wedding cafe new zealand

When it comes to engagement rings, the solitaire still reigns supreme. But it isn’t the only game in town.

Auckland jeweller David Keefe says 50 percent of the couples who come to him for an engagement ring opt for a solitaire.

“It’s about a dream. It floats above your finger, a fiery, sparkling diamond that the Earth has taken a million years push to the surface.”

That’s one explanation of the solitaire’s popularity, but there’s a bit more to it. Our love affair with …

It’s one of those ideas you might think has had its day, but has it really?

The word ‘etiquette’ conjures up the notion having to do everything the right way. This is a part of it. However, etiquette guru Miss Manners says etiquette is, at bottom, all about behaving well and doing what is appropriate.

"You can deny all you want that there is etiquette… but if you behave in a certain way that offends the people you’re trying to deal with, they will stop …

Buying a wedding dress can be stressful. Buying one when you’re pregnant is doubly so.
Not so long ago finding such a dress, or someone who could make you one, was difficult. But times are changing. If you want a budget dress for a summer wedding, Australia’s Sweet Lilly could be your answer. It’s worth looking at the website for style ideas alone.
However, if you’d like a real wedding dress, one that can accommodate your baby bump in style, City Bridal can tailor the kind of dress you dreamed of to …

The thought of formality, which is what wedding vows are about, can scare people.

This “scaring” is something that Auckland celebrant Ross Johnson is concerned about and he finds writing your own wedding vows can help put such fears to rest.

“A wedding should be a fun occasion and the only starchy, rigid part is often the vows,” he says. “I often ask people, ‘Do you want a wedding with laughter or a formal one?’”

Ross has conducted 100 weddings and at all of them the …

Want to stretch the drinks budget, encourage some alcohol-free drinking and still pack a punch?
Well, this punch recipe below will do all of the above, with the added bonus that teens often think it’s alcoholic, though it isn’t. The ginger ale gives it a bit of bite that the less alcohol-savvy can mistake for the real thing. It tastes nice too and has been lapped up at every party we’ve ever served it up at, by grown-ups and kids alike.
It’s also cheap when compared with …