Society & Co Events

18/08/2026

Let's talk about wedding decor 👇
We get it — those discount store shelves are tempting. Candle holders for $4, napkins in bulk, fairy lights by the metre. It feels like the "budget-friendly" choice.

But here's what actually happens:
🕯️ You spend hundreds on decor pieces
🍽️ After the big day, you're left scrubbing wax out of candle holders
🧺 Washing and ironing stacks of napkins
📦 Storing boxes of stuff you'll never use again
💸 Then trying to recoup costs on Marketplace — chasing flaky buyers, lowball offers, and endless "is this still available?" messages

Nine times out of ten, you end up with a fraction of what you spent, a garage full of clutter, and hours of your life you won't get back.

Here's the alternative: HIRE.
✨ Same (often better) quality styling
✨ Zero cleaning, zero storage, zero reselling stress
✨ Return it and walk away — done
✨ Often costs the same or LESS than buying it new

Better for your wallet. Better for your day-after. Better for the planet.
Your wedding decor shouldn't become a second job. 🤍

14/08/2026

Kind words too special not to share...

Following a huge night running this years fundraiser, I woke up to a beautiful email in my inbox that just made my day. Hearing words like this make the long hours (18 hours in one day to be exact) much easier to recover from!

Hilary Barry, thank you for all you contributed to the event. We had a very loud and excited crowd, who proved very difficult to keep under control, but you took it in your stride and always managed to bring the attention back to the stage. I really appreciate how you managed to smooth over the technical difficulty with the raffle draw (A nightmare for any event manager!!!!) but we got it going in the end. Unfortunately, it took the sparkle off the moment but you handled it perfectly; you just knew what needed to be done! Sorry to leave you hanging, but you were the best wing-woman I could have asked for!

07/08/2026

Its very common for couples to ask me to suggest ways in which they can personalise their wedding, to reflect who they are, rather than a copy of someone else's day.

Personalisation doesnt mean you have to spend more money. Some of the most memorable weddings include thoughtful details that tell a story.

Wedding Stationery is a wonderful way to weave your story into your day. Whether its places you have lived, or visited together, the inclusion of your pets or children, or a link to the family property you are getting married at, each is a special way to tell your story.

Planner's tip: Focus on creating moments that are meaningful to you, rather than following wedding trends.

Get in touch to discuss ways you can weave your story into your wedding day, I'd love to hear from you!

04/08/2026

I love a beautiful bar 🌸 Its the heart of all great events, The centrepiece of the room.

A place to gather.

It should be considered and inviting.

03/08/2026

Guests remember feeling, not schedules. In our latest post “The Details That Tell the Story,” we explore how dozens of small, deliberate decisions, from paper stock to positioning of plants and even lighting, shape an event’s atmosphere. Read how the catalogue and tiny choices create unforgettable experiences: https://wix.to/Pdac7Bm

Guests rarely remember the run of show. They remember the way the room felt.That feeling isn't an accident. It's built from dozens of small, deliberate decisions — the kind most people will never consciously notice, but would absolutely notice if they were missing.The catalogue in your handsBefore...

03/08/2026

Part of me wishes thay I could curl up with them, but there is a big to-do list with my name on it!

28/07/2026

35 years of black tie, big hearts, and even bigger nights. 🥂✨

Toitoi was ROARING last Friday — and these photos say it better than we ever could.

The laughter that spilled from every corner. The dance floor that never stood a chance of staying empty. The faces mid-cheer, mid-toast, mid-happy-tears. This is what generosity looks like when a room full of people decide to show up for something bigger than themselves.

For 35 years, The Cocktail Party has brought Hawke's Bay together for Charity, and this year's crowd brought it harder than ever. Every bid, every raffle ticket, every glass raised did its part to help build a new home for Cranford Hospice.

Thank you to everyone who danced, laughed, bid big and loved bigger. We'll see you next y

Thanks to Simon Cartwright Photography for capturing the evening so beautifully!

27/07/2026

To the crew standing behind me in this photo - thank you.🙏💕

This was the 35th Annual Cocktail Party , and pulling off a black-tie fundraiser of this size takes a team that doesn't need to be told what to do. You just saw it what needed doing; the extra place setting, the auction item that needed chasing, the guest who needed a friendly face. That kind of instinct can't be taught, only earned through experience and genuinely caring about getting it right.

Long hours, quick thinking, and somehow still smiling for this photo at the end of it. I couldn't produce this event without you. Grateful doesn't quite cover it. 🥂

18/07/2026

This week spmarketing.nz ♥♥♥ created something special: the Chairman of the Cranford Hospice Foundation, standing on the site of the new build; the very thing this year's "Cocktail Party" is raising funds for.

There's something powerful about seeing the "why" in person. Not a logo, not a line in a proposal, but the actual ground where a new hospice will stand. It's a reminder of why great marketing matters so much in fundraising. It's not about selling tickets, it's about helping people feel the cause before they've even walked through the doors.

SP Marketing have been alongside us every step of the way this year, from social media content and sponsor promotion, through to getting the word out on our auction and raffle. Their work is what turns a great event into a fully-backed community moment, reaching people who might never set foot in Toitoi on the night but still want to be part of it.

35 years of The Cocktail Party has taught us that the room fills and the auction lands because the story's been told well beforehand.

I am incredibly proud to be involved in this event, as The Hastings Karamu Rotary Club celebrate 35 years of "The Cocktail Party" and donating back to our community. We are grateful to have a marketing partner in SP*Marketing who gets what this cause means to Hawke's Bay.

15/07/2026

Huge thanks to Attn! Marketing PR for the gorgeous profile they've written on Hastings Karamu Rotary Club, as they celebrate THREE milestones this year:

🎉 50 years of the Rotary Club of Hastings Karamu in Hawke's Bay
🍸 35 years of The Cocktail Party
🔧 10 years of Advanced Plumbing, Drainage & Gas as naming rights sponsor

The story behind the numbers is even better...
👉 a founding member still showing up to meetings after 50 years,
👉a sponsor (and member) whose own life was saved by the very rescue helicopter the event first raised funds for,
👉and over $2 million given back to our community along the way.

On a personal note, I've personally had the privilege of being part of producing this event for the past 6 years now, and it honestly doesn't get old. Watching this club show up, year after year, for causes that matter so deeply to Hawke's Bay is something I feel genuinely lucky to be a small part of.

This year, it's all for Cranford Hospice's new build. 💛

Go read the full story (link in comments) - it's a beautiful reminder of why this club, and this event, mean so much to our region.