The QWA Spring Catch Up was on October 23rd and it had a fashion theme this year.
Lots of our amazing members came onboard as sponsors, allowing us to put on a gorgeous fashion show.
Check out the video, photos and all of the action in this blog update.
CHARLOTTE FROM YOUR BIG DAY | PHILIPPA THOMAS CELEBRANT
Charlotte from Your Big Day and Philippa Thomas are both celebrants based in Queenstown who brought their young, fun and fresh energy to MC this event. These girls kept things light hearted and laid back whilst also making sure we were on time and on track.
Our hosts at the Holiday Inn were super friendly and helpful. Every guest was greeted with a warm smile as they arrived on site, and then swiftly moved along to collect their complimentary drink and dig into the delicious canapé buffet table – yum! The bar area was light and fresh with the balcony drenched in the spring sunshine and jaw dropping lake and mountain views. These incredible views continue in the restaurant area, which we transformed into our catwalk for the fashion show.
Our hosts at the Holiday Inn were super friendly and helpful. Every guest was greeted with a warm smile as they arrived on site, and then swiftly moved along to collect their complimentary drink and dig into the delicious canapé buffet table – yum! The bar area was light and fresh with the balcony drenched in the spring sunshine and jaw dropping lake and mountain views. These incredible views continue in the restaurant area, which we transformed into our catwalk for the fashion show.
The beautiful flower installation at the end of our QWA catwalk was designed and created by the lovely and talented Kyla from Bespoke Weddings & Events. The white frame worked perfectly against the white linen and was stylishly accented with the rich and moody florals. When we asked Kyla to help with our event we gave her complete creative freedom and she really turned out the goods. It was the perfect place for our models and our guests to strike a pose!
The backdrop for our catwalk came from Pacific Linen with their beautiful white draping cascading from ceiling to floor. Jo was really invested in making sure we had all the material we needed, plus some extras just in case.
When we kicked off our first ever QWA fashion show with a jumpsuit by Margaret Wray, we all knew we were in for a real treat! Inspired by the landscapes of Central Otago, lead designer Jamie creates bridal and evening wear that’s empowering and beautiful with classic lines and exquisite detail. The designs we saw from Margaret Wray embodied a real sense of adventure whilst remaining beautifully gracious.
Sergios Menswear is 100% NZ owned and have a store conveniently located in Queenstown CBD. Kirsty and her team cater for every look and every budget and they were super excited to showcase some of their Spring/Summer retail and formal hire collection on our catwalk. Sergios Menswear carry a range of designer brands including Hugo Boss, Diesel and Paul Smith, and have all the accessories that add that finishing touch for grooms, groomsmen, or father of the bride. Our guests loved the mixture of colours and textures and with each look specifically tailored to each model all our guys looked and felt their very best!
Nemo Bridal & Couture showcased a selection from their extensive range of hire gowns and vintage furs. Hiring your wedding gown is convenient, waste free, and heaps of fun when working with Trudy and her awesome team of fashion gurus! And those gorgeous furs will keep you wrapped up warm for winter weddings or a heli-shoot on your wedding day. Nemo also offer steaming, alterations, and a complete bespoke service where their in-house seamstress can work with you to make your dream wedding dress a reality.
Have you ever noticed that “OMEN” is actually “NEMO” backwards? O Men provide modern, slim fitting and quality suits for grooms and their guys. Guests loved these looks on the catwalk, especially the plush velvet jacket and the bling for added impact and style. O Men also offers bespoke services to create custom suits, vests, ties and pocket squares! They are passionate about keeping up with current trends and focus less on tradition and more on inireugie to create unique looks for the modern man.
Novia Brides is a bridal boutique which values inclusiveness and respect, a place where every bride can feel valued, beautiful and confident… and of course find that perfect dress! Sandy is the super friendly owner/operator and her boutique offers a wide range of bridal designers such as Trish Peng, Sally Eagle and Daisy Brides. We saw a mix of classic and modern looks from Novia Brides on the QWA catwalk, showing that they have the dress for any taste and any bride.
HAIR TO WED | GEORGIE HENDERSON HAIR & MAKEUP |
BEAUTIFUL BRIDAL HAIR | EVE MAKEUP ARTISTRY
All our models got the total glam treatment from some of our excellent wedding hair and makeup vendors. The busy dressing room was a haze of sprays, powders and potions as well as lots of laughs as our fun and friendly glam squad got to work. The guys scrubbed up to be sleek and stylish whilst the girls were polished to perfection but shone with a look of effortless elegance. Tina from Hair to Wed, Georgie of Georgie Henderson Hair & Makeup and Claire from Beautiful Bridal worked alongside each other in confidence and collaboration to create gorgeous hair styles with their own unique twist. Whilst G from Eve Makeup Artistry brought a whole team of makeup professionals to ensure that everyone was ready for the catwalk on time and looking fine!
Music played a key part in our fashion show with each clothing vendor carefully selecting their own mini-soundtrack. Mountain Beats brought their super cool custom made DJ booth, their brand new super sleek sound system, and all the right tunes to set the tone for a great night. Paul from Mountain Beats also hooked our MCs up with two microphones and expertly managed all the sound throughout the whole show.
Creating the fashion show element of our Spring catch up was a real team effort. Mike from Visual Events hung black velvet draping around the walls to create an intimate space which he then lit up beautifully with a just a touch of pink. He also linked up two huge TV screens to display the logos of each clothing brand. Mike was a total legend and super easy to work with and the end result was sleek and professional.
STAGEBOX PHOTOGRAPHY | CARLA MITCHELL PHOTOGRAPHY
Celia from Stagebox Photography focussed on capturing the fashion show whilst Carla from Carla Mitchell Photography snapped some more candid shots of our guest experience. Photographing a fashion show is very different from a wedding but these girls were keen for the challenge and did a fabulous job! They also managed to deliver full galleries of edited images in a super quick timeframe which meant limited time waiting excitedly for photos to arrive in our QWA inbox!
MONARCH MODELS | I CAN MODELS & TALENT
We are incredibly grateful for the help of Tracie from Monarch Models and Tracy from I Can Models & Talent who linked the QWA up to nine fabulous models.
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS AND MEMBERS!
