Heart & Truth Series

Sometimes people assume that after nearly 30 years of planning weddings, the excitement must fade a little.

But it hasn’t.

If anything, it’s become stronger in a quieter way.

Even now, when a couple first writes to me and begins telling me about how they met, why New Zealand matters to them, or what they hope their wedding day will feel like, I still find myself pausing and thinking –

this is the beginning of something important.

That feeling has never really changed.

When I planned my first small wedding all those years ago, I didn’t realise it would become the direction my life would take.

I only knew that helping two people create something simple and meaningful together felt right.

There was something different about intimate weddings.

They weren’t about performance.

They were about connection.

And that stayed with me.

Over the years I’ve helped couples travel from all over the world to begin their marriage here in New Zealand.

Some arrived with months of planning behind them.

Some arrived with only a few weeks.

Some came quietly, not wanting a large event.

Some came because this country already meant something special to them.

Every story has been different.

But the feeling at the centre of those days is always the same.

Two people choosing each other.

What surprises me most, even now, is how often couples apologise when they first write.

They say things like:

“We hope our plans aren’t too simple.”

Or

“We’re not having a big wedding.”

And I always think the same thing when I read that.

Simple is never something to apologise for.

Simple is often where the real meaning lives.

Nearly three decades later, I still feel incredibly lucky to do this work.

To be invited into such an important moment in people’s lives is something I’ve never taken lightly.

And perhaps that’s why the excitement hasn’t disappeared with time.

Because every elopement still begins the same way.

With a story.

And I still find myself wanting to hear it.

Donna