Archive for the ‘Brides advice’ Category

Besides our day being perfect and honestly I can say I would hardly have changed a thing, there are still lessons to be learnt once you’ve gone through it all yourself.  Here are a couple of things I’ll share with you which may help with your planning:

1. Really!  Don’t sweat the small stuff!  People don’t even notice.  I spent hours and hours painting and spray painting our centrepieces.  I didn’t want any of the twig’s colour coming through so I made sure I touched up every little spot.  No one noticed!  I spent weeks and weeks trying to come up with different centrepiece ideas, decor ideas, etc and although you don’t want a slap dash wedding you also don’t want to drain yourself by putting together 50 ideas and not being happy with one.  Don’t worry about what people will think, just do what YOU want to do and what suits YOUR style.  If it isn’t there, people don’t even know the difference.

2. Make sure you’re happy with your hair and makeup. I thought my hair and makeup trials were stunning but deep down they weren’t really what I would have gone for first time.  I ended up changing my hair and makeup on the actual day.  Just remember, you still have to be YOU.  You don’t want to look at your wedding pics and think “who on earth is that?”!

3. You don’t need alcoholic welcome drinks.  They are so expensive and a refreshing fruit punch or mint water is good enough.  We save R1500 on our welcome drinks just from excluding the alcohol. Read the rest of this entry »

So as you can see, our big day is getting closer by the minute.  It’s quite unbelievable how time has flown by and the nerves are setting in.  I’ve never understood why, if we have everything sorted and planned, the nerves hit brides-to-be – but now I’m understanding it.  I’m also not so sure it’s nerves as much as anticipation (and of course hope that all goes off without a hitch).  So far I have (almost) everything under control.  Almost half of the guest list has RSVP’d on our wedding webiste which saved us rushing around getting official invites out.  What’s left is the bridesmaids dress fittings, my final fittings,  paying the decor company, hair and makeup trials, finalizing the suits …. and then the bachelor and bachelorette parties which will take place the weekend before our wedding.  Oh, I must also mention the stunning ostrich feather confetti we’re ordering and the suppliers who give great service.  The are in the Klein Karoo but delivery is effected within 4 days.  I got their details from the florist we are using and she swears by them.

www.kleinkaroo.com/showroom

I will however fill you in on a problem with the venue which is persisting and that I am very concerned about. Read the rest of this entry »

Times are tough, right? Belts are tightening and saving a few rands here, can mean a few rands spent there instead…

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Planning a wedding in Durban? The new Durban Wedding Directory – Durban Bride launched last year has seen a surge in suppliers registering with them since their relaunch in June 2009!

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Its been a while since my last blog post (had to study for exams) and oh my word……have plans changed.

It all started a few weeks before I had to really start focusing on the studying. Wedding plans were going great, on track, till a certain phone call sent me into a fluttery panic. Our budget had – due to unexpected reasons – been cut by more than half now you can imagine how a bride that has done most of her planning feels when told that the budget is almost all gone. After a few days of being a bit depro and contemplating getting married in court, I pulled myself together and started re-planning a really budget wise wedding. I still wanted to use the colour scheme and the flowers I had in mind but the venue was going to have to change to something well, more affordable for the Average Joe.

I started looking for almost unheard-of venues, looked for places that don’t normally cater for weddings but that can on request. Eventually I found one or two quaint little places but still my budget would be too high (I’m pretty much working with a non existent budget here).

Mmmmm….I could get married in my church’s hall and then find a banqueting hall for the reception, which would work in well with the budget. Searched a bit and found a hall not too far from the church and not expensive at all (it’s on a plot and if you are looking for a nice, informal, ‘almal kuier saam’ reception then this would be the place for you). By this time budgeting was my main priority and planning became very tiring and stressful. Even though we had found this place on the plot it wasn’t quite what Mr Daisy-to-be had in mind….

Back to the flippen drawing board…aaaaaarrrrgghhhh!
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I had been to Bride & Co in Rivonia before but not once did I get as much helpful service as what I got at LM. I even think I found the perfect dress.

I had a rather big entourage with me, my 3 best friends, mom and Mr Daisy-to-be’s mom. My MOH (my little sister) was unable to attend but she was updates constantly via MMS (technology today……isn’t it wonderful).

On arrival we received orange juice and champagne, our own little change room and someone to help pick out a dress. After a few questions about the style and colour I was thinking about, I was brought a few dresses to try on (nothing that I would pick out for myself). I think that’s the idea of going to a place to fit on wedding dresses, is having someone who knows wedding dresses to help you find something that suite your taste and your figure. So I tried on a few dresses….disliked some and LOVED others. After trying on all the dresses I tried on one dress one more time and fell in love. Got the quote for the dress I loved and paid the fitting fee (which was well worth it) and it started to rain. Best friend Daisy said that its a sign that I had found my dress (a sign of good luck). YAY!! All in all it was definitely a well worth it outing, got the help I needed and found the dress that makes me look stunning.

Here are some pics of the dress fitting outing (there’s a lot SORRY!!):

Explaining what I like and dislike

The 2 moms (my mom and Mr Daisy's mom)

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Check out “Splendid Affairs” new blog

http://splendidaffairs.wordpress.com/

For the past week I’ve been giving some serious thought to how I am going to get into shape for our wedding day.  I then thought, why only our wedding day?  Why do you need a big event to do something that should be important for your general well being no matter what time of the year!  When I was pregnant I put on 22kgs and  lost alot of it after birth as mostly was water.  I still however want to lose another 10 to 15kgs to get back to where I used to be so I’m taking action.  Not only for my wedding day, but to better my future health and well being.  After surfing the internet for personal trainers I came across (what I believe) is the greatest concept.  I thought this was the best UNKNOWN discovery until I saw it advertised in Shape Magazine within 2 hours of finding it on a website!  Check out Adventure Boot Camp For Women www.adventurebootcamp.co.za.

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We have 5 and a half months to go!  Yesterday, the pastor we were hoping would come through for us, contacted Mr Style to say that he is setting up a church and is so busy that he would rather let us down now rather than the last minute. I was horrified to hear this!  I am now searching the internet in hopes of finding someone else.  Wish us luck!  The problem (if that’s an accurate word to use?) is that Mr Style and I don’t practice a specific religion and don’t attend church which makes life difficult when you have a wedding coming up.  We did alot of research and found alot of pastors that are happy to do a non denominational wedding.  Now to find someone that has some personality and that will take the time to meet us and get to know us over several meetings is another story!  We have phoned two already and did not like them instantly.  No personality at all and no warmth to them.  It’s really important to us to have someone on the same wave length as us and with as much fun & enthusiasm in them as we have.  I will definitely keep you posted on who we find and more importantly WHERE we find him … or her. 

Last night I pulled out our check list and ticked off what we had attended to and realised how much we hadn’t attended to yet. We haven’t done a complete budget, gone through the menu, chosen the exact style of the bridesmaids dresses or even colours!  We haven’t looked at wedding rings, decided on the cake, booked a honeymoon destination.  And that’s just the beginning!  Here is a pic of the centre piece that we are going for and at least that is ONE thing we’re definite on!  If you need info on this, please contact me and I’ll get it for you.  It is possible to make yourself if you are careful because it involves hot wax and cold water which is dangerous if the wax explodes.  I will definitely be making them myself with the help & guidance of my friend & unofficial wedding planner who has learnt to make them for her events planning company. 

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Now that I am having my dress made, That Special Moment’s website really stood out.  I noticed their ad on Facebook and thought I would share their info with you if you haven’t already heard of them.  They offer a storage option for your wedding dress that preserves the fabric and colour.  Read more on www.thatspecialmoment.com.

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