Truly Yours Bride - Jaz

Written By Sophie Cocks

Some couples choose a venue. Jaz and Tim chose a place that already meant everything to them, and built the rest around it. When Jaz first pictured her wedding day, she didn't picture a venue, she pictured a place.

"Just the most special place. We were so lucky to be able to have our wedding on the lawn at Tim's family holiday home in Wānaka, which is our favourite place to spend time together. I always knew it would be magical to get married somewhere that was already so full of memories for us, and where we could continue to make memories for years to come."

Jaz and Tim now have a seven month old son, and they've already taken him back to that same place.

"I love knowing that when he's older, we'll be able to show him the photos of us getting married there and tell him all about that special day. It feels incredibly special knowing that our wedding is now part of the story of a place that means so much to our family."

That's the quiet magic of a marquee wedding. Your venue doesn't have to be somewhere new, it can be somewhere that's already yours.

Why a marquee, not a fixed venue

For Jaz, the decision came down to freedom.

"I wanted to build our wedding from the ground up, without the restrictions of a traditional venue. It was so special being able to choose everything that felt right for us, and it made the whole day feel so 'us'."

No fixed venue also meant no fixed rules.

"It also really appealed to Tim that there wasn't an 11pm deadline, so the party could keep going. Having our dog Gus there was also not negotiable! And honestly, Wānaka is the perfect place for a clear marquee, we couldn't resist!"

Seeing it come to life

Ask Jaz what she noticed first, and it's not the flowers or the tables. It's the feeling.

"I was just blown away by how beautiful it looked and how much it felt like ours. Having it on our own lawn, with all of our own design concepts brought to life, made it feel so personal and completely us. Seeing all the little details come together was incredible, especially the pop of the blue hydrangeas and the gorgeous tables. It was everything we had envisioned and more."

The detail no one else noticed

For Jaz, the most meaningful part of the day wasn't something you could photograph easily, it was who made it.

"The food! Having the flexibility to choose and design an experience that was meaningful to us meant we were so excited to involve our friends. One friend caught crayfish with his dad, which we used for canapés, while another gifted us whitebait. Another friend made our cake, and they were all there on the day to enjoy it with us. Having our friends contribute in these little ways made the day feel even more personal and special."

Jaz's advice for couples just starting out

Jaz's planning advice is honest, practical, and worth bookmarking:

  • Book vendors in order of priority. "Make a list of what was most to least important to us (especially the big things) and book our vendors in that order. You're lucky if you get every vendor you'd ideally like, so some compromise is inevitable."

  • Build a vision board. "Pinterest helped me shape and guide our vision so much."

  • Set a budget, then unfollow. "Once you've made a decision, unfollow the wedding pages on Instagram... it's a financial trap, haha!"

  • Book a videographer if you can. "Watching your day back and seeing yourselves experience the best day of your lives is such a magical experience."

  • Get an on-the-day coordinator. "A marquee wedding doesn't come with a venue manager, so the pack-up and pack-down, the running order for the day, and all the little mishaps are otherwise on your shoulders. Hand it all over to someone else and truly enjoy your day."

The Truly Yours difference

"Seamless from start to finish. I was so impressed by the fast responses and, most importantly, the genuine care I felt as a client. I also really appreciated the flexibility to add to the marquee close to the day if the weather didn't play ball."

But it was the team, not just the marquee, that stayed with her.

"I think what blew me away most was when the lads came to set up the marquee. They didn't just do their physical job and leave, they involved us, had a bit of banter, and got us feeling excited and pumped for the day ahead. Equally, during pack-down, we had plenty of yarns and honestly felt like we'd made a couple of new mates in the process. Legends!"

Thinking about building your wedding day around a place that already means something to you? Send us your date, location and guest numbers, and let's talk about what's possible 🤍

Sophie Cocks
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