Archive for the ‘Receptions’ Category

As we all know news being spread by word of mouth, normally travels the fastest. Whether you’re discussing the brilliant movie you’ve just seen, your embarrassing message you sent on Facebook, which you thought was private, turns out you wrote it on someone’s wall… or that girl who used to go to school with you and got pregnant by the woodwork teacher, and is now selling jams outside the Spar on Saturdays… Point is, news travels fast when it’s being told, discussed, whispered or shouted, by mouth.

So, the aptly named events company who definitely needs no introduction in South Africa, By Word of Mouth made my task very easy!

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I am absolutely not a fan of the bouquet and garter throwing traditions so I have been searching high and low for alternatives and have come across some very cute ideas.  My favourite is the longest married bouquet toss, but if you want to give your bouquet to your mom then you can award a stunning bottle of wine to the longest married.  Here are the ideas found on http://ezinearticles.com/?Six-Alternative-Bridal-Bouquet-Toss-Ideas&id=122526:

Today its exactly 7 months to the BIG day, we now have the venue sorted….YAY!!!! And we had decided on the décor and colors.

Everything’s going well you think…….mmmmm well it is but with a twist.

Mr Daisy decided that we should add some black into the picture and black doesn’t mix well at all with the colors or décor we decided to use. So after much debate I decided to work on another idea to show Mr Daisy that having a black “theme” wouldn’t look as nice as the “vintage” theme we had already decided on. On finishing the “mock-up” theme that included black for Mr. Daisy, I very unexpectedly fell in love with it, it was just so much more…….mmmm what’s the word……..vibrant, than the color scheme and theme we had already decided to use. Ideas for the new theme just kept rolling in, one after the other, It felt so good having a fresh idea to work with that I completely forgot about our previous theme. So here is an update on the NEW theme we are going to use….

The new colours - Black, Lime green, Gold, Light pink, Ivory

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In Style Weddings www.instyleweddings.com has great articles, tips and ideas for your wedding day to save you time and money which as a result will take down your stress levels.  I think there is no better way to add a modern and elegant  feel to the day than by adding bright bold colours to your theme.

Get the waitrons to serve colourful cocktails.  There is a minimal extra cost, if any at all, to replace champagne or wine with cocktails.  Also, why not use something affordable and colourful that guests will notice straight away for the escort-cards?  This is the first thing they see before walking into the reception so make a statement.  Going bold and vibrant adds glamour and style to any event and can be achieved for next to nothing if you just scan through some ideas.  You’d be amazed what you can achieve.

With time running out, decisions had to be made once and for all.  With the help of a friend, I finally decided the decor which is really easy to do with guidance from a professional.  Often you see what you would like but have no clue what items and lighting is used to get the effect.  Whatever you do, don’t try do it yourself unless you have experience.  You will waste money buying the wrong DIY items as well as alot of time.  I have been dealing with a great decor company – SA Event Decor www.saeventdecor.co.za, with their sub division SA Wedding Decor www.saweddingdecor.co.za contact Amanda amanda@saweddingdecor.co.za.  I have received great service and their prices are extremely competitive.

Another great supplier I have come across is Lyn at Expressions Floral Design www.expressionsfloral.co.za or email lyn@expressionsfloral.co.za.  The price she has quoted for my bouquet and my two bridesmaids bouquets are so reasonable I actually didn’t believe the quote when I first got it.  All three are costing me R665 which includes diamante finishes and accessories.

We met our photographer at our venue, Ingwenya Country Estate, on Sunday to walk through the grounds and go over the lighting that we’ll have in the reception hall.  Highly recommended that you do this because your photographer won’t waste time on the day trying to find appealing spots to take photos and he/she would have prepared for any bad lighting in the hall or on the grounds.  Going to the venue and viewing the hall again put alot in place for us because it’s easy to forget the specifics of the venue after your first visit.   As mentioned in my previous blog, we’re moving the ceremony into the gardens and viewing the actual spot was so exciting and gave us a great indication of how we’re going to have everything set up.  It makes the rest of the planning much easier.  I suggest you go to the venue a few times if you’re not sure about the table layouts, DJ spot, main table area, decor ideas, etc.  It falls into place nicely once you’ve been a few times.

I also previously mentioned that we would visit the Oriental Market opposite Bruma Lake.  I recommend a visit there if you’re looking at DIY projects and saving cash.  They have EVERYTHING!  I just love the Chinese!  They are so creative and supply so much for you to choose from.  I’m using string beads in the centrepieces and there is a huge ‘florist’ and accessory shop there which is completely affordable.  A huge variety of  creative items, that if you haven’t wanted to use before, you’ll be using once you see them! 

We have also decided to scrap the decor ……

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 A while ago a friend mentioned having gone to a wedding where they released “sky lanterns” during the reception. I heard about them once again when my sister went over to Thailand on holiday and told me about them, and how beautiful they are. So I thought I would do a little research and here’s what I found out for you Brides 2 Be.

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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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1. Before you choose the size of the paper lanterns, research the size of the room or the tent. You need to consider the height of the room and the placement of the lanterns

2. To create dimension and depth, choose several different sizes of paper lanterns.

3. Hang the lanterns at varied heights for the most striking appearance.

4. White paper lanterns are most popular for weddings and receptions because of their versatility and elegance, whether lit or unlit.

5. Paper lanterns come in a variety of colors, so it’s easy to coordinate with your color scheme and decor. To add sparkle and pizzazz, put low-watt colored light bulbs in white paper lanterns, which looks better than using colored paper lanterns.

I wasn’t aware of the questions the venue will ask until we went to visit them with the decor people.  I thought my check list had it all covered!  In order to help some of you that may not have a wedding planner, here are some things to think about that the venue may ask (this obviously depends on the venue as they all differ in size, options, etc):

1. Be certain about the number of guests! Don’t give them an estimate until you have an actual draft guest list. The Wine Garden at our venue was booked for us as we estimated around 60 to 70 people but we were then told it only holds around 60 guests and we ended up with 120 on our list! Luckily they have the garden wedding option and the River Chapel and because they only do one wedding a day we can move the ceremony to any of the 3 locations.  Be sure of your facts before you make the bookings as some venues may not have an alternative option for you and if you’ve paid the deposit you’re stuck.

2. Do you want to serve welcome drinks to the guests while they wait for your photos to be taken? If so, what do you want served and where do you want the guests to be served?

3. If you have an outside decor company coming in they will conflict with the venue setting up the tables. Our decor people need a good 3 to 4 hours to set up and so does the venue so we’ve had a bit of a debate on this and hopefully the venue has nothing on the Friday before and the decor people can go and set up or the venue will have to let them in earlier than they usually would allow on the actual day.  The last thing the venue wants is to spend 3 hours setting up tables only for the decor people to come in and stand on chairs they’ve just covered to set up lighting or mess up the tables they’ve done.  They’ll both get in each others way, so give both parties advanced notice and try and get them to co-ordinate without it turning nasty. Read the rest of this entry »