Weddings are a huge expense which grows together with your guest list. Inviting colleagues is a frequent topic of discussion – you see them every day but after inviting family and friends, there might not be much space left on your guest list.
Technically, you don’t have to invite anyone you don’t want to/don’t have space for, but it’s never that simple when it comes to colleagues. After all, you do spend a lot of time with them and not inviting them could turn awkward.
With colleagues you have three options.
1. You can either invite no-one from work and easily explain that you are just having family and friends
2. You can invite the few colleagues that you really get on with
3. Or you can invite your whole team which will obviously be easier if you work in a small group
First make your guest list which includes including family and friends is accounted for, then save your colleagues for the end of your list. If you have enough open spaces to invite all of them and that’s what you would like to do, then do that. If you only have a few open spaces then you will need to think about who you would really like to be there.
Are you friends with your colleagues outside of work?
If you see colleagues in your free time then they should be treated the same as your non-work friends and definitely be invited. If you handle the situation correctly, this shouldn’t cause any tension in the office. Let your colleagues that are invited know you are not able to invite everyone from the office, so your wedding should not be a topic of discussion at work.
If you still feel awkward about the situation, explain to those colleagues who aren’t invited that your guest list is tight and as much as you would like to, unfortunately you can’t invite everyone. Most people will understand and if they don’t, well, it pretty much justifies them not making the guest list.
If you have limited numbers, a good rule of thumb is to save your invites for friends and family. Colleagues are colleagues and if your friendship is limited to your work place, you should not feel bad about not inviting them to one of the most intimate days of your life.
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,…
The wedding is over and it’s finally time for your intimate getaway, a chance for you and your partner to spend some quality time together before heading back to reality. So where do you go? Well unless you’re Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, you may need to budget and plan for your great escape. Honeymoons can be expensive, so to help you along, we’ve gathered a few spots for a budget-friendly honeymoon:
Proudly South African
With so much beauty around the corner, you may want to opt for a local honeymoon. Do you know your own town, city or province?
1. The Garden Route
With 300km worth of beauty, the options are endless. Make a road trip of it. Check in to a local lodge or hotel and become a tourist in your own town. Make sure you don’t miss out on whale watching in Hermanus and the nature reserves along the Garden Route. Enjoy the beautiful white sand beaches of Plettenberg Bay. Get your surf on in J Bay, or pop in to the Addo Elephant Park.
2. Cape Town
It is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With so much to see and do, you and your partner will have plenty to keep you busy and connecting in a special way. Be sure to checkout Table Mountain, Bo Kaap, Boulders Beach, Cape of Good Hope, and Chapman’s Peak Drive.
3. Hazyview, Mpumalanga
There are tons of adventurous things to do, such as horse riding, abseiling, river rafting and visiting the area’s incredible elephant sanctuary. You can even hop in a hot air balloon for a tour with a whole different view!
Venturing out of the South
1. Mauritius
Sit back and relax while enjoying the picturesque beaches. The beautiful island is known for boasting great hiking trails, exquisite waterfalls, and lovely fresh seafood.
2. Kenya
Get the best of both worlds in this beautiful country. Enjoy the great safaris and stunning beaches.
3. Zanzibar
Soak up the sun on their gorgeous beaches and have a dive while you’re there! Be sure to check out Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park too.
Up up and away
1. Bali
This magnificent Indonesian island offers many affordable packages which can include your accommodation and activities. Take a look at the exquisite temples and breathtaking beaches.
2. Brazil
Take advantage of Brazil’s visa-free entry for South Africans! This magnificent and culturally-rich country offers much to see. From stunning beaches to the famous picture-perfect moment at Christ the Redeemer. Enjoy the beautiful mountains and snap a pic at the Escadaria Selaron.
3. Sri Lanka
While flights to Sri Lanka may be a bit steep, the country itself is inexpensive. Accommodation is affordable and there’s a lot to see, from ancient city ruins and temples to epic national parks.
Picture: Unsplash
It’s your big day! All eyes are on you, and that dress! The wedding gown may be one of the most important elements of this occasion of love.…
The wedding cake is an important element at any reception. It serves as a centrepiece on the big day, and is often one of the most spoken-about things (along with the bride’s gown and the décor!) at the wedding. As hard to believe as it may be, though, some people don’t enjoy cake. We’ve found some alternative options for those who aren’t a fan of this soft, baked dessert, or for any couple who wants to try something different.
1. Croquembouche Wedding Cake
Croquembouche is a French dessert made up of choux pastry puffs. It usually forms a cone-like shape and is strewn with strings of caramel. There are many variations, including chocolate, sugar-coated, or fruit-topped.
2. Pancake/Crêpe Wedding Cake
Sounds odd, right? But for all the pancake and crêpe lovers out there, you can finally fulfill your fantasy and have a cake, made up of layers and layers of the thin flat cakes. They are stacked to form a ‘typical’ wedding cake shape. They can create a one-tiered ‘cake’ which at first glance looks like a normal cake. This is called Mille cake. The crêpes can however also be spread out and be made up of various sizes to have a multi-tiered wedding cake.
3. Doughnuts galore
Who doesn’t love a good doughnut? If you answered yes, you may want to look into a doughnut wedding cake. They come in all shapes and sizes. There are oversized one-tiered ones, doughnut-hole cakes and multi-tiered cake stands filled with normal doughnuts.
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4. Macaroon Wedding Cake
Layers of macaroons are stacked to give the illusion of a tiered cake. You can choose to have one colour, or many! The options are endless.
5. Cheese cake
Not cheesecake. This wedding cake is comprised of various cheeses – yes, you read that correctly. It’s a savoury-lover’s dream!
6. Pies, pies and more pies
You can go sweet or savory with this one. Have them on different layers to create pie-tastic centerpiece.
7. Actual (little) cakes
You can have a wedding cake made up of cute cupcakes or, alternatively, have mini individual cakes for everyone! A dessert cup stand is a great idea too.
8. Cookie cake
Stack some cookies to create a wedding tower or have a giant cookie be your ‘cake’.
Picture: Pexels
Along with the excitement of a wedding comes all the events and parties that lead up to the big day. One of the most popular pre-wedding celebrations is…
The wedding is over. Now you can finally relax, right?
Nope! There is still one thing left to do – send out thank you cards. This may seem like a daunting task, but it has to be done. The general rule for sending out thank you cards after a wedding is that you have 3 months to do so, but try to do it as soon as possible.
Some tips for making this process as easy as possible:
- When opening gifts, keep a list of every gift received and who it was from. This will help you when you are actually writing the cards as you won’t have to rack your brain trying to remember who gave what.
- Keep a pen and your wedding stationery next to your bed so that you can write a few cards each night when you get into bed. This is better than writing them all at once as you want the cards to be as appreciative and sincere as possible which can be hard to maintain after you’ve already written 50 cards. It also takes the pressure off finding time to sit down and write them all.
A few things to include in the card: specify the gift that was received so that the card is personalised, write something personal about the giver, and comment on the joy that the gift will bring you.
The best tip I can give when writing a thank you card is: NEVER start with thank you. Start with any other sentence. If you start with thank you, you won’t know what to say next.
A great thank you card doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be done.
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