If you’ve just made it past the potential minefield that is the guest list, here’s your next challenge: How are you going to seat everyone? Round tables? Long ones? One long banquet table? Goodness.
If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Get down and boogie:
While your nuptials are all about sharing the love, it’s the dance floor that will have your guests remember your big day. Having said that, this is an excellent starting point. The most popular – and effective – option is to plonk your dance floor in the centre of the room. Then you’ll position the band or DJ against the wall. Of course, there are a whole host of ideas that will have your guests dancing until their feet hurt, and if your venue doesn’t allow for this, you can place the dance floor at one end of the room, centred and backed up against a wall.
Picture: Pinterest
It’s all about the size:
Long or round – choose the shape and size of your tables, but beyond this, make sure that the two of you are in the central spot so that your guests can see you in all your glory. A great place to start is to figure out how many guests fit at each table, this will allow you to figure out how many tables you will need.
What’s the plan – the floor plan that is:
We may think that the dance floor is the most important aspect of the wedding celebration, nothing is possible without creating a floor plan that the two of you are happy with. Start with the two most important people – you and your partner as you need to have the best seats and view in the house. Arrange your tables as symmetrically as possible – in a U-shape around the centred dance floor or fill one end of the space (if the dance floor is on the one side).
Here’s a little example
Don’t forget the VIPs
Reserve the tables closest to the two of you for your immediate families, and set aside tables further from the band/DJ for the older guests. The less desirable seats should be saved for your friends. Keep people together who will enjoy the time together – perhaps there are family members who haven’t seen each other in a while?
The bar area
This will also be dependent on your venue, but as a rule of thumb, the bar should be away from the entrance to avoid possible congestion. If you have more than one bar (one bar with two bartenders for every 100 guests is a good point of measure), then position one close to the dance floor and another one on the other side of the room.
But, how will your guests know
It’s time to dab the sweat that’s been dripping from your forehead and let a little stress go because we have something else on the agenda. How will you let guests know where to sit on the day? Whether you have 150 or 20 guests, displaying their names in alphabetical order is the most convenient option, to eliminate confusion and unnecessary time spent hovering around the seating chart. To make it more exciting, give each guest a refreshing cocktail or glass of bubbly along with their table number – it really sets the tone for a festive reception! Why not go a step further and add a signature cocktail to your wedding reception – here are a few ideas.
Eeny meeny miney mo, if you want to propose, where’s the best place to go? Cape Town Tourism surveyed people on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to find the best places in Cape Town to pop the question. They also collected responses from users ofThe Perfect Proposal, wedding and proposal planners, and the most common answer was… The V&A Waterfront, followed closely by Table Mountain.
If there was anywhere in the world where love could blossom against a truly beautiful backdrop, it is the city of Cape Town. According to the online dating platform WeLoveDates.com, the Mother City ranked 21st among the most romantic cities in the world and was the second most romantic city on the continent after Marrakech.
With a plethora of landmarks that are perfectly suited for amorous encounters, it is easy to see how Cape Town can stir the cockles of one’s heart.
CEO of Cape Town Tourism Enver Duminy says, “It’s hard to think of a better city to find the freedom to declare your undying love in. Whether you are atop Table Mountain or on the beach, you won’t struggle to find the perfect venue to propose. Afterwards, you can mark the occasion at any one of the city’s world-class restaurants.”
Other popular Capetonian spots where lovers plighted their troth included: Hout Bay, the airport, Kirstenbosch Gardens, Signal Hill, Franschhoek, Boulders, the Aquila Nature Reserve and the Strand.
Here are sweet proposal stories from some of the city’s most special spots to bend the knee:
Kirstenbosch Gardens
Sometimes proposals are an intimate affair involving a small group of people or even just the couple getting engaged. Other times however, you’ve got to go big. Instagram’s @gemini_gerard went for the second option.
“I proposed to my wife at Kirstenbosch gardens after watching The Notebook at the @thegalileo. Before the screening I had arranged for them to play a personal video once the movie had finished. The video chronicled our journey over the last six years. Once it finished, I took her by the hand and led her to the front of the screen.
There, in front of 600+ people, I got down on one knee and asked if she would do me the honour of spending the rest of her life with me. She said yes which is when the last part of the surprise happened. I had hidden her friends and family in the back so when she said yes, they all jumped out.”
Kirstenbosch Gardens / Instagram
V&A Waterfront
Masego and Letlotlo came to Cape Town on holiday. Masego had wanted to pop the question to her partner of 10 years for a long time and this holiday was the perfect moment. She wanted something different, like an art studio or gallery. A place where they could paint and create.
With the help of The Perfect Proposal, they arranged a private session at the Art Jamming studio in the Waterfront. The studio designed and created a “marry me” sign, which was used as the grand gesture in the proposal. On arrival, the couple entered, and went into the “splash” room where an easel with a yellow and black art piece was waiting for them. Letlotlo was told to start peeling the flaps, which eventually revealed letters spelling out ‘marry me’?
She said yes.
Signal Hill
Not all proposals go according to plan but that doesn’t make them any less perfect as Janine Naicker explains:
“My proposal happened at Signal Hill. It didn’t go according to my husband’s plan – at all. Firstly, it was so full that we couldn’t find parking, so we had to park along the side. He then invited me to get out of the car to look at the view with him. My response – ‘It’s too windy!’ (It really was).
“After a few failed attempts, he got back into the car and pulled out a box with two cupcakes that he had gotten for us. He handed it to me and asked me to pass him one. When I opened the box, there was a ring placed in the icing of one of the cupcakes. I was speechless and turned to him, he then said ‘Janine Hendricks, will you marry me?’
lina.the.explorer / Instagram
Table Mountain
Instagram user @bestnomadsever’s husband proposed on top of South Africa’s most famous mountain.
“We hiked up hoping to catch the sunrise at the same spot as our first date (which was a hike up the mountain). We made it and then, just as the sun was rising, he got on bended knee and proposed to me. It was so perfect and romantic. Next month, we will be together 5 years.”
The Strand
Bianca Engelbrecht’s story goes like this:
“Our first date was at the Strand Beach. We agreed on the beach because it was convenient for both of us. It was amazing. We just sat on a bench listening to the waves crashing in the background and spoke for hours about everything and anything. Fast forward a few years. We had planned a night out with some friends. Little did I know what was about to happen.
“He pulled me aside and told me he wanted to take a quick detour and that we would meet up with our friends later. He explained that he just wanted a moment alone without the kids, which I thought was so sweet. So we went to the beach, to the exact bench we had had our first date on. We started talking, just as we had all those years ago and then he went down on one knee. I honestly couldn’t believe what was happening, but it was the most romantic thing ever. Afterwards, we met up with our friends and boy did we have a story to tell them. We’ve been married for a year now.”
jeanine_thehappyblog/ Instagram
Sidebar: ‘Secret’ spots to pop the big Q:
Here’s a list of some of Cape Town’s lesser-known locations that are perfect for proposals:
Majik Forest (Door de Kraal, Cape Town): Secreted in the northern suburbs, with soft green grass, trees, ducks, a dam and a mountain bike trail in the forest section, this pet-friendly park is the perfect place to propose to your significant other with your furry friend present.
Lichtenstein Castle (Hout Bay):The privately owned castle, located in Hout Bay, can be visited by appointment only. It’s the perfect place to propose in a fairy-tale setting.
Woodstock streets: Urban adventurers will find a perfect proposal setting amidst the gorgeous, gritty surrounds of Woodstock’s world-famous street art.
Tintswalo Atlantic (Hout Bay): Rumour has it a penguin gives its mate a pebble when courting. Pop your person a pebble on Tintswalo’s secluded stretch of beach, below Chapman’s Peak Drive.
Dias Beach (Cape Point): Wild and whimsical, this hidden coast offers unparalleled sea views. It’s the ideal backdrop for ‘I do’.
Secret Rock (Bantry Bay): Perched at the top of Nettleton Drive is a secret rock where many a couple has come for some special moments alone…
You always expect your proposal story to be a great one. For some people, a great proposal story would be simple, quiet and intimate. Other people, however, prefer grand romantic gestures – the type that people never forget.
Going all out for a public proposal is no small task. A lot of planning and co-ordinating is required and there are many moving parts, not to mention all the factors you can’t control.
Check out this list of five outstanding public proposals.
-The Skyscraper
This is a large scale, high tech proposal if we’ve ever seen one. Marzo, the proposer, asked his girlfriend, Lisa, to marry him using the lights of a skyscraper!
It starts with Marzo filming Lisa as they go on an evening walk. Marzo then has Lisa answer a phone call; on the phone call she needs to say her name and say “Hi”. She does this and the phone cuts off.
The next thing she knows, the lights of a nearby skyscraper goes off. The lights then come back on spelling her name on the wall. They go off again, and the next time they flash the words “will you” brightly on the side of the building. The next two repetitions of this show the words “marry” and “me”.
This must have taken some crazy co-ordination skills!
– Written in the Sky
A man proposed to his girlfriend by writing it in the clouds. He hired a professional ‘skywriter’!
From the video, it seems he and his unsuspecting girlfriend were spending a lovely afternoon in Central Park, when suddenly the words appear in the sky. The girlfriend is sure to never forget this proposal.
– Like a movie scene
Matt put together an entire movie trailer to propose to his girlfriend, Ginny.
He enlisted the help of Ginny’s brother, Charlie, to take her to see a movie. They’re in the movie theatre and the trailers start to play. Ginny is a little confused when she hears Matt’s voice coming from the speakers. She is brought to tears by the trailer in which he asks her to marry him.
This one gets extra points for creativity!
– Puppies in the park
This one involves puppies! A man organised to have puppies walk by as he and his girlfriend sat on a bench in Central Park. Each puppy wore a customised vest with a sweet message like “I want u 4 ever”.
At first his girlfriend didn’t catch on, because the dog walkers were strangers. The third and final puppy’s vest read “will you marry me?”
His girlfriend didn’t believe it at first. We can’t blame her since it was April Fool’s Day! But when he got down on one knee, she knew it was real.
– Live Lip-dub
Isaac planned and co-ordinated an entire dance number, involving some of their closest family and friends, to propose to his girlfriend, Amy.
He asked Amy to meet him at his parents’ house. When she arrived, his brother was instructed to seat her in the back of a Honda and give her some headphones.
As she sat in the back of the slowly moving car, she watched a well co-ordinated lip-sync and dance number. The presence of all their loved ones must have made it so much more special!
Considering how difficult it can be to organise, these public proposals blew our minds!
The way your partner asks you to get married will probably stay with you forever. From extra-terrestrial visits to swimming with mermaids, these guys made sure their proposals were unforgettable.
1. Our love is timeless
On their second anniversary of dating, Steve and Amanda buried a time capsule that contained a few sentimental items and letters they wrote to each other in a forest they love to walk in. One Saturday, about six years later, Steve casually suggested they dig up the capsule just for fun. Inside was one letter he specifically urged her to read. It was a beautiful letter asking her to marry him. He had snuck it in there all those years ago, already knowing then that she is the One. His genius not ending there, he made sure a photographer caught it all on camera!
Retro Shanerator and his girlfriend are avid gamers. Rather than creating one of the insanely challenging Super Mario levels that have been making waves on the internet, he decided to create a fully playable level with his proposal written out via game blocks. He then set the proposal in motion, having his girlfriend play through the level he’d just created. This guy’s not playing around.
Chillisauce.com
3. Hold your breath for this one
Now, this proposal was straight out of a fairytale. Literally. Eric Martinez popped the question to Cammy Cuoco in the middle of a photo shoot during their vacation in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Cammy had always been obsessed with mermaids and her favourite princess is Ariel from the popular Disney movie The Little Mermaid. Coincidentally, their photographer (who was in on the whole thing) had previously been a fashion designer and made the bride-to-be a spectacular mermaid outfit to surprise her with for the shoot. Magical indeed.
Huffpost.com
4. Love you to the moon and back
Varun Bhanot told his girlfriend, Anisha Seth, that they would be going up in a helicopter to celebrate his birthday. Anisha, who loves all things sci-fi and space related, got into the helicopter expecting to fly over the Cheshire, England countryside. Unbeknownst to her, Varun had spent nearly three months calling farmers asking if they could accommodate a crop circle on their land and eventually found someone willing to help set up a proposal that’s out of this world. While up in the air, at just the right moment, Varun made a heart-felt speech and told Anisha to look out the window. When she looked back at him, he had the ring ready. We’re pretty sure it wasn’t too outlandish for her.
nypost.com
5. I love you in every language there is
Niriksha and Michael have been besties for years, and even went to school together from Kindergarten. One weekend, he told her they were going on a surprise breakaway. They are both from the US, but Niriksha had studied in Paris (her favourite city in the world) and that’s where they were headed. He took her to a wall called Le murs de je t’aime, which has the words “I love you” in all the different languages written on it. Pretending to want a picture on impulse, he gave his phone to a stranger (who was, in fact, the hired photographer) and got down on his knee. Luckily, she said “oui”.
