Becky & Harry’s Central Otago Vineyard Package Wedding
- Hannah Lind
- 20 hours ago
- 5 min read
Becky and Harry came to me part way through the planning process. They’d locked in a date and a venue (the beautiful Domaine Thomson Cellar Door just out of Cromwell) and were a little unsure on where to go from there.
At the start of the planning process we had a Zoom call and talked through what it was important to them to include. What they’d loved (and not loved) about weddings they’d been to. What they were worried about. What they wanted this day to look and feel like… and from that I created a Central Otago Vineyard package wedding for them.
What was most important to them on their day?
They have busy jobs, busy lives - on the other side of the world no less - and jumped at the chance to have someone with great local knowledge take over the planning and bookings (giving them as much or as little input into every decision as they wanted).
They were sharing this day with their families and a few very close friends. They wanted a visual record not just of the two of them but of everybody together celebrating.
They wanted to incorporate Harry’s Greek heritage where possible
The food was important, they love food and wanted to celebrate with great food.
They wanted to be able to just relax and enjoy their day.
They wanted a photographer who would help them to relax in front of the camera, largely letting them just be in the moment, but even during the posed photos feel natural and themselves.
They wanted a bespoke ceremony written for and about them, celebrating their relationship.
As always I offered a base package with optional upgrades, using local vendors whose work I love and trust, who would be a good fit for these two and their plans.
The thing about choosing vendors (whether you’re planning locally or from afar) is there is so much you can see from websites and socials… but it’s the soft skills you often can’t see.
Yes I love photographer Andy’s photos - but I also KNOW he puts couples at ease. I know his presence is unobtrusive while beautifully capturing the story of a wedding day.
Just like Charlie does a fabulous job of hair-ups (and make up) but I also KNOW she is a calm, kind person to be around the morning of your wedding when you are having all of the feelings.
(Incidentally if booking a fully planned package wedding isn’t your jam you can access all of this background and local knowledge by booking a Central Otago Wedding Planning Kickstarter meeting - I’ll share all of my knowledge with you, so you can quit googling for 15 million years and plan confidently).
So while Becky and Harry were busy on the other side of the world the framework for their day came together.
Vendors booked - from photographer (later adding a videographer) to catering, wedding cake, hair stylist and florist.
Introductions made so they could discuss the exact details of what they wanted from each vendor (all vendors having been made aware of what was included in the package)
Then we talked through the timeline for their day, what was happening when, as well as of course what they wanted for their ceremony.
On their wedding day I was their planner (laying out table decor, garden games & seating) their day-of co-ordinator (being in charge of driving the items on the timeline so their day ran to plan or as close to it as possible. Brainstorming and actioning solutions when things didn’t go quite to plan, running that by them and communicating the changes to everybody that needed to know from the kitchen staff to the photographer and MC) and their celebrant.
Some of my favourite moments from Becky and Harry’s wedding were:
The ‘confetti’ toss. As there was no aisle for Becky and Harry to walk back down, while we signed the paperwork we had all guests line the path from the ceremony lawn back towards the Cellar Door building. I handed out rose petals as confetti before finishing the ceremony and Becky & Harry walked through a veritable shower of rose petals. The guests loved it as much as Becky and Harry did, most people digging in for two maxxed out handfuls of petals to toss.
Becky and Harry have some amazing photos of them and their bridal party, and just the two of them… but they opted to spend more time celebrating with those they love.
As always - their story. I love hearing about how you met, the stories that make up the timeline of your relationship, what you love most about each other… and getting to reflect it back to you, show you how special what you have is.
But what do Becky and Harry have to say?
Hannah was our planner and celebrant for our wedding in December 2025, and we honestly couldn’t have asked for anyone better. We’re based in London and planned the wedding from abroad, so having Hannah on the ground in Central Otago was invaluable. She recommended amazing local vendors, coordinated everyone on the day, and handled all the logistics so we didn’t have to worry about timings or who needed to be where and when.
From the very beginning, Hannah was so warm, friendly, and reassuring - especially when we had absolutely no idea what we were doing. As a celebrant, she truly captured us as a couple and made the whole experience feel personal, relaxed, and really special. We felt completely looked after from start to finish.
1000/10 would recommend Hannah to any couple looking for a planner and celebrant in Central Otago.
Becky and Harry had a package wedding that fit the two of them - what was important to them, fitting their budget and their tastes. I’d love to talk about what your package wedding would include… you choose the best way to get in touch with me here … but if you’re keen on reading some more first I’d recommend taking a look at these blogs and pages.
Who I couldn't have done this without:
Andy Brown Photography
Films By Puckey
Domaine Thomson Cellar Door
The Kitchen Garden Central Otago
Off-Piste Cakery
Skylark Floral Design
Charlie Oswin Hair & Makeup
Paige Shipstone Makeup
Cardock Design (creator of my hire bench seats and garden games)
Robert Glen Musician
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