The Dream Maker NZ Wedding and Event Blog: 11 Tips on Holding a Wedding or Event on Public and Private Land.

Event Management-Tasman New Zealand

Public & Private Venue Locations in Tasman & Nelson, New Zealand.

Thank you Find it & Do it Maps for the use of this map.

After the excitement of a proposal the second wind set into the sails to consider your event desire; when, where and how? The wheels are put into motion to build your perfect dream wedding day, however the list beyond the obvious to do list just keeps growing. Many feel it is a task they can handle alone but as the date draws closer the reality of managing your own event with the emotion of not wanting to fall out with those friends and family members who offered at first but then lose momentum or lack of communication skills brings to light the benefits of engaging an event manager. A good local event manager would have done all the hard graft through years of experience and will make light work of your event and potentially make savings not just financially but in time investment and stress levels that are set to challenge even the most experienced.

In Nelson and Tasman the choice of ceremony venues are immense however most couples want to get married at a spot that has significant meaning to them, other have had a lifelong dream leaving some others where budget will dictate on the final decision.

We are lucky enough to have some of the most stunning council property locations and Parks and beaches and these are all to be considered for the negative as well as the positive issues, as making the decision is the easy part.

Examples of Public Gardens in Tasman; The region has several nice gardens, ideal for a more boutique or casual event, for example the beautiful Pethybridge Garden in Motueka, which is more commonly known “Rose Garden” for its abundant selection of roses against the back drop of white fence and pergola giving it some old time charm. An alternative Motueka venue is Sanctuary Ponds, with its dripping willows, cute wooden bridge and lush green grass. Just round the corner you will find the Janie Seddon boat wreck to add to the dramatic back drop of a perfect wedding photo shoot.

Also available is the Washbourn Garden in Richmond, which is popular with the locals and can easily hold a delicate picnic or vintage tea reception.

Golden Bay covers a huge area also under the Tasman district banner with some incredible spots requiring council or Department of Conservation Permits. Contact The Dream Maker for further advice.

Nelson has a huge selection of public gardens and reserves, too many to list here (if you follow the link you can find out more)

These gardens & reserves can also be used as an alternative for the location photographs and at particular times of the year they will offer superbly well-manicured splendor.

Other options for hire:

Sports Grounds in Tasman

Anyone has the right to apply to use these public places but there are rules and expectations. If you are planning as a relevant commercial provider on these locations permission does need to be granted and in some cases a fee must be paid.

The Dream Maker already has the connections and permits where required or the ability to easily direct the arrangements to book the space within the guide lines as put forward by the governing body, all providers approved by the company can work under the Dream Maker umbrella, which not only saves time but means that the event is managed by one manager leaving less by chance.

Here are 10 tips to consider when using public & private

Permits: If you think you don’t need to register your event with the relevant body, such as council or Department of Conservation (Doc) and even a private land owner, you may get a horrible shock on the day of your event. Either double booking or being asked to move on. If you hold the confirmation paper work you have the upper hand. The Dream Maker holds the necessary DOC permits to manage events in the Nelson & Tasman National Parks. Other land sometimes used may belong to Iwi and require sensitive consideration and communication within the historic realms of their culture. Each location has stipulations often under a concession holders legal obligation, for example managing the impact of a group within that environment and keeping to rules such as only having floral bouquets which hold native content or artificial only must be considered.
Safety and Risk Assessment: A good quality event manager will offer a risk assessment on your behalf to discuss any potential risk to you, your guests the team and the public. The risk could be road or traffic access and in this case the council would need advanced notice of at least 5 working days and a road control assessment completed and signed off by a qualified road traffic supervisor. Again your manager can save extra costs through experience of providing the correct information saving the council time. You may be required to use a company such as Fulton Hogan for road signage if your event is likely to produce a traffic issue.
Special Requests: There are few things that the governing bodies will say no to, if you go through the correct channels but any rules set in stone need special attention and discussion. For example if you want a special request like shutting off a road or bringing in a horse drawn cart, safety and minimal disruption to the public will need to be signed off by the council. Communicating can also avoid other problematic issues such as public places that have gates that can be locked at certain times of the day, restricting public access.
Alcohol: most public places have strict rules about alcohol consumption and these rules must be adhered to. The Dream Maker has exclusive partnerships with private venues in Kaiteriteri and the Tasman region that have less conditions and more flexibility on curfew. The company cannot be held responsible for customers drinking at an event but we can help minimize risk by organizing plenty of food with their catering and transport. The company does not have a license to purchase but we can pick up your alcohol that you purchased to set it up at the venue. There would be a handling charge.
Parking: consideration for parking must be discussed. Will your guests list be larger than the capacity of the parking? The Dream Maker can organised and manage alternative transport to minimize this issue but also avoid any guests driving if they have been drinking.
Noise: Consideration to neighboring communities and the public must be a priority if a sound system is required for music or speeches. By law all amplified music requires a council permit, if it is not amplified it does not require a permit. The Dream Maker can on your behalf organize all necessary paper work within its management service. The Dream Maker hires a small battery operated sound system but the lapel microphone requires mains.
Rubbish: The Dream Maker holds an Enviro Bronze award for its efforts in maintaining and protecting the environments it works in. As part of our management service we can organize the flagging off of your desired venue location and offer a clean-up service before your event to ensure no unsightly piles of rubbish or dog feces are within your ceremony or reception location. Most public places do have rubbish bins but we find these are often full to over flowing. The company management offer a service to insure all bins are freshened up. We also check public toilets facility in the location and offer a beautifying service for that little added touch for your event. Once your event is over you are required by law to immediately clean up after yourselves and remove everything from the site returning it to its former or improved situation. The company can manage this for you and because of our Enviro Bronze status and company policy we recycled what we can.
Marquees, structures, furniture and gas Bar-BQ’s: Any item depending on size or risk needs permission from the owner or responsible body of the land, this may have a cost and the customer will need to know the expectations for the lands use. The Dream Maker offers this as part of their management service and will also look at the risks and advise where necessary. A record of responsibility and action plan will insure that all safety risk is minimized. The Dream Maker will inform the safety departments if access or when high risk is a concern.
Weather: unfortunately no one has control over the weather but we do have control to be ready should the weather cause a problem. It is important for you to have an alternative venue or a marquee on site ready for such an eventuality. The Dream maker will discuss options with the customer and learn what would be considered the cut-off point and who is responsible to make that call. This is when a manager is most valuable; as a call for Plan B requires a tight team and a pre-prepared action plan.
Tide Times: If you are planning a beach or estuary wedding/event it’s important to check tide times. Some tides can be unusually high and cut off access. If a Boat or helicopter is planned, the skipper or pilot will have the final say on changing plans based on safety. The Dream Maker works with approved transport services who all know the protocol.
Exclusive Wedding or Event Venue: There are no ways of being totally confident that the location you choose for your event will be exclusive to you unless you work directly with the owner of the property directly. The Dream Maker has worked hard on their customer’s behalf to gain some pretty incredible exclusive venues where you can feel confident that you and your guests will be the only people at your event. If exclusivity is important to you then this is something that must be considered however exclusivity normally means cost.