Make your big day a fun and festive affair with exciting and thoughtful quirky wedding ideas perfect for a beautiful summer’s day!
1. A FLOWER WALL
A flower wall can create a stunning fixture for your guests to take photographs. Make sure to use bright summer blooms to suit your theme.
2. OUTDOOR GAMES
Let your guests bring out their inner child with fun outdoor games during the wedding reception. See our favourites here.
3. DRINK INFUSIONS
There’s nothing like fresh fruit infusions to quench your thirst under the hot sun. Set up a station with fresh and summery drink infusions where guests can fill up a glass every now and then.
4. FESTIVAL VIBES
Go full carnival for your big day with mini rides, food stalls and games your guests can take part in.
5. LANTERNS
Decorate the interior or exterior of your venue with paper lanterns for a stunning whimsical effect. You can even give your guests wish lanterns and send them off altogether in a beautiful display.
6. PICNIC TIME
If you plan on having an outdoor wedding, set up picnic blankets and pillows for guests to relax on the lawns.
7. BONFIRE BRAAI
Following the picnic theme, light a bonfire or braai as the evening gets cooler for your loved ones to socialise around, marshmallows included!
8. SCENTED CANDLES
Decorate your tables with scented candles with fragrant floral scents that act as both a sweet display and keep the bugs away.
9. ICE CREAM STATION
Spoil your guests with yummy frozen scoops of ice cream at an ice cream station to keep cool during your big day.
10. FIREWORKS
Celebrate your nuptials with an extravagant display of fireworks over your venue that will both enchant and excite your guests.
Images: Pinterest
One of the most difficult parts of planning your wedding food is deciding whether you want a buffet or plated meal. We’ve laid out the pros and cons…
No matter your haircut, length or texture, these wedding hair trends are just for you. Check out some of our favourites for this season.
1. TIE THE KNOT
Take notes from stitch and knot techniques, and incorporate them into low ponytails and buns. Leanne Marshall, Marchesa and Mila Schön all included knot detailing in their runway looks, proving that this trend can be super-chic for any bride who wants an understated yet striking style. As an added bonus, should your knot start coming undone during the evening, you can let it loose and have perfectly wavy strands for a more relaxed look.
2. SLEEK AND CHIC
Best suited for brides with poker-straight strands or a shorter cut. Pull your hair back into a low ponytail, or opt for a sleek and shiny topknot that will stay in place, no matter how much fun you have. Be sure to tame any flyaways or baby hairs with a couple of drops of an anti-frizz serum or oil. Alternatively, show off your attention-worthy earrings with a middle parting and tucked-away strands for an uber-cool approach, as seen at Sachin & Babi.
3. BRAID OF HONOUR
Probably the biggest hair trend at the moment! Usually thought of as a more free-spirited Bohemian style, braids are being incorporated into bridal hairdos in new ways, proving to be perfectly sophisticated. For the bride seeking a classic style with a hint of romanticism and whimsy, any kind of braid can be altered to fit your personal style. Try a Dutch or milkmaid plait with wispy pieces for a Boho take, or sleek miniature braids neatly tucked away for a contemporary look.
4. A NEW WAVE
Curls will always be a winner, whether they are soft, beachy waves or mega-bouncy Hollywood twirls. This can be tricky if your hair is super-straight, so if you wish to go curly on your big day, rather opt for waves and add a tiara or birdcage veil for a cool-girl effect. If you have naturally curly hair, embrace it with a volumising mousse and a frizz-tamer to smooth flyaways.
5. UPDATED UPSTYLING
Gone are the days of an updo being confined to a little nest on top of your head with hundreds of pins holding your hair in place. The modest style gets reinvented with modern details to embrace a bride’s natural texture, adding tiaras, flowers or headpieces, as seen at Lela Rose, Theia and Mark Zunino. Whether you prefer your hair slightly dishevelled and tousled, or slick and neat, the classic chignon can offer the answer.
Your veil doesn’t just have to be a piece of chiffon you plonk on your head, these statement veils have become the ultimate piece for the chic bride…
Former Miss Teen SA Raelene Rorke and Bostonian Nathaniel Clarke brought their two worlds together for a special weekend-long celebration in Hoedspruit.
THE VENUE
We loved the setting of Kapama River Lodge. It’s so luxurious and was big enough to accommodate 126 people comfortably, with lots of different areas to entertain our guests throughout the weekend – we didn’t have to use the main hall until the night of the actual wedding! The Kapama team was unreal, and the game drives were filled with wildlife action (almost everybody had an incredible viewing story). It was such a perfect safari-wedding experience.
THE THEME
With some 40 of our guests visiting Africa for the first time, the weekend was about them as much as it was about us, so the decision to have a safari wedding was an easy one. The theme was vintage African bush. We had a very romantic candlelit spit-braai under the stars on the Friday evening, with local dancers for entertainment, and finished with a traditional Xhosa wedding ceremony. Everybody came in traditional clothing and learnt some local dance moves!
THE DRESS
I had chosen a dress way before the wedding date, but it got stuck at customs and was shipped back to the US. I tried on about 25 other dresses in Joburg, but they all started looking alike to me. On a trip to Boston before our wedding, I went to Vows Bridal Outlet and fell in love with three dresses, which I had no idea were all from the same designer, Monique Lhuillier. I chose the one I felt most comfortable in; it was perfect!
THE DECOR
We kept the decor natural and elegant – canvas chairs, a hessian carpet for the aisle and lots of greenery, with a pink, red and lime green colour scheme for the flowers. The reception was set in a beautiful dining hall with simple wooden furniture, huge chandeliers, more than 200 candles and plenty of romantic roses.
THE FOOD
We worked with the hotel to plan a simple, elegant menu that had something for everybody: roasts, vegetables, and for the starter, hearty soup. It was delicious. We also ordered 11 of our favourite cakes from Châteaux Gâteaux and had their Mozart cake (layers of Japonais with hazelnut praline cream and chocolate shavings) for our wedding cake.
THE DETAILS
There were so many amazing moments throughout the weekend, but at about 10 pm on the night of our reception, the skies opened up with a torrential downpour – the first of the season! Rainfall on your wedding day is meant to be a blessing, and as the area was experiencing an extreme drought, the timing was even more special.
We also asked guests to donate to Umgazana Primary School, near my hometown in the Eastern Cape, instead of giving us gifts.
THE FIRST DANCE
‘There Will Be Time’ by Mumford & Sons
LITTLE BLACK BOOK
Venue: Kapama River Lodge, Kapama Private Game Reserve
Photography: Louise Meyer Photographers
Co-ordination: Adiel Tryon at Umvini
Rings: Park Lane Jewels
Flowers: Flower Market
Decor: The Wedding Warehouse
Stationery: Lime By Design
Cakes & dessert: Château Gâteaux
Band: Tokyo Groove
Whether you’re a metrosexual, moustachioed man or a couldn’t-be-bothered bearded bro, our ultimate grooming guide will have you looking dapper on your big day. BACK TO BASICS If…
As night falls, the forest becomes a scene of drama and mystery, complemented by plush fabrics and rustic details. Scroll through our magical lookbook for all your forest-themed wedding inspiration.
From left: Brass candleholders (to hire), Propeller Props; silver candleholders (to hire), Plush Props; tall candleholders, @home; small jug, flask and medium jug (to hire), all Plush Props; tapas bowl and cutlery, both Check My China; dinner plate, side plate, wine glass, tall glass with short stem and short glass with short stem, all Woolworths; linen, Fabric City; velvet runner, Fabric Centre
Rolled menus, Secret Diary; feathers, Epanouir Flower Studio
Cake from, Kanya Hunt from The Hunt House Kitchen; cake stand (to hire), Check My China; velvet fabric, Fabric Centre; crystal wine glass, Woolworths
Plate and spoon (to hire), both Check My China; blueberries, Pick n Pay; bottle, Merrypak; thank-you tag, Secret Diary; glass, Woolworths
Chairs (to hire), Propeller Props; fairy lights and ping-pong balls, both Game
Menu, Secret Diary; feathers, Epanouir Flower Studio
Decor styling: Francoise Jeanne de Villiers
Food styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Gareth van Nelson
Venue: D’Aria, Cape Town
*Products all subject to availability