Month: June 2018

2 Articles

Laughing Chefs June 26, 2018

Themed weddings: Whimsical wedding

Theme: Whimsical wedding

Inspiration: Airy, breathy, windy beauty

Trend: Single stem flowers in clusters of vases, feathers, relaxed formal, green installations or runners

Colour: Shades of blue

Venue: family home, library, botanical gardens, clubhouse

Dress: understated elegance, textural details such as a woollen shawl, ballerina skirt

Groom: Navy suit

Flowers: airy and breathy. White with pops of colour. Baby’s breath, gip, daisies, asters, lilies and carnations.

Decor: clusters of vases with single stems in, interesting tablecloths with texture, glass and feather elements

Cake: Naked cake with chocolate drip, lots of fresh flowers

Favours: bags of meringues or angel kisses

Entertainment: lawn games to start the day with, and a champagne bar throughout the night

Whimsical. Light, fresh, and fun. Not to be confused with rustic, informal or simplistic. The look that you are going for is coordinated elegance, a streamlined effect with pops of blue, grey, and dirty pink (or whichever other accent colour you choose). Think lace and knitted runners, soft tablecloths, sparkling glass vases, lush greenery and single stems to give height to your tables. Luxurious cloth serviettes, polished wine glasses and silverware already set on the tables. The feel is of almost accidental grace, of effortless style. Guests must feel relaxed, but in no way question whether they are at a wedding or merely another get-together. Lots of champagne, plated food, and a cake with elaborate tiers and cascading fresh flowers complete the look. Cake flavours that will go down a treat include blueberry with tart lemon cream filling, caramelised toffee with raspberry jam or almond praline!

Laughing Chefs June 19, 2018

Themed weddings: Fairytale weddings

Theme: Fairytale

Inspiration: Snow white in the forest

Trend: Dark and moody, coloured candles, naked tables with a textural runner instead of a tablecloth, velvet.

Colour: Apple red, forest green, gold

Venue: Woodsy outdoor venue

Dress: White or off-white ballgowns or more classic designs, but to be really on trend go for red! Corset tops, capes and elaborate bows also play well into the theme (and are on trend).

Groom: Classic black suit

Flowers: Red, dark green, with touches of white to lift the tables a bit. Gerberas, Tupis, ranunculus, anemones, dianthus, daisies (sprays), tinted succulents, calla lilies and amaryllis. Mix it up with greens. Our go-to foliage would be penny gum, silver dollar, ferns, succulents and grasses.

Decor: Minimal with emphasis placed on candles and greenery to create that moody wood effect

Cake: Simple yet elegant. Play with the red and green, especially in the flavours! Think matcha green tea buttercream icing, gold leave and spun sugar for the dramatic.

Favours: Something edible – take the theme all the way and give candied apples! You can also include the favours as part of the late night snack – guests who leave early can take theirs with, and guests who want to stay and party can nibble on theirs together with a few other bites.

Entertainment: A jazz or blues band to create the mood

The word “fairy tale” usually conjures up images of princesses, unicorns and fairy dust. But every fairy tale has a darker side. Not necessarily the villain, but the underlying feeling of anticipation, excitement, even fear. Of course, you definitely do not want negative feelings associated with your special day, but why ignore the moody beauty that these emotions can inspire? For a slightly different take on the fairy tale theme, take inspiration from Snow White. The forest, the apple, and the eventual golden crown.

The benefit of using these rich colours include getting away with minimal decor and flowers but maximising the visual impact. Adding candles (which you can hire in at a fraction of the cost of buying new ones) will increase your wow-factor exponentially without breaking the bank. For your flowers, roses are beautiful but don’t get stuck – there are countless other red flowers that are just as beautiful, and most probably less expensive. For the greens, go for leaves and stems that have volume. This way, you use less. A bag of dehydrated moss takes you very far and can be used to bulk up arrangements, fill out foliage runners or cover oasis for more structured centrepieces.

Fairytale wedding moodboard Laughing Chefs Boersjiek themed weddings

You can go all out with the theme, incorporating it into your cake design, favours, decor pieces, etc. or merely use it as inspiration for the feel of the day – rich, moody, emotional, with touches of wonder.