Diary of a Cape Town Wedding

“So you're sure you've spoken to the priest?” Catherine asked Georgia for the hun­dredth time over the phone. At least I think that's what she asked. All I could hear was my girl­friend Georgia duti­fully repeat­ing the inform­a­tion into the receiver; “Yes yes, I've spoken to the priest, going to meet him and his wife,the organ­ist, tomorrow.”

Georgia, Catherine's younger sis­ter, lives in Cape Town. Catherine lives in London. Catherine had decided to have her wed­ding in Cape Town, which had swiftly cata­pul­ted Georgia into the unen­vi­able pos­i­tion of wed­ding plan­ner. All that stood between her and the per­fect South African Wedding was Georgia's com­plete and utter obed­i­ence. And about 10 000 km. Planning a wed­ding can be a daunt­ing task. The church, the flowers, the cake, the magic; all essen­tials in cre­at­ing the per­fect wed­ding. The one ingredi­ent nobody really tells you about? The stress. Just being involved in plan­ning the wed­ding is enough to make you want to elope to Las Vegas and get mar­ried by an Elvis-impersonating priest. Well, almost.

Location is a good place to start. Knowing where you hav­ing it goes a long way to help­ing you decide how you're going to have it. One of the big attrac­tions in Cape Town is its won­der­ful out­door loc­a­tions and the city offers many great wed­ding venue options. Catherine chose The Range in Tokai, a great choice for the more tra­di­tional wed­ding because it has a res­taur­ant and a chapel on the same grounds. They offer a ten­ted option for over 100 guests or a log cabin for 60 guests. The Range pack­age included all the basic trim­mings with a choice of optional extras like fairy lights, drapes, and seat cov­ers. There are also plenty of places to stay nearby which makes it a great place for over­seas wed­ding parties.

Another place that was looked into was Noordhoek beach, a per­fect venue for those in love with the idea of hav­ing a beach wed­ding. It is also just below the Monkey Valley resort, which is nestled in a forest, over­look­ing the Atlantic ocean, so it is a real nat­ural haven. Whichever loc­a­tion you choose, the best time is between January and March to get the best weather.

The next thing that you're going to be think­ing about is the dress. The wed­ding dress is always a point of con­ten­tion for the bride , and pre-wedding com­plaints from Catherine included “I look like a cream-puff,” to “I look too much like a...bride,” to which her brides­maids replied “isn't that the point?” For a unique wed­ding dress and brides­maid dresses, made to your style and fit, take a visit to Mystic Rose in Kalk Bay. The dresses are really some­thing spe­cial and are sur­pris­ingly affordable.

Flowers and décor are another issue, par­tic­u­larly when the groom sud­denly takes it upon him­self to have an opin­ion about what exact shade of table clothes are appro­pri­ate! Weddings can be expens­ive and it's import­ant that you budget for the things that you really want.

In Catherine's post-wedding opin­ion, the lux­ury wed­ding night chalet and money for a little extra time on the hon­ey­moon in Zanzibar were far more import­ant than those fancy décor options. Her wed­ding pre­par­a­tions included DIY work­shop ses­sions for friends and fam­ily, mak­ing table cards and hand-beading nap­kin hold­ers. Don't be afraid to get people involved! It’s a great way to get people into the spirit of your cel­eb­ra­tion and can save you some much needed cash. The groom even found refuge in the mech­an­ical pro­cess of thread­ing beads. “Therapeutic,” he said, look­ing at me mean­ing­fully. I could only smile.

For flowers, Woolworths in Cavendish and Alison's Florist and cof­fee shop in upper Wynberg have a won­der­ful flower selec­tion. If you want a per­sonal touch, the Chart farm in Wynberg is a giant rose garden where you can go to pick dozens of roses for a fant­astic price. It can be another great way to get people involved and can be com­bined with a lazy pic­nic to be a great day out. All you need to do is refri­ger­ate the flowers for fresh­ness, add some rib­bon and you have a great arrangement.

Ideas for the tables vary greatly but the gen­eral con­sensus is that tables should be kept simple with a centrepiece not higher that peoples shoulders to ensure people can see each other. Glass bowls with small white-washed pebbles and a small arrange­ment of your flowers makes a nice under­stated centrepiece arrange­ment. These and more table decor items are avail­able at Kenly's Warehouse in Woodstock. They have a large vari­ety of decor at less than nor­mal retail price. An over­lay on each table in organza looks really great and can liven up a plain-looking table. To have your over­lays per­son­ally made visit Fabric World on Wynberg Main Road. They have a huge vari­ety of mater­i­als and they can make you the over­lays exactly how you want them at fant­astic prices. For a truly South African present for each guest try a beaded keyring, avail­able from the local crafts­men at one of Cape Town's many craft mar­kets.

For the cake, if you want some­thing more edible than the tra­di­tional mar­zipan, look no fur­ther than The Queen of Tarts in Lower Main Rd, Observatory. A massive, multi-layered chocol­ate cake was appre­ci­ated by the guests and looked great in the photos.

Last but not least, it's import­ant to unwind before the big day. For an extra spe­cial even­ing before the wed­ding why not hire a private yacht at the Waterfront for a sun­set cruise a round to Camps Bay and back. It a magical way to see the sun­set and ease those wed­ding nerves with those you love.

Finish it off by get­ting in the cel­eb­rat­ory mood with at a trendy bar like The Planet Bar, at the Mount Nelson in Cape Town. It's pretty, relax­ing and a great way for the wed­ding guests to get to know each other.

Most import­antly, enjoy every moment even the hard ones. The whole pro­cess goes really quickly, so make sure you appre­ci­ate it. Despite a few hic­cups, the wed­ding went smoothly and our wed­ding couple are back and bronzed from their hon­ey­moon in Zanzibar and more in love than ever. May yours be equally blessed with love, good weather and sup­port­ive friends and family ...

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