Wedding ETC, Author at Wedding ETC

In Decor

A rocking time: All you need to know about boat weddings

October 23, 2020 No Comments

There are many different venues and locations to host your wedding. Some prefer destination weddings, or indoor weddings, while others wish to say ‘I do’ while at sea.

A boat wedding can be anything from a yacht, a small boat, or a cruise ship. Boats come in different sizes, and it depends on which one you think is best for your special day.

If you’re leaning towards exchanging vows on board, you may want to consider the pros and cons below in order to understand what you’re getting yourself into and whether it’s the right choice for you personally.

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The pros:

Affordability

Cruise weddings are generally affordable for yourself and your guests. Many cruise lines offer a range of packages per guest. Most things like the decor and catering is included in the package, so you won’t have to fork out extra for decorations.

You can request to adjust the packages to fit in with your wedding budget and the budget of your guests.

Accommodation and Food

The getaway wedding on cruise ships already comes with space to do everything. There are bars, restaurants and sleeping cabins.

Yacht weddings often have a whole team of vendors they work with which might make you feel more at ease.

Beautiful views

If you have a wedding onboard, no matter what kind of boat you take, you are guaranteed views.

The Cons:

Small spaces

Depending on the type of boat you are using, space could be limited. The floors usually carry no more than 50 people maximum.

Sickness

Some people suffer from sea sickness, so you might have a case of illness on your hands and that could derail the proceedings. You will also probably need to pay for the first response services.

Picture: Unsplash

In Advice

How couples really feel about marrying during the pandemic

October 23, 2020 No Comments

Shopping, meetings, and social events have all moved online since the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Even weddings have changed. Couples that had planned to have big ceremonies to celebrate their big day were forced to downsize or put the ceremony on hold until the pandemic subsides.

Upon seeing different reactions and frustration from social media, a study was conducted to understand how couples really feel about marrying during the lockdown.

One poll on behalf of custom menswear brand INDOCHINO found that 48% of people planning a wedding would rather shrink their guest list than postpone it. A survey was sent out to 2000 people and based on responses, and it revelaed that 22% considered holding a virtual wedding instead of postponing.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) also did research on how couples around the world dealing with the sudden changes in the world and how that will affect their plans.

Most weddings have been canceled or postponed in the UK, with the country under lockdown restrictions limiting gatherings.

For some couples in India, the usual throng of wedding guests has been replaced by an audience of mobile phones and tablets streaming live wedding ceremonies to distant family and relatives.

In South Africa, couples were posting their small ceremonies on social media, for a country that is known for big celebrations, this was interestingly welcomed in a positive light.

Drive through nuptials, virtual ceremonies, and only having few people attend the ceremony might be the new normal for the longest time.

Picture: Unsplash

In News

Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty celebrate their first year of marriage

October 22, 2020 No Comments

Nicki Minaj shocked everyone when she announced that she was starting a family. Things have moved quickly for the singer, who got married last year and retired from her music career to focus on her family life.

The rapper is also celebrating her first year anniversary with her husband, Kenneth Petty. She posted a picture of their son’s foot on Instagram and captioned it “happy anniversary my love”.

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Minaj dated rapper Kenneth Petty for almost a year before she hinted that they got married a year ago on October 21. However, they have known each other longer than that.

They met in New York when Minaj was a teenager. She once mentioned in one of her songs “I met my husband when I was 17 out in Queens / If you love it, let it go, now I know what that means / While he was up North for a body / I bodied everybody and got known for my body”.

In December 2018, she uploaded two pictures of them together during a trip to Turks and Caicos. In June 2019, the couple had their first marriage license but there was a mishap and they picked up their second one in August. They officially married in October in a ‘secret ceremony’. Nicki explained that they had a small ceremony because she was traveling and busy with an album, but she was determined to marry the Clyde to her Bonnie.

A day after they officially got married, she was already speaking about starting a family, and on September 30, 2020 she gave birth to their son.

Now that her album is done and she has started a family, fans are waiting in anticipation of the big wedding she promised her fans.

Pictures: Instagram

In Weddings

Do you need a head table at your wedding reception?

October 21, 2020 No Comments

Weddings are constantly changing, and how things are done is completely different from 10 years ago. The normalcy of the head table has since gone out of the window, with some couples choosing to sit with their friends, with close family, or even just by themselves with their new spouse.

Traditionally, a head table seats the newlyweds as well as their parents, and the bridal party. However, many modern couples are opting out of having a head table that overlooks the rest of their guests, instead choosing long banquet tables.

Should you go with tradition or modernity? Here are the advantages and disadvantages of a head table to help you make your choice.

Advantages of having a head table:

– You can be the centre of attention properly and you will be able to see everyone.

-It gives you a sense of privacy for the chaos of the wedding and you can clearly hear each other when speaking.

-It gives the venue more space for moving around.

– It gives the decoration a sense of completion.

Disadvantages of having a head table

-You will be more isolated from your guests.

-Your maid of honour, and best men might have their partners within the crowd who might not know anyone else at the wedding.

-There is a lack of alone time, as your main table will consist of six other people

– A large head table may limit your options for the layout of the rest of the seating

Picture: Pexels

In Venues

Newlyweds buy coffee for the homeless on their wedding day

October 21, 2020 No Comments

Weddings are such a happy time and everyone is in the spirit of giving. One couple felt especially generous and spent their wedding day buying coffee for homeless people in the area.

Jordan Cuff and Bhavana Gupta from Cardiff tied the knot on October 19 in a small intimate ceremony at the Cardiff City hall. The young couple got engaged in May last year and had planned to have a big wedding of 80 to 100 guests but the COVID pandemic tampered with their plans.

Only Jordan’s family could make it to the ceremony because Bhaavana’s family is in Italy and they would have to isolate for 14 days on arrival for the wedding.

Jordan came up with a creative alternative to having her parents present by making cardboard cut-outs of them.

“We were allowed 10 people, including our photographer and videographer and then that perfectly fit the number of our immediate family and then last week they announced that the quarantine in Italy was coming into effect the day they [Bhavana’s family] were due to come over so they couldn’t come. So I ordered these cardboard cutouts to take their place.” Said Jordan.

They had the whole ceremony streamed on Youtube so extended family members could watch and be present on the day.

The lockdown restrictions did not even allow them to host a post-wedding party celebration so instead, they decided to go to Jordan’s favourite coffee shop. While having their coffee, the couple decided to buy 30 homeless people coffee to seal off their day. The coffee owner says Jordan has bought 10 strangers coffee before this so this was no surprise.

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The couple is planning to have a bigger celebration when the rules allow it.

Picture: Unsplash

In Honeymoons

The top honeymoon destinations, according to Pinterest

October 20, 2020 No Comments

The honeymoon is one of the things that newlyweds look forward to after the wedding, where they will relax and escape from everyone.

Finding the perfect place for your honeymoon can be stressful, but luckily Pinterest has made this process easier. Most couples use this App for planning, and create boards for the places they like and want to visit in the future.

Researchers analysed Pinterest trends to find the most loved destinations when it comes to post-wedding getaways. They looked up honeymoon boards on Pinterest as part of their research, then calculated the most loved and pinned boards by tracking their pins.

Their research showed that exotic places with beaches are the most popular destinations. Bali tops the list, followed by Italy and Hawaii. Europe is the most popular continent, with six destinations to appear in the top 20. Alongside Italy, the research findings revealed that Ireland, Greece, France, Iceland, and Spain are also most loved.

Here is a compilation of top honeymoon destinations in their order, according to Pinterest.

– Bali – 998 boards

-Italy – 997 boards

-Hawaii – 992 boards

-The Maldives – 981 boards

-Ireland – 980 boards

-Thailand – 980 boards

-Mexico – 949 boards

-Greece – 757 boards

-India – 734 boards

-Costa Rica – 729 boards

-Japan – 717 boards

-Jamaica – 699 boards

-New Zealand – 601 boards

-France – 500 boards

-Iceland – 499 boards

-St Lucia – 477 boards

-Aruba – 442 boards

-Bahamas – 417 boards

-Spain – 415 boards

-Fiji – 408 boards

Picture: Unsplash

In Celebs

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard celebrate seventh wedding anniversary

October 19, 2020 No Comments

Bell and Shepard have been together for over a decade and got married in 2013. The pair have been through a lot together and from what, we can see, they are also each other’s best friends. They just celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary, and appear happier than ever.

They got married on October 16 in 2013. The private couple did not say anything about it on social media but from their sweet anniversary posts in 2019, their anniversary is diarised.

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Bell and Shepard met at a birthday dinner in 2007, but they weren’t exactly into each other at first. After that day, they spent time and warmed up to each other and they have been inseparable since.

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In 2009, they got engaged but made a promise to each other that they would not get married until same-sex marriage is legalized. When the Defense of Marriage Act was overruled in June, Bell proposed and they got married in October 2013.

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The pair live a very interesting life, their wedding proved that to many. Instead of the fancy normal celeb weddings, they got married in a tiny room in the Beverly Hills courthouse and Bell describes it as the best day of her life.

They spent about $142 for their ceremony and they wore coordinating black outfits.

Picture: Instagram / Kristen Bell

In Advice

What to consider when attending a virtual wedding

October 16, 2020 No Comments

When the president announced a complete lockdown in March, everything was shut down, plans were on hold and people had to make do with the “new normal”.

Couples that had planned to get married had to think of alternative ways to tie the knot as the different levels of lockdown were introduced.

Like everything else, weddings were also starting to be virtual. That did/does not give wedding guests the reason or right to look sloppy, as it is still an important day, and pictures will be most likely taken too.

Here are some different options for what you can wear to a virtual wedding.

What to wear

Attending a virtual wedding will naturally feel relaxed because you are in the comfort of your own house, but this does not give you the right to not dress up. You don’t have to wear a floor-length gown or a tuxedo and dancing shoes, but please don’t wear an oversized sleeping t-shirt with undone hair. Most people associate Zoom meetings with working from home, but a virtual wedding is not the place to wear your office attire.

Dress up. Chances are that the couple has a theme, so honour that. Otherwise, a dressy blouse, a dress with some detail at the top, or a button-down shirt and tie will work. Make sure that your hair is neat and tidy as well.

Set the scene

Mind your background. Make sure it’s well lit so that your face can be seen clearly in the live stream.

Create a wedding feel in your home, you don’t have to go all out and decorate but avoid the bedroom to attend the wedding. Look for a location with lots of natural light and try to face the light source. Make sure you’re fully visible to other guests. Make sure you tidy up your space a bit!

Be on time

On the day of the wedding, make sure you set up and you are early to avoid technical difficulties. Mute yourself quickly after signing in so you don’t delay the start of the ceremony. The couple should not have to stress about timekeeping.

Gifts are still important

Monitory gifts are convenient for virtual weddings. You can send gifts prior to the wedding so they can be part of the ceremony. There is still a wedding registry for a reason.

Pictures: Unsplash

In Accessories

What to consider when sending out thank you notes after the wedding

October 16, 2020 No Comments

Post-wedding thank you notes can be such a daunting task, but it is important to send them out to show your guests that you appreciate them for attending your special day.

When you’ve wrapped up your celebrating and are getting used to your new normal, you realise you have this one last thing to do as newlyweds. Here is the proper etiquette to consider.

Be on time

Normally, a wedding thank you card should be mailed on time, as sending them a year later will look like you have forgotten about your guests.

A window of one to three months is acceptable, and it gives you enough time to return from honeymoon. Don’t forget to split the “work” with your partner, too!

Double-check details

Mail errors do happen, so make sure you double-check that your guests have received them. Also double-check the wedding list so you do not miss or skip anyone.

Be personal

Take time and write the notes, and add a personal touch to each note according to how you know each person. It is recommended that you acknowledge their specific gift and presence while writing your notes.

Make sure to keep a detailed record of all gifts received and who gave them. Give your guests and gift-givers something special. If you are sending your thank you note via post, include a little gift if you can.

Pictures: Unsplash

In Advice

Should you have a live band or a DJ at your wedding?

October 13, 2020 No Comments

Music is one of the important parts of your wedding reception, because people come together on the dance floor. It’s the music that truly has the power to make or break the wedding reception so choosing what should be played at your wedding is a big decision to make.

At the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference and costs, so here’s a look at the pros and cons of a live wedding band or DJ.

A live band

In South Africa, a live band at a private function like a wedding costs roughly R 12 000 to R30 000. Prices vary based on your location and other factors, like the size of the band.

Pros

– Live song requests – people and the couple can ask the band to play their favourite songs

– It is more personal than a DJ

– It appeals to younger and older guests

– You and your guests will experience the pleasure of a live performance

Cons

– The big disadvantage of hiring a band is that they tend to be a tad expensive

– Bands also take up more space than a DJ

– The travelling cost and accommodation might be your responsibility if the band is not local

– A band might have one genre of music throughout

A DJ

Private function DJs can cost anywhere between R6500 to R12 000, while celebrity DJ prices range from R20 000 to R45 000. Plenty of couples hire a wedding DJ and prefer the diversity of music over a live band.

Pros

– A DJ can play different genres of music to appeal to a larger crowd

– They don’t require much space to set up

– They are usually local unless you want a celeb DJ

Cons

– Your wedding reception lives and dies depending on the DJ

– Since DJ equipment is usually a bit more “techy” it comes with a lot of wires – and sometimes it can look a little messy

– The equipment could crash and that would be the end of music and the vibe it brings

Some people prefer to have both, a DJ and a live band, to cater to everyone. The band is usually reserved for the romantic first dance. If this is the kind of vibe you want, then you should look into the cost of it all.

Pictures: Unsplash