Entries Tagged 'about me' ↓
December 10th, 2010 — about me, our wedding
November 1st, 2010 — about me, bridezilla, ideas, our wedding, paisley theme, planning, red and purple, suppliers, theme ideas, wedding reception
I had so many ideas when we started planning our wedding, but I managed to whittle my list down and by the time we got together with the decor company for the first time, I had only two concepts. It was either feathers, or an ornate Victorian theme.
After chatting to Kelly from Kelro, we decided on the feather idea. She was keen to do it and I think I was more excited about that one than the Victorian idea by then. We opted on a different style of decor for the chapel, but still something that fitted with the feathers.
The chapel aisle was lined with small birdcages hung on ribbons from the ceiling. They were filled with flowers, candles and feathers, and each one was different. The purple and red colour scheme was used in the chapel and in the reception hall, and the front of the chapel had two big flower arrangements on white stands flanking us as we said our vows.
After the ceremony, the two big arrangements and the cages were whisked into the reception hall where they were used to decorate the buffet tables, the coffee station, the bathrooms and our main table.
Our tables were covered with red and purple table cloths, and in the centre we had tall vases covered in a sheer white fabric with battery operated lights inside topped with a fountain top of white ostrich feathers! There were a few small candles on the tables as well, but the main thing was the feathered centrepiece. The serviettes were bound with strands of jewels and pearls on wire at each place setting, and there were no flowers on the tables.
We used photographs from our couple-shoot earlier in the year to make up triangular table number cards. One side had the table number on it, the second side displayed the menu and the third side had one a photographof us on it.
It was very striking and I was very pleased with the look of the reception hall.
October 8th, 2010 — about me, links, photography, suppliers, TTD, workshop
This Wednesday past, I ran my first photography workshop. The idea originally struck me when I had so much fun at my own Trash-The-Dress session, and I wanted to do it again! Hell, I’d do it every month for the next year if I could! Instead, I put out some feelers and before I knew it I had photographers and brides clamouring to take part!
With Jeanette Verster’s help I had no less than seven photographers on the day! Jeanette was one of them as was Jaco Janse, Melanie Wessels, Edwin Isted, Colleen Sevitz, Kat Forsyth and photographer-in-training Christie Collier-Mann. I didn’t take nearly as many photographs as I would have like to… but I had a lot of fun, and I will not part with my camera next time.
Next I got hold of my friend Meryl to make arrangements for us to use the stable where she has four horses stabled- Glen Austin Stables. She was very excited about the idea and after speaking to the owner of the stable it was a go! We used two of Meryl’s horses, Feiko- a black Saddlebred Friesian cross who was an absolute camera slut, Fury- who is not yet four years old, and Teddy- a ginormous white Percheron cross! You can read Meryl’s take on the day here.
I contacted Vanessa from Kelro, who did the decor at my wedding, to ask if Kelro wanted to decorate a table for the shoot. She brought all her own furniture and linen and such, and set up a table in one of the paddocks!!
Then I had to find brides who could ride. I didn’t want to risk a horse bolting and taking off with one of the girls on its back without them knowing what to do, and while I was initially worried I wouldn’t have enough brides on the day I eventually had too many who wanted to take part! I made arrangements with the three “brides” who had contacted myself or the photographers first, and Alida, Annie and Charmain were absolute superstars!! They worked their tails off getting on and off the horses, walking and sometimes running up and down the dressage arena and climbing fences and such. It was fabulous, and- as I’m sure you’ll agree- the results are spectacular.
I ended up doing the girls’ make up myself as the artist I had made arrangements with couldn’t make it at the last minute. The Cupcake Lady* also sent cupcakes 
!! They weren’t used as part of the shoot but were thoroughly enjoyed afterwards and the photographers made them look quite divine!!
click to enlarge
It was a great learning curve for me, and I am greatly looking forward to organising another workshop!
*thats me too BTW, for those who don’t know :P
August 27th, 2010 — about me, bridesmaids, bridezilla, budgeting, our wedding, red and purple, suppliers, the wedding party
When I asked my sisters to be my bridesmaids they were very excited! I said they could choose their gowns provided I had final say on their choices, of course. I worked hard not to be a bridezilla since I was planning my own wedding 
I took my sisters to Bride and Co for their dresses because you can’t easily find a bigger selection of styles and colours, and they don’t charge for their fittings which is always a bonus.
My sisters could choose either purple or red for their dresses in any style, and they both opted for full length red dresses. My sister Candy knew EXACTLY what she wanted to wear and tried on only one dress. She looked fantastic and she was really excited with her choice. It was a strapless satin dress with a diamante side detail. She had it taken in a wee bit and added a layer of tulle to the bottom of the dress at her final fitting to add some length as she’s quite tall.
My sister Brigitte had a dress in mind, but when she found what she was looking for they didn’t have one for her to try on! She was very disappointed, but with a little convincing we got her to try on another dress- one she would never have chosen for herself and one she was adamant would not work for her. It was a soft flowing gown with a detachable flower (that she opted not to use). When she stepped out of the dressing room, I got goosebumps! She looked amazing! She added satin straps to the gown and had it taken in a little.
Both bridesmaids bought themselves red satin wraps which they wore on the day, both dresses were ready 2 weeks before the wedding, and both dresses- with their alterations- were well within my budget!!
August 16th, 2010 — about me, ideas, our wedding, theme ideas, wedding favours, wedding reception
In South Africa, these little paper toys don’t really have a name, but they get played with by every generation, everyone knows how to use them and just about everyone knows how to fold them! Here are some pictures of cootie catchers at other weddings so you can see just how wonderfully versatile a “toy” they can be. They’re fabulous as conversation starters and they recall fond memories for most people.
I spotted these in a Martha Stewart Weddings magazine a few years ago, and it stuck in my head as a suggestion for my clients. No one ever used it, and when I started planning my own wedding, I figured they’d be a fun way to keep my guests entertained.
I roped my mom and sisters into helping me fold mine- I made two different ones- and they looked like this:
One had “tasks” for people to perform- like “toast your table” or “buy the best man a drink”, and the other had little facts in about myself and my new husband.
Here are a few links you may find interesting if you’d like to use them: How To Make Cootie Catchers; Lip Smacking Good; DIY Template; Ideas (bing). And here are a few photos of the ones I found when Googling them.
