For you, it may be a classic choc cake with vanilla icing. Your friends over in Norway or Korea, however, may prefer something different. Be inspired by global cake traditions.
1. LITHUANIA
A sakotis, the traditional cake for weddings and special occasions, is cooked by rotating batter on a spit. As it cooks, the drips harden, creating a spiky tree shape.
2. ENGLAND
A fancy fruitcake made with brandy-soaked dates, prunes, currants and orange peel is traditional. The icing can range from marzipan to brandy butter. Instead of saving a piece of the cake for their first anniversary, couples will keep the entire top tier (called the christening cake) until the birth of their first child.
3. INDONESIA
The wedding cake is usually a big multilayered creation called kek lapis. The layers can be simple chocolate and vanilla, or all sorts of flavours and bright colours.
4. KOREA
American-style wedding cakes are too sweet for Koreans. They might opt for mini rice cakes made from steamed rice flour, covered in red bean powder, ground sesame seeds or other toppings.
5. NORWAY
At Norwegian weddings, guests are served kransekake. Almond-meal biscuits are stacked up to form a tower and held together with icing.
6. FRANCE
The French enjoy croquembouche, a tower of cream-filled pastries that are soaked in caramel. They’re then formed into a tall pyramid – quite a showstopper!
7. ITALY
A popular dessert choice at many weddings is zuppa inglese. A bit like a trifle, it is made up of tiers of sponge cake layered with custard, rum, cream and fruit.
8. BERMUDA
On this island in the Caribbean, the groom’s cake is topped with gold and the bride’s cake is coated in silver icing. For an extra touch, tiny saplings sit on top of the cakes as symbols of growing love.
Images: Pinterest
Take a trip into the wild with Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge for a glamorous honeymoon stay. With endless activities and luxurious amenities, this spot is the perfect destination…
If you’re someone who’s creative and loves to put their thoughts together in a collage, creating a DIY wedding journal for your big day is the way to go for organising, planning and brainstorming. Depending on your personal style, you can create your wedding journal in a number of ways:
1. MESSY COLLAGE
If you love doodling, pasting down pictures, using real-life references, like petals and fabrics, using a blank journal is the perfect start for you to create your wedding planner. You can create your own headings, lists, style references, and more to suit your creativity and make a wedding journal that is worth saving as a fond memory.
2. PLANNING DIARY
For someone who prefers neater, more organised and structured methods of planning, creating a wedding journal with matching fonts, colours and headings is definitely the best option. Nowadays, you can purchase digital wedding journals to download and put together yourself – still giving you the freedom to choose your base and play around with styles you prefer.
3. BUDGET-SAVVY
If all you’ve got are some pens and a notebook, but loads of creative talent, you can design a beautiful and personal wedding journal filled with doodles, lists, contact details, ideas and everything you want to put down to plan your big day.
Images: Pinterest
With a strong emphasis on living a sustainable life, there is more and more pressure to go green in all aspects of our lives – and that includes…
Combining her love of luxury with his passion for South African cuisine, Jana van der Spuy and MC Leonard’s wedding featured the best of both worlds.
THE VENUE
Our venue, Cabrières, was a dream come true! Not only was it the views that sealed the deal, but it was the lovely Jane Jordaan who kept us there. The venue was chic enough for me and down-to-earth enough for my husband.
THE THEME
We didn’t really have a theme, however, we tried to incorporate both our passions – style and luxury, with comfort and a braai! We wanted our wedding to really represent us as a couple, and I think we completely nailed it.
THE DRESSES
Both of my incredible dresses were made by Cindy Bam, who happens to be one of my best friends, so I may be slightly biased! I can’t imagine anyone else making my dream wedding dress come to life the way she did. As my traditional wedding dress was quite dramatic, we opted for a very simple silk-chiffon tattoo-lace dress for the reception party.
THE DECOR
Our wedding decor was mostly inspired by the less-is-more look, with lots of candles in gold candlesticks and home-made pink flower candle holders. Each table setting had a personalised handwritten letter with an accompanying menu and napkin. At the venue entrance, guests were greeted to 1.5m candelabras and a huge flower bouquet.
THE FOOD
We both have a slight obsession with braaiing, so our canapés, which were plankie–steak, mini roosterkoek and chicken kebabs, were made in this way and served alongside salad. Our main meal consisted of lamb roulade filled with spinach, feta and mushrooms, and roast veggies, a green salad and pumpkin fritters.
THE DETAILS
My dad passed away just before my 16th birthday and, for obvious reasons, walking down the aisle was quite a heart-wrenching idea for me. However, my mom walked me down the aisle with my dad there in spirit – my sister-in-law, Laurika, gave me a locket with a picture of my dad to tie around my bouquet. Other than my wedding band, it’s one of my most treasured gifts, and when I have a tough day, I wear it around my neck for support.
THE FIRST DANCE
We opened the dance floor with ‘I Love You Will Still Sound The Same’ by Oh Honey. It was a challenge for us to decide on a song that we both loved and that could stand the test of time. We bought confetti cannons and asked two of our friends to pop them for us during the dance.
LITTLE BLACK BOOK
Dresses: Cindy Bam
Hair: Carma Hair Studio
Rings: Black Key Diamonds
Flowers: Christa Chambers and Jane Jordaan at Detail Me Pretty
Decor & stationery: IC Graphix
Lighting: Best Event
Venue & catering: Cabrières
Audio-visual & DJ: Prime Audio
Photography: Duane Smith Photography
Videography: MW Productions
Hiring: Functions4U and Detail Me Pretty
Weddings are all about celebration and coming together. But most of all, weddings are about love. Finding all of these elements in one song that you and your…
For 2019, brides all around the globe are setting some new trends when it comes to decor by simply going back to the basics. Instead of lavish and expensive decor, they’re settling for a more chic, elegant and stunning look and feel for their big day.
1. CANDLES
Although candles may seem like a cliché decor element to add to your wedding day, they are definitely trending this year. Candles give off an amazing vibe and setting to any wedding venue. With many styles, scents and looks to choose from, they fit just about any theme and setting. But of all the types out there, taper candles are winning this year.
Even though they may seem a bit old school, taper candles have the power to elevate your wedding setting without any effort, and their elegance speaks for itself. They’ll make your table setting feel expensive and luxurious without you actually having to break the bank.
2. LUXURIOUS FABRICS
Fabulous fabrics and linen are in! Couples have found a way to add a rich sense of both dimension and texture to their wedding decor. They’re throwing out the traditional fabrics and bringing in more luxurious options, such as velvet, cashmere and corduroy to name a few. Use faux versions for table runners, tablecloths, ribbons on invitations to instantly upgrade your look and feel.
3. PASTELS MAKE WAY FOR BRIGHT COLOURS
Out with the muted pastel shades and in with bright vibrant colours. Brides have boldly moved away from light colour schemes to more bold and beautiful shades. Top trending decor colours for 2019 are predicted to be yellow, blue and sea green.
4. ALL ABOUT ACRYLIC
This is one medium that will gain much-deserved popularity this year. Use it to make long-lasting, durable invitations, hire acrylic reception furniture perfect for an outdoor affair and make the most of it for all your signage and stationery.
5. FLORAL CREATIONS ARE GOING GREEN
In 2018 floral hoops and oversized wreaths trended in wedding decor concepts. This year unique and abstract floral decor is set to take over. Colourful floral arrangements are making way for greenery. Brides are opting for simple, chic and elegant arrangements. Brides are taking more care in selecting wedding venues where the beauty of the location speaks for itself and doesn’t have to be supplemented with too many flowers and extra decor elements. But for your bouquets and wedding arches, go for greenery!
6. BALLOONS ARE BACK!
Confetti and sparklers as the bridal couple leave the ceremony is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Although many look forward to the old-school send-off by showering the couple with confetti, rice or rose petals, brides are finding new and unique ways to make that moment memorable. With plenty of colours to choose from, brides are now opting to use balloons, not only as cost-effective wedding decor, but also as the bridal couple walk down the aisle after the wedding ceremony.
7. STATEMENT LIGHTING
Every bride loves some amazing lighting. From a thousand fairy lights to bolder statements lights, which include neon lights and stunning chandeliers, brides are allocating more of their wedding budget to their lighting options.
Images: Pinterest