With all the planning and excitement around the wedding, there’s little room to prepare to ensure you are fully honeymoon ready! Even if you’ve arranged for your honeymoon to take place a few days/weeks after the big day, there’s no doubt that you’ll be exhausted and ready to pack up and go. And besides, who wants to go back to work after such an incredible high?
Having your honeymoon straight after your big day will let you ease into married life and give you the rest you need after months of preparation. Yet, this can make it difficult to find time to prepare for your vacay. Luckily, we have 5 simple steps to help you through your prep and packing!
STEP 1
First things first, ensure that everything is booked and set for your departure and arrival, including the flights, car hire, hotel, etc. Print all your booking confirmations and keep them in a travel wallet so that you have everything on hand should your cellular device fail you. You can also keep your passport, bank cards and any other important documents with this.
STEP 2
Next, it’s time to get everything you’ll be taking with you together. It’s important to take into consideration the weather of your honeymoon destination and the activities you’ll be doing when packing your clothes. Check up on the weather a week beforehand so that you know what you’re in for. Remember that it’s better to have more options rather than too little, and you can’t bank on finding what you need at the location you intend on travelling to. As a general rule, make sure you have enough clothes for warm and cool weather.
STEP 3
As mentioned above, you can’t expect that your destination will have everything you need, so make sure to include any personal items such as hygiene products and medication, as well as your absolute daily essentials, in your travel bag. That being said, it won’t hurt to do a bit of research into what your accommodation will offer in the room so that you can save on a few items such as towels, a hairdryer, soap, etc. Medication is an absolute must-have, especially if you have a chronic condition or intend on travelling long distances.
STEP 4
This is where you factor in any extra items that you would like to bring, for instance, you may want to invest in a disposable or Polaroid camera to capture all your fun and special moments. Travel accessories, a journal, special outfits for the trip (hint, hint) are fun extras to consider when packing.
STEP 5
Finally, it’s important that before you leave, make all the contact details for your accommodation as well as any other important information available to family members or close friends in case of an emergency on your trip.
Time to get packing!
Image: Unsplash
Combining her love of luxury with his passion for South African cuisine, Jana van der Spuy and MC Leonard’s wedding featured the best of both worlds. THE VENUE…
With more and more brides opting for a budget-friendly wedding, DIY wedding decor has been (and will always be) trending. Putting together an elegant wedding with stunning decor shouldn’t break the bank or put a hole in your pocket. In most cases the way you envisioned the decor for your big day makes you realise that some ideas and dreams can’t be bought, so why not do it yourself?
1. WINE CORK SEATING CHART
Ebriderides wants their dream wedding to be unique in its own way. Instead of paying someone to compile your seating chart using expensive materials, try collecting all your wine bottle corks and put them to good use.
2. HAND-PAINTED BALLOONS
Who said balloons are only meant for birthday parties? Balloons have taken the wedding world by storm. Brides are now opting to have wedding balloons as a part of their ceremonies and receptions. Instead of buying all the fancy balloons you see online, simply purchase the balloons of your choice, and make them unique with some hand-crafted paint and stencils for a minimalistic decor feel.
3. LIGHT BULB FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS
Floral arrangements tend to be quite pricey. Keep all your blown light bulbs, remove the inside elements and give them a good wash. Hang them up in your reception area and add some small blooms. This look really brings some out-of-this-world elegance to any area.
4. WHEELBARROW DRINKS COOLER
Serving drinks at your wedding reception doesn’t need to be a nightmare. If your reception area is outside, make use of a wheelbarrow for guests to grab a cold one. Simply clean it out, add some ice and fill it with some beers and coolers. It’s great to avoid the long queues at the bar and an easy grab-and-go for your guests to enjoy.
Images: Pinterest
For 2019, brides all around the globe are setting some new trends when it comes to decor by simply going back to the basics. Instead of lavish and…
We got together with some of the best local bakers around to show you six of our favourite wedding cake trends to help you make sure that your wedding cake… takes the cake!
1. METALLICS
Metallic studs – like the ones we see on shoes and clothing on the runway – add dimension and texture to a cake.
Mandy Byren from Cake Heaven SA
2. OMBRE
Ombre, especially metallic ombré, is still huge on the wedding scene. It’s beautiful in its simplicity and allows for interesting cake toppers.
Linda Knop from Sugar Cakes
3. SIMPLICITY
This season sees wedding cakes relieved of too many decorations and intricacies. A move to simpler yet striking designs like monotone or two-tone cakes is the style of choice. Watercolours and pastels reinforce this idea of less is more.
Wade van der Merwe from Cakes by Wade
4. BRUSHSTROKES
Think drama and flair with strokes painted in chocolate or fondant forming a beautiful portrait. Combine them with natural elements – another top choice – adding a flower or two for a softer, whimsical look.
Kanya Hunt from The Hunt House Kitchen
5. MARBLE
Marble hasn’t left just yet! Apply it interestingly by having a pink, green or even blue marbled tier. Add some metallic ombré or gold dust and have fun with the design!
Daniella Green from Charly’s Bakery
6. NATURE
Along the theme of greenery and the environment, bakers are having fun playing around with different elements such as bark, birds, feathers and leaves (real or edible). These will take your cake from pretty to memorable.
Robyn Potter from Chocswirl
Styling: Chiara Turilli & Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Samantha Pinto
Planning your big day is both an exciting and stressful time, with immense pressure to be at your best. Don’t forget to break away from all the organising…
Like many of us dog lovers, I have a tendency to spoil our family dog, Bailey. How can you blame me, when he buries his nose in my couch looking for his old toys in such an adorable way? I love our guy, but the thing is, I’m skeptical about getting him new toys because he’s very particular: he only buries his favorite toys in the couch, but many of the rest of them just sit on the floor. When he was a puppy, I used to spend $40 per month on toys and treats alone (those bully sticks can get expensive)! But, in trying to find a (much) more wallet-friendly way to keep Bailey entertained, I found the absolute best gift you could get for any dog, any size, any personality.