Wedding vendor love: Christchurch Weddings
Image: Hannah Bird Photography
Christchurch Weddings
Lucy from Christchurch Weddings knows a thing or two about planning and hosting a wedding in Canterbury. She’s so immersed in everything NZ weddings, we just HAD to introduce our Clarence & Co. followers to one of the South Island’s best.
Image: Hannah Bird Photography
Tell us about yourself and what you do in the NZ wedding industry?
Well, Hey! I’m Lucy and I’m a wedding blogger turned planner who has the most insane fire burning inside me to promote the best of the local Canterbury wedding and events industry. On my platforms, you can find a tonne of advice and inspiration to help prepare you for any event - Especially your wedding! I offer a directory unlike any other in the country where I personally know every single person behind each business and work with them on the regular. This is one of my biggest assets as a wedding planner, which you’ll find more out about shortly. My second biggest passion is to have my couples planning occasions that suit them perfectly and I like to shake things up a little (read: a lot) by really encouraging people to think about why they are doing what they’re doing, and ignoring those pesky external voices!
Image: Hannah Bird Photography
We were so excited when we saw you now offer wedding planning services! You'll bring so much knowledge and value to the wedding planning table. But for those who aren't sure, what does a wedding planner do, exactly? Wedding Planning is one of those services where people will often recognise their help, but until the day is actually over you won’t typically realise just how much your planner has done behind the scenes! I’ve shaped my planning packages to cater to your regular kiwi couple, because if we face the facts, kiwis aren’t afraid of ‘planning’ their own wedding! I offer consults as their own service and have structured them so that my couples find value at whatever stage they are at when they book me. Maybe they’re at the beginning and are after some vendor recommendations and styling ideas, halfway through things and wanting a little reassurance they’re on the right track with a next steps type conversation, or maybe they’re in the final couple of months and are managing their own day and just after some advice around what documents need to be created and who requires what information. Absolutely nothing is off the table in terms of what we can discuss! Coordination is the next step and also my favourite service on offer. When couples sign up we go through the consultation process, then we catch up from time to time during the planning process and three months out I come back in all guns blazing to tie everything together — It’s like a full-blown takeover and means my couples are left totally stress-free. This is where one of my main points of difference is as most planners around the country come in one month out. My personal belief is that the more time we have on our hands the better — Nobody wants to be sorting out signage one month out from their big day! I also offer full planning, so if you simply just want to turn up on the day and have everything taken care of I can take care of that too.
I'm a pretty organised person. Why would I go with a wedding planner rather than do it all myself / with my partner?
I see my role in a couples big day as incredibly important and am often the one placing questions back on the pair, asking them if something they are doing is what they want — Plus I’m also not afraid to tell the parents or in-laws to politely ‘back-off’ if they’re not helping in the equation. My focus is entirely on my couples (and their happiness) and I love to be able to offer piece of mind with them knowing I have their back.
Being a planner and through having a directory that encroaches so many different styles I’m fully immersed in the events industry and not only do I have great relationships with local businesses, I work with them regularly too so I will often be able to save you the research and connect you with people that I know will work for you.
I’m totally upfront and understanding of the fact that not everyone needs a wedding ‘planner’ so to speak, but I believe (and also wish I’d invested in one) that wedding day coordinators are the secret weapon to a care-free couple and allow you to be fully present and be without worry about anything going wrong or not to plan. The absolute last thing you want to be doing on the week of your wedding is set up either on the night before or morning of your wedding day - There’s enough running around without that in the equation! Leave it to a pro to bring your vision to life — It also allows you to have a little surprise as you walk into each space too!
Image: Hannah Bird Photography
What are the trends you are seeing taking shape for the 2019/2020 wedding season?
Down here in Christchurch we are seeing container loads of sleek, modern furniture arriving and I’m beginning to see more of a shift towards couples moving from what would typically be a rustic setting within a rustic venue, to throwing a tonne of contrast and juxtaposition at a space. It’s so very cool and exciting for me as a planner who loves having a bit of a creative outlet to have some fun with my couples! Most importantly for me, and if you’ve been following along with CW the past two years you’ll know that I’m forever pushing for couples to focus on themselves and create a day that suits them instead of being guided by trends. If your wedding fits your personalities, it will always remain classic.
Do you have a favourite wedding moment you could share with us?
I have so many I could write a book! I don’t know about other planners, but I shed a few tears at every wedding I am a part of — When I see the bride for the first time, their mum or dad sees them for the first time, during the ceremony, the speeches — The waterworks can spring up on me at any moment!
If you want to check out more from Christchurch Weddings, you can visit their website or follow them on Instagram or Facebook.