Wedding season is around the corner, and with that, lovely South African summer weddings. And although we love the warm evenings and longer days, a summer wedding does come with its fair share of drawbacks. We’ve gathered some solutions to help you keep your cool, and your guests comfortable.
DIY mists
We love a good DIY project, and this one is particularly practical. It will not only help keep your guests cool (and smelling lovely), but could serve as a nifty little favour as well. You’ll need:
- Small bottles with fine-mister nozzles (you can buy them at most bulk plastic suppliers)
- Distilled water
- Glycerin (a few drops per bottle)
- Essential Oils (a few drops per bottle)
Combine all the ingredients in the bottles, and shake well. Try peppermint, lemongrass or lavender essential oils for a fresh, invigorating scent that repels bugs at the same time.
Citronella candles
No matter where you are, mosquitoes always somehow manage to join the party and bring an unwelcome annoyance. Place citronella candles or diffusers with citronella essential oil on tables inside and outside, close to food, or wherever your guests will spend the most of time, to keep the bugs away.
Drink up!
Yes, your guests will most likely be sipping champagne, cocktails and the like, but it’s important to also have plenty of water available too. Alcohol causes us to develop a slight flush, even if it’s not noticeable in some people, leading to higher body temperature and dehydration to some degree, and even more so in hot weather. Have jugs and bottles of ice-cold water ready at a dedicated hydration station so guests have no excuse not to stay hydrated.
Individual parasols and fans
If you’re having an outside ceremony, it’s essential to provide your guests with some sort of shelter against the blistering sun. If you don’t plan on having umbrellas, provide your guests with individual parasols that they can use during the ceremony. Fans are also ideal to offer your guests to give them the option of fanning themselves during the ceremony as well as the rest of the night during dance breaks.
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Destination weddings are quickly becoming a popular option, but as with any wedding choice, they come with their own pros and cons.
Guests
The biggest appeal of having a destination wedding is being able to get married in a beautiful setting and potentially having a much smaller guest list as not everyone will have the time or money to make the trip. However, this also means that some people that you would have wanted to be there might not be able to make it.
Before settling on the idea of a destination wedding, chat to the people that you absolutely have to have at your wedding and see if they are able to make it. You can also consider covering a portion of their costs if your budget allows. For example, you could pay for their accommodation and then they are just responsible for their flights.
Costs
While your guest list may be smaller, meaning your ceremony and reception will cost less, you will have to spend more money on events surrounding the wedding to thank your guests for attending and making their trip worthwhile, and again, if you decide to cover their accommodation or some other costs, you will be spending even more.
Gifts
The biggest gift you will receive from your guests is their presence; if you are having a destination wedding, that should be enough. Since most of your guests’ budgets will go towards flights and possibly accommodation, you need to be okay with receiving smaller or fewer gifts.
Planning
Some resorts at popular destination wedding locations offer all-inclusive packages which means that most of the planning and execution will be done for you, which takes a lot of the stress off. But leaving the fate of your wedding day in the hands of others, especially when you are not able to be there to oversee planning and preparations, can also be very stressful. One way to combat this is to be flexible and to find reputable vendors.
Legality
Do your research on marriage laws in the location of your wedding and find out if the marriage licence you obtain is also legal in your home country. A way to get around this potential hassle is to get legally married in your home country and use your destination wedding as your celebration. You can decide whether or not to tell your guests about your legal marriage before the wedding, but since your destination wedding will be the main event and look exactly like any other wedding it might not be necessary.
Honeymoon
A big pro that comes with having a destination wedding is that you will save on your honeymoon as you will already be in the setting of your dreams. Although, this also means that your wedding guests will potentially be on your honeymoon with you as they have already travelled quite a way. You can consider travelling a short distance from your wedding location for a more private honeymoon. For example, if you decide to host your wedding in Santorini, you and your partner can travel to one of the other Greek islands for your honeymoon.
Things to consider:
– Whether the location of your destination wedding is easily accessible
– Sending out save the dates way before the recommended time to give your guests enough time to look at flights and book at cheaper rates
– Whether you are able to contribute towards any of the costs that come with a destination wedding like flights, accommodation or food
– The fact that not everyone will be able to make it… and that some people you were hoping wouldn’t come will think this is a great excuse to take a little vacation.
At the end of the day, it is your wedding and you decide where you get married, so you just need to see if the pros outweigh the cons based on your personal preferences.
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Amit Shah and Aditya Madiraju recently wed on July 19, in a traditional wedding ceremony at a Hindu temple. The two grooms shared their magnificent wedding pictures on social media and these quickly went viral, with people amazed at the fact that the two grooms had gotten married in a traditional temple.
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Love is meant to be celebrated. Outfits | @anitadongre #l Photography | @charmipena
Both grooms, originally from India and now living in New Jersey, come from conservative and traditional backgrounds, and so wanted a religious ceremony where they could say their Hindu prayers. The lovebirds had actually been legally married earlier in the month at a city hall.
On September 6, 2018 homosexuality was decriminalised by the Supreme Court of India when it declared Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code unconstitutional. This change being so recent, many LGBTQ people still live in fear of their families disowning them as it is often viewed by many as ‘shameful’.
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We are all born to love – just live your truth. Outfits | @anitadongre Photograph | @charmipena
After Amit and Aditya posted their magical moments over social media comments flooded in, many saying that couple brought hope to them. The pair are extremely happy that their love has evoked such happiness and spread hope to others.
Picture: Instagram/Amit Shah
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Deciding who to spend forever with is a life-changing decision. We spoke to Cape Town-based life coach, Helen Searra, on how to determine whether you are ready for marriage or not.
“There are a number of signs that indicate when we are ready for marriage, starting with our circle of close friends. For instance, when our friends take their romantic relationship to a more serious and committed level, like getting engaged. This thought of following suit may become more apparent, where it may have only been a subconscious idea beforehand,” said Searra.
She continued, “when we can’t imagine our lives without our partner, we identify them as our soulmate and are drawn to creating our own sanctuary to share with them. This is a sign.”
“When speaking to each other about long-term plans and believing that one can be in a relationship with one’s partner forever. Knowing that one wants to be married rather than just the idea of having a wedding day. These are all tell-tale signs,” explained Searra.
“When we have ticked off the things on our bucket list of a single life and are confident the rest of our bucket list would include our partner or bring no harm to the relationship.”
“When our family and friends love our partner and we have discussed our different family types, belief systems and cultural differences and begin designing our own set of rules, as two separate individuals being on the same page. When we reach a certain emotional and spiritual maturity, both having a voice, and are able to find our way back to each other after a disagreement. These are all indicators that one is ready for marriage,” concluded Searra.
Helen Searra is a Cape Town-based life coach. She has been practicing for 10 years in her field. She offers individual counselling sessions and couples counselling 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 at [email protected].
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