South African Wedding Blog - Page 44 of 46 - A refreshing South African wedding blog dedicated to embracing and celebrating beautiful weddings with a flava of culture

Top Tips for Choosing Your Wedding Music

by Ikaupdated on 31 Jul, 20154 Oct, 2013Leave a Comment

Afternoon my precious readers! I hope you’re having a fabulous Friday afternoon wherever you are in the world.Today’s post is all about music. There is just something about music that heals and rejoices the soul. In fact music can either make or break your wedding/celebration. The type of music you choose ultimately sets the mood and feel of your wedding. Music has the power to connect and lift people’s spirit, that is why it is important to choose the right.

There are so many different types of wedding music but how does one choose. It’s tempting to only select the wedding music that you like but remember you want your guests to enjoy themselves as well, otherwise they might all leave early and leave you upset for the next decade. So here are a few tips to help you choose the type of music that you and your guests will enjoy:

When sending out invitations ask your guests to include one song they like in the RSVP . You might not be able to play all the songs but at least you would have an idea of what type of music your guests will dance to.
If you know that most of your guest would enjoy listening to a band then hire a suitable band. Don’t hire a rock band if you know that most of your guests would appreciate classical music.
If your fiancee is from the Caribbean, you could hire a steel band and have them play as guests enter the reception area.
If you want to include your culture, do something musical that is only done in your country, This would be a good way to give your guests a taste of where you come from.
If the budget allows; Another option is to select different types of music for each part of the wedding, like a choir to sing during the ceremony, a band to play during reception and DJ in the evening.
If you are having a DJ make sure you make a list of the “do not play” songs and tell him that if anyone asks for those songs, to just let them know that he doesn’t have them.
You can also check out web based music playlist services like MixLister which lets you and your guests create and comment on tunes for the wedding.
Bear in mind that some relatives might be offended by some types of music, so if you have a song that you like and is upbeat and you know that some guests might not appreciate it, save it for later in the night when gran-mama and gran-daddy have gone to bed.

I could not resist adding these quotes about music:

“Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.” Martin Luther

“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”―Confucius

I would love to hear your comments on the box below.Which music would you choose for your wedding and if you’ve had your wedding already what music did you choose?

Photo credits: from the top: pinterest and photography by Obi

With a joyful heart

ika

Home

Trendy Wedding Dresses By David Tutera For Mon Cheri

by Ikaupdated on 13 Aug, 20152 Oct, 2013Leave a Comment

Hello Precious! Today post is all about Trendy Wedding Dresses . Yes I can hear you now thinking; what more can she possibly say about wedding dresses that we haven’t heard already. Well; the truth is, as long as there are still couples getting married the bridal industry will always have something to say about making women look and feel good in their wedding dresses, nor matter their sizes or shape. David Tutera for Mon Cheri is a great example. For those of you who are not familiar with David he’s the event planner to the rich and famous and is the man behind my fair wedding and David Tutera unveiled. His work is super fabulous.

Earlier this year David Tutera launched a gorgeous collection for Mon Cheri. The nice thing about these dresses is that they are designed to fit any size or shape and with dresses starting from £900 its best value for money. Her are a few dresses from that collection:

Stockist in and around Buckinghamshire include: Shades of white and Verona Couture .Please check the Mon-Cheri website for stockist in your area.

I would love to hear from you, which dress would you go for?

Big Pure Pearls Luxurious Love

ika

Grooms, Home

Grooms & Groomsmen With Style

by Ikaupdated on 31 Jul, 201524 Sep, 2013Leave a Comment

Its modern times and gone are the days when grooms wore traditional tuxedos and had no say in the planning process of their weddings. Today’s grooms are fashion conscious and want to show their personalities in their outfits. I believe they also want to look and feel a billion pounds on their day . I know that there are still grooms out there who couldn’t care less and just want to turn up and get wed but there are those who are genuinely interested. It is to those brothers I dedicate this post.

A couple of weeks back I had a very interesting conversation with a friend and they raised their concerns on how the wedding industry tends to forget about grooms and groomsmen. Please don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to demean anyone or talk bad about my colleagues in the wedding industry but this is how some of the grooms and groomsmen feel that most of the time it’s all about the bride. Magazines and blogs (my own included) tend to focus on the brides more than grooms. That is why I think we need to do more for grooms and have more DIY wedding projects , pampering programs, scent selection workshops and much more for all grooms and their groomsmen out there.

There is a program called “don’t tell the bride”, for those of you who do not know what the program is about; the groom is given £12000 and gets to plan the entire day without any knowledge or input from the bride. I take my hat off to those grooms even though they have no clue about the wedding industry some of them put in a lot of effort trying to find ways to make their day unique. But for some of them the weddings turn out to be a disaster even though their brides put on a brave face. This is why I think we should do more to inform and educate grooms and groomsmen about the wedding world and make the planning process more fun and interesting for them.

So I’ve decided to write at least five posts per month dedicated to grooms (it’s a small number I know but I have to take little steps, humble beginnings. As time goes by and the blog gets more exposure I will increase the number of posts per month.

For the first post in the grooms category I have delightful suits that would look ridiculously smart on any groom for their big day. There is an incredible designer called Marc Wallace based in London, UK. His designs are fresh and vibrant. I‘m sure any groom and his groomsmen would feel a million pounds wearing these gorgeous suits.

A bit about Marc Wallace: “Marc Wallace launched his first collection in 2000 and has since become renowned worldwide for his handmade suits and luxury accessories; Marc’s passion to challenge the direction of menswear is evident in the label’s fresh and original style. Through Marc’s hands on approach, collaborating with skilled artisans on limited edition pieces, the label continues to drive forward with inspiration and design at it’s heart”.

Here are ten stylish and not so traditional suits from the incredible Marc Wallace. for more information and the entire collection please check out Marc Wallace’s website.
Marvin of JLS wearing Marc Wallace,

JLS Don’t they just look dapper in Marc Wallace SuitsI had to put this picture of Usher in this post. Although He’s not wearing Marc Wallace he looks quite fashionable in this smart suit.

I would love to hear your thoughts, do you think we have neglected grooms or am I just going on about nothing, If you are a groom, do you feel there is more focus on the brides , please leave your comments on the box below or comment via facebook or twitter

Real Weddings

Lisa & Jeffrey @ Chez Charlene

by Ikaupdated on 22 Feb, 201520 Sep, 2013Leave a Comment

I’m so excited about today’s wedding because I have always been intrigued by other cultures, their way of living and how they choose to get married. After observing so many different traditions and rituals I have come to this conclusion. In most cultures brides want to look and feel like princesses and most grooms are nervous about tying the knot but as soon as they see their brides they know that all is well. So I guess the human race is not that different after all, although we have different traditions and rituals we all want to love and be loved. (more…)

Real Weddings

A Vintage Themed Wedding At The Decorium

by Ikaupdated on 16 Jul, 201513 Sep, 2013Leave a Comment

It’s a gloomy morning here in London. For those of you working Monday to Friday 9-5 I’m sure today is your favorite day.I hope everything you have planned for this weekend goes well. To those of you getting married this weekend enjoy your wedding day, PLEASE don’t worry about anything you can’t change. For those of you still planning get ready to be inspired by today’s vintage themed wedding. (more…)

Home

Amazing Wedding Dresses By Veluz

by Ikaupdated on 14 Jul, 201530 Aug, 2013Leave a Comment

Hi All! Thanks for stopping by today to read this quick blog post. I have been hopelessly in love with Veluz Dresses since the first time I saw them. Now that she has a ready to wear line those brides that have been longing to wear one of her dresses will be able to do so and experience the Veluz effect. These dresses are so elegant,timeless and sophisticated. I just wish we had stockists here in the UK who could re-sell her gowns. In the words of Veluz herself (Took me months to think of gowns that will reflect how I see any bride. Soft, fluid, silhouettes that celebrate the feminine figure, details that sing, gowns that will reflect the happiness every bride feels inside. After all, it is still a girl thing 🙂 here are a few of her custom made gown but you can have a look at the ready to wear line here Veluz Bribe

with a joyful heart

ika

Advice

7 Reasons Why You Should Send Out Invitations

by Ikaupdated on 14 Jul, 201529 Aug, 2013Leave a Comment

Hey Everyone! Happy Thursday. I hope all is well with you and everything concerning you. Today’s post is one of my favorite, there is nothing more enjoyable to me than creating gorgeous invitations. I know most people think that wedding stationery is the one area where you could save a lot of money and yes you might be able to save a few pennies but I would strongly recommend couples not to cut out invitations completely because its one of the most exciting parts of planning especially if you are doing them yourself. I know these days you can find just about anything online and slowly but surely people are resorting more and more to electronic invitations. But I must say that there is nothing more chic or personal than an actual invitation received by regular mail. Here are 7 reasons why:

1. It shows that you went through the trouble (and money) to let your guests know that their presence at your wedding is appreciated.
2.It’s literally the “first impression” of what your wedding/event will be like! No need to spend a lot of money if it’s done right. Although I wholeheartedly believe “more is more” sometimes “less is more” if your working with a small budget.
3. Invitations create excitement and expectation
4. The invitation is the official, printed, tangible memento of the day. And it outlasts just about every other part of the wedding/event such as food, flowers and venue. Some people hold onto them for years

5. It makes for a personal touch because with all the technology things seem so un-personable.

6. Invitations set the tone of the entire wedding/event.

7. It gives your gets an idea of the style you are going for which makes it easier for them to choose their outfits.

Invitations from the top: wedding soon, lucy ledger and martha steward. I hope you find this post helpful, anybody is welcome to bookmark or share the post.

With a Joyful Heart

ika