Tag: Theme weddings

6 Articles

Laughing Chefs August 13, 2018

Themed weddings: Star-studded

Theme: Star-studded

Inspiration: Celestial

Trend: Shimmer and shine, crystals, dark rich colours

Colour: Shades of blue

Venue: Planetarium, or somewhere outside under the night sky

Dress: Corset-style with a ballerina skirt. Coloured shoes!

Groom: Dark suit

Flowers: berries, lilies, hydrangeas, baby’s breath, gip

Decor: lights – fairy lights, bulb lights, copper wire lights, oh and candles

Cake: naked cake with berries, fresh fruit, meringue and other toppings

Favours: Matches, or sparkles

Entertainment: star-watching, sparkles, a firework display

Take inspiration from the night skies with a wedding any star would be comfortable at. Lots of lights, candles, and heavy textures. Long dark tablecloths or wooden tables with velvet runners, floral arrangements that dwarf the table, or that hang from the ceiling. Candles on the floor and surrounding the dance floor. Food bars and interactive stations, with a dessert buffet that includes s’mores and a chocolate fountain. Opulence and over-the-top is key!

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 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!

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.