ring, or other jewellery or special items is to have home and contents insurance (which also protects your belongings outside of the home too) and advise your insurer of your new acquisition as soon as possible.  Second to that:

• Have the jewellery appraised by a certified jeweller, so that you have the right amount of cover;
• Take photos of your engagement ring from all angles for proof of its style/design;
• Hold onto your store receipt, or email yourself a picture of it;
• Ensure your ring fits snugly, so you can’t lose it;
• If you take your engagement ring off, keep it in a secure place – this is a requirement of insurance (put it in one of these beautiful velvet boxes (pictured below), and then in a safe);
• Be especially careful when travelling (and have travel insurance);
• Have your jewellery cleaned regularly, as the jeweller is likely to notice any loose stones or damage, making it less likely you’ll lose a precious stone.

Mistakes to Avoid!

Whatever you do, don’t make these engagement ring insurance mistakes!

Waiting too long to insure your engagement ring

Preferably, you should have the ring insured before your partner (or you) walk out the store with the ring in tow, and it should go without saying that if you’re picking it up duty free to save GST, you’ll need travel insurance for while you’re away too.

Assuming your engagement ring is automatically insured

If you have contents insurance (please, please do), insuring your engagement ring is as easy as notifying your insurer. Many people will assume that their insurance ring is automatically fully insured with your house and contents, but most insurance policies exclude jewellery over a couple of thousand dollars unless specified. Read the policy. One in five people, and a whopping 44 per cent of Aucklanders, have been unable to claim for high value items because they did not specify them on the policy.

Thinking your engagement ring is insured in every situation

No matter the insurance company, there are conditions, of course. Off the top of my head, if you’re irresponsible, such as leaving your engagement ring in the car or lending it to a friend, you probably won’t be insured. Take reasonable care.

Going on your honeymoon without checking the terms of your travel insurance

Like regular contents insurance, you’ll have to notify your insurer if your ring is worth more than the standard insured value under the policy when you go on your honeymoon. Once again, read the policy, and be aware you may have to specify its value under your travel policy too.

Exaggerating the value of your engagement ring

You’ll pay the policy based on the value you insure, but insurance can only compensate your for your loss, so you’ll be paid on the basis of the cost of replacement.  Over insurance or exaggeration will only cost you money. Get an official appraisal and tell the truth.

Under insuring your jewellery

When you notify your insurer of your engagement ring, you’ll have to confirm the sum insured. Don’t skimp on cover, because not only will you lose out in a circumstance of total loss, but if you under-insure, your insurer can under-pay you.

Paying too much for insurance

It’s worth shopping around and doing some research, you may even consider using an insurance broker. You may save money on all policies if you use the same company.

Keep your ring cosy and safe in one of these beautiful Velvet Ring Boxes (made by Yana in Ukraine) when you’re not wearing it.