From the runway to the aisle…

So Air New Zealand Fashion Week has come and gone for another year, leaving me eagerly anticipating the gorgeous garments that will hit stores in 2010.

I got such a buzz out of all the new looks unleashed on the catwalk – a constant breeze of creativity layered in endless contrasting textures and colours.

Whether Zambesi gets you going or you’re a Trelise girl, there was something for everyone – styles suitable for any type of ceremony, for you, your bridemaids, mum, groom … or even that honeymoon suitcase.

Some of my fave ANZFW catwalk moments:

27 Names

Juliette Hogan

Trelise Cooper

Cybele

Zambesi

Kate Sylvester

Sera Lilly

Posted by Melissa Gardi on 26 September 2009 | 49 comments

I get by with a little help from my friends

When it comes to your wedding, the 1967 words of John Lennon and Paul McCartney couldn’t ring more true.

The wild wedding ride is not only with your fiancé, it’s with your friends and family, since they’re the ones who will share the ins and outs of the entire planning process with you.

From the texture of your dress to the exact colour shade of the seating chart (‘it’s periwinkle, not purple’), they’ll listen, discuss, support and care about the decisions you make along the way.

While bearing witness to your pledge of commitment and celebrating the occasion with you, your friends and family are most importantly part of the serendipity when the big day arrives.

They’ll create moments that you didn’t plan, and make memories for you all.

For my friend Juliet, (pictured below) her bridesmaids were definitely part of her tribe – they were there the night before the wedding, setting in motion a midnight skinny dip in Lake Rotoiti.

They were there to toast with a tequila shot moments before departing for the ceremony, and they were by her side, creating new inside jokes, all wedding long.

On my wedding day my brother Marc’s speech, unprompted and unforgettable, triggered a few other unplanned speeches from friends and family.

The sentiments brought my wedding experience to another level.

Almost seven years later, it’s still my favourite part of our wedding video.

Your friends and family are there to keep you smiling when the planning becomes stressful, to prop you up if you need it, and to walk into the future with you, open armed.

There’s a reason that Beatles song is considered one of the greatest songs of all time. It’s about something we all know and love and appreciate: friendship.

What are some of the things your family and friends have done to make your wedding journey memorable?

Posted by Melissa Gardi on 14 September 2009 | 43 comments

We all love a good wedding

And when the celebration’s yours it’s not just the day that’s memorable - it’s the steps along the way.

The decisions. The emotions. The ladder to one of life’s most epic journeys: marriage.

At New Zealand Weddings our heart is the magazine.

It’s our passion for weddings – the creativity and joy of the journey – that is our soul.

While there are few things that I enjoy as much as putting together a beautiful, inspiring and informative magazine about all things wedding, I hope this blog will reach out that much further to those planning a wedding, or to those who just plain love them. 

With the first step, here’s one of my favourite wedding images, one that marks a sense of occasion:

It’s the sense of arrival that I love about it.

And the fact that it could have been shot five years or 50 years ago, epitomising that old cliché that black and white photography is timeless. (It’s actually been a decade since this was taken at my ex flatmate’s big day.)

It’s a moment like this that celebrates a bride’s debut – when she feels her most beautiful and full of life and love. When all those steps and decisions that ebb and flow for months or years transform into exactly what you envisaged.

Let the games begin!

PS If you haven’t already noticed, we’ve taken steps upwards and onwards with our website – while getting an overview of our current issue on-sale you can also use our article directory to find stories from our archives that meet your needs.

Plus our blog will keep you informed and inspired between issues.

For up-to-the-minute info, visit us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NZWeddingsMag).

Posted by Melissa Gardi on 7 September 2009 | 36 comments