A unique place card is yet another chance to impress your guests. No matter your wedding theme, there is a fun place card that will be much more memorable than the standard folded cardboard.
Place cards don’t have to be costly. From pinecones to seashells, there is a wealth of materials at your disposal to truly make a small statement to add to your wedding table decor.
Weddings can be taxing on the environment. Yes, flower walls are beautiful and balloon decor is whimsical, but they’re also wasteful and harmful for the environment. As the wedding industry shifts towards more sustainable practices, one plant rises above.
Spekboom has long been lauded for its magical powers. Also known as Pork Bush or Elephant’s Food, this water-wise tree of wonder can absorb higher amounts of carbon dioxide than any other plant in existence. A healthy thicket of this South African treasure trove is said to be ten times more effective at removing carbon dioxide from the air than the Amazon Forest.
South Africans are encouraged to plant spekboom wherever they may to play their part in combatting climate change. Those lacking a green thumb need not worry. The plant is easy to grow and water-wise, meaning it is low maintenance.
There are so many ways to incorporate this hard-working plant into your wedding. Here are some ideas.
Bridal bouquet:
Spekboom is a perfectly rustic addition to your bridal bouquet. If you’re not into the leaves, spekboom in full bloom is typically covered in tiny pink flowers that will add a beautiful pop of colour to your floral arrangement.
Credit: Instagram / suneoosthuizen7
Food:
Packed with vitamin C and other nutrients, spekboom leaves are juicy and full of moisture. They leave an acidic taste of lemon on the tongue, making spekboom an excellent addition to fresh salads or even in the wedding cake itself. Spekboom also helps to fight dehydration, making this magical plant perfect for hot summer weddings.
Credit: Stork.co.za
Decor:
Tiny clippings of spekboom are amazingly fresh additions to wedding decor. Use them as table decor on plates or in planters, in floral centrepieces and in hanging floral arrangements.
Credit: nikimphotography.com
Wedding favours:
Give your guests the gift of spekboom for a memorable wedding favour that will bloom for decades. One small clipping can grow into a magnificent spekboom bush when planted. The plant can live up to 200 years, meaning this gift is truly one for the ages.
Castles are not only for royalty. Complete your fairytale wedding by getting married in a real life castle! Across the world, there are many unique and stunning castles that make the perfect backdrop for your ‘I dos’. Here are a few of our favourites:
The Lichtenstein Castle – Cape Town
Situated on the hills of Karbonkelberg Mountain overlooking Hout Bay, the Lichtenstein Castle is a gothic dream come to life. Built to replicate the Gothic Schloss Lichtenstein Castle in southern Germany, this magnificent castle comes complete with statues of dragons and gargoyles, as well as a magnificent waterfall.
Inside, there is a ballroom with black and white checkered flooring, hand-blown glass chandeliers, and stable doors opening out to rolling green lawns. There are also 4 bedrooms and a honeymoon suite that you can use as your own private villa for the evening. The venue fits 150 guests seated or 250 cocktail.
Neuschwanstein Castle – southwest Bavaria, Germany
Neuschwanstein Castle, located on the Bavarian Alps, is one of the most visited castles in the world, and it’s clear to see why. Built on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau, this magnificent castle is inspired by Romanesque Revival. The castle was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in 1869, and upon his death was opened to the public in 1886. Cinderella’s castle was modelled after Neuschwanstein, making this venue quite literally from a fairytale.
While you cannot get married inside the castle, couples are permitted to hold their ceremony on the grassy area in front of it, or in the chapel of Hohenschwangau Castle that has a view of Neuschwanstein.
One of the most coveted wedding venues in the world, Oheka Castle is a luxurious French-inspired location that has been hosting weddings since 1919. Once the home of investment financier and philanthropist Otto Hermann Kahn and his family, Oheka was built between 1914 and 1919 and is the second largest private home in the United States. The castle is made up of 127 rooms and over 109,000 square feet (10,100 m2).
Oheka Castle has inspired more than brides. F.Scott Fitzgerald was partially inspired by the mansion when describing Jay Gatsby’s stately home in The Great Gatsby. The castle also featured in Taylor Swift’s Blank Space music video.
New Zealand’s Larnach Castle is situated on the picturesque Otago Peninsula and was built in 1871 by merchant baron and politician William Larnach for his first wife Eliza. It was purchased by the Barkey family in 1967, who still privately own it today, and was restored to feature original New Zealand period furniture and antiques.
Your nuptials can take place at a number of places on the Castle grounds, including the Rock Garden on the Ballroom Lawn, the Reflecting Pond with Dunedin City framed in the background, the Alice lawn or under the beautiful 1930s Cupola. For your reception, step inside the ballroom that features period architecture, glorious furnishings, magnificent chandeliers, baronial open fires and a polished sprung dance floor. The ballroom can accommodate up to 180 people.
Nestled in the Cotswold Hills, Sudeley Castle’s buildings, ruins and award-winning gardens cover a sprawling 1,200 acres of grounds. This Tudor-style castle was once home to Queen Katherine Parr, the last and surviving wife of King Henry VIII, who also died here is buried on the grounds.
The venue’s 15th century church is the perfect ceremony location for traditional couples, but you can also choose from the Castle Library and their various outdoor spaces including the Secret garden, Queens’ garden, and Mulberry lawn to tie the knot. A bespoke marquee on the private Castle Lawn, which boasts grand views of the Castle and overlooks water lilies on the carp pond, is a stunning place to hold your ceremony.
Built in 1854 by the La Rochefoucauld family, one of the most eminent families of France, Château de Challain-la-Potherie is a magnificent mansion honouring net-gothic romanticism. It stretches 7,600 square meters, has 4 towers, 12 turrets and 26 spiral staircases that complete the fairytale feel.
Chateau Challain offers a full-service chateau wedding packages for 120+ guests that includes attentive staff and exclusive use of 23 decadently decorated suites, as well as their 72 acres of gardens, forest, and lake. You can say ‘I do’ in the spacious 18th century church opposite the chateau, under the gazebo by the lake, outside the beautiful Memorial Tower or even in their small on-site chapel.
Castell De Santa Florentina, or St. Florentina’s Castle, is a cultural heritage site that has been existence since the 11th century. The castle features a stunningly serene courtyard and interiors Game of Thrones fans might recognise as Horn Hill, the estate of House Tarly in the popular shows sixth season.
Wedding ceremonies can be held on the patio, pictured below, before guests move on to the magnificent Throne Hall that was designed to receive the King of Spain Alfonso XIII with his court, and can host a banquet of 200 people. You’ll definitely feel like royalty at this castle.
Hluboká Castle is considered one of the most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic and was once home to Prince Jan Adolf II. Schwarzenberg. The castle was first built in the 13th century in the Gothic style, but has since been renovated many times, revealing a Baroque style during the 18th century and then being reconstructed to emulate the romantic style of England’s Windsor Castle.
Wedding ceremonies can be held on the hill in front of the castle, in the Ceremonial hall in the former orangery, by the pond in the park or in the interior of large dining room.
Food can truly make or break a wedding. After an emotional ceremony and posing for pictures, all your guests want to do is fuel up on some good food before partying the night away.
There are many ways you can serve up your food on your wedding day, and it’s important to pick the right style for you. Whether its a buffet, a plated meal or family-style, each serving style comes with its own pros and cons. Let’s dive into the family-style wedding menu.
A family-style wedding menu has all the foods placed in the centre of each reception table. Generally, there are two or three entrees and a variety of sides. Guests then take it in turn to dish up for themselves from the platters. This serving style combines the best of buffet and plated meals.
Pros:
Everyone gets their food together:
With buffet meals, guests have to line up in their table groupings to get their food. With a family-style meal, the food is placed on every table so the need to line up and wait is eliminated. You also don’t require waitstaff to be constantly up and down balancing multiple plates to serve food in a timely matter, thus also reducing the risk of accidents.
Wider variety of options:
With a plated service, guests would have to pre-select their entree. With a family-style meal, however, all options are available and your guests can pick whatever they want. This saves having to keep track of who wants what and eliminates the risk of someone receiving the wrong meal.
It’s a conversation starter:
Seating guests that don’t know each other around a table can lead to awkward moments. With a family-style meal, there is something to talk about, even if it is just, “Could you please pass the potatoes?”. Beyond this, a family-style meal creates a more casual atmosphere than a formal plated meal, enabling your guests to feel more relaxed and open to chatting.
Your guests might take more than one entree or dish up even more than they would have at a buffet where servers control portion sizes. As such, you might have to over-cater to must make sure there is enough food on each table. You will also need more serving platters and utensils to serve up the food on each table.
Takes up space:
Having all the dishes on the table can take up a considerable amount of space, and can leave it looking cluttered. You might also have to compromise on decor items like a large centrepiece to have enough room for the food, which can take away from your wedding look.
Gone are the days of the matchy-matchy bridesmaids. Modern brides are often turning towards unique gowns tailored to fit their individual bridesmaids.
Just like how you need to find your dream wedding dress, your bridesmaids need to find their perfect dress. What suits one might not suit the other, and it’s important to consider how your bridesmaids look and feel on the big day. Going with mismatched bridesmaids dresses shows you care about your bridesmaids and want them to feel as confident as possible.
However, mismatched bridesmaid dresses present a new challenge as you run the risk of your bridal party appearing disjointed if not done right. Here are some tips to pull this trend off.
Same fabric and colour, different styles
One option is to go with dresses in the same fabric and colour but different styles. This way, your bridesmaids still look like your bridesmaids but they get to dress to complement their best assets. Maybe one bridesmaid has beautiful shoulders and wants to show them off but another feels a little insecure about her arms. Playing to each bridesmaid’s strength is the best way to keep everyone happy while still staying on theme.
Importantly, you will have to make sure the fabric and colour is flattering on all your bridesmaids. Take your time to go through fabric swatches and have your bridesmaids on hand to compare the colour with their skintone. We love how the richness of these chocolate brown dresses work so well against the bridesmaids skin.
Another tip is to not have too many different features. These bridesmaids all have different necklines but each dress has a straight cut design.
If you have a specific vision in mind, another option is to have your bridesmaids wear the same dress but in different colours. The colours you choose will then fit in with the wedding colour scheme. This gives you enough point of difference but still looks cohesive.
You should ideally have no more than three colour variations to avoid the final look being too busy. Make sure that the colours you choose work well with each other, and discuss with your bridesmaids who will wear what colour to make sure that everyone is happy.
Pro tip: swatches can look very different in a full dress. Don’t rely on swatches, compare the colours using full-size sample gowns to make sure there are no surprises come your first fitting.
Finally, you could just go all out and have completely different bridesmaids dresses altogether. Each bridesmaid can then decide the cut, colour and length they prefer. This option gives your bridesmaids the most freedom in choosing their look, which can be a good thing and a bad thing.
You should guide your bridesmaids in the direction you want to avoid them going too far out of your vision. A great idea is to create a mood board for your bridesmaids to really understand the look and feel you’re striving for. This way, it makes it easier for your bridesmaids to stay on theme.
To avoid looking disjointed, the dresses should all have a similar style which will generally go with the wedding theme. In the example below, these bridesmaids all have their own unique look but each dress has a distinctly boho style to it. With flowing cuts and lace/embroidery detail on every dress, there is still uniformity in their differences.
Square cakes have become a bold and modern choice at weddings in recent years as couples seek to be different on their big day. Instead of the traditional round shape, newlyweds are opting for angles and crisp lines, and we’re loving it.
The simplicity of a square cake works well when paired with more ornate decor like marble detail or art deco-inspired shapes. You can also keep the design clean with smaller elements like watercolouring or abstract brushstrokes. Whatever you decide to do, this cake is sure to be a crowdpleaser.
Why do brides get to have all the fun? There are so many ways for grooms to bring their personality out on their big day that won’t eclipse the proceedings. Once such way is with their boutonnière. Yes, florals are classic, but they’re also expected.
Let your personality shine through with a unique boutonnière that speaks to you and what you love most. Love Star Wars? Have a lightsaber-wielding Darth Vader hold up your florals. Dungeons and Dragons fans can use their dice as a fashion statement. You could also pay tribute to a loved one that has passed away by pinning their image to your lapel.
Having a farm wedding is a far cry from a glamorous suburban wedding in the city but we strongly believe all that glitters isn’t gold. Farm weddings aren’t just for “low budgets” and they don’t have to be boring. If you love the outdoors, getting away from the rush of everyday life and want to get back to your roots, a farm wedding is the perfect escape. In fact, it can be more beautiful and brilliant than any 5-star hotel wedding if you do it right. Here’s how.
Let your decor complement the environment
When choosing the decor and colour scheme, don’t go too far off with wild colours that don’t suit the style of the wedding. Remember, the environment already sets a certain tone and your decor should rather enhance it than try to overthrow it. Fall in step with the rhythm of the farm, whether it’s a wine farm, citrus farm, live stock, grain etc.
Allow nature to flourish
If there is abundant plant life or animals, don’t try to get rid of it, rather make the most of it! Vineyards, sunflower fields or sheep enclosures are all part of the surroundings and will add to the atmosphere.
Choose a like-minded photographer
It’s important to hire a photographer who appreciates the surroundings and gets the feel you want to convey. This will affect the lighting they use, the area they take the pictures in and what parts of the farm they choose to incorporate.
Set an appropriate dress code
As important as it is to merge the decor with the environment, it’s equally important to have the attire fit in too. Since you already chose the farm venue, your choice of dress will probably suit the surroundings well. Keep to neutral tones, rustic chic accessories and nature-inspired extras. It might be wise to add a dress code for guests too, to keep with the theme. Depending on your chosen feel, use words like “natural,” or “outback”. Avoid terms like “cowboy” (unless that’s what you want!) to ensure the guests look as sophisticated as you.
Short hair, long hair, straight hair, curly hair. Regardless of your hair type, a braided hairstyle will work wonders. Braids have grown in popularity over the last few years due to the romantic and boho feel they create. Whether you want an updo or a half-up, half-down style, you’ll love these braided beauties.
Weddings and flowers go hand in hand. Every beautiful blossom tells a different story, complementing the bride on her big day. If you’re planning a wedding and aren’t sure which bouquet to go with, why not go with the tried and trusted florals? These are the most popular wedding flowers of all time.
10 – Gardenia
Gardenia’s represent purity and joy, making them fun and playful additions to your bridal bouquet. This flower’s smell is intoxicating and will add an extra sweetness on your big day.
With ruffled petals and a unique shape, sweat peas are romantic yet whimsical. They signify “lasting pleasure”, making this flower a very sweet and meaningful bloom to carry with you on your big day.
This flower represented “marital happiness” in Victorian times, which makes it fitting for a bridal bouquet. A Stephanotis bouquet or boutonniere is incredibly traditional and is often favoured by the more classic couple.
If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to roses, look no further. The rananculus is fuller, fluffier and whimsical, making it perfect for the unique bride.
Peonies represent love, happiness and ambition. Voluminous and romantic, this delicate flower is an expensive yet worthwhile addition to any bridal bouquet.
This beautiful bunch makes for a perfect bouquet with its full, bushy shape. Use three stems to create a full bouquet, or simple add one or two into a bunch with other flowers to create dimension and fullness.
This small, delicate bunch features bell-shaped florets, and has come to be known at the “ladder to heaven”. It’s a royal favourite, having appeared in Kate Middleton’s bridal bouquet back in 2011.
Also known as the arum lily, this flower offers a unique trumpet-shape that appears elegant and modern yet romantic. This flower originates in Africa and has come to represent magnificent beauty. Calla lilies are the perfect choice for a summer wedding.
Tulips have become popular wedding flowers for their representation of love. This flower is fresh yet elegant, perfect for the colourful bride wanting to be different. The most popular varieties are Dutch tulips, French tulips and parrot tulips.
Are you even surprised? Roses, the red variety to be specific, have symbolised love, passion and romance for decades. Roses are perfect for the classic bride. With over 3,000 varieties of roses to pick from, you’ll be spoilt for choice with this flower.
St. Florentina’s Castle – Barcelona, Spain
