Entries from September 2009 ↓

Describe Oakfield Farm in one word?

GAWJISS!!!

We drove past the place after viewing another venue, and decided to go in to look. We didn’t have an appointment (which is preferred with most venues by the way).
As we strolled in- me taking pictures left and right of course- we were met by Vincent, and on informing him we were there to view the venue he jumped right in and took us on a tour.
They have two venues on the property, both big enough to cater for our 160 strong guest list, which is strangely unusual let me tell you.
The chapels and reception venues can be opened up in summer, or closed up in winter, which is wonderful. The bigger reception venue has up to 4 huge fireplaces that can be used in winter, and ample place for a dance floor as well as place between the tables for people to move around.
The gardens are gawjiss and beautifully maintained.
After our tour, Vincent left us in the capable hands of Denise, who filled in a quote and discussed the package with us before sending us on our way.
Truly professional and very well organised.

We were very warmly greeted by the owners of Waterfall Cove, a husband and wife team who- along with their family- do most of the work themselves!

Till now, they specialised in picnic weddings, but are expanding their business to cater for more main-stream events.

Their chapel is still being built, but I think its going to be really pretty when its finished.

Ooh, and my mom was very impressed with their bathrooms, which is always a good sign!
There appear to be several very pretty locations for photographs, even though the property is not huge.

They are exceptionally reasonably priced, and are eager to do what their clients would like for their special day.

I felt their hall is a little small for our 150 strong guest list, as we are determined to have a decent sized dance floor, and they prefer to do buffet meals whilst we would like it to be plated (which they are willing to do as well, of course).
I also felt that whilst their website map es exceptionally well detailed and easy to follow, the road leading to the venue itself could use a little work.

I am finding the most awesomely divine wedding planning and idea sites…

This picture I found on a site called “Flights of Fancy” and its titled Tats and Tulle!

And here’s another wedding with a gawjissly tattoed bride that I found on “Rock ‘n Roll Bride“…

I love idea boards like this one… makes me half wish I had the courage to cut up my wedding magazines and make my own ones!! I could do digital ones of course, but I don’t always find pictures of things I like online.

Anyhoodle.

Enjoy the links!

…is not nearly as cut and dried as you may think!

There are many brides like me, who know fairly early on what colours they want, and once they’ve picked them, they stick with that colour scheme. But a lot of brides do not know what colour scheme they’d like until it comes to picking out invitations or until they find a venue! And some brides change their minds several times throughout the planning process!

I’ve chosen the red and purple scheme for mhy wedding next July.
Its rich and smacks of the East, and it will be perfectly complimented by the paisley theme I’ve chosen. And I will certainly not be changing my mind.

But here’s the dilemma faced by many people when they choose a colour. No one sees colours the same way!
For me, the red is easy enough for people to imagine. Most people see “red” or “red2″ as it is on the chart below. But the purple… is another story.

Do you see what I mean?
Everyone has a different idea of purple! For me, when I say I want purple in my wedding colour scheme, I see something like “wild violet” or “darkviolet” in my minds eye. Something not too pink and not too blue. I won’t mind having several shades of purple in amongst the flowers and fabrics at the end of the day, but when I say my colour scheme has purple in it- “wild violet” is what I imagine.

So when you choose a colour scheme, be sure to be specific when explaining the colour you want to your decorator, baker, seamstress, florist, etc… Imagine how upset you’ll be if you ask for purple, imagining “purple3″ as it is on the chart above, and your seamstress makes your bridesmaids dresses with a “grape” fabric!

I am honoured to have been invited by Angel to write about my experience when I undertook the daunting task of trying to find a wedding dress.

Firstly let me confess that from the onset, my knowledge of anything wedding orientated was very limited. It was this lack of wedding trivia that convinced me to attend the wedding expo at Northgate in April.
It was there that I heard about Bride & Co and managed to see some of their gorgeous gowns. They were number one on my list of where to go for wedding dresses.

Originally I intended to go to Bride & Co in Rivonia on my own, just to see for myself what it was all about. My bridesmaids soon got wind of my intended visit and invited themselves along. One bridesmaid in particular had been to Bride and Co several times and was aghast by the fact that I had not made an appointment. Lesson no 1: Always phone and make and appointment if you intend on fitting wedding gowns.

We arrived a little earlier than our scheduled appointment and went to the reception to confirm I was there. Lesson no 2: Go earlier than your scheduled appointment to look at all the dresses and pick the ones you want to try on.

There are so many beautiful dresses, accessories galore and even novelties for the hen party. After making a mental note of where my favourite dresses were I headed back to reception in time for my appointment.

Each future bride is allocated an assistant for their individual fitting. My assistant was Pinky and she was an absolute star! I pointed out to Pinky the dresses I had selected and within minutes she had the dresses in the correct sizes as well as a petticoat.

Pinky helped me put on the first dress I had chosen, after zipping me into the petticoat. At first you feel pretty silly and I was in a fit of giggles. The giggles soon abated though when I walked out onto the platform and my bridesmaids all gasped. I turned to look into the mirror and it was then that it hit me; I am going to be a bride!

Whilst staring at myself in the mirror in disbelief (This is what every woman dreams of), Pinky had brought along a veil and tiara to show me what the full outfit would look like. Lesson no 3; Have someone bring a camera and take as many photo’s as possible of the different dresses you try on. Trust me; you will want to look at them later when trying to make up your mind.

There is a huge mirror that you can walk to with enhanced lighting, allowing you to see the complete package – you as a future bride. I pranced around like a princess and Pinky was patient, encouraging, helpful and knowledgeable.

This story is getting longer than I anticipated so I will end off with these final words of wisdom coming from someone who knew absolutely nothing.

1. Take a friend / mom/ bridesmaid along. Constructive criticism is what you will need and although you might be dead set on a certain dress, it takes someone else to point out things you might not readily notice.

2. The appointment you make is usually an hour long so make sure you have an idea of the dresses you want to try on. Three or four dresses are usually the norm.

3. Bride & Co do not have dresses up for rental; their prices however are very reasonable and range from R5800 to R7000. You pay a 50 % deposit when ordering your dress.

4. VERY IMPORTANT! Bride & Co require 10 – 15 weeks for your dress to be delivered so ensure you have ample time before your wedding date.

5. I was pleasantly surprised that Bride & Co was able to assist me when I wanted extra beading and additions to the dress I had chosen. That said speak to your assistant on what you may require.

6. Bride & Co stock pretty much everything bridal orientated. Tiara’s, veils, shoes, handbags and garters to name a few.

7. Enjoy every minute of it. Initially you might feel overwhelmed as the reality of it all sets in but enjoy prancing around in the beautiful dresses, it’s an awesome experience.

Bridal greetings
Tay

You can email me your story about planning your wedding too! Click here…