Our new norm

GET READY FOR

OCCASIONS

Want to look elegant and graceful on your special day?

Polwarth Design is your one stop destination for special occasions. The dress, the jacket, the fascinator, the shoes and the accessories all under ONE ROOF...

Cheryl, Karen and the friendly team have a wealth of experience in dressing Mothers of the Bride – Whatever your style is Polwarth Design have you covered!

OUR NEW NORM

How global we have all become. Living at the bottom of the world has made us such a transient race, with family members residing all around the planet.

ocking up for weddings and special occasions fr om these four cor ners was a norm that we just took for granted!! Until, unbelievably, thanks to Covid, everything ground to a screeching halt.

We obediently did the time, paying the price. We queued, social distanced, worked from home, did multiple zoom meetings, even downed a few wines and, in the 102 days that followed, life appeared to be back on track as we rushed to make up for the lost opportunities. Wedding venues threw open their doors frantically rescheduling, event planners were back in action, full attention was finally placed on the event wear racks and the disappointment felt over dashed plans was being replaced by the excitement of new.

In all of the flurry, within that small ‘new norm’ window, a much-awaited family event occurred: Cheryl’s son, Sam’s wedding. The venue, like many, had been booked a year earlier for August 8 at the Makoura Lodge in the Wairarapa, just one weekend before the next lockdown. How lucky were we?

Ironically, after dressing Mother of the Bride’s for over 34 years, the wedding required Cheryl, Sam’s sister, his three young nieces and the old aunts to wear, along with the bride’s family, traditional Indian saris. Pinned pleated and ever so tightly tucked, in vibrant colours, the bridal party, mother of, and family looked magnifi cent in Apiti’s sevendegree temperatures.

Karen Matich and Cheryl Polwart happily attended a traditional Indian-styled wedding

Sam and V er ona’ s wedding at Makoura Lodge was the first since March lockdown and the owners were excited, they had 34 bookings that would take them through a busy summer until April 2021. As we write this, they, along with every other venue, are missing the presence of over a third of New Zealand’s population with Northland stranded and Auckland out of the picture for the next few weeks. Had our wedding been a week later, it wouldn’t have happened, like so many others previously. We are so grateful we had that small window.

Our world has changed. Eventing and management have changed, hospitality and tourism are fragile, retail is pending and future planning is unpredictable. What will the latest norm look like? Who knows? But one thing is for sure, every event, be it big or small, will not be taken for granted; it will be a precious occasion, a wonderful time to enjoy and celebrate with loads of laughter to create great memories. It may be our new norm for a while yet.

Karen Matich & Cheryl Polwart, Polwarth Design

WHANGAREI DARGAVILLE

Okara Shopping Centre 78 Victoria Street Phone 09 438 9697 Phone 09 439 7341 Open Weekdays Open Wed to Fri: 9.30am-5pm; 9.30am-5pm Sat 9.30am-4pm

www.polwarthdesign.co.nz