After a challenging year, taking the opportunity to gather amongst our Queenstown Wedding Association whānau was the best way to sign off 2021 and celebrate the Christmas holidays…
…And as you can imagine, when you have a room full of wedding and event professionals, we like to throw one extra special party! It was a balmy summer’s evening to kick off the festivities and everyone was ready to catch up and swap their summer plans.
Our QWA members & their families came together at the stunning Shotover Vineyard, a beautiful home & vineyard turned wedding venue. The surrounding mountains & bright blue Shotover River are the backdrop behind the rows of vines that line Queenstown wedding venue’s spacious lawn and homestead.
The evening’s event transportation was with Nomad Safaris who collected our members from all corners of Queenstown and dropped them curbside at our party venue. This group transport option was seamless and safe, meaning that those onboard could enjoy a few festive drinks.
On arrival our members & guests were greeted with great tunes by Jay Moore / Queenstown DJ, because what’s a party without a band or a DJ right? The bar was stocked with goodies from local Queenstown winery Gibbston Valley Wines and all our party drinks were served with a smile by the lovely Silke of In2Food. Our mini members immediately gravitated towards the Glamping Party Co kids zone complete with a large bell tent that was full of fun games, books, and comfy furnishings where the kids could all lounge together.
Good catering can make or break any event or wedding, and Flaming Good Food really delivered for our members’ parties. First there were delicious grazing platters scattered around the venue before they unveiled the main course of sticky glazed bourbon ham and lemon + garlic chicken, with roasted veg and more. If that wasn’t enough to stuff us all to the brim, there was also some delicious pavlova PLUS a fully stocked lolly bar provided by Queenstown Wedding Hire.
To capture the essence of the evening, Celia from Stagebox Photography was snapping away as our official event photographer. And for a bit of extra entertainment the QT Booth photo booth was in full swing with lots of lols as everyone captured their best selfie! (If you’d like to download your photos from the booth, you can do so HERE.)
As the night went on we watched the clouds above us grow darker, bringing with it a heavy rain pour. Thankfully we were well prepared with a clear marquee from the team at Prestige Marquees that kept us bone dry as the wild storm blew straight over top of us. At any wedding or event it’s so important to have a strong wet weather plan and our party planner ensured we had all the hire equipment we needed.
The annual QWA Christmas party is a favourite night to celebrate for so many Queenstown wedding professionals, but it’s also a time to give back to our local community. This year our charity raffle proceeds went to St John’s Ambulance Queenstown who received a total of $495 from our generous wedding friends.
Wow, what an amazing night for all… only 365 days to wait till the next one!
Thank you to our amazing sponsors:
Venue: Shotover Vineyard
Transportation: Nomad Safaris
Marquee: Prestige Marquees
Dinner: Flaming Good Food
Bar Service: In2Food
Photo Booth: QT Booth
DJ & Sound Equipment: Jay Moore – Queenstown DJ
Photography: Stagebox Photography
Lolly Station: Queenstown Wedding Hire
Wine: Gibbston Valley Wines
Beer: Cargo Brewery
Bubbles & Ciders: Henry’s
Furniture & Glassware: Party Plus
And another big thanks to those who donated prizes for to our St John raffle:
– Broken Heart Gin
– Hilton Queenstown
– Skyline Queenstown
– Go Orange/RealNZ
– Black Lab Coffee
– Your Big Day
