Entrant: Romantic Gestures Limited (trading as Romantic Gestures NZ)
City: Rakaia
Website: https://www.romanticgestures.co.nz/
About My Business
At Romantic Gestures NZ, we believe that celebrating love shouldn't feel like a logistical hurdle. We are a specialised New Zealand-based company operating within the romance event and travel industry, dedicated to curating and executing unique, high-value romantic experiences for our clients. My husband Russell and I officially launched our journey in early 2014. We actually incorporated under the name "Five Star Empires Limited," but quickly realized that our true passion and strategic direction lay specifically in romance planning, prompting our rebrand to Romantic Gestures Limited just a few months later. Today, we act as a dedicated partner for couples navigating the burgeoning romance travel market, taking the stress out of bespoke, experiential travel. Our absolute core specialty is marriage proposals. We know that planning a once-in-a-lifetime moment requires an immense amount of trust, and we don't take that responsibility lightly. In an era where so much of the business landscape is saturated with predictable, homogenous interactions, we fundamentally believe that our service must stand out by offering true emotional resonance and contextual nuance. We focus on building deep trust by translating what could be a stressful planning process into a deeply personal, empathetic narrative for every single couple we work with. We prefer to let our clients' joy speak for us, but we are incredibly humbled by the industry recognition we've received along the way. In 2020, we were honored with the "Best Marriage Proposal Planners" award. Most recently, rooted entirely in the exceptional satisfaction of our clients, we were awarded the prestigious "#1 WINNER" title in the "Marriage Proposals" category at the Couples' Choice NZ™ Wedding Industry Awards 2025. These accolades help solidify our position as a preeminent service provider in the New Zealand wedding and romance market. Looking ahead, we are actively preparing for international expansion. We recently submitted a trademark application in Australia, recognizing the increasing global demand for the highly tailored experiences we create. While we are currently working through internal business steps—such as upgrading our digital infrastructure and pricing transparency—our ultimate mission remains unchanged: helping couples connect through unforgettable romantic gestures.
Why We Should Win The Peoples Choice Award
Every single day, we are bombarded by a digital world that feels increasingly automated, rushed, and transactional. In the midst of all that noise, how often do we stop to truly celebrate the people who matter most to us? That is exactly why Russell and I founded Romantic Gestures NZ. We didn’t start this business just to coordinate events or book beautiful getaways. We started it because we passionately believe that genuine, distraction-free human connection is the most valuable thing we have. When you vote for us in the People’s Choice category, you aren’t just voting for a local business—you are voting for the belief that love, romance, and intentional quality time deserve a dedicated champion. We Take Care of the Details, You Keep the Memories Planning a major milestone—like a surprise marriage proposal, a milestone anniversary, or even just a long-overdue distraction-free date night—comes with a mountain of pressure. Will the weather hold? Will the setup look right? What if a vendor lets us down? That pressure often robs couples of the joy of the moment itself. We act as the stress-shield for our clients. We take on all the behind-the-scenes logistical heavy lifting so that couples can simply show up, breathe, and be entirely present with each other. From being the only nationwide planner with a liquor licence to provide that perfect celebratory bottle of bubbles, to staying on-call 24/7 for our clients during their experiences, we pour our hearts into making sure every detail is flawless. A Decade of Celebrating Your Love Stories For over ten years, we have had the absolute privilege of being the quiet architects behind some of the happiest moments in people's lives across New Zealand. We have seen the nervous tears turn into pure joy during surprise proposals, and we’ve watched busy, stressed out parents finally get a chance to slow down and rediscover each other on a tailored romantic escape. We are incredibly proud to be a Kiwi-owned and operated family business. Our journey has always been fueled by the trust our community places in us. While we are incredibly honored to have won industry judged awards in the past, nothing means more to us than the support of the public. The People’s Choice award is the ultimate reflection of the community we love to serve. If we have ever helped you pull off the perfect surprise, if we’ve helped you plan a beautiful memory, or if you simply believe that the world needs a little more romance and a lot more genuine human connection right now, we would be deeply grateful for your vote. Thank you for being a part of our story, and for letting us be a small part of yours!
