The world that we are living in today is almost entirely different to that of two years ago and during that time, weddings and celebrations have adapted and evolved to suit, although not without it’s challenges. So we thought it was about time that we sat down with some of our leading wedding brands to get their perspectives as well as a few pieces of advice for couples currently planning their weddings.
We speak with Sarah and Jesse of No Biggie Food who share some of their infectious positivity, lockdown mantras and advice on taking a step back and reflecting on the wedding that you really want.
Tell us a little about your brand for those who may not yet know you…
No Biggie specialise in wedding and event catering across the North Island of New Zealand. Based in the Bay of Plenty, we work closely with brilliant local farmers and artisans to bring our clients the very best produce for their wedding or event. We use our knowledge and culinary skills to create menus as unique as each special occasion.
Image by Swift & Click
What is your number one piece of advice for couples in this climate when booking catering?
I think the best advice we can give our couples is to take a step back and reflect on the wedding you really want.
We’ve had friends in Australia postpone their wedding (twice) because they want a big 3 day celebration with friends and family from all over the world in attendance. They’re so happy to wait for that to happen. Then we’ve got some clients who would prefer to say their vows with just their immediate family and then have the party when they can. Every situation is unique, find vendors that will support you through this process.
Image by Swift & Click Image by Sophie Isabella
How are you handling COVID affected couples within your own business?
We’re trying to be as flexible as we can with our clients who’s weddings have been affected by the dreaded C word. However, it’s a balancing act and luckily for us our couples have been amazing. In the last couple of weeks we’ve had a few couples postponing for the second time. Such a shame for them, but they’re staying really positive, knowing their time will come and when it does it’s going to be one hell of a celebration. We’re keeping the communication lines open and planning for a whole bunch of different scenarios
Image by Rambo Estrada Image by Rambo Estrada
Thoughts on the future and how your business and sector may change or evolve?
A crystal ball would be great right about now! But you’ve got to believe the future is bright – weddings and events are going to make the biggest comeback we’ve ever seen. I’m excited. It’s been a pretty tough year for everyone, but amongst the chaos we’ve seen some great evolution from food businesses across New Zealand. They’ve done some serious pivoting to survive – it’s inspiring to say the least.
What do you do personally to cope with the stress of COVID and Lockdown? Any rituals or actions that help get you through?
I try not to stress too much – we’ve purposely built a business that’s quite nimble and should withstand this pandemic. Saying that, I found lockdown hard at the beginning, but after a few days you kind of get into your new routine. We have a 15 month old who is very busy, so we get down to the beach every morning and have a good play in the sunshine and splash around in the shallows. Jesse, my husband and head chef of No Biggie, take turns exercising. He’s a runner and I’ve been doing some pilates. We feel very lucky to be living near the beach – it’s been a mega saviour the last few weeks.
Cooking and eating is obviously a huge part of our day – meals are a little more extravagant and time consuming during a lockdown. You gotta eat like a boss to feel like a boss is our lockdown mantra. We’ve been busting out those special bottles of wine from the back of the cabinet, because YOLO.
We’ve also brought back our lockdown ‘cooking shows’ (I use that term very loosely) on IGTV – this has been a fun way to keep engaging with our followers. So many of our new clients have commented on how they’ve cooked a number of meals from these videos and they feel like they know us already.
Image by Swift & Click Image by Swift & Click
