We couldn’t think of a better person to chat weddings with then the woman behind New Zealand’s premium wedding vendor directory. With a built in budget tracker and listings from all the best names in the business this beautiful platform is easy to use and refreshingly well designed. Marica chats with us about her own upcoming wedding and lets us know exactly what vendors she’s currently loving. We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this post to you and if you haven’t already head over to thecurator.nz and get planning!

Tell us a bit more about the curator and most importantly how it might help our brides?

The Curator is a one-stop-shop for couples to plan their New Zealand weddings. With The Curator you can find the best vendors, track your budgets, manage your guest list and be guided through the entire planning process via a pre-populated and fully customizable checklist. The platform has been created specifically for New Zealand weddings so all our advice, wisdom and guidance is tailored to that.

For most, a wedding is the first time they’ve planned an event on such a large scale so knowing where to start, keeping track of the finances, finding the right people for the job and knowing what to do if there’s a freak snow storm in January can be pretty overwhelming. We wanted to take the stress out of the planning process and really hold our users hands throughout the journey so they could feel confident they were doing exactly what they needed to be and actually enjoy it too!

You’re currently in the depths of planning your own wedding, what are your biggest overseas sources of inspiration wedding or otherwise?  

I get inspiration from all over but a lot through Instagram and Pinterest (the classics). I also follow a lot of interior design blogs which is great for colour palette and styling inspiration.

A bit random but Spanish wedding Instagram accounts are some of my favourites, very romantic.

Do you think there are any big trends coming we haven’t caught onto in NZ yet?  

There are some incredible stationery designs popping up overseas from the invites to the place settings. New Zealand couples seem to be slowly getting into this and we’re seeing more and more custom stationery with colours and designs unique to the couple and the location of their wedding.

If money was no object what would your dream wedding day look like?

I think I’d have multiple! Number one would be in Wanaka where my family live, one in Positano at a gorgeous cliff-top hotel called Le Sireneuse and one in Bali. Outside of that ridiculous situation, our Wanaka wedding is actually my dream wedding. I’ve wanted to get married in the exact same spot since I was about six years old!

What’s been the biggest surprise you’ve had so far in The Curator journey?

It’s a bit of a constant surprise as I’m learning so much as I go, marketing techniques that do and don’t work, how the application works at the back end etc. I’ve also been amazed at how many users have emailed us (without prompt) with direct feedback on the application which has enabled us to quickly modify the platform to enhance our user experience.

What would you say the average spend for a NZ wedding is?

On average couples tend to spend around 30 to 40k but we’re also increasingly seeing weddings costing upwards of 50k. People are looking to make the most of having all their friends and family in one place so the one-day wedding is extending into week-long affairs which inevitably puts the cost up.

It never really surprised me as I’ve always been aware of how much goes into a wedding day from the sound system to the caterers to the bus – it all adds up and there are so many little things that can often get forgotten when looking at the bigger picture. You’re also dealing with world-class vendors who put their absolute heart and soul into providing the best possible service and products.

That being said, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to celebrate your love and as long as you do something that feels special to you and doesn’t add financial pressure then you can’t go wrong!

Can you give us a handful of your go to vendors or ones you’ve recently discovered that our brides might like to know of?

Batched Premium Cocktails do the most delicious pre-mixed espresso martinis. All you have to do is shake with ice and pour which is perfect when you’ve got lots of thirsty guests to cater to!

Flossy’s Ice Cream - a very cute little ice cream truck who provide a unique experience through liquid nitrogen. They make the ice cream with either a dairy or coconut base to ensure everyone is catered to. Perfect for a hot summer wedding and something just a little bit different. 

Alexandra Dodds jewellery for engagement rings and wedding bands.

Renee from One Poppy Wedding Flowers creates some really beautiful floral arrangements and is also incredibly focused on ensuring her work has minimal impact on the earth. 

Cowshed 488 on the West Coast. The most gorgeous boutique accommodation - perfect for a minimoon or honeymoon or any other occasion for that matter!

The Dinner Table for beautiful tableware. We particularly love her champagne coupes. Karena the owner is so lovely and absolutely loves weddings! She ships her products all over New Zealand too.

Coco Florence for antique and vintage jewellery. The diamonds and gemstones are all of an extremely high quality and very hard to source anywhere else in New Zealand.

Do you have any tips or tricks for our brides when communicating with vendors?

I’d suggest getting in touch early in the week when they’re less likely to be out and about creating wedding magic. Try to avoid Instagram DM’s – always email or use their website contact forms to ensure they don’t miss you. 

Try to get in touch as soon as possible – wedding vendors book up quickly, some are already booking for late 2021.

Ask lots of questions and don’t be afraid to give them a bit of free reign. All the vendors we work with are incredibly creative so if you like their general style, chances are you will be pretty happy with whatever they create.

What’s your biggest wedding splurge and biggest wedding save?

Biggest splurge would have to be the dress. 

We’re getting married on family property so that was a nice little cost saver!

Any Final words?

We’ve loved building this community of incredibly talented vendors and being able to help couples from all over the world to plan their New Zealand weddings. Super excited for what’s to come in 2020!!