If you’ve ever wanted to get married in the bush, then you’re lucky to call Africa your home. Say “I do” with a pair of elephants as your witnesses, or ask a giraffe for a post-ceremony selfie. Surrounded by nature and potentially some wild animals, here are a few wedding venue ideas for your bush wedding inspiration.
Having your wedding in the bush will be an experience unlike any other. No matter the time of year, the bush is guaranteed to bring you epic post-wedding photos and an extremely beautiful wedding venue. Guests who have never been to the bushveld will hold this special memory in their heart for a long time. There really is no place on earth like Africa’s wild terrain.
Planning your honeymoon is an exciting time for any soon-to-be married couple. It can, however, be difficult to decide on a destination that meets all your expectations. A major trend in travel currently is eco-conscious tourism.
Making as little impact on the environment as possible is something people are aiming to include in their travels. If you want to jump on the proverbial bandwagon, here are some eco-friendly resorts and destinations to consider for your honeymoon.
Wolwekrans Eco Lodge
Located on 120 hectares of bushveld in Mpumalanga on Schoemanskloof escarpment, there are two private self-catering cabins that make for the perfect honeymoon scape. Each cabin has two bedrooms, offering ample space. The views will keep you entranced as you gaze over the forest landscapes. Natural springs make for the perfect place to cool off in the summer sun. With three hiking trails to embark on, there are lots of ways for you to appreciate the surrounds. Pets are welcomed guests too.
For ultimate peace and tranquility, the suites on Farm 215 offer a blissful break for your honeymoon. The reserve is a protected area situated in the Uilkraal Valley between Stanford and Cape Agulhas. Abundant with fynbos from the Cape Floral Kingdom, the suites blend seamlessly into their surrounds. With panoramic views overlooking the Agulhas Plains to the ocean, it doesn’t get more romantic than this.
Just outside of Paternoster is where you’ll find the Sea Shack. Situated a literal stone-throw away from the sea, this eco-getaway is a rustic honeymoon destination. The beach huts are all solar-powered and designed in a way that you can keep your door open and listen to the sound of the ocean as you drift off to sleep. The bathrooms are equipped with gas-powered showers and eco-toilets that are serviced daily. Come rain or shine, this seaside escape is a dreamy honeymoon destination.
This modern yet unassuming treetop accommodation along the Garden Route is eco-friendly, private, luxurious and gorgeous. The cabins are nestled in the trees, allowing you to fully immerse yourselves in nature. Wake up to the sound of singing birds and spend your days exploring this special part of South Africa. The forest lodge is a haven for relaxing and unwinding after the wedding stress, allowing you to create special memories as a newlywed couple.
Delicious food, glorious sunsets and a break within nature is all included in your visit to Graceland Eco Retreat. This mountainside lodge will allow you to decompress from the wedding stress. Bordering on the forests and plantations of Magoebaskloof and the Woodbush Forest Reserve, you’ll get the best of both a mountainside escape and a safari experience. Solar power is used throughout the lodge, allowing you to indulge in the creature comforts of home, without the on-the-grid guilt.
Inviting your friends and family to your wedding day should not be taxing on the environment. The idea of posting your wedding invites is a thing of the past (or it should be) purely based on the carbon emissions that it takes to get your invite to each individual guest. Save costs and save the planet with these eco-friendly wedding invites.
E-vites
Inviting your guests to your wedding by way of email is a sure-fire way to protect the planet. Not only does it eliminate the risk of the invite getting “lost in the mail” but it gives your guest an effortless response mechanism. You can detail your invite as elaborately or minimalist as you please. It also allows you to keep track of who is and isn’t able to attend. Voila, planet saved.
If you’re old-school and want to send physical invites, fine, but be sure to use plantable seed paper. This can be sourced online. The paper is customisable and durable. Seed paper gives back to the planet by growing new plant life, in return for your carbon emission – unless you hand-delivered the invites in an electric car, of course.
Again, if you want to keep things traditional, add an eco-spin. Make your own invites using compostable or seed paper, use environmentally-friendly ink and ensure no glue, wax, glitter or plastic is used in the process. Request that your guests RSVP electronically to you over email so that nothing gets lost along the way. By doing this you’ll have a digital record of attendees that can be used to send thank-you mailers out after the wedding. A win-win.
Weddings can be filled with many surprises, but none quite compare to a famous celebrity dropping in for a quick hello. From Tom Hanks to Emila Clarke, here are the best celebrity wedding crashers.
Snoop Dogg
In 2014 Snoop Dogg was getting out of a limo in Chicago, when a photographer of a wedding at a Hard Rock Cafe spotted him. The photographer convinced him to jump in a photo and he hung out at the reception for a while afterwards.
While visiting Georgetown University in 2016, Bradley Cooper, who attended the university, surprised a bride and groom. While they were having their wedding photos taken around the campus, Cooper jumped in on the fun and congratulated the couple.
The kindest man in the world, Tom Hanks, veered off his run in Central Park to congratulate two newlyweds. He also offered to officiate their wedding. Hanks is a serial wedding crasher, according to Insider. While filming Angels & Demons in Italy, Hanks crashed a wedding and escorted the bride to the church.
A singer spotted Jon Bon Jovi in attendance at a wedding and began singing her version of “Livin’ on a Prayer” when eventually she coaxed the legend on stage. Watch the video below.
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson surprised a same-sex couple at their wedding in Huston. The surprise performance happened shortly after the Obergefell case that legalized gay marriage in the USA.
Ed Sheeran
Who wouldn’t want Ed Sheeran to crash their wedding? Sydney-based radio show Kyle & Jackie O, who paid for the wedding after learning that the couple had to postpone their ceremony for financial reasons. The radio duo attended the wedding and brought along Ed Sheeran to sing their first dance song.
Maroon 5 crashed a number of weddings for their “Sugar” music video
In 2014, Maroon 5 took it upon themselves to crash as many weddings as possible in one day. The band were filming their music video and the result is epic. Despite some claiming some of the crashes were staged, a few wedding photographers from the ceremony spoke to USA Today confirming they weren’t all staged.
Serena Williams
Minding her own business on Miami Beach in 2014, Serena Williams was spotted by a wedding party. A friend of the bride and groom went to chat to her and she obliged to meeting the couple. She congratulated them and took pictures with the couple while sporting a gorgeous leopard print one suit.
Bill Murray was being himself when he sat in on a few pictures of a couple’s engagement. Looking totally chill and unassuming, Murray makes for a good photobomber.
Chris Hemsworth
A couple had gotten married in Byron Bay in Australia and the best man spotted the actor surfing. He approached Hemsworth and asked if he would take some photos with the couple. The bride had no idea who the actor was and even asked, “Who is this person?”.
Emilia Clarke and Nathalie Emmanuel accidentally crashed a “Game of Thrones” themed wedding
Unlike the weddings in Game of Thrones, this was a happy ending. Emila Clarke and Nathalie Emmanuel were staying at a hotel where a GoT-themed wedding was being held. Watch below to hear what happened.
Does the thought of planning a fancy dinner for hundreds of people, a year in advance, with the focus of everyone’s attention only on you scare you or excite you? If it’s the former and this sounds like your worst nightmare of a wedding, then why not elope?
Skip the excessive and unnecessary spending and choose a destination you and your partner have dreamed of visiting. Do some research on local wedding officiates and choose somewhere. Pack a bag and be gone.
If you want to be a little less dramatic, tell your family that your wedding is going to be extremely intimate: you, your partner, the officiate and a photographer. They can’t disown you for wanting to celebrate your special day the way you want to. It’s your day, not theirs.
If the idea of an intimate wedding excites you, here is some inspiration to hopefully get you to commit to your authentic happily ever after.
There is a global movement toward living a more environmentally conscious lifestyle. People are more aware of their day-to-day impact on the natural environment and so eco-conscious weddings are rapidly growing in popularity. Here are some ways you can make your wedding as eco-friendly as possible.
1. Leaf Confetti
Say goodbye to the harmful dyed paper that is confetti and hello to compostable confetti punched from fallen leaves. You can use a punch that is either the traditional circular shape, or spice things up and find a punch that cuts heart, star or even flower shapes. The use of leaves means no one has to clean up the mess that other confetti leaves behind. Rice is not an eco-alternative as it is a waste of food and petals are not an alternative option either. Yes they are biodegradable but spending an exorbitant amount of money on flowers, only to rip them apart, is just illogical. Fallen leaf confetti for the win!
Rather than bleeding the bank dry and renting a dinner service large enough for your wedding, purchase compostable cutlery in bulk for your special day. From plates, to bowls, straws, knives, forks and spoons – compostable crockery and cutlery exists in all shapes and sizes. No one remembers the plates you used for your wedding dinner, but they may want to copy your trendsetting notion to save the planet. At the end of the reception, no water or electricity has to be used to clean dinner plates and dessert bowls. Just pop them into a biodegradable bag and use them to start a compost heap. It’s a win-win for Mother Nature.
Check out Green Home for all your compostable crockery and cutlery needs.
Do you want to save money, protect the atmosphere and nourish your guests? Then take meat off the menu for your wedding reception. The idea may cause an outrage among your guests but remember, this is your wedding not theirs. They will survive one night without it. The meat industry contributes greatly to global warming from its CO2 emissions. Did you know that one beef burger with toppings and a bun requires around 3,140 litres of water to be made? So why not lay off the globe’s most precious resource and indulge your guests in a delectable vegetarian (or even better, vegan) menu? With ample vegetarian and vegan food catering companies across South Africa, there really is no excuse for keeping meat on the menu.
Try find a wedding venue that operates only on solar power and keep your wedding off the grid. You won’t have to worry about load shedding mid-I do, or rely on a back up generator if the power goes out during your first dance. Renewable energy will help keep your wedding eco-friendly. Alternatively, you can swap out the candles and use battery operated fairy lights or Console jars that will help keep your wedding lit well into the night.
If you’re planning on giving a thank you gift, give your guests a spekboom cutting each. Spekboom is South Africa’s endemic wonder plant. This shrub is packed with Vitamin C and the succulent leaves are pro photosynthesisers, the process of making plant food from sunlight. This produces oxygen as a by-product, and we all know how important that is. Spekbom, also known as pork bush and Elephant’s food, is more effective than the Amazon rainforest at sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Specifically, spekboom can sequester over 4 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year per hectare planted. Spekboom is a water-wise, drought resistant plant that is also edible. Spekbooms can literally be cut and stuck in some soil in a pot and left to thrive. Keep things green with this carbon dioxide sequestering machine.
– NO balloons! Balloons are one of the largest contributors to oceanic waste, they are as deadly to marine life as they are pretty to humans.
– NO glitter! Glitter is essentially a microplastic that pollutes the environment and can be harmful to wildlife if consumed. The definition of ‘environmentally friendly’ glitter differs from producer to producer and so its best to just avoid, avoid, avoid.
– NO fake flowers! Fake flowers may be a pretty element to your decor and theme but by using them you create a demand for the plastic industry and this is what your eco-wedding is trying to avoid.
– Use a local dress and suit maker for your attire: Supporting a small business is a great way to give back to the community and to cut your carbon emission by avoiding having a dress and suit made somewhere that requires excessive travel.
– Have a bouquet made up from endemic plants only. This will not only bring a local flair to your day but is a conservationist approach to the flora you use.
– Use an electric vehicle for your wedding car. Lay off the fossil fuels and roll up to your wedding venue in an eco-friendly, electric vehicle.
– Serve vegan wines. With less harmful toxins, higher resveratol, lower sulphates and a low impact on the environment – switch out the traditional for the environmentally friendly wines. There are ample South African wineries that offer vegan wines, so you have plenty of choice.
Amanda Bynes announced her engagement on social media on Valentine’s Day. She uploaded a photo of the diamond ring to Instagram with the caption “Engaged to tha love of my life.”
According to The Blast, her fiancé is Paul Michael. The couple met at AA classes and have been together for three months. Bynes is under a parental conservatorship. This means her parents have been appointed by a judge to manage her financial affairs and/ or daily life due to mental or physical limitations. In order for the marriage to be legal, Bynes would need a judge to sign off on it.
On Valentine’s Day, Emirates shared a video of a couple getting engaged on board one of their flights. According to the airline, the woman, Vasti, had always wanted to be proposed to in the air.
Her boyfriend, William, took the opportunity to pop the question while en route to Johannesburg on board an Emirates A380 flight.
William led Vasti to the First Class lounge where the Emirates cabin crew had created a romantic setting. The lights were set to red, creating a loved-up ambiance.
In the video, William can be seen speaking to Vasti, before getting on one knee. Watch the heartwarming moment below:
Austrian countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg married Prince Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 October 2019 in a magical ceremony in Paris.
Prince Jean-Christophe is the great-great-great nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte and Countess Olympia is the great-great-great niece of his second wife, Archduchess Marie-Louise.
In a symbolic union, one can say that history has repeated itself as the (former) Imperial House of France and the Austrian House of Habsburg wed once more. Minus the political motivation.
In 1810, the wedding of Napoleon Bonaparte I and the Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria that took place was a strategic move by the Archduchess to end the conflict between Austria and France.
The bride looked elegant and beautiful in her satin-and-lace Oscar de la Renta gown. The dress had a cut-out fern monogram that fit her perfectly. To match, she sported a caplet for the ceremony which was taken off for the reception, held at the historic Palace of Fontainebleau.
Traipsing behind the gown was a gorgeous veil, trimmed with matching lace. Atop her head sat a bejewelled tiara.
When you find the person who you want to spend forever with, you are aware of the different personality traits you each possess.
We spoke to Helen Searra, a qualified life coach about wedding planning and here is what she had to say about grooms who have no interest in wedding-planning.
“While planning a wedding may be of interest to you, he may not share the same feeling. This does not mean he isn’t interested in the wedding.
“Having different interests and hobbies make a relationship interesting. You can learn from one another. Find out if something you’re interested in might be something he’s interested in but has never had the opportunity to explore, and vice versa.
F”ocus on each others strengths. Some people have no idea or desire to party plan. Don’t take this personally!
Find a group of friends or family who love party planning.
“Share the fun of planning with people who are interested, that is the best way to generate fabulous, creative ideas.
“Have fun putting the event together and sharing the progress with your partner rather than setting him up to fail.
“The couples attitude and behaviour during the wedding planning can set up a repetitive dance in the marriage going forward, should they come from overly invested expectations of each other.” concluded Searra.
Image: Unsplash
Helen Searra is a Cape Town-based life coach. She has been practicing for 10 years in her field. She offers individual counseling sessions and couples counseling both in person or remotely over Skype. She offers package deals of either 4, 6 or 8 sessions. To enquire for a rates card, contact Helen on [email protected].
