Frequently asked questions
Planning an event comes with a lot of questions — some exciting, some practical, and some you probably didn't realise you'd need to answer until you started.
Here are some of the things we're commonly asked about working with Sunflower Events. If your question isn't here, just get in touch. There's a good chance we can help.
Working with Sunflower Events
What does Sunflower Events do?
We're an Auckland-based bespoke event planning and coordination company. We help with everything from intimate weddings and personal celebrations to product launches, workshops, tastings and small business events.
Our involvement can range from helping with a specific part of your event through to full planning and coordination.
Do you only plan smaller events?
Intimate and smaller-scale events are where we particularly shine, but we don't have a strict guest-number cut-off.
For us, it's more about the type of event and the way you want to approach it. If you're looking for something personal, thoughtfully planned and a little more bespoke, we'd love to hear about it.
Do you offer full event planning?
Yes. We can work with you from the initial idea through to the event itself, helping with venues, suppliers, logistics, timelines, styling, guest experience and event-day coordination.
Where do you work?
We're based in Auckland and work across Auckland and surrounding areas, including destinations such as Matakana. We do however know the Hawkes Bay region very well, so if you're planning something there, get in touch. Depending on the event and what's involved, we may still be able to help.
Can we hire you for just part of an event?
Absolutely.
You might need help finding a venue, sourcing suppliers or working through the logistics. Or perhaps you've organised everything yourself and simply need someone to pull it all together and run the day.
We'll shape our involvement around what you actually need rather than making you buy a level of service you don't.
Can you work with suppliers we've already chosen?
Of course.
We're happy to work with the suppliers you've already selected. If there are gaps, we can also help find the right people to complete the team.
Where practical, we particularly enjoy working with great Auckland and New Zealand small businesses and independent suppliers.
Weddings
Do you offer on-the-day wedding coordination?
Yes.
If you've planned your wedding yourselves but don't want to spend the day checking timelines, answering supplier questions or making sure everything is where it should be, we can take over the coordination.
We'll get familiar with your plans and suppliers beforehand so that when the wedding arrives, you can concentrate on getting married rather than running an event.
Can you plan our whole wedding?
Absolutely.
We can work with you from the early ideas through to the wedding day itself, including venue and supplier sourcing, timelines, logistics, styling, guest experience and coordination.
Do you specialise in intimate weddings?
Intimate and smaller weddings are a natural fit for us because there's often more opportunity to make the celebration genuinely personal.
That doesn't mean there's a strict guest-number limit, though. If our approach feels right for the wedding you're planning, we'd love to hear about it.
Can you help with a private-property wedding?
Yes — and private-property weddings are exactly the sort of events where good planning becomes particularly valuable.
Unlike a traditional wedding venue, you may need to think about things such as access, power, bathrooms, catering facilities, furniture, lighting, wet-weather plans, parking, deliveries, set-up and pack-down.
We can help identify those requirements and coordinate the moving pieces needed to turn a private property into a great event space.
We've already planned most of our wedding. Is it too late to involve you?
Not at all.
You don't need to involve an event coordinator from day one. We can come into the process later, understand what you've already organised, identify anything that still needs attention and help bring everything together.
Can you help us find wedding suppliers?
Yes.
We can help source venues and suppliers based on the style of wedding you're planning, your priorities and your budget.
We don't believe every wedding needs the same collection of suppliers, so recommendations are based on what's actually appropriate for your day.
Do we have to use your preferred suppliers?
No.
We're happy to work with suppliers you've chosen yourself. Our job is to help create the right event for you, not force you into a predetermined package.
Small Business & Producer Events
What kinds of business events do you organise?
We can help with product launches, customer events, tastings, workshops, producer showcases, business celebrations, community events, stakeholder events and smaller corporate gatherings.
If it involves bringing people together for a reason, there's a fairly good chance it's worth talking to us about.
Do you only work with small businesses?
No.
Small businesses and independent producers are a particularly natural fit for the way we work, but we can also support larger businesses, organisations and community groups planning smaller-scale events.
Can you help us find an Auckland venue?
Yes.
We can research and shortlist venues based on your location, guest numbers, budget and practical requirements, then liaise with venues to understand availability, pricing and what's included.
Where necessary, we can also help assess the practical suitability of a venue — because a space looking good in photographs doesn't necessarily mean it'll work for your event.
We already know what event we want. Can you just organise it?
Absolutely.
Not every client needs creative event development. If you've already got the concept and simply need someone to turn it into a workable plan, find what's needed and make it happen, we're very happy to do exactly that.
Can you organise workshops or recurring events?
Yes.
We can help with both one-off and recurring events, including venue sourcing, supplier coordination, attendee requirements, equipment, storage, deliveries and event-day logistics.
For recurring events, we can also look at how the process can be made easier and more consistent each time.
We have an idea but don't really know how to turn it into an event. Can you help with that too?
Yes — that's one of the fun bits.
We can start with what you're trying to achieve, who the event is for and the experience you want people to have, then work backwards into venues, suppliers, format, timing and logistics.
You don't need to arrive with a finished brief.
Still have a question?
Every event is different, which makes it fairly difficult to answer absolutely everything on one page.
If you're wondering whether we can help with something, tell us what you're planning — even if it's still mostly an idea.