Backyardweddings.co.nz is a trusted community platform for people to list, discover, and book unique wedding venues around New Zealand.

Tamarin, the entrepreneur behind the site, said that picking a wedding venue for her was a big deal.

“The venue sets the tone. It influences your invite list. It’s the “meat” in the wedding sandwich, if you will. So why then is finding one so hard?”

Tamarin could never understand why some venues dictate how much you must spend on food, or whether or not you can have children,...

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1. Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney
2. The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams
3. The Owl and the Pussy-Cat, by Edward Lear
4. No Matter What, by Debi Gliori
5. Winnie the Pooh – A. A. Milne

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Inspired by St Patrick's day we've dug out some of our favourite Irish wedding blessings. These meaningful words can be used in your ceremony or are the perfect way to toast the happy couple during wedding speeches. Hopefully this is just the inspiration you need to finalise your service or wedding speech!

 May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Setting up your wedding registry should be one of the easiest and most enjoyable pieces of wedmin you’ll undertake when planning your big day.  There are a few things we’ve learnt at Orchid & Grove over the years that we hope will help make setting up your gift registry a breeze.

Why you should set up a gift registry

• People take pride in giving wedding gifts (even if you ask them not to). Putting together a registry of gifts that you love helps your friends and family choose something special and avoids double ups.
• Cash as a gift doesn’t...

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If you're planning a wedding in Auckland then your starting point must be Auckland Weddings. It's a great online wedding tool which showcases Auckland's best wedding vendors. In addition it has a helpful blog which regularly features wedding industry guest writers who share their wisdom to help make planning your wedding easy and fun.

The Directory is the perfect starting point for finding Auckland's best wedding vendors, listing over 170 vendors from bands and bridesmaid dresses to venues and videographers.  You'll of course find Orchid & Grove listed on the website too!

You can contact vendors...

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If you're planning a wedding in Wellington then you must check out Wellington Weddings. It's a great new online wedding tool which showcases Wellington's best wedding vendors. In addition it has a helpful blog which regularly features wedding industry guest writers who share their wisdom to help make planning your wedding easy and fun.

The Directory is the perfect starting point for finding Wellington's best wedding vendors, listing over 100 vendors from bands and bridesmaid dresses to venues and videographers.  You'll of course find Orchid & Grove listed on the website too!

You can contact vendors...

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The first hurdle for many couples is preparing the invite list. We’ve compiled a list of tips to help you prepare your guest list.  With a little bit of foresight and diplomacy there is no reason why this task needs to be stressful:

• Budget: The biggest consideration is always going to be your budget and how many guests it allows. There is no point in overextending yourselves and spending more than you can afford.
• Style: Do you want a big wedding or a small intimate wedding? Discuss your expectations of the day with each other, and with...

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We're dreaming of a long hot summer and think these bean bags are just what we need to relax in and while away an afternoon reading a good book.  They come in four great colours/prints (black, stone, diamond and tile) and will look great at the bach. They're super versatile as they're suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

We reckon they'd make awesome Christmas presents too. So for today and tomorrow we're offering...

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Our Le Creuset cast iron casserole has been getting a huge work out since the cold weather set in.  We use it all the time and were lucky enough to receive it as a wedding gift from family friends.  They told us that it is their go to wedding gift as they know it is something that will get used frequently and stand the test of time.  They're speaking from experience as they still use their Le Creuset casserole that they were given for their wedding over 35 years ago. 

Given how much we...

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Back in March we were treated to a wine tasting at Auckland's Northern Club with Mr George Riedel, the tenth generation head of the 300 year old company.  He boldly announced that Riedel's varietal specific glasses are "no hocus pocus" but rather carefully designed and engineered stemware developed through a reliance on physics and an understanding of the taste, aroma and overall profile of the different varieties of wine.

Did using the right glass make a difference to our enjoyment of the wine we tasted? Without a doubt they did. The right glass can even make mineral water taste different....

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We were lucky enough to be invited to the Auckland Weddings vendor event at The Wharf last week to catch up with others in the wedding industry.  It was a great chance to chat with others in the industry and gain some valuable insights.  It was also great to catch up with Coralee Stone, our favorite wedding photographer who helped capture our special day 3 years ago!

There are some really cool businesses out there who offer new and unique services and products.  You can check them all out...

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Spiegelau have been making glassware for over 5 centuries and are now making a grate range of craft beer glasses.

Spiegelau's craft beer glasses are designed to enhance the appearance, flavour and aroma of your favourite beer.  They've been tested by an expert panel of craft beer experts to create the perfect shaped glass to maximise the flavour of different craft beers.  They boast brilliant clarity and are certified dishwasher safe (up to 1500 cycles).

We're stoked to be stocking this awesome range of craft beer glasses.  The range includes tall pilsner, stemmed...

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I don't think it is an overstatement to say that we love our Magimix Food Processor.  We've got the 2.6 litre version which has three separate bowls and numerous different blades.  We store it on our bench so it is easy to access and as a result it gets a workout most days.  It's powerful motor breezes through chopping and it's pretty easy to clean up (which is great because we hate doing dishes!).

We use it to whip up quick snacks like hummus, bliss balls, for grating beetroot and carrot for salads (no purple hands,...

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We're excited to now be stocking the amazing Citta Design range.  We've been busy loading a great range of cushions, bean bags, travel bags, photo frames and table lamps.  Citta Design is a New Zealand company which designs its own seasonal collections inspired by the worlds unique cultures.  We love the Citta Design philosophy of creating "enduring design staples" to "fill your colourful life with things that you love".  We think that the Citta Design range would be the perfect addition to your wedding registry - beautiful gifts you will love and gifts your guests will love to give.

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Mother's Day is just around the corner and we've come up with our top five gift ideas to help you spoil your Mum.  Thank your Mum for all her love with something special from our great range of gifts.  We'll even gift wrap your pressie, add a personal message and ship it to you, or direct to your Mum, for free.  Get your orders in by 23 April to ensure delivery in time for the big day.

1. Bluebells Cakery cookbook by Karla Goodwin.  This is a beautiful book to thumb through.  And if you're lucky Mum...

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Laguiole (pronounced lah-yole or la-gwee-ole depending on what side of the bed you got out of) is a small village in the Southern France department of Aveyron and the birthplace of Laguiole knives. 

The traditional Laguiole knife is a handcrafted folding knife with a horn handles first made by Pierre-Jean Calmels in 1829.  The cork screw was added in the 1880’s.  The back of the blade of the knives are traditionally adorned by a bee.

Laguiole is not a brand name.  It is a generic term for a French handcrafted folding knife, in the same way that the word...

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A wedding registry can be an important part of the wedding experience for you and your guests.  It should be easy to use, offer quality products and the ability to add the gifts you really want. It should not be stressful or time consuming.  

We know people struggle with “asking” guests for gifts – we did.  We didn’t expect our guests to give us gifts, we just wanted them to help us celebrate our marriage.  But, as guests we (any many others) love to keep to tradition and give the happy couple a gift to mark their wedding day....

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While we pride ourselves on being the best choice wedding registry service – we’re not just a wedding registry.  We are also an online department store stocking a wide range of quality products – perfect for gifts or just for you.  We’d love to help you find the perfect gift for your anniversary, an engagement party, Christmas, birthdays or even corporate gifts.

We’ll gift wrap and add a personal message to your gift and if you want us to we can deliver direct to the lucky recipient.  We also offer free shipping New Zealand wide on all purchases.  So we...

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We want you to love using our service and we aim to constantly exceed all expectations of our registry customers. We want to be a simple and memorable part of your wedding experience.  We offer:

• Personal service: We’re a family run business and we love talking to and helping our customers. We are available day and night to help with any queries you may have.
• The extra mile: If we don’t have something that you want for your registry, tell us and we’ll list it just for you. We also have great complimentary information cards that will suit any...

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Welcome to Orchid & Grove – your online Department Store and wedding registry.  We currently stock over 1,000 different products and we are constantly on the look-out for new products to add to our range.

We know how much work goes into organising a wedding.  And we know most people struggle with whether they should create a registry – we did.  We didn’t expect our guests to give us gifts, we just wanted them to help us celebrate our marriage. 

We set up a registry (at the urging of our Mothers) and realised what a great idea it was.  Most...

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