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Most people find this subject hard to talk about but it is definitely an important discussion you should be having very early in your planning stage. Money is up there as one of the main causes of stress during a wedding but it doesn’t have to be that way if you just make sure you plan ahead & use a little common sense. We would highly recommend putting your wedding budget in print. Seeing it in black & white helps you to keep track of what you’re spending & will help you to prioritise the different elements of your wedding. There are also plenty of Wedding Budget calculators available online these days. Who is contributing to your wedding? The first step is to figure out who is contributing to your wedding. A lot of couples are either footing the entire bill themselves or paying towards part of their wedding budget. Talk to your parents (both sets) to see if they wish to help with your budget or pay for a specific element like the photographer or the honeymoon. Everyone’s situation is different so do what works for you & your family. How much you actually need? The next thing you need to do is figure out how much you actually need. Research and get estimated costs for your outfits, invitations, venue, catering, DJ, MC, Photographer/Videographer and catering etc. If your estimated costs are greater than your budget then you will need to start playing around with figures. See what aspects are more important than others. Compromise is essential during this step. Start a savings plan. Once you have an indication of the wedding cost, start saving :) Divide your budget by the total number of months until your wedding plus 3 to 6 months after your wedding date. This is how much you will need to save a month to pay for your wedding without spending a large portion of your married life in debt. Open a dedicated wedding account, this will help you keep track of how much you are saving & spending. And don’t forget your wedding day is not about how much you spend but spending what you have wisely! If you need assistance with coming up with a wedding budget or quotes from suppliers then please do contact us on pritesh@mrmc.co.nz or visit our website for further details www.mrmc.co.nz. Please read our other blog articles to help you understand how our team can help you to have a memorable and stress free wedding or event.

As soon as you announce your wedding, chances are you will be bombarded with tips and advice from many friends and family. From our experience in walking many couples down the isle, here are a few important tips that many may not share with you and these tips will help you enjoy your wedding day even more. 1. Enjoy each moment. The day you dreamt of is finally here. All the planning that had to be done is over. On the actual day, it is important you stop worrying and panicking about the wedding arrangements. This rare day will fly past, you have to embrace each moment and Enjoy every bit of it. Tip: Delegate important tasks and payment arrangements that need to be done on the day to someone responsible. Trust your Wedding Coordinator, MC or whoever is responsible for the event to run with it as the day unfolds. At this point I would like to say its critical to have a chosen MC or someone who knows the ins and outs of the entire day so they can execute it without troubling you every half hour for things that are not in place. 2. Eat sufficiently to last the day We understand our wedding day will arrive with an explosion of emotions churning your tummy. You will be nervous, excited, restless and happy - all at the same time. Amids this many couples forget to eat and drink well to sustain them throughout the day and evening. By the time you have dressed up, taken numerous pre ceremony shoots and driven to the venue you are feeling hungry and possibly slightly weak. Tip: Ensure your best man or matron of honour has some emergency supplies which includes some snacks. 3. Ensure mandap seating is comfortable If you having a traditional hindu wedding, by the time the pheras come, the couple, especially the bride is way too exhausted. Being clad in a heavy lehenga, decked jewellery and fancy hair isn't an easy task. I am sure you would want your time on the stage to be as comfortable as possible. Discuss with your decorators and planner beforehand and ensure the mandap seating is comfortable. 4. Take short breaks from photos You probably didn't see this coming but your face will probably hurt from smiling so much for the photographs. You would be expected to smile for countless groups photos with guests and couple shots. Hence we suggest you take a short break from photos informing your photographer and your wedding coordinator accordingly. 5. Don't freak out Wedding blues are real. You feel so many emotions at once, some things might not turn out as they were planned - the centre pieces do not look that great as you thought, ceremony is running late, guests have not arrived, weather is not helping etc etc. From our experience, on the day we have encountered numerous circumstances beyond our control. Our strong suggestion is to try your best to stay calm and enjoy what is happening right. Chances are no one is paying as much attention to the details than you are. Trust your MC or your delegated person to do the best with what is there in front of you all. 6. For the Brides - ensure your bridesmaid has a survival kit handy Whether you have a sudden headache, your bridal dupatta unsettles or the zip of your lehenga is not closing - you can conquer it with your bridal team having a survival kit by your side. Tip: This one is for both the bride and the groom - visit the washroom before you get onto the stage/mandap. You would not want to be sitting there uncomfortably :) For help in planning or hosting your wedding, contact our experienced team today to guide you to a stress free wedding day. visit our website: www.mrmc.co.nz or email us pritesh@mrmc.co.nz Please do check out our other blogs below that will greatly assist you in making your wedding day more memorable and less stressful.

Legal Requirements in New Zealand A very brief guide to what you need to know before you get married in New Zealand. For an in-depth list of requirements please visit: https://www.govt.nz/browse/family-and-whanau/getting-married/ There are 2 ways to get married in New Zealand: 1. By a Registered Marriage Celebrant You can choose: - When and where you will get married. - Write your own vows. - A religious or independent Marriage Celebrant. 2. In a Registry Office Registry Office Ceremonies : - Are held during business hours. ( Google: Registry Office Ceremonies) . - use standard vows (marriage cannot be customised). Get a Marriage License A brief summary of what you need to know before you get a marriage license. For an in-depth knowledge of what is required please visit https://www.govt.nz/browse/family-and-whanau/getting-married/ 1. You need to arrange for a marriage license at least 3 working days before you get married. 2. It expires after 3 months 3. Only one of you needs to complete the application but you need information about both of you. 4. At the time of writing this blog, the costs are: - $150 for a marriage license (only) where a celebrant conducts the ceremony. A Celebrant may have his or her own charge. - $240 when you get married at the registry. Please visit https://www.govt.nz/browse/family-and-whanau/getting-married/ to learn what you need to know in depth. Find a Marriage Celebrant Only a registered marriage celebrant can perform weddings in New Zealand. If you are having an hindu wedding, please ask your priest if he is a celebrant as not all priests are registered celebrants. You can find a registered celebrant from: https://celebrants.dia.govt.nz/ Note: - As Wedding Specialists, we have worked with many celebrants and we can help you find a suitable one. - Find a celebrant who you are comfortable with and who can customise the ceremony based on your requirements. For help in planning or hosting your wedding, contact our experienced team today to guide you to a stress free wedding day. visit our website: www.mrmc.co.nz or email us pritesh@mrmc.co.nz Please do check out our other blogs below that will greatly assist you in making your wedding day more memorable and less stressful.

In order for your evening to flow smoothly, it is absolutely essential for your MC to have a run sheet. A running sheet for everyone involved in planning the ceremony and reception will mean fewer mistakes and mishaps on the day. The last thing you want is to be dealing with confused wait staff, performers and other suppliers when you want to enjoy the first moments of being husband and wife with your wedding guests. We have heard of many stories where the special evening has been ruined because of delays, things have over run and no one having an idea of what is happening next - all because there wasn't a run sheet that was being followed. What Is a Run Sheet? A Run Sheet is a detailed outline of the wedding or reception events and is particularly important for the Wedding MC. It will include times, key events, speaker names, entertainment and other activities, surprises you might have in store for the bride and groom. Run sheets could include special notes such as names of songs, supplier names and contacts etc. Preparing a Run Sheet Whatever you decide, it's important that you decide on a realistic timeframe for each important activity and have it prepared for everyone involved. As part of our service, we sit with the couple or the organising personnel and using our experience of having planned and hosted many events we go through in detail the flow of the evening. We carefully allocate timings for each event and ritual that will make up the function. Executing From a Run Sheet. It is the role of your MC to assume leadership role (become the director for the show) of your suppliers and vendors team including the DJ, Photographer, Celebrant, Videographer, Caterer, Venue Manager and Performers. Before the function the MC should have gone through the run sheet with the above personnel ensuring they are all on the same page. It is said “A Plan is a Plan till it gets executed”, we have seen that despite planning carefully and extensively and for functions, there are unexpected delays and events. The role of the MC is to ensure that the vendors are all aware of these mishaps and reshuffles to the run sheet are clearly communicated. Friends, if you need assistance with your run sheets or have any questions regarding your special day then do not hesitate to contact us via email on pritesh@mrmc.co.nz. We are a team of experienced event specialists who will be able to assist you with your wedding plans. If you would like to know how a professional MC can assist you with making your special event even more memorable then do browse through our website www.mrmc.co.nz

We always recommend couples to choose their venue first then choose the rest of their wedding professionals as soon as possible afterwards. Saying that, getting a decent (doesn't have to be number of guests before choosing a venue is vital. We have had situations where the venue has run out of space to cater for guests on the day and also had situations where the venue has been too large for a small number of guest. With regards to vendors, in our opinion and experience we can say that venue plays a significant part in coming up with the final cost for almost all (however not all). The venue size, layout, location and acoustics influence the final cost. For example a DJ needs to know venue size and acoustics to get the correct sound system and lightings. A Decorator needs to know the hall layout, logistics in terms of ground level, stage size and guest numbers etc to offer you the final cost. A Bridal car will need to know pick up and drop off address before making a booking with exact costs. Photographer/Videographer may need to know lighting requirements, number of cameras or travel times between shoot locations etc. Performers may need to know venue location as they could be taking more then one booking on the night etc. Time Frame: You should start locking in contracts around 8 - 12 months from your wedding date for major vendors. Keep in mind that brides are booking their weddings sooner and sooner, sometimes up to 1.5 - 2 years out, so definitely give your preferred list of vendors a call as soon as you can to check for availability. From experience good vendors are being booked out from at least 1 - 1.5 years ahead. We are not saying that none of the vendors or venues will be available just months before your special day but we will strongly recommend advance booking to avoid significant stress. Friends, we have a trusted list of vendors who we work with regularly and would love to assist you sourcing them if you need assistance from the MR MC Team. If you need assistance with choosing a Professional MC for your next special moment in life then please do contact us on pritesh@mrmc.co.nz or visit our website for further details www.mrmc.co.nz. Please do check out our other blogs below that will greatly assist you in choosing the right MC who will make your day more memorable and less stressful. Almost done…

A Master of Ceremonies (MC) is the face of your event. He/she is the person standing before your guests and leading them in what’s to come. Since he is representing you to your guests, your MC has to have good public speaking skills especially ability to connect with your audience, being articulate and presentable. Some of the duties of an Emcee (MC) include: Building up Joy, encouraging laughter, building energy, making your guests feel informed and comfortable, making sure everything is on time (thus a thorough understanding of the event timelines is key for your MC), being prepared to deal with setbacks, ensuring guest enjoyment, directing fellow service professionals, encouraging speakers & performers and much more. If you need assistance with choosing a Professional MC for your next special moment in life then please do contact us on pritesh@mrmc.co.nz or visit our website for further details www.mrmc.co.nz Please do check out our other blogs below that will greatly assist you in choosing the correct MC who will make your day more memorable and less stressful. We would love to hear what are your expectations or your experience of an Emcee (MC).. please do leave a comment (below).

Let’s face it, a wedding MC will either make or break your wedding day. He/She is basically in control of your wedding function. It is your responsibility to make sure that you have the best person running your day. Here is what to look for when choosing your MC: He/She should have a good Sense of Humor – An MC should be able to bring laughter and build happiness through your event. Ask him/her to show you his previous work which will allow you to be rest assured that the ceremony is in good hands. He/she should be a good Public Speaker – Your wedding MC should be comfortable with big crowds. As a couple, ensure that you see his or her previous work before you hire or appoint them. Just to be on the safe side, do not take chances. He/she should be a Time Keeper – We all know of that one relative that will give a long speech. A good MC will always let the key speakers know that they shouldn’t take long. It is his/her responsibility to ensure that everything runs smoothly and on time. He/She should be Responsible – Responsibility begins with not taking alcohol before your duties. Secondly, the MC will show responsibility by ensuring everything is moving at a reasonable pace. A good MC is always ready for whatever could go wrong. He/She should be Versatile – you need a master or mistress of ceremony who is flexible. Someone who can do different event themes always has a creative mind; and that’s the kind of person you need. He/She should be able to Understand Your Vision – basically, the couple has a dream or an idea of how the function or the evening should go. The MC then takes over as per the instructions of the couple , sits with them and prepares a timeline and he/she is responsible for executing them. Coordination with fellow service professionals is a key part of executing this vision into reality. So feel free to ask around or make calls, just to make sure you have the right person for the Emceeing job. Most importantly the duties of an Emcee (MC) is to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that everyone leaves happy. You should also plan a meeting with him/her, just to make sure he/she understands what the day entails. If you need assistance with choosing a Professional MC for your next special moment in life then please do contact us on pritesh@mrmc.co.nz or visit our website for further details www.mrmc.co.nz. Please do check out our other blogs below that will greatly assist you in choosing the right MC who will make your day more memorable and less stressful.