by Johanna Osborne

 

The Wellington Wedding Show is a big deal. It’s all about any months of planning, long weeks of preparation and numerous days of fine tuning all the details. It’s a huge event, and the very hard working Paula Bevege and her dedicated team certainly go the extra mile to make sure it’s everything we promise it will be!

 

Behind the scenes there’s a lot of liaising, ordering, problem solving, packing and unpacking, heavy lifting, not to mention finding enough Velcro dots and staple guns and trolleys to go round – it’s madness really! The list of tasks is endless… but for those walking through the door, it’s nothing but one giant wedding party with tons on offer and a selection to make you weak at the knees. Exactly as it should be! And all the amazingly positive feedback from both visitors and exhibitors on the day and via Facebook, phone calls and email in the last 2 days has made us realise just how important and special this event is to so many people. The Wellington Wedding Show is better than ever, and people are absolutely loving it. And that makes us incredibly happy and proud.

 

Twice a year New Zealand’s finest wedding specialists gather here in Wellington to take part in what is now a staple in every bride-to-be’s diary. It’s a super fun day with an opportunity to share information and learn about the best suppliers available in this increasingly competitive wedding market.

 

I was stationed at our Mr & Mrs stand. Mr & Mrs is the official magazine of the Wellington Wedding Show, and it was with great pleasure and honour that we debuted issue 3 to the brides and grooms that came through the door. Everyone got at least one copy, but many asked for several more- we don’t blame them! We had some truly lovely feedback on the magazine, and it was so nice to spot people reading it whilst sipping a cup of coffee during a well earned rest at the cafe, before continuing on their way around the Old Town Hall.

 

We had lots and lots of wonderful prizes to give out at our Mr and Mrs magazine stand, and I must say, that was a true joy for me! People were simply blown away with the quality of the goodies! We had gorgeous Antipodes face care packs, lovely wine, delicious chocolates, men’s’ aftershave, a fantastic photo shoot voucher from Meeko & Redge Photography, and a yummy 2 course lunch voucher from Peppers Parehua in Martinborough. There were many, many happy people and we have the photos to prove it! Some of the prizes were given out via a Facebook competition we had run in the days leading up to the show, others were awarded via heart, star or clover wand on the spot whilst people were looking around on Sunday. It was a delight seeing people who say they don’t normally win anything, get something they truly loved and treasured.

 

And whilst the Mr & Mrs stand was certainly buzzing with excitement, the fun didn’t stop there. I was flanked by party central – to my right was Dion from the Amazing Travelling Photobooth who had the exact replica of our magazine cover as the backdrop for his photos, and once again his booth was a people magnet with everyone lining up to get their fun shots. You can see lots of them on our Facebook page (Wellington Wedding show). To my left was Jono Tucker’s video stand with couples given the opportunity to record a message offering their best wedding advice to win one of 2 bottles of gorgeous French champagne. It was fantastic seeing everyone get into the spirit of it.

 

I was pretty flat out at my stand, but when I did escape to have a look around the Old Town Hall it was one big happy hive of activity with couples enjoying making contact with such wonderful suppliers and really soaking up the advice and inspiration on offer. The stands were so impressive – exhibitors really had gone above and beyond to create a small slice of what their business/service feels like and can offer, and we can’t applaud them enough in this stellar effort. Phenomenal creativity and effort went into it and it was certainly recognised and appreciated. Many stall holders were awarded a prize for their amazing efforts, and Susan Hesp from Heirloom Vintage Tableware truly did deserve the Overall Winner with her amazing table set up. I hope everyone got to check out the High Tea offer in conjunction with Simply Food – sounds like a dream package to me!

 

At the end of the day it was fair to say we were all pretty happy and suitably tired, but in a good and satisfied way. And now with the end of one show comes the beginning of another… we are already planning 2013’s autumn show… it will be a biggie and we will announce the date soon.

 

In the meantime stay tuned into our Facebook and Twitter pages and our blog… we love staying in touch with you and hearing what you think. Didn’t get a copy of Mr & Mrs #3?? I’ll be your fairy godmother and send you a copy at your request – email me! [email protected]
And of course check out the awesome photos of what can only be described as an amazing day…