Please bear with me while I take a moment to drool over these creations from Urban Gourmet. Based in Auckland, this food company will cater (although "cater" seems like too ordinary a word for this lot, conjuring up images of ladies in school canteens whipping up pineapple and cheese sammies) at a venue of your choice in the Auckland region. Shame that Blenheim isn't in the Auckland region; how wonderful would it be to have this for cocktail hour? They'll also help to select appropriate venues for your function from their comprehensive list of contacts (which includes the Auckland Museum; one of The premier wedding venues in the city. sigh). 
My friend Mel can't decide on her wedding colours but really likes a teal dress by Alfred Angelo. I have always wanted to have a go at this inspiration board lark, so here is my first effort.
Drylands is the venue for our reception, but we haven’t yet decided on the venue for the actual ceremony itself. I am not such a fan of big churches. There’s something about walking down a long aisle in a big church that makes me a bit nervous. Instead, when trawling the net for inspiration, I am drawn to small, intimate churches with a really rustic, old fashioned feel. There is one venue in Marlborough that I have absolutely fallen in love with; Old Saint Mary's Convent. Originally a convent located in the town centre, several years ago the whole building was re-located to the countryside and renovated into a boutique hotel. They have kept the original chapel and have landscape the whole area to within an inch of its life (just to trap people like myself into accepting nothing less; I know their crafty plan). Honestly, this place just fits the wedding in my head so well. It is also now located just over the road from my great-grandparent’s original farm, which would provide some beautiful and meaningful wedding pictures. The blue of the buildings against a perfect summer sky? Bliss.
The Big Day is a mere 26 months away!! I know that it is a long way off yet, but I also know that two years is going to go by very quickly (and, frankly, nothing is going to stop me planning our big day now that the ring is on my finger!). A close friend, and fellow bride-to-be, Mel, is now in the 18 months before her Big Day, and it’s amazing how quickly it’s all happening.
I seem to change my mind every five minutes on the colour scheme, and whether I am pro- or anti-favours, but we have at least got a couple of things in the pipeline.
Aside from the actual vow-exchange/getting-married part of it, I am most into the reception. I love food, and I love my family and friends more than anything – so the idea of throwing the biggest party of our lives at which we get to feed our family and friends is kind of exhilarating! Am gobsmacked, though, at how far in advance places book out – the venue we love best already has bookings into 2010!! so we have jumped on the bandwagon and booked as well.
We are getting married in my home town of Blenheim, New Zealand. The “Sunshine capital of New Zealand” (though Nelson wouldn’t agree – we have a bit of a Shelbyville/Springfield thing going) Blenheim is most well-known for being in Marlborough, one of New Zealand’s wine regions. So we’re kind of spoilt for choice for chic, well-designed, wineries stocking gorgeous food and amazing wines. A few months ago my parents and the in-laws went out for a luncheon at Drylands Estate, a beautiful winery restaurant owned by the amazingly talented Dietmar Schnarre. Dietmar is also the proprietor of Bellafico which serves The most divine desserts in Blenheim, if not all of New Zealand. Seating 130 people, and with a dance floor all ready to go, Drylands is perfect. Not being a huge fan of the buffet line, but not wanting to restrict choice either, their plated buffet is perfect for us.
