Some 18 years ago . . when the seed of an idea (and a few friends’ Weddings celebrated on my front lawn) blossomed into L’Orangerie Wedding Venue . . the need for an Administration Department (that WASN’T the kitchen table) . . became apparent.
Item One was a ‘desk’ whereupon a perfectly gorgeous old shop counter was promptly discovered, via TradeMe, residing with a garage full of antiquities in a housing subdivision near Auckland. It was a very NEW subdivision comprising acres of open unbuilt space and one modest brick and tile home on a slight rise looking somewhat wind swept and lonely.
The charming old gentleman who opened the door to me was interested to hear I was opening a Wedding Venue, as it turned out he had just moved from his large long time family home in the country, where he had hosted a Wedding Venue for many many years. He introduced me to my beautiful ‘desk’ and went on to give me a bit of advise that I have never forgotten.
He said being a host for Weddings is hard work . . an unending exercise in diplomacy . . a test in resilience . . a constant need to be prepared for the completely unexpected. “But” . . he said . . “whenever the anxieties of nervous brides threaten to boil over . . whenever the perfect sunny day deluges with rain . . when the cake topples over and the best man has an allergy attack BEFORE the speeches . . just become the fly on the wall and observe . . look for the ‘funny’ in every situation . . keep the smile on your face . . and you will never be short of a story to share over a cuppa . . “
One of the endearing features of L’Orangerie is our ever growing family of miniature pot bellied Kune Kune pigs.
While most of these little friends happily live together in their fields, a couple of our larger boars (males) live by themselves for obvious reasons (our original two Kune Kunes‘ Mabelline’ and ‘L’Oreal’, have regularly, and not always to plan, reproduced . . so we now number somewhere over TWENTY pigs and piglets!) Being community animals I don’t like the boars to be alone all the time so they are often let out to roam and they spend their time alongside the sows’ field chatting through the fence.
One clear blue summer Wedding Day the guests were enjoying canapés and the chefs were busy preparing dinner which involved 2 large BBQs set up in front of one of our chest high stone retaining walls.
On an errand to bring flowers from the Ceremony location back to The Barn before the Reception, I happened past the busily bbq’ing Chefs. However my attention was immediately drawn to the leafy ground cover atop the stone wall, directly in front of the oblivious Chefs, which was shaking and rustling with determined movement! Before I could warn either of them, the huge black fully-tusked head of our fabulous boar Richie, exploded through the undergrowth and salivated into the horrified faces of the Chefs!!
Watching those two Chefs back peddle, utensils flying through the air, arms cycling madly . . while Richie looked on in amusement . . reduced me to tears of laughter . .
I am still giggling over a wonderful request made during a Venue visit to L’Orangerie last Autumn.
A delightful young lady and her intended were admiring the view from the terrace to the north of The Barn, where my cattle were contentedly chewing off the long dry summer grasses that feature beautifully in many of our romantic Sunset photoshoots.
My guest showed great interest in my fat black and white Friesian cows exclaiming excitedly . . “ I come from a family of farmers and would it be possible to have cows grazing near the Venue for my Wedding Day?”. Being driven by my desire to say ‘yes’ wherever possible, I happily assured her that I thought that was definitely something we could do.
Her excitement took on a faraway, contemplative demeanour before she further enquired . . “ . .and do you think you could do the little brown ones? . . “
While perusing my collection of recipe books this afternoon, I was reminded of an amusing tale involving a charming young bride and her last-minute wedding preparations.
This delightful woman, a mathematics teacher by profession, approached her wedding with a practical mindset. She eschewed unnecessary frills, preferring instead the company of her beloved family and friends, who all gathered to set tables, arrange flowers, and gently persuade Miss D to leave her running shoes in the wardrobe on her wedding day.
The evening before the wedding, I received a message from her, inquiring if my team could prepare the punch the following day, prior to the guests' arrival, as she had completely forgotten to ask me earlier. I assured her it would be no problem, and she promised to email the recipes.
So, the math teacher wrote:
PUNCH
1.360 liters of lemonade
1.420 liters of ginger ale
3.125 liters of fruit juice
...and the measurements continued to THREE decimal places!
We invite you to celebrate your special day at our stylishly rustic, romantic wedding venue in rural Tauranga . . where the most magical memories are made
Inspired by the charm and romance of the French countryside, L'Orangerie has been lovingly created to offer a unique wedding and events venue in rural Tauranga
View photos from some of the wonderfully talented Photographers we have been privileged to work with here at L’Orangerie
Find some of our most frequently asked questions that crop up in conversations with guests looking to enjoy our L'Orangerie
