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When you think of a wedding, do you see champagne bubbles? Toasts with wine glasses in the air? Or maybe you think your family would prefer a keg of beer? If you said “no” to any of the above questions, then you’re in the right place.It may seem unheard of, but heaps of weddings choose not to serve alcohol. It could be because you’ve made a personal choice not to drink, maybe you don’t want the party to get too rowdy, or you just don’t want to spend the extra cash it costs to load up the venue with spirits. No matter the case, there are multiple solutions to your dry wedding conundrum. 

If You Decide Not to Serve Alcohol

Distract from the fact that it’s a dry wedding. Having a dry wedding is nothing to be ashamed of, but traditionally people are used to having alcohol served at these types of functions. So, having a lot of activities planned is always a good idea. This way, you won’t receive too many questions about where the booze is. This option…

If the traditional simple floral arrangement isn’t quite your style or allergies are an issue during your ceremony, you might be looking at other options for stunningly creative centerpieces and bouquets. Although contrary to traditional decor, non-floral items can be used in beautiful ways to construct breathtaking motifs for your big day.

Cages & Lanterns

With or without floral accents, lanterns are a timeless choice for any centerpiece or bouquet. The metallic surface can be left in a pristine state, which will coordinate with any colour scheme for patterns. To add a antique feel, rough up the metal a little with some sandpaper or add some brassy tones to imitate tarnish. Lastly, spray paint the entire piece according to your colour choice. This can make old metal look good as new.

Sweets & Candies

Want a piece that you won’t have to waste? A quick and easy cotton candy bouquet won’t last long into the reception. This way you and your partner can share the…

As an alternative celebrant, I’ve been to more than my fair share of costume weddings, and I can tell you they are always a lot of fun!A costume wedding often has a theme (some popular themes include: medieval, steampunk, wild west, “Halloween”, masquerade, favourite book characters, etc.) and having the guests in costume serve to make the day even more special. But for some guests the idea of dressing in a costume for a wedding is completely foreign, and they may not be so keen to participate. Here are some tips for pulling off a successful costume wedding.

Are You Both Into It?

If you want a costume wedding, but your partner isn’t keen, then it’s probably not a good idea to push it. If you’re both excited about it, you’ll be able to get others excited about it as well. But if one of you is rolling his/her eyes behind the other’s back, it’s a great way to get your marriage off on the wrong foot.Likewise, if one or both sets of parents are footing the bill, and they…

Picnics are one of the delights of summer, so why not incorporate a picnic into your wedding? Picnic wedding receptions are fun, quirky, and a great way to save money on your reception costs.I was honoured to officiate a wedding ceremony in 2012 for two close friends, who had a picnic reception at Fort Takapuna in Auckland. After the ceremony, guests were instructed to go and choose a blanket and a basket and find a spot on the lawns for their picnic. It was a beautiful day and a truly memorable reception!Here are some ideas on hosting your own picnic wedding reception:

Invitations and Organisation

A picnic reception is still a pretty novel idea, so you’ll need to make it very clear on your invitations what is going on so people aren’t surprised or confused.  A great idea would be to create “treasure maps” or handwritten invitations directing your guests to your picnic location.Figure out exactly how your picnic reception is going to work. Where will your picnic be…

Many couples like to incorporate readings in their ceremonies – passages and quotes that articulate their own views on love and marriage and commitment. There are many beautiful readings available, and many couples choose popular passages such as 1 Corinthians 13 – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast …”. This is a beautiful reading that expresses the perfect nature of love.But what if you’re looking for something a little different? What if you want ceremony readings that express different concepts of love and marriage and commitment? Here are some alternative and non-traditional wedding ceremony readings you could try:

From “First Poems”, by Rainer Maria Rilke

Understand, I’ll slip quietly Away from the noisy crowd When I see the pale Stars rising, blooming over the oaks. I’ll pursue solitary pathways Through the pale twilit meadows,
 With only this one dream: You come too.


“I Rely on You,” by Hovis Presley

I rely on…

Are you fed up with all the stress of wedding planning? Does the thought of another perfectly styled wedding magazine layout make you want to vomit? Are you wondering why you can’t just throw a big party and get married in the middle of it … well, why not?Surprise weddings are becoming more and more common and brides and grooms are worn out from the stress of wedding planning on top of already hectic lives. Instead of going through months of drama, you organise a shindig, get a celebrant to turn up, and get married right in the middle of the party, to the surprise and (hopefully) delight of your friends and family. If that sounds like just the thing for you, then read on to learn how to plan a surprise wedding:

Choosing a Venue

For a surprise wedding, the best option for a venue is someone’s home – perhaps a parent or close friend. Having the wedding at a home allows freedom in décor and colour scheme, and ensures you can set up, take deliveries and hide props without…

Celebrating your union with your friends and family can often mean lots of people travelling long distance and piles of rubbish to clean up. If you’re an eco-conscious kiwi, you might be worried about the impact your wedding has on the environment. After all, the typical wedding includes decorations, food, transport that may only be used for one day, but leave a lasting impact on the earth.Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can have a more eco-friendly wedding – here are some of our top tips!

Cut out travel time

People might travel from the other end of the country – or even from other parts of the world – to attend a wedding, adding their increased carbon emissions to the already polluted atmosphere.You can do your bit to limit carbon emissions simply by planning your wedding in a location where the majority of your guests reside. This limits the amount of people who need to travel long-distance. Choose a venue in a central location close to public transport…

The tradition of a bride carrying a bouquet of flowers on her wedding day has a very surprising origin. During the medieval period, where the plague claimed many lives, brides would carry a bouquet of garlic and dill on their wedding day. These herbs were thought to ward off plague.The tradition continued and, as the threat of plague diminished, brides began to add their favourite herbs and flowers to their bouquets – after all, you don’t want garlic breath on your wedding day!Although many brides still attach importance to carrying a flower bouquet down the aisle, you might like to carry something a little different. Here are some ideas for bouquet alternatives.

Craft Bouquets

You can make a bouquet out of practically anything – buttons and felt, feathers, beads, shells, origami, even candy. A crafted bouquet could match your wedding theme – for example, a shell bouquet for a beach wedding – and has the added bonus of lasting forever (well, except a candy…