{Aisle Say by Candice}: Wedding Planners to the rescue

Modern couples of today who are coping with their busy lifestyles and careers have the choice to call on the services of a wedding planner to take care of all the extra stress involved in planning their special day. Although, this is mostly a sensible and affordable option, many brides still argue that it is too expensive and they would rather be ‘hands on’ in planning their fairy-tale wedding. Some brides see wedding planners as more interfering than being supportive. These brides must remember that they will always get the final say in the decision making process. Besides, they can choose the level of involvement and support they will want from their wedding planner: full consulting, partial consulting, or “day of” coordination.

Photo credit:{weddingplannerpro.com}

How can wedding planners help you?

Eliminate stress: as a bride, you may feel overwhelmed with all you have to do and often don’t know where to begin. With their professional organizational skills they will help you every step of the way and keep track of all your service providers.

Save money: planners have established good relationships with wedding vendors/suppliers and can often negotiate better pricing for the bridal couple. They can also help you to stay within your budget.

Knowledge: their experience and expertise in the wedding industry will give you reassurance.

Style/Design: planners will get an idea of your personal taste and style and guide you to create a unique and memorable wedding that reflects both you and your groom.

Support: they can play mediator and peace-maker. One of their roles is to be efficient in understanding your needs and be able to explain or discuss with the different/relevant parties.

Here are some key questions that you should ask before hiring your wedding planner:
• How long have you been in business?
• How many weddings do you handle per weekend?
• What are your fees? (Hourly? Flat fee? Percentage?)
• What is included in your package?
• Do you have photos of any recent weddings you have planned?

If I had to do it all over again I would definitely choose to have a wedding planner. The always seem to be an asset and often are worth every penny.

Tip for the Bride-to-be: Like any vendor, you must have a clear contract with your wedding planner that spells out their duties, costs and expenses, deposits and payment schedules. Contact Candice* at Live Love Dream and invest in a Pre-Marriage Course to ensure your Happily Ever After...

*With a Degree in Psychological Counselling, Candice Luck of Live Love Dream specialises in presenting fun, modern Pre-Marriage courses, that assists couples in building a marriage based on communication, transparency and connection.

Beautiful vintage headpieces

If you are looking for exquisite, vintage inspired one of a kind hair pieces for your big day, look no further than Vintij Blue.

Nicole stocks a range of stunning and dainty hair pieces and jewellery for brides, each more lovely than the last. Whether it be a small comb, a more elaborate jewel encrusted aliceband or a pretty necklace, you will find a piece you are going to fall in love with at Vintij Blue.

Here are some of her items which were used for a styled shoot at Vivere we profiled last week. Each piece was handpicked to go with each wedding dress, from Romantic Trousseau Bridal.

Make-up: Lucia Frangi - www.luciafrangi.com | lu_frangi@hotmail.com
Hair: Harine Potgieter - Follicle Hair in Brooklyn | 012 435 8777 | info@folliclehair.co.za
Photo credits: {hannalee.co.za}

(Aisle Say by Candice}: The Father-of-the-bride

From Daddy’s girl to blushing Bride…It can be a mildly traumatic time for your Dad who has to accept the realisation that he has lost his little girl to the man of her dreams. Your trusted Father (aka: ‘The Wedding Fund’) has some important tasks to fulfil on your special day besides the financial contribution that will make your wedding day possible.

Dad’s Role in Pre-Wedding Planning
The Budget: While every father wants to give his daughter the wedding of her dreams, realistically, he has to keep a watchful eye on the unfolding plans. A Dad needs to be upfront with his daughter about what he is able to afford, being flexible and making compromises will help both sides of the equation.

The Support: Dads tend to just go with the flow and stay calm. Mostly, they can be relied on for objective and reassuring advice amongst all the chaos and stress that clouds the planning process. Dads should also be aware that their patience will be tested as they will have the tricky task of keeping the Mother-of-the-bride happy and de-stressed.

At the Wedding Reception:
The Speech: This tends to be the highlight or dreaded nightmare of a father's involvement in the wedding. A Dad should prepare his speech in advance and practice many times so that memory will override nerves on the big day. He should be complimentary in his speech, make good eye contact whilst saying it, add a little humour and share good wishes on the bridal couple.

The Dance: Dads and daughters should spend some time together in choosing a special and memorable song that captures and symbolises their relationship. Songs should be kept short, a 6 minute ballade can make everyone bored and restless.

Following the wedding, your Dad now has to embrace his new role as Father-in-law. However, don’t expect your Dad and husband to start calling each other by anything but their first names (I think it’s written in the ‘guy code’ somewhere). That aside, as the beautiful bride, you now have 2 special men in your life that want to cherish and protect you!

Tip for the Bride-to-be: Once you are married and living your own life, make a promise to yourself and your Dad that you will always find time to have some one-on-one quality time together. After all, a Dad’s love is one-of-kind and irreplaceable.

Photo credits: {barbaraweddings.wordpress.com}

Contact Candice* at Live Love Dream and invest in a Pre-Marriage Course to ensure your Happily Ever After...

*With a Degree in Psychological Counselling, Candice Luck of Live Love Dream specialises in presenting fun, modern Pre-Marriage courses, that assists couples in building a marriage based on communication, transparency and connection.

Get the Look: Let them eat Cake

Nowadays, kitchen teas don’t have to be events where the bride gets dressed up in kitchen towels and guests bring along detergent as gifts. No sirree. With themed kitchen teas being quite trendy, you can throw a themed tea party ... and what better theme than a Marie Antoinette inspired one? We found this lovely “Let them eat cake” inspired tea party on onefabday.com. Fabulously exquisite and over the top, this theme incorporates vintage items with detailed confectionary.

Photo credits: {onefabday.com}

Get the look by using these Gauteng vendors to create your very own French tea party:

Decor and teacups:
Vintage inspired items by Moi Decor

Table Cloths: Taupe coloured tablecloths with gold damask detail from The TableCloth Hiring Company

Cupcakes:
Mini cakes and cupcakes from Isabella's Cake and Food Shop

Pretty Simple: a DIY lace braid

I'm all for minimal effort, maximum impact, and this little DIY tutorial on how to do a cute lace braid is the perfect example of just that. Found on bridalmusings.com (one of our favourite wedding sites), this tutorial requires about a metre long piece of pretty lace and a hairband. All you need to do is create a criss cross effect with the lace all the way down your hair ponytail and VOILA! Pretty and simple don't you think?


For more tips on how to jazz up this hairdo, visit the blog post on bridalmusings.com.

Photo credit: simplyjessie.com

Styled Guest Table by Moi Decor

Happy Monday! Today we bring you the second part of a styled shoot Moi Decor undertook with a few wedding vendors all shot by Hannalee Photography. The first part of the shoot included a mint inspired candy table, which you can find here.

The second part of the shoot included a guest table styled with Moi's stunning 5 arm aliminium candelabras, vintage books, votives and ceramic planters. The aim was to create a clean look that incorporated vintage elements with some bling items. Have a look!

Photo credits: {hannalee.co.za} For a list of other vendors who took part, find them here.

{Aisle Say by Candice}:Have you learnt your ANC…?

Antenuptial Contracts (ANC) stirs up a range of uncomfortable feelings for most bridal couples. Couples are often swept away in the romance of their special day and the last think they want to think about is the possibility of divorce - after all, contracts don’t appear in any fairytale. Realistically, couples need to remember that marriage is a binding legal agreement. It does feel awkward to be drawing up a contract in case of divorce when you haven’t even walked down the aisle. Your marriage contract has implications that go beyond divorce and it affects how your married life is governed.

In terms of South African law, a couple has 3 legal choices when getting married:
1. In community of property
2. Out of community of property including accrual
3. Out of community of property excluding accrual

In Community of Property:
• All assets and liabilities are pooled and shared equally, irrespective of whether such assets were acquired before or during marriage, unless expressly excluded by a donor or testator.
• All profits whether generated by the husband or wife are shared equally. The same applies to all losses/liabilities.
• The husband and wife now have joint control over their marriage estate. Any contract entered into by one spouse automatically includes the other spouse.
• Marriages in community of property are governed by our common law and if no Antenuptial Contract has been signed, then couples are automatically deemed to have been married in community of property.

Antenuptial Contract: Out of community of property including accrual:
• The accrual system was initially introduced to protect women who earned less than their spouses while married. Today the accrual system protects both parties.
• It is the sharing of growth in the spouses’ assets during the marriage. Each spouse has to declare the value of their own estate in this ANC at the beginning of their marriage.
• The growth in the assets accumulated by both spouses during the marriage must automatically be divided equally when the marriage end on death or divorce.
• This means that the spouse who earns less will still be entitled to half of the shared estate from the date of marriage to the date of divorce.

Ante nuptial Contract: Out of community of property excluding accrual:
• An ante nuptial contract or ANC means that you are married out of community of property, which is concluded by both parties before their marriage.
• Each spouse retains his or her own assets and liabilities whether they have been acquired before or during marriage.
• There is no sharing of profits and losses. Both spouses have full and independent contractual capacity when one spouse enters into a contract it automatically excludes the other.
• Upon death or divorce, each spouse keeps control over their own assets.
• If the marriage occurred after 1988 - the contract has to specifically exclude the system of accrual. In the absence of this exclusion the rules of accrual will automatically apply.

Tip for the Bride-To-Be: Get your marriage contract done early and tick it off the list so that you can enjoy planning the rest of your wedding without this looming over your head.

For professional assistance in getting your marriage contract drawn up, contact BBM Law via their website www.bbmlaw.co.za or call their Rosebank branch on 011-628-9300.

Photo credits: {barbaraweddings.wordpress.com}

Contact Candice* at Live Love Dream and invest in a Pre-Marriage Course to ensure your Happily Ever After...

*With a Degree in Psychological Counselling, Candice Luck of Live Love Dream specialises in presenting fun, modern Pre-Marriage courses, that assists couples in building a marriage based on communication, transparency and connection.

Summer Colour Trend 2013: Mouth-watering Mint

Mouth-watering mint is a colour trend for Summer 2013. This refreshing and crisp colour is casual and laid back, and perfect for your candy beverage table at your wedding. Moi Decor styled this shoot, which was taken by Hannalee Photography.

Mint coloured cupcakes, marshmallows, bunting and pompoms provided the necessary accents for the decor items, which included:
* mint vintage scale,
* glass candy jars,
* cake stands bottles,
* glass beverage dispensers,
* metal watering jug.

Summer time also means birdcages and birdie motifs, which were used too. To pick up the colour mint, sage saddlestitch ribbon was used to around the lemonade bottles and glassware items.

Photo credits: {hannalee.co.za}

{Aisle Say by Candice}: Fusion Weddings - A Cultural Affair

You’ve heard about fusion food. It combines foods from different cultures to create a unique cuisine that is delightful and different. Now, we need to apply the same approach when mixing aspects from two different cultures to create a tastefully diverse wedding celebration, that respects the heritage of both Bride and Groom.

Some might tell you that the only option is to have two weddings. However, with the cost and stress of planning one wedding it would be more advantageous to put your thinking caps on and create one special day that beautifully meshes both cultures into one ceremony.

Firstly, you and your Fiancé need to have an open discussion and get clarity from each other as to which traditions must definitely be incorporated and which ones you and/or the family are willing to omit. Remember, that ultimately you two have the final say as it's your day after all.

Here are some fusion tips:

Invitations: Use a balanced mix of both your languages on the invitations or you can add a special saying or quote from each family’s tradition.

Venue: Choose a park, hall or country club that is neutral to both families.

Ceremony: You can consider having two different religious figures to conduct your ceremony or have a translator. This ensures that all your guests get to hear special parts of your ceremony. Beware of long ceremonies as they make for restless guests.

Vows: Recite your vows in your native language so that both your families will understand and feel included in these important words of promise and commitment.

Food: The most practical solution would be to have two separate buffet stations catering to both cultures, this allows guests to see the whole variety and pick what they would like to eat. Find a qualified caterer to help you create the perfect pallet for your reception.

Décor: Utilize colours and flowers that will highlight and showcase the best of both cultures. Asian weddings tend to use dark red and gold, while African weddings prefer a mix of greens, yellows and browns. You may like to combine elements of tradition in the centrepieces displayed on the tables.

Music & Dancing: Both play an integral role in many cultural affairs and capture the spirit of the event. Select popular songs and dances that will get all the guests into the mood for the festivities. Adding some traditional entertainment like drumming or a fire circle can add another unique element. The dance floor is a free zone where any age, culture or language can simply mingle and have fun.

However you and your Groom decide to fuse and merge your different traditions, you will find a way to pay tribute to both of your cultures. In this way you will ensure that your diverse group of guests will all be included in the celebration of your union. They will enjoy a one-of-a-kind wedding that they will remember forever.
Photo credits:{barbaraweddings.wordpress.com}

Contact Candice* at Live Love Dream and invest in a Pre-Marriage Course to ensure your Happily Ever After...

*With a Degree in Psychological Counselling, Candice Luck of Live Love Dream specialises in presenting fun, modern Pre-Marriage courses, that assists couples in building a marriage based on communication, transparency and connection.

Perfect Party Straws

Paper straws are perfect for almost any occasion, be it a birthday party, wedding reception, baby shower or kitchen tea. They come in a variety of pretty colours and add lovely detail to any cool beverage. They also function as pretty decor for a candy table just as is! Moi Decor now stocks an array of paper straws, sold in sets of 5.

You can pick and choose from pastel colours in stripes and pink dots, or brighter blue and red stripes. They are sold in sets of 5 for R13. For bulk queries, you can email carla@moidecor.co.za

Photo credit:{moidecor.co.za}