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In Decor

Unique wedding seating chart ideas

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When it comes to wedding decor, your seating chart is one of the most practical aspects. However, it does not have to be a boring one. Once you have settled on your final seating arrangements, you can start to have fun with the display.

Many couples have taken to using their seating charts as another focal point in their wedding. As one of the first things guests will see as they enter, you want them to get the theme immediately.

Whether your wedding theme is glamorous, rustic, minimalist or art deco, there is a fun and unique seating chart for you. Here are some fun and different wedding seating chart ideas.

Quirky:

Want to have some fun with your wedding? Get punny! This simple yet striking sign adds personality to an event that can be very formal at times. Incorporate flowers and fruit for a dynamic and fresh take on the traditional seating chart.

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Mismatched frames:

For a dynamic seating chart perfect for garden weddings, consider using mismatched frames. Mirrors, photo frames and chalkboards provide a beautiful farmhouse feel with a touch of glamour.

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Leather:

If you’re into the rustic farmhouse style then you will love this seating chart! This creative chart makes use of brown leather cloth hung up on a rose gold frame as a seating chart. With simple script and no other decor, this chart maintains a minimalist yet striking look.

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Linen banner:

This one is for the minimalist bride. If you’re not into frills and fancies, consider making use of a linen banner for your seating chart. We love how simplistic yet powerful this chart looks.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzsivc3IWSg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Bottles:

If you love a particular beverage, why not include it in your wedding decor? Make use of glass bottles, with all stickers removed, as a seating chart. Each bottle represents a different table. For added decor, place baby’s breath flowers inside the bottle.

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Wood stumps:

Lovers of the outdoors can show their passion with these wooden stump charts! Soften the look with an array of flowers and an antique mirror.

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Delicious Monster:

Greenery has been having a moment in decor for a long time, and it is not going anywhere. Use single leaves of Delicious Monster with gold lettering to guide your guests to their seats.

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Records:

Use old records for a pun-intended take on seating charts. Have the table numbers and guest names written in the middle of the record. We promise it will get your wedding started on the right note!

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Perspex:

For a glamorous yet classic look, make use of perspex stands with floral bouquets inside. Because the flowers can be quite busy, make use of simple block lettering.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B30wCzCl9s8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Monopoly:

This Monopoly-inspired seating chart adds a dose of whimsy to a wedding. Encourage your guests to  “Collect canapes as you pass Go ,” sip on some  “Free drinks” and “Go to the Dance Floor”.

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In Advice

The pros and cons of having a church wedding

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Having your wedding ceremony in a church or House of Worship is a beautiful thing for couples who feel connected to their religion and would like to keep religion in their marriage. Since the ceremony is in a religious setting, you will be bound by certain rules that govern the building.

The location

 

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Churches and Houses of Worship are designed to house lots of people meaning there will be more than enough seating for your guests. Since it is indoors, you will not have to worry about the weather on the day of the ceremony. There will most likely be musical instruments that can be used during the ceremony however you might be only be allowed to play songs that are approved by the church.

The ceremony will certainly be traditional but it might not feel very personal as you might not be able to bring in your own decor and make the place unique to you.

The cost

 

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While the cost to have your ceremony in a Church is relatively low, you will end up having to pay for another location if you are wanting to have a reception after the ceremony. You also might be charged more for guests who are not members of the church.

An officiant will be included in the price which is also a bit of a save but you will not be able to choose your officiant as it will be whoever is available on the day. This can be very upsetting if you want to be married by the same person who married your parents.

The pictures

 

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Despite the fact that you are limited in terms of decor, Churches are already made beautiful and so it will be a classic backdrop for your wedding photographs. The only problem that could occur is that your photos might only be from one or two angles as the photographer might not be allowed to move around the room as he/she sees fit. There is also the possibility that the Church does not allow flash inside so unless the Church has lots of windows and natural lighting, the photographs from your special day might not turn out as well as you’d hoped.

If you want your wedding to be classic and traditional, then the limitations that come with a Church wedding won’t bother you. If you’re looking for something unique, maybe find another location.

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In Advice

The pros and cons of having a beach wedding

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Beach weddings are very popular and it’s easy to see why. The beach provides a beautiful and romantic setting and the soothing sounds of the sea add to this ambience – but how practical is a beach wedding?

Here are some points to keep in mind if you’re planning a beach wedding:

The location

 

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In South Africa, you can have your wedding on the beach simply by organising a permit with your local council. Permits cost between R300-R6000 depending on which beach you are looking at, the number of guests that will be attending and the complexity of the set up that you would like to achieve. You will save big in terms of location fees. However, you will have to spend on hiring furniture and decor for the ceremony as the beach is a blank canvas. On the plus side, your wedding photographer will be able to get the most beautiful shots, but just make sure that they have done beach weddings before.

The weather

 

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Since the setting is already so beautiful you will not need to have much decor, but remember that you are on the beach and you’re therefore exposed to the elements. This means that you might need to have a second location on option, which will be at an additional cost. You’ll also have to protect your guests from the elements – if it’s very hot, there will need to be sunscreen, water and maybe even hats for guests to wear, but if it suddenly turns cold, you might need to have blankets for guests to keep themselves warm. And although the soothing sounds of the sea make for ambient white noise, any wind that might be present could make it hard for guests to hear the ceremony.

The legalities

 

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Since alcohol is prohibited from beaches, this will also be a big money saver. However, if this is not what you want it’ll mean that you’ll only be able to have your ceremony on the beach and your reception will have to take place elsewhere. You’ll also need a location where you can sign your marriage certificate as it can not be done in a public space. Speaking of public spaces, there will be no privacy from beachgoers who will definitely want to have a peek at your beautiful wedding.

The accessibility

 

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If you’re looking for a relaxed vibe, then a beach wedding is a great option. The dress code will most likely be casual, which will save you and your guests a lot of grief in terms of finding outfits. But it might not be quite as relaxing when planning this wedding as there are a few things that beaches might not have. Handicap accessibility is non-existent on beaches due to the sand, and so any guests with physical handicaps will either not be able to attend or will have to have special arrangements made for them to get to the ceremony area. There will be public bathrooms, but you will not be able to control how sanitary they are. Due to the fact that it is a public space, there will only be public parking spaces available which could get filled up very quickly, leaving little parking for guests.

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In Do's And Don'ts

How to keep calm on your wedding day

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The days leading up to your wedding can be super stressful and the day itself quite emotional. Don’t let the best day of your life be spoiled by feelings of anxiety or exhaustion. Here are some helpful tips on how to keep the joyful experience this special day is meant to be.

– The week before, take a few minutes each day and write down things you are grateful for. Journaling can be very therapeutic and serve as a reminder of how blessed you are for the people around you. Whether it be the one you’re marrying, the friends and family that support you or this exciting new adventure that lies ahead, jot it down and reflect on it.

– There’s a saying that goes: “Don’t sweat the petty stuff and don’t pet the sweaty stuff.” That’s about as perfect a saying you can get for a wedding. Remember the reason you are getting married: You have found the person you love with all your heart and you want to share it with people that are close to you. So when those little emergencies come, and they will, take a deep breath, smile and let the bridesmaids handle it.

– Get enough sleep the week before. Make sure you sleep well. Essential oils like lavender and jasmine might help you drift off to dreamland with a smile on your face. You will be quite busy those last few days, but you will want to feel rested and energetic at the wedding.

– Water is life. Taking a long, tranquil bath or shower the morning of your wedding will let the world’s worries flow away. Light some scented candles and make it your me-time where no one may bother you. Relax and focus on your breathing while soaking in the bubbles.

– It might sound like a good time to get hammered at the party but in truth, you will regret getting crazy drunk on your wedding and especially being hungover on your honeymoon. Having a good time at this joyous celebration is important, but overdoing it might lead you to make a mess of things. You want to remember your special day with grace for the rest of your life.  

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In Advice

3 ways to preserve your bridal bouquet

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A bride’s bouquet has sentimental value and so it is not surprising that many brides want to keep it. Preserving your bouquet is a beautiful way to create a reminder of your wedding day and add some decor to your home at the same time.

If you’d like to have a personal keepsake from your wedding that is different to the norm, take a look at these 3 ways to preserve your bouquet.

Air dry your bouquet

This is the most simple and traditional way to preserve your bouquet as it was on your wedding day, but it will take the longest.

All you have to do is take your entire bouquet, or just the flowers that you’d like to keep and tie it together very tightly with a rope or string of your choice – twine will work very well. Once you are sure that the bouquet is tied tightly and securely, hang the whole bunch upside down in a warm and dry area, like a cupboard. A darker space will preserve the colour and scent of the flowers, although the colour will be slightly muted, better than a space that allows light in, which will cause the colours to turn into shades that look vintage. Leave the bouquet to dry for a few weeks and then take it down once all the flowers are completely dry.

Now that you have your dried bouquet, you can do with it as you wish. A nice idea to display the bouquet is to place it in a vase of your choice and cover it with a large glass dome or a perspex case.

 

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Press the flowers

This is probably the most affordable option when it comes to preserving your bouquet but it will involve you creating a new piece from the flowers from your bouquet.

Choose the flowers that you’d like to preserve and cut about 1-2cm off and spread them out on one or multiple sheets of baking paper, depending on how many flowers you are wanting to press. Place the sheet with the flowers on the inside of a heavy book and add another layer of baking paper on top, then close the book and place another heavy object on top to weigh it down. Leave the flowers there for one to two weeks. Once the flowers are dry and flat, be careful when you start to arrange them as they are very delicate.

Most people create a frame display of the flowers by putting them into an empty photo frame and then hanging it on the wall as decor.  Now every time you walk past it you will be reminded of your special day.

 

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Use epoxy resin

With this preservation technique, you will be able to show off your flowers to their full effect as the shape of the flowers will remain the same.

Choose flowers with tight petals from your bouquet and hang them to dry. If you do not allow them to dry properly before setting them in epoxy, they may begin to decay once they have been set. Then cover your work area with newspaper and make sure you wear gloves when you work because epoxy sticks to everything. Choose a mould in your desired shape and make sure that you have enough epoxy resin to cover the flowers as well as create your desired shape. Fill your mold halfway with the epoxy resin mixture and delicately arrange the flowers within that. Then fill in the rest of the mold with the mixture and leave to dry.

After you take the mold off, you will have a stunning decoration, or a few if you do this multiple times, that you can place all over your home and have constant reminders of your wedding.

 

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In Celebs

How Queen Victoria shaped modern weddings

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Weddings have been happening since time immemorial. From the ancient Romans and Greeks to today’s millennials, weddings have stood the test of time as the ultimate symbol of love and commitment for many.

Many wedding traditions have been around for centuries, and have shaped how we get married. But have you ever wondered where they come from? Turns out, we have Queen Victoria to thank for many modern wedding traditions we use today.

Queen Victoria has gone down in history as one of the most iconic royal monarchs, and for good reason. She has survived multiple assassination attempts, she proposed to her husband, and is the second longest reigning British monarch after Queen Elizabeth II.

Her wedding to Prince Albert took place on February 10, 1840, in the Chapel Royal of St. James’s Palace in London. This day became one that would shape modern weddings for a number of reasons.

A wedding spectacle:

Royal weddings were traditionally small and private night-time events. However, Queen Victoria had other ideas. She wanted her wedding to be a moment. She had her bridal procession drive through the streets to St. James palace so that thousands of members of the public could see her. This has become a tradition for many betrothed royals since, with their weddings becoming public events observed the world over. No other royal monarch weddings have been held in the evening since. She also had many more wedding guests than the norm, making her wedding a massive event.

The white wedding dress:

Up until this wedding, brides traditionally wore coloured wedding gowns. This was mainly for practicality, as they could rewear the dresses and because white is notoriously difficult to keep clean. Royal brides typically had elaborate wedding dresses made in gold or silver fabrics and were highly embellished to show their wealthy status. However, Queen Victoria wanted to be different on her wedding day. She refused the crimson velvet robes of state in favour of a white, lacy gown with an 18ft (5.5m) train. She chose white to enhance the finely detailed Honiton lace on her gown. She also chose this colour to stand out from the crowd and be more visible during the bridal procession, as well as to enhance her purity and innocence. She had the pattern for her dress destroyed after her wedding so that no one else would copy it.

And thus, the white wedding dress tradition was born. Her wedding gown was reported on all over the world, and spurred on international wedding trends. Initially, wealthier brides emulated her look, but by the 20th century most brides were donning pure white for their wedding day.

The veil and floral headdress:

Queen Victoria completed her wedding ensemble with a veil and floral headdress decorated with orange blossoms and myrtle. Orange blossoms were a wedding tradition as they represent fertility and purity. Until her wedding, wedding veils has largely gone out of style in favour of caps and bonnets. However, her decision to don a veil revived the trend for decades to come.

No guests to wear white:

Because Queen Victoria wanted her look to stand out, she banned all of her wedding guests from wearing white on the big day. This tradition has since been an unspoken rule at weddings. Today, wearing white to a wedding is considered incredibly disrespectful to the bride.

The cake:

Queen Victoria’s wedding cake was a sight. At 300lbs (136kg), 9ft (2.7m) circumference and 16 inches ( 40.6cm) in height, this baked wonder required four men to carry it in. It was decorated with a figure of Britannia, and flanked by cupids, one of which held a book bearing displaying their wedding date. This took the wedding cake to new heights. Today, the look of your wedding cake is just as important as any other aspect of the wedding. Many couples spend a large chunk of their wedding budget on crafting an elaborate wedding cake that makes a statement.

 

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In Decor

Fun napkin display ideas for you wedding

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Displaying your napkins in a fun and different way will instantly upgrade each table setting and won’t cost you any extra money.

Take a look at these simple and achievable napkin displays and the impact they have on the place setting:

Napkin ring

 

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Pocket Fold

 

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Tie the knot

 

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Fanned out

 

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The drape

 

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Plate wrap

 

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In Planning

Outdoor wedding games

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If you’re having an outdoor wedding, a great way to keep guests entertained is to have lawn games. These are especially helpful when the bride and groom go off to take their wedding photos.

If you’d like your guests to stay off their chairs for most of the night, put the games close to the dance floor so that it’s easy for them to bounce between the two.

Giant Jenga

 

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Four in a Row

 

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Miniature Golf

 

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Limbo

 

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Bounce Castle

 

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Noughts and Crosses

 

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Battleshots

 

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Croquet

 

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Ring Toss

Bowling

 

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How to throw a Halloween-themed wedding

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Themed weddings have grown in popularity over the years. From movies to books to decades, there is no end to the possibilities. But what about holidays? The month of October is spooky season because of the popular holiday Halloween, and some Halloween fans are taking their love for this spooky holiday to the next level.

If you’re a big Halloween fan, here is some inspiration to throw your own Halloween-themed wedding.

Fashion:
Black dresses go well with a Halloween wedding theme. Think black lace and tulle for an edgy yet romantic finish. Princess cuts give a traditional look, but the black fabric still makes it spooky. It’s a perfect juxtaposition for Halloween.

 

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Decor:
Decor truly pulls a wedding together. Make use of lots of fabric like mesh, tulle and velvet, as well as candles and dried/dead flowers to create a dark and spooky yet elegant atmosphere. Gold finishes provide an antique look perfect for Halloween. Add fake skulls and dried twigs to complete the look.

 

 

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Cake:
Black cakes adorned with Halloween-themed imagery work best for these kinds of weddings. Think skulls, spiderwebs and dead flowers. For an extra touch, choose a red-velvet or black velvet cake.

 

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Photography:
As with any wedding, you’ll want some iconic photography to preserve your memories. Props will greatly add to your images. Make use of fake skulls, face paint, pumpkins, candles, mist and smoke bombs to create a spooky atmosphere.

 

 

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In Weddings

Rituals of a traditional Hindu wedding

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In all its glory and beauty, Hindu weddings are steeped in tradition which many people don’t necessarily understand. In all honesty, explaining this could take a while, so we’ve tried to simplify the details and just give you the basics to a traditional Hindu Wedding and what it entails:

 

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Sangeet

Directly translated, the word ‘Sangeet’ means music, which is rather fitting considering what the Sangeet is about. This event has both the families of the groom and bride come together and celebrate in the form of song and dance. Put simply, this is just one huge party generally celebrated a few days before the actual wedding ceremony takes place. Wedding guests and the bridal party are able to either perform choreographed dances or perform certain songs, if they’re brave enough. Nerves aside, with amazing food, plenty of family and great music, the Sangeet is definitely one of the nights most memorable from the entire wedding celebration.

 

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Mehndi Party

The mehndi party, generally done 2 to 3 days before the wedding, is celebrated by the bride’s family. At this stage of the celebrations, henna is applied to the bride’s hands and feet in a decorative pattern. Mind you, this does take some time, which can be anywhere from 2 – 6 hours depending on how intricate the patterns are. Brides would hire a mehndi artist who would also apply henna to her guests who wished to have their hands decorated for the wedding as well. Applying the initials of the groom somewhere on the bride’s hands is also a tradition that seems to have been passed down from generation to generation.

 

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Hurdee / Haldi Evening

A cleansing prayer done by both the bride and groom. Most of the time it is separated as the bride would do so in her house and the groom would do it at his. The actual ceremony consists of a hurdee or haldi paste applied to the exposed skin of the bride and groom; their hands, feet, face and neck. The haldi paste is made of turmeric, gram flour, curd, sandalwood and rose water and is said to give the couple their bridal glow. The haldi is done the night before the main wedding ceremony and in most cases, turns into another celebratory event. Not that we’re complaining!

 

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Wedding Ceremony

The actual wedding ceremony is a colourful affair with guests dressed up for the occasion as they witness the beautiful vows and prayers being performed. The actual wedding ceremony is made up of a few rituals all significant to the marriage union. One of the most significant factors is that the actual wedding date is chosen by a priest. Astrology plays a very important part and hence determines the best time and date for the couple to wed. Fire is another very significant part of a traditional wedding as it is always present during a rite of passage, such as births, deaths and marriages. Red powder known as ‘indoor’ is applied to the forehead and centre part of a woman’s head, symbolizing her status as a married woman to the world. This is also why most brides opt to wear red for their weddings.

 

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Reception

A reception will generally follow on from the wedding ceremony which is seen as the celebration of the wedding and partying through the night. There is not necessarily a ritual performed during the reception, just a chance for the couple to mingle with their guests, be congratulated on the wedding and dance the night away. Not a bad way to end off a 4-day wedding affair.

 

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Bidai

The last, and probably most tearful part of a wedding, the bidai, is where the bride bids farewell to her family. In previous times, once the bride marries her groom, she is officially leaving her family to join the family of the groom. This could be her first move out from home or moving to another place where she won’t see her family that often. This is a rather bittersweet moment and usually lots of tears are shed for loved ones.

Also to be noted, these are traditions passed down from generation to generation, so modern times have changed things slightly, although many of these are still followed today.

By Yashna Balwanth

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