Remortgaged your house to afford the wedding of your dreams? Stop! Avoiding these wedding planning pitfalls in your process will ensure you get your happily ever after.
1. Not sticking to a budget
Planning a wedding spans a few months or more, so it can be difficult to keep track of every cent spent. Before you plan anything, draw up a realistic budget and do your best to stick to it. You’ll likely underestimate some costs (‘Fairy lights are how much?’), but this will help you make the right choice when it comes to your venue and the size of your guest list, which are often the two biggest expenses.
Add a ‘Miscellaneous’ column to your spreadsheet for unforeseen costs that may crop up. If you don’t end up using that money, treat yourself and your partner to a spa day on your honeymoon. You won’t regret that few thousand you cut from the decor column when you’re having the holiday of your life.
2. Starting too late
If you want to lose five kilos (who doesn’t?), start now. Don’t subsist on lettuce leaves and water for the month leading up to your big day – not only will you have to make major alterations to your dress at the eleventh hour, you’ll have no energy to enjoy the celebrations. Slow and steady wins the race.
Same goes for booking your venue and vendors. The best ones get snapped up a year in advance, so get in there as early as possible to ensure you bag the team of your dreams.
3. Having too many ideas
Mason jars! Polaroid guest book! Giant Jenga! Rustic, modern, country glam, city chic… The wealth of wedding inspo on the internet can clutter your brain and turn your day into a mishmash of random themes, colours and styles. Before you go down the rabbit hole, decide on a theme or colour scheme, then search for reference images based only on this.
When in doubt, KISS (keep it simple, stupid).
4. Sweating the small stuff
Your groom’s tie doesn’t match your shoes, the linen isn’t quite the shade of off-white you wanted or the doves don’t fly off on cue. It’s easy to get bogged down in the tiniest details, but every bride will tell you their day didn’t go exactly to plan – and it’s 99.9% likely yours won’t either. When the confetti hits the fan, take a deep breath, and ask yourself if this will matter tomorrow (hint: it won’t), then move on.
Always have a plan B for major disasters. Hire a tent in case your outdoor wedding gets rained out. Pack an emergency kit (wet wipes, deodorant, safety pins, needle and thread, tampons). Have a designated helper on the day (if not a coordinator) to deal with any MIA vendors. Back-up plans save lives.
5. Going DIY crazy
Yes, it guarantees your wedding will be one of a kind and keeps the costs down, but it also means you’ll be running around on the morning of, setting everything up instead of having pink bubbly for breakfast. Rather choose one or two things you really want to do to avoid overloading yourself. Don’t forget to ask for help. If you’ve made your own flower arrangements and bunting, nominate a reliable family member/friend to set them up for you on the day. Or get your bridal party together to handmake wedding favours.
Image: Unsplash
One of Hollywood’s favourite couples, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra, have just celebrated their one-year anniversary. Their touching tributes to each other prove that their love has only…
Oh, we love love! This couple completely stole our hearts. Capetonians Joey and Jane had been acquaintances for almost 10 years but nothing had come of it. In fact, Joey had actually invited her to coffee before, but she forgot to respond to his message and they never went!
Then, one day, Joey decided to go salsa dancing, and there she was. They got to chatting. Both being fitness professionals that used to work at the same gym, they had so much in common. She asked him to dance, and the rest, as they say, is history …
However, the couple faced a small problem: Jane was busy with immigration plans, adamant on relocating to the UK! Poor Joey was at his wit’s end. But with new love blooming, he managed to persuade her to stay a little while longer to see where it would lead. Knowing he had to change her mind while he had the chance, Joey took her hiking in Newlands forest to a spot they both loved to celebrate one year since they met at the dance. There he proposed and she said yes!
“Three weeks prior, I went on a two hour mission to find the exact same spot where we had our very first picnic,” Joey said on his Facebook post to the popular group #I’mstaying. He set it up with arrows pointing toward the spot and there he read Jane a story he wrote of the events of that first night they danced.
Being an interracial couple in a race-sensitive country, the two are not unaware of the challenges. “But I believe it’s up to us,” Joey said in an interview. When asked why they decided to stay in South Africa, he said that they both love the diversity and nature, and especially the kindness of South Africans.
“We are happy and feel eternally blessed,” he added. “We love Cape Town. We love South Africa.”
They plan to get started on the wedding arrangements soon.
Picture: Supplied
Wedding photographers are having to get more creative year by year, because competition is tough. Some couples like to keep it subtle and simple, others want to go…
Award-winning comedian Tumi Morake and her husband, Mpho Osie-Tutu, have just reached a milestone. The famous South African couple recently celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary, and they seem just as loved up as when they first started.
Taking to Instagram, Morake posted a heartfelt message to her husband. Along with an adorable picture from their wedding day, she wrote, “#tbt #throwback to 28 November 2009 when my bff @mphooseitutu and I got married! 10 years of growth, love and blessings. Woooooo baby we made it to the double digits ????? #blessed #awesometutus #betweentwotutus #love #anniversary”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5ZfyRIHErY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Congrats to the happy couple!
Image: Instagram / Tumi Morake
So you’re engaged, and although it’s an exciting and thrilling time for both you and your significant other, conflict is bound to arise, often in the form of…
We’re all familiar with dreamy afternoon weddings that celebrate late into the evening. While this can be a beautiful and more traditional approach, there’s something simply magical about a breakfast wedding.
1. They’re way more budget-friendly
Hosting a morning wedding can often mean cutting costs on venue and food, with certain locations lowering their prices as it’s a less busy time. There also won’t be nearly as much drinking in the morning, and simple mimosas, coffees and teas should suffice. Planning this kind of wedding in off-peak season will also help you save on venue costs.
2. The timing will be more flexible
Starting the celebrations earlier allows you much more time to either carry on celebrating or to head home early and jet off for your honeymoon. There will be no rush to hurry any part of the event, and you will find guests will feel more refreshed and calm during the entire affair.
3. There’s more room for intimacy
A breakfast/brunch wedding is perfect for smaller groups and more intimate moments between guests and the bridal party. Placing small picnic blankets out, snacks and wedding games for guests to enjoy will encourage conversation and bonding between the families.
4. You can enjoy a wide range of delicious foods
There’s a reason they say ‘breakfast all day’. Everyone loves breakfast food, and there’s is such a variety to choose from. From a coffee bar to cereal stations and a hot breakfast buffet, the options are endless (and delicious!)
5. The decor will be easier to work with
Morning receptions are very versatile. You can go big with a glamorous affair or small and intimate, it’s all down to your own preference. Lighting won’t be an issue, and if you’re choosing to host your wedding outdoors you can make use of an abundance of greenery to decorate the venue. Breakfast wedding decor also tends to be much simpler and cleaner, and less is needed to brighten up the space.
Image: Pexels