Oh my, my wedding is in less than 2 months! How time flies!

Anyway, today I want to talk a bit about gift registries and how they help the bridal couple. I know that most couples prefer money, but there is a lot of debate out there whether it is considered rude to blatantly ask for money. Personally I think it is EXTREMELY tacky to ask that guests bring an unmarked envelope with money that they can just drop in a box at the wedding. (Yes, I’ve seen this stated on wedding invites! The HORROR!!!)

Even though you are spending a lot of money paying for your wedding, they are still your guests and technically speaking, they can give you whatever they want. And most guests prefer to give you something tangible that they can be remembered by. So, to prevent that you receive 20 toasters, or a toilet brush (I’ve seen this too…), rather set up a gift registry. We did and it was a very enjoyable experience.

Before you start, have a look at what you will actually need in your home. I found a very nice checklist here: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/bridal-registry-checklist.html.

Then you and your hubby-to-be can go to the store of your choice to set up your registry. Once you’ve done this, you can walk around with a portable scanner and select whatever you want. Just like in the movies! And by doing this, you get a glimpse of what your partner likes… Robot cookie jar, anyone?!

Most gift registries can be accessed online or at any store of the same franchise. We set up ours at Boardmans, but I’ve heard that @home and Woolworths also have very nice wedding registries.

Now I know that many couples live together before getting married and therefore already have everything in their home. However, there are ways of asking for money that are not cringe-worthy.

We simply stated on our invites that the bride’s mother can be contacted for gift-ideas. So once someone contacts my mother, she can simply tell them that we have a gift registry, but they are welcome to give money or even gift vouchers. And so far this has worked very well. Another solution would be to have your best man or maid of honour contact all your guests and tell them that the bridal couple is saving up for a new home, or something like a new television. Then give them the option to contribute towards this item.

And nowadays honeymoon registries are very popular as well. So go and have a look on my best friend, Google.

Until  next time, have a blast at planning your wedding! I know I will…

There’s always a crisis when you’re planning your wedding. Even hiring a wedding planner does not ensure that everything runs smoothly, but it sure helps….

My first crisis started with my dressmaker informing me (very blatantly) that the dress I’ve been dreaming about since I got engaged, does not suit my body and that I don’t have the body that I had in Matric anymore! Cue the waterworks…

Then my mom insisted that she wears turquoise, even though I specifically asked her to wear any colour except that. I don’t want her looking like one of my bridesmaids, which will be wearing the same colour!

As if that was not enough, my sister (one of my bridesmaids) complained to everyone with ears, because I don’t want her wearing heels. She’s MUCH taller than me! She does not need added height!

The biggie came when Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to our new buzzing blogger – Mizz Mariage – “Mariage” which by the way means “wedding” in French.

1. Name: Renda de Beer
2. Age: 23
3. Occupation: Web Developer
4. Province: Western Cape, South Africa
5. Engagement Date: 15 August 2009
6. Wedding Date: 4 September 2010
7. Wedding Theme / Colours: Roses, Wine Red & Turquoise
8. A bit about myself: I’m a young and bubbling bride-to-be with lots of ideas for planning a wedding. I’m planning a destination-wedding and with little details like a maid-of-honour currently on crutches, I’m bound to provide VERY interesting reading material on my blog!
9. Favourite Flowers: Roses, Orchids, Proteas, Lilies

We look forward to reading more about your big day!

Hey everyone! You might remember me…I was one of the wedding-crazy bloggers from 2008. :-) Since I got married, I’ve started my own photography business – let’s just say there was no way I could leave the wedding world behind after my wedding was over!

This winter, since it’s quiet season, I’ve decided to run a competition for couples whose wedding photography experience didn’t turn out quite like they’d hoped. I’m offering a photography session where you can dress up in your wedding gorgeousness again, and get some beautiful portraits you can fall in love with!

You can read all about it on my blog – hop on over there, and make sure to spread the word!

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!

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re the Chosen One – or Bridesmaid – or Maid Of Honour, I know you’re totally stressing about arranging the perfect Bachelorette party.  Most Bridesmaid’s want to go all out for the occassion but also don’t want to overdo it as the wedding is going to be one outrageous party.  However, this is a time of fun, joy and partying and there is absolutely nothing wrong with spoiling your best friend throughout the journey of her upcoming wedding. 

We Got Style www.wegotstyle.co.za / www.wegotstyle.co.za/bachelorette literally spent months planning a party for a Bridesmaid that wanted absolute perfection.  She kept us so busy that I was thankful we weren’t the wedding planners as I doubt we would have had time to do both!  My point though is that at the end of it all the Bachelorette could not thank us enough for the amazing party we put together.  She was blown away by the decor and could not believe that her Bridesmaids would go through so much to spoil her and to ensure she enjoyed every moment of this special time in her life.  I am sharing some pictures of the decor that we did to inspire you and tell you that yes, you really can go all out for your best friend because she absolutely deserves it!

Splendid Affairs is a wedding decor company specialising in bespoke wedding decor – something personal, unique, stylish and always glamorous. The inspiration behind this table was  vintage glamor coupled with the latest trend of using cut glass, crystal and silver as a prominent wedding decor items. The flowers are kept to the minimum and the focus is placed on other decorative items. Each table can have different items displayed, which you can keep as sentimental keep-sakes from your wedding day to treasure forever.

Let’s hope the weather improves tomorrow, but even if it rains make your way to Toadbury Hall for some true English Country Style setting to meet the Toadbury Team, sample gorgeous canapes and sorbets, have a cup of coffee and meet some great wedding suppliers.

What more, a professional photographer Kat Forsyth will be at the venue to take some fun photos of the couples! So come over and experience just how rocking wedding planning can be!

The Rock Around The Cradle Day 1 was today, and the weather was miserable. Luckily, the gorgeous fire at Toadbury Hall warmed everyone up. The mood at Toadbury Hall was cheerful despite the rain. The couples were invited to chat to the co-ordinators about their wedding plans, and meet a few suppliers too.

One of the treats in store for the couples was an impromptu shoot with a professional wedding photographer Annalene Rautenbach of Moments By Annalene with fun props, after Sam of Lashline Make-Up touched up ladies make-up.