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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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.

Here are some great and cute ideas, although there are thousands, for some simple but modern invitations.  Why stick to the old fashioned ones if you have no restrictions or limitations to what you can do to match your personality to the decor and stationery!  Ideas found on www.moderngirlinvitations.com

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 »

I cannot believe we’re into two digit numbers for our wedding countdown.  Time has certainly gone by very quickly and I still feel that there is so much to do.  Our first 1 hour course with the pastor is next week Tuesday and we’re very excited to see how it goes.  It sounds like fun and more importantly he explained how he’ll do exercises with Mr Style and I so we get to know each other more than we thought we knew each other.  Sometimes that sounds impossible but I always feel that couples will forever be learning new things about each other which makes for an exciting future! 

I hate to say it, but I am STILL stuck on what wedding invitations I want.  I have narrowed them down to about 3 different ones but unfortunately haven’t made up my mind.  Important tip for the ladies out there – go with the first designs and styles that you like because the more you look the more confusing it gets which I keep saying in all my blogs but don’t follow my own advice!  I had my first dress fitting on Saturday and decided on the colour of the bridesmaids dresses as well as the beading and colouring of my dress.  I’m not giving away too much about it as alot of friends read my blog and wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise :).  Mr Style has taken care of the suits which we are hiring from TOBS www.tobs.co.za.  Great service and great prices.  My dress maker gave me a piece of the bridesmaid dress fabric so that Mr Style can match the suit trimmings.  Read the rest of this entry »

Since my last wedding update 27th April quite a bit has happened to ‘rock the planning boat’ which now reminds me to not take it for granted that everything is running smoothly.  I realised I couldn’t be bothered doing the invitations myself and that suppliers are not always upfront with you on what they’re willing to do for the price.   The invitations I gave up on because the stationery that I chose  isn’t as flexible as I originally thought and doesn’t look nice when folded.  Tip!  And quite an obvious one is to test out the stationery in terms of folding as well as printing.  On some glossy stationery the ink smudges more unless done by a proper printing company.  I was set on doing a lot myself because I am very creative but with the stumbling blocks I’ve hit and time running out I’ve had to make decisions on what to hand over that still won’t cost too much and what I can keep for myself.

Secondly, the decor people mentioned in previous blogs ended up having an issue with the fact that I removed items from their quote that I hadn’t asked for in the first place.  They quoted R5000 worth of centre pieces that I didn’t request and added too many cocktail tables for the area they would be set up in.  When I removed the cocktail tables from the quote (because we realised there is a stunning smoking and drinks area near the hall) and asked them to remove the centre pieces, they phoned me and advised ‘they don’t just give 50% discounts easily and my quote is just doing down and down’  (in those exact words) and actually don’t really so weddings! Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Brides,

Please do not leave planning your seating arrangements to the last moment. Please remember that your reception needs to be layed out according to the way you would like to seat your guests. Whilst last minute changes can happen, it is a lot easier to add/remove a few guests to/from the existing seating chart than creating a whole seating chart the night before your wedding.

I had brides in the past dropping off their seating charts on the day of the wedding after the tables have been set up, all names jumbled up in one pile! This means not only the tables have to be rearranged, but it takes time to sort through100+ names. On the day of the wedding, there is no time to waste. This task can take up to an hour and this really does conflict with time schedules composed by your setting up team.

If you are having hanging seating charts, then you will need to sort out the table names and guest names well in advance. Intricate ribbons need to be tied to the names, the crystals adjusted or the names will have to be sloted into the wire holders. Which ever style you have, it is best to have it ready at least a week before the wedding.

If you are going to set up your own reception, you will not have time to go through 100 names and arrange them in the right order without working yourself into a frenzy.

Now can you image your service providers trying to arrange a pile of names of people they have never met? On that note, if you are giving your guests gender appropriate gifts then please indicate how many males and females are at the table- some names can be ambiguous and confusing (especially if they are foreign).

The best thing to do is to pack your name cards, table numbers in the separate boxes or packets (table 1, table 2, table 3…). Please provide your venue, your planner or the person setting up your reception with a floor plan and all the names a few days ahead of the wedding.

Check out www.weddingwire.com for their free wedding planning tools. Once you register, you can make use of their fabulous and easy to use tools, one of which happens to be seating chart tool!

Remember, in order for the wedding day to be as stress free as possible, sort out all the small details before the wedding day!

I’m into my 2nd week of bootcamp and I’m not going to lie …. IT’S TOUGH!  In all honesty though, despite my asthma challenge in this thick cold air, I  love it.  I’m up at 4:15 every morning – giving me time to wake up properly, have some coffee and a small snack for energy and on to meet at Trinity House rugby field by 5:25.  I thought the class would be no more than 5 girls however we’re a group of 20 and that’s a small group in comparison to others.  One of the biggest has been 45.  They definitely don’t mess around either!

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