Month: July 2018

5 Articles

Laughing Chefs July 28, 2018

Themed weddings: Polaroid weddings

Theme: Polaroid wedding

Inspiration: Vintage style photos

Trend: cosy, deep rich colours, velvet

Colour: eggplant, olive green, dark

Venue:

Dress: elegant and timeless

Groom: dark suit

Flowers: succulents, penny gum, blue gum, romantic blooms

Decor; lots and lots of photos! Use polaroids for your guestbook, your escort cards (seating chart), cake topper, etc.

Cake: plain white with polaroids of the couple as the topper

Favours: you guessed it – a photo booth that prints as polaroids

Entertainment: photo booth – try a GIF booth! Sparklers and fireworks

A polaroid inspired wedding takes less inspiration from the look, and more from the feel – think nostalgic, comforting and cosy. Play around with different styles, colours and textures until you have created the perfect picture. Incorporate photos as much or as little as you would like, but some nice ideas include using old snaps as your escort cards, using photos of numbers as the table numbers, a photo of the 2 of you as the cake topper, asking guests to take snaps of themselves and paste that into the guestbook, and more. You can make the mood romantic and moody by using darker colours, or more light and airy by using lighter colours. Incorporate fairy lights, candles, and lanterns, and end the evening with a firework display (remember to get the necessary permission!)

Laughing Chefs July 21, 2018

Themed weddings: Namib weddings

Theme: Namib wedding

Inspiration: Desert love

Trend: cactus, desert, macrame

Colour: dusty pink, grey-green, sand

Venue: outside, a greenhouse, or a blank canvas venue

Dress: something different, short and lacy, no sleeves!

Groom: chinos with a light jacket or a light suit

Flowers: succulents, cactus, proteas, penny gum

Decor: pots of flowers, hanging arrangements

Cake: a variety of small semi-naked drip cakes decorated with succulents

Favours: potted succulents, potted cactus wrapped in burlap or cotton

Entertainment: guitarist, food bars or food trucks

Take inspiration from the Namib desert for an effortlessly chic wedding, combining an elegant mix of natural elements and textures for a sophisticated boho vibe. Have your ceremony in front of a wooden arch, decorated with macrame pieces and hanging cacti. Stand on a carpet or rug, surrounded by candles for a dusk ceremony. Keep your colour palette neutral with only a pop of colour, incorporating something like proteas or cornflowers, or even aloe flowers. Use natural textures such as leather, wood, and wool on your tables to create interesting and dramatic tablescapes. Fill copper dishes with sand and place dessert plants in as part of the table decor, and splurge on candles!

Laughing Chefs July 17, 2018

Themed weddings: Elegant weddings

Theme: Elegant

Inspiration: The Royal wedding

Trend: understated elegance, sparkle and shine, crystals

Colour: shades of white, lots of glass

Venue: somewhere elegant, or surprising like an industrial loft

Dress: ballgown, with silver detail

Groom: formal tux

Flowers: tulips, roses, lilies, lisianthus

Decor: crystals, glass, candles

Cake: white buttercream with no trimmings

Favours: macarons or a candle set for each couple

Entertainment: string quartet and a prosecco bar

A wedding the Queen would feel at home at. White floor length tablecloths, tapering candles, white cloth serviettes. Although such a wedding can seem stiff and formal, you can make it a bit more relaxed by changing the venue from the expected ballroom to an industrial loft, a warehouse, or any other space! Keep your food simple, with either plated or silver service, and remember a dessert together with the wedding cake. Add a few personal touches such as silver picture frames with special photos on the tables, large crystals to catch the light, and you will have a drool-worthy wedding!

Laughing Chefs July 10, 2018

Themed weddings: Rustic weddings

Theme: Rustic

Inspiration:

Trend: wood details, rich colours, textural runners

Colour: Wine red, copper, deep green

Venue: woodsy venue, or a venue that you can create a woodsy effect in

Dress: airy and plain, with short fluttery sleeves

Groom: dark suit

Flowers: lisianthus, proteas, sprays, baby’s breath, berries, lots of penny gum and blue gum

Decor: lots of candles, low arrangements with foliage runner

Cake: layers of coconut and chocolate brownie cake with salted caramel ganache filling and vanilla buttercream. Fresh flowers cascading down the cake to complete the look

Favours: something edible like fudge or cookies, a lipstick bar for guests to leave you a note

Entertainment: craft beer and gin bars, late night snacks for dancing into the night

Same as with barn and farm weddings, rustic weddings also have a bad rep of late. Again we are unsure why maybe because of the copy and paste look some of these weddings have, or because they are usually associated with the shabby chic movement. Rustic, although relaxed and earthy, can be just as beautiful and elegant as a more classic wedding. So if you want your wedding to be understated and effortless, and the rustic look appeals to you, go for it. Make use of wooden tables, runners in dark colours, lots of greens in different shades, candles everywhere and enough flowers to make any budding botanist jealous. Wear a soft, plain dress and complete the look with a flower crown or comb and a cascading bouquet. To pull off a magical rustic wedding, elaborate is the keyword!

Laughing Chefs July 03, 2018

Theme weddings: Farm/barn weddings

Theme: Farm/barn

Inspiration: fields of sunflowers

Trend: Green installations, high floral arrangements, relaxed and informal, metals – red and yellow copper

Colour: sunshine yellow, copper, deep green

Venue: a barn! Or a farm

Dress: understated elegance, plain and simple dress, or even a suit!

Groom: khaki chinos with a vest

Flowers: sunflowers, lots of ferns and other foliage

Decor: copper bowls with lemons, copper vases with sunflowers, textured runners on naked wooden tables

Cake: plain and simple – decadent sponge with an exciting flavour, covered in white buttercream with huge sunflowers on top

Favours: seeds that guests can go plant themselves

Entertainment: caricature artists, a blues or country band

Farm or barn weddings have lately received a bad rep. We don’t know if it is because they were all the rage a few years ago, or because they became synonymous with low budget DIY weddings, but we feel the negatives associated with this theme is uncalled for. Some couples just want to share their love of family, farm and each other with their guests, and no better way than to host their nuptials on a farm. The farm can be theirs, their family’s or even a rented venue, doesn’t matter, as long as the ceremony and reception is handled with class, attention to detail, and a bit of practicality. Remember to think of the guests’ comfort and safety when making certain decisions. If you want to have hay bales as seating, remember to make provision for a cushion or blanket to cover the seat. Nobody wants to party the night away with straw in their bottom! Keep in mind the venue might be cold at night, even in summer, and remember to ask guests to pack in a shawl or light jacket. Have a big dance floor, and serve the food directly from big fires as it is ready. And for dessert, do passed cake bites (your wedding cake cut into bite-size pieces and then passed around on platters for guests to take as they wish). This way they don’t have to stop dancing to enjoy dessert!