Christchurch Weddings x Backstage Social Club Open Day Wrap Up 2019

As fast as July came and went, so did Christchurch Weddings’ first-ever community event! With the insanely talented line up of 18 contributing vendors, we entered the Backstage Social Club on Friday morning and with lead stylist Lucy Chappell of Bleu Studio on board, transformed its historic, yet modern industrial bones over one day into a space Canterbury has not ever witnessed before to showcase an Open Day concept that the region has never laid its eyes on - A venue fully set up for the real, live wedding reception that was to follow that same afternoon for the ultimate wedding inspiration experience.

If you’re still kicking yourself that you couldn’t make it, not to worry - This is what today’s recap is all about! It would just be plain rude not to share all of this magic created by local businesses.

Traditional wedding fairs can be pretty daunting with vendor stalls lined up featuring lonely souls that really just want to chat! You walk in, have a nosey and spend your time avoiding speaking to the business owners like the plague - Just like walking into nearly any retail shop really! That’s where Christchurch Weddings changed things up a level or two and by having the Backstage Social Club set up like an actual wedding, the need for vendor stalls was gone, allowing vendors and guests alike to float around and have great conversations and soak up the atmosphere leaving nobody voicing awkward “hello’s”, or the “I’m ok thanks” responses!

Guests walked into one of the most spectacular displays of wedding styling the region has ever seen, to the cruisy Saturday tunes of DJ Pulse of Pulse Entertainment and left full of inspiration and goodie bags featuring CW’s favourite NZ wedding publication Together Journal and scrummy treats from Rebecca Jane Sugar Art. Victoria Food Service amazed guests with a live demonstration preparing and setting up a custom grazing station and wowed us all with a selection of their delicious canapes which paired perfectly with the craft beer tastings on offer from the Cassels Brewing Co team pouring from the bar. Guests were able to not only look but touch and feel all of the products used to fully appreciate the vendor efforts that go into providing products that not only look amazing but are of impeccable quality too.

Giving existing Christchurch Weddings vendors an opportunity to be a part of something uniquely special was up there on my list, but right up there also was a chance for other local businesses to get involved to showcase their offerings and spread the word about what they can do in the wedding and events space. With the endless imagination of Bleu Studio and logistical brilliance of planner Lucy Magill (I might be ever so slightly biased!), vendors took a collective approach to show off exciting new ideas, products and hire offerings. Ideas such as ditching the head table to create a more relaxed intimate vibe, and sectioning off the reception area to create a surprise amongst the experience of the day were just a couple of things on display. Bleu Studio’s new cart and plinths were amongst brand new, quality products on debut and showed guests how to be smart with styling and repurposing their hire items throughout a wedding day, and serious wow factor was created as we brought the outside in with trees, shrubs and a tonne of pots by the trailer load which are all available to hire from The Little Big Tree Company and Pottery World.

The biggest of thanks has to go out to our amazing photographer Emily Hugo enough for these gorgeous images, and to Michael Roberts of NZ Wedding Films for the video which CW will be able to share with you very soon!

This wrap up cannot possibly be complete without endless, bottomless thank you’s to the vendors involved for gifting so much of their time and effort, products and services for you all to see, and to our winning giveaway couple Mel and Reed to enjoy the wedding day of their dreams. From the bottom of my heart too, my thanks are extended to all of you who attended the open day, those that attended in spirit and those that are catching up on the events of the day right now. You are what gives me the fire-burning passion for Christchurch Weddings and knowing that I am able to help you plan your wedding or event in any capacity, from the smallest of vendor recommendations through to full planning and everything in-between is what keeps me on purpose and the dream alive.