We couldn’t think of a happier occasion or a bigger celebration than a wedding and so we brought all the colours that make us feel giddy and bubbly, together in one spectacular shoot.

The circle would have to be the shape of happiness and there are few things in this world that inspire a more childlike glee than the polka dot. We splashed them all over our multi-coloured table runner and even used them for confetti. Guests were shown their seats by means of dotty badges and brightly coloured macaroons rounded off the event as part of the wedding cake.

We wanted our colours to pop and be flourescent, so we lightly sprayed some of our flowers to fit in with our theme. Have you ever seen more beautiful bright yellow and orange hydrangeas or purple proteas?

We simply couldn’t stand our flowers getting lost amongst the glasses and cutlery on the table, so we gave them their own wooden pedestals to place them at eye level with the guests. A multi-coloured extravaganza, fit for a queen.

Our entire thought process behind this shoot, was to show prospective brides that bright colours do not necessarily mean a carnival or circus themed wedding and that they can be applied without taking away any of the elegance or beauty required of a wedding day.

The post Wedding Inspiration – Pop of Colour appeared first on Little Pink Book - South Africa's Best Wedding Blog and Planning Book.

Leon and he’s team from Pro-Lighting transformed our Venue into something spectacular with their use of lighting. If you’ve ever had your doubts about the use of lighting at your venue, or think it isn’t that important, you should really reconsider! Their use of lighting will really complete your overall look and feel of your wedding. Also, a very nice touch you can add is to have a Gobo made with your initials on it. This can then be displayed on the dance floor, against the wall or any other area! It’s the perfect way to personalise your wedding!

Our talented photographer for the evening was Chris van Dalen from Studio 77. Chris has been a wedding and fashion photographer for more than 13 years. He has photographed over a 1000 weddings and have been blessed to shoot weddings across the world. His advice to Brides-to-be is to have fun, and lots of it! Maverik Style Wear offers tailor made suits and has more than 4000 swatches of fabric you can choose from. There is nothing they don’t have! They cater for all body types and you can even choose the buttons to fit your suit and/or wedding colours! The stunning wedding dresses on display ware from Wedding Connexion. They stock imported dresses from the likes of Maggie Sottero, La Sposa and many more. They offer dresses to hire or buy and even offer the service of an in-house tailor. So you can be sure that you’ll have a wedding dress that fits perfectly!

Anella Shoes stocks comfortable, imported wedding shoes. For the more daring bride, they can even dye the shoes in any colour you want. Also, if you choose to wear a white shoe on your wedding day, you can dye it a different colour after your wedding. That way, your shoes don’t end up at the back of your closet, you can actually wear them again! Michelle Mellet is a Style Consultant from Chic Physique. The services they offer include wardrobe planning, colour consultations, personal shopping, etc. In a consultation with them they assess your body type, skin tone and other elements. They then advise you on the types of colours you should wear which best suits your skin tone, hair colour, etc. This service is definitely worth considering for your wedding when it comes to choosing the colour of your wedding dress!

Elmarie from Paper Love Studio did an amazing job of creating the beautiful stationery for the evening. She gave the guests very useful tips with regards to wedding stationery. When you go to your stationery consultation, be sure to have your wedding theme, your colour scheme and the type of invitation you would like, in mind. Candice from Candi Makeup believes that when you apply makeup, you should never mask your own beauty. She also offers Spray-tan and uses a product that will not let you look orange. The beautiful flower arrangements, crockery, cutlery, table linnen and chairs were all supplied by Vaughn’s Creations. The aim of their business is to supply their clients with the very best service available!

The mouthwatering cakes on display was from Cakes by Clamillas. Their beautiful cakes are delicious and the fillings range anything from fresh raspberries to nougat filling! And the best part is, they don’t even charge for consultations! Sasha from Prep’ed by Sasha made sure none of the guests were hungry! The canapés were divine, not to mention the Butternut soup with homemade (or “Sasha-made”) bread. She suggests that you chat to your caterer about your catering budget. This is very important as this will determine the type of menu you’ll have. Also, a new trend is to have late-night snacks for your guests, such as mini pizzas or “boerie rolls”, to quench your guests’ munchies. To complement the food, guests could help themselves to the a glass of Paul René MCC. Acoustic Touch kept our guests entertained with their beautiful music. Nicholas from Romanza Films captured the event on video. Nicholas produces a different kind of wedding film with a touch of sugar, cinnamon, spice & all things nice. You will relive the emotions and special moments of your wedding day in Full High Definition on Blu-ray!

To Helen and all our service providers involved, thank you very much for making this Wedding Workshop such a great success! We appreciate all your time, effort and contributions to making this a very memorable Wedding Workshop!

Tickets for our next Wedding Workshop at Kleinevalleij and Festa on 27 June 2013 are on sale! Get yours today!!

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Choosing your Make-up Artist is always a very personal decision in the wedding planning process, how did you decide on Alicia Buckle? I have heard many great things about Alicia Buckle through friends in the industry who have worked with her. When Izandi told me Alicia offered her services for our wedding, I was delighted. She and her team were as wonderful as described and treated my bridesmaids, mother and myself like we were royalty.

You had a beautiful dress! Tell us more about the fit and your favourite aspects. When I started looking at dresses I knew I wanted something with personality and something unexpected. After trying on a couple of dresses I knew I wanted a mermaid style gown with dramatic flare and textured ruffles. I also knew I didn’t want white but rather a nude or blush colour. Luckily, I studied with some amazing fashion designers and left it to my close friends, Stephen van Eeden  &  Janita Toerien, to capture my vision and bring it to life!

What were the highlights of your wedding? The awesome weather, the beautiful people , the bright colours , the happy faces, speeches, my handsome husband, my special grandmother,  goosebumps, the tears…  Just to name a few.

What was the “theme” of your wedding, and why? I wanted a 50’s style wedding dress since I became a fan of Sarah J Parker in primary school. I even had a 50’s inspired matric farewell dress! I just love it!!  Due to various reasons, I could not wear a 50’s inspired wedding gown and turned the situation around by making the dress code 1950’s … And with bold colours. A better theme I could never have chosen! The bright colours are to emphasise and celebrate the beauty of our lives. Why choose one colour if you have the whole rainbow to play with?

Did anything unexpected happen? The morning of the wedding we all had to get up at 6am and when one of the bridesmaids opened the tap to fill the kettle for morning coffee, the tap broke and there was water everywhere! At first we thought she was joking and we were laughing at her, but we soon realised that this could be an emergency. I had fantastic bridesmaids though who took charge of the situation and after a quick phone call to the wedding planner, the venue had it sorted out within 40 minutes. Unfortunately no more hot water after that and I had to take a very cold and quick shower… We had such a laugh and everyone was clearly awake by then!

How did you decide on your wedding venue? What was your venue short list? The SPACE!! Big grass terrace, pretty pond, the patio, and the spacious bar area, the hospitality and amazing view of mountains! The venue had everything we wanted! And even the perfect date! I always wanted to get married in March/April and when they still had one opening for the year, we knew it’s meant to be! Shortlist … Well, we only viewed about 4 venues briefly but not one gave us that “feeling”.

Were any of your family members or friends involved in the wedding and what were their contributions?  We didn’t want to have a wedding cake so we opted for a sweet table. However, two weeks before the wedding one of my bridesmaids (who is also my childhood friend) insisted on baking a one or two tier cake just for us to have something to cut into. With the help of another bridesmaid they made the cake (and red velvet cupcakes for the sweet table) but due to the heat, the travelling and the fact that we got a bit lost on a gravel road on our way to the guesthouse we were staying at the night before, the cake didn’t survive. We had such a good laugh and decided to eat it that same evening!

Where did you get most of your ideas and inspiration?  I prefer to say I get inspired and not copy ideas. Colours and textures inspired me and designers such as Dior, Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad. Fashion, Photography, Architecture, Interior design, Art, Contrasts… but just to add, I am a pinterest lover!

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?  Nothing!  Not even the cold shower!

Did your wedding preparations include any DIY projects? The online wedding invite, Brooches I made instead of ­corsages and the Pinjada for the guest favours.

What every Bride should know: Wear comfy nickers!! Enjoy it !!! Love it! And RELAX!!! Nothing will go wrong if you are calm and enjoying it! Have some mints somewhere, you kiss a lot of people…

What every Groom should know: Don’t just agree to everything the bride wants, it’s your wedding too!!

The post 1950s Wedding – Alicia Buckle appeared first on Little Pink Book - South Africa's Best Wedding Blog and Planning Book.

These caricatures are wonderful personal mementos of your special day, but above all they provide a fun factor as friends and family gather round to laugh uproariously as the sketches take form.

With more than 10 years experience as a caricature artist, Martinus van Tee has entertained thousands of guests at hundreds of events throughout South Africa. Top musicians, comedians and other celebs have been at the mercy of his pen at various launch parties, corporate functions and television appearances.

Martinus also creates full-colour caricature portraits, perfect for invites as well as wedding, birthday and anniversary gifts.

Visit his website for more images and information!

The post Martinus van Tee Illustration appeared first on Little Pink Book - South Africa's Best Wedding Blog and Planning Book.

Two years and many weddings and functions later Perrins Events is still going strong and their goal is to become one of the leading suppliers in this industry in the Western Cape. Perrins Events is still a young company but is run hand in hand with Perrins Upholstery & Interiors that has been in business since 1962 and specializes in the manufacturing and re-upholstery of all different types of sofas and chairs, curtaining and soft furnishings.

Perrins Events manufactures and upholsters all their own furniture and this allows our pricing to be competitive in the market place. Products ranges from sofa’s, chairs, ottomans, plinths, bars and coffee tables, all furniture supplied is white so will easily fit any colour scheme for any event.

Visit their website for more images and information!

The post Perrins Events appeared first on Little Pink Book - South Africa's Best Wedding Blog and Planning Book.

Helen Cook always has her client’s best interest at heart and her calm, gentle and friendly manner keeps them at ease.  Her passion is working with her clients in creating their own unique, flawless and distinctive look by emphasising their natural beauty, in short: bringing out the best in you.

Helen Cook uses quality professional products from leading cosmetic houses such as MAC, Smashbox, PMU, Inglot, Bobbi Brown and Black Up. She sources and uses only the best products from each cosmetic house, and attends many make-up seminars to keep abreast with the latest trends. She is not afraid to experiment for best results. After every make-up application a fixer spray is applied to seal the make-up and prevent it from smudging.

A selection of beauty treatments complement her make-up, such as manicures, pedicures, and lash and brow tints. She is a brow shaping specialist who does threading. This is the safe, removal of unwanted facial hair without using damaging chemicals or causing excessive pulling.

She’s a stockist of: Popular false eyelashes, Rapid Lash(Eyelash and Eyebrow Renewal Serum), a selection of nearly 500 well known ladies and gents generic brands of good quality perfumes.

Visit her website for more images and information!

The post Helen Cook Professional Make-Up Artist and Beauty Therapist appeared first on Little Pink Book - South Africa's Best Wedding Blog and Planning Book.

Corlé Barnard attention to detail, from the makeup, the brushes, the colors and hair, to taking care of all the customer’s needs, makes her the perfect professional and provides confidence and comfort to the customer.

She loves to bring out all the beautiful natural features of each customer and enhance them for that perfect look, each one unique every time, enjoying what she does and making sure there is an element of fun and excitement on the day.

Corlé also travels to you on the day and she also provides you with a service if you need her for touch-ups during your photoshoot.

Visit her website for more information!

The post Corlé Barnard Professional Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist appeared first on Little Pink Book - South Africa's Best Wedding Blog and Planning Book.

Choosing your photographer is always a tricky part in the wedding planning process. How did you decide on Christopher Smith as your wedding photographer? I moved to Kroonstad about three years ago and Christopher was friends with some of the people I befriended, so he invited me on facebook and as soon as I saw his photos, I immediately fell in love with his work. I didn’t even have a boyfriend then, but I already knew he would be my wedding photographer. It was exactly what I always wanted in a photographer, different and an eye for unlikely beauty in small detail.

You had a beautiful dress! Tell us more about the designer, the fit, elements you loved, etc. I knew I wanted to be comfortable and feel like princess at the same time. I’ve always liked the bohemian style wedding dresses. I came across a picture of a beautiful, flowing, cascading wedding gown. That inspired the fabric type and the layered skirt. The layered bodice, flower in the waist, lace sleeves and back rounded off the soft feminine look. Yolande managed to put all my ideas together in a beautiful dress I felt was unique to me. I was so privileged to work with her, she just got me from the start, we zinged. The favourite aspect of my wedding gown is the lace back, it was different to the lace we had in mind. It was a glamorous piece embroidered with beads and sequence, she incorporated it in my waistline and flower as well. Another favourite aspect was my veil, also surrounded by a beautiful lace with embroidered beads, I felt like Esther!

How did you decide on your wedding venue? What was your venue short list? There were no other options. I was sent to Clocolan during my Community Service year as a pharmacist in 2010. I absolutely fell in love with the place and especially the Vlakbultfarm on which we married. I was fortunate to live on the farm in a cottage during that year, it was the same year they started the wedding venue in an old sandstone cowshed. The owner of the venue is an excellent chef, I love her food. What made the venue even more attractive is the small eucalyptus forest where ceremonies are held (I always wanted to get married under the trees!) It was the ideal venue for the country carnival wedding I always dreamt of.

Did your wedding preparations include any DIY projects? Yes!!! We did all the decorations ourselves we made: our invitations, the wedding programs, the food tags, the books with heart-shaped holes in them (we literally did it page by page with a small blade), the books which pages that were folded to make a heart shape, the 3D book page heart chimes, the book page origami heart bookmarks, book page windmills, the rustic wooden signs with bible verses and quotes painted on them, the crochet flower brooches (both for gifts and for the corsages for the wedding party), the bunting, the bridesmaid dresses and the cake toppers. The other décor items all the coloured glasses, the hearts and glass bottles came from my home.

What was the “theme” of your wedding? I was definitely going for a country carnival atmosphere. But decoratively: a Rustic celebration of colour! I also focused on words that explain the books, the book page art and our wedding programme which was a booklet of personalised word games, for example: crosswords etc. The reason: My husband and I both love playing with words and we appreciate good language, so much so that when the one corrects the other, we need to kiss. Our favourite boardgame is scrabble. While he was still courting he wrote poems, songs and stories, he also convinced me to teach him German, not being interested as much, but to be able to talk to me more.

Where did you get most of your ideas and inspiration from? Growing up I already formed an idea of what I wanted (just like any other girl!) I started collecting various wine-, champagne- and cocktail- glasses, each one different in shape, texture and colour, during my first year of university. Knowing that I would use them for my wedding. My glass collection is what inspired the whole look and colour scheme. Other than that I got a lot of ideas by browsing through pinterest, wedding blogs and magazines.

Were any of your family members or friends involved in the wedding and what were their contributions? Definitely, we would not have been able to this without them! All of them helped where and when they could. Friends and family helped decorate the reception area. My aunt, Petro, did most of the flowers and boquet. Another aunt, Antoinette, made my wedding cake. One bridesmaid painted our cake toppers with lots of personal detail and had her family crochet flowers. My maid of honour, Marisa and her mom helped with some of the bridesmaid dresses, she helped with most of the DIY projects and went absolutely out of her way to see that everything was transported from Kroonstad to Clocolan and back. My mother helped with the bunting and the wooden signs, she transformed a book into a beautiful ring holder, made some of the bridesmaids dresses and caramel popcorn in paper cones. My grandmother did the 3d book page hearts chimes and the bunting, the old wood I used to make the signs came from their farmshed. The owners of the wedding venue are also very good friends and they did much more then was expected to make sure it was a perfect day. We have very talented friends, some of them tour and worship for a living. We were so blessed to have a lot of them perform at our wedding. I wanted a desert table with a variety of cakes, tarts and truffles, so I asked lots of friends and family members to bake something and that was our desert. It surely helped us to save a bit!

What were the highlights of your wedding day? The bridesmaids walking down the aisle with an oil lamp to symbolise the five virgins who had enough oil when the bridegroom came, then my father and I waited at the back of the aisle for my bridegroom to come and fetch me, just as Jesus will be fetching us one day. This was very special for us. We wanted to do it differently, because we wanted the focus not to be on us but on the symbolism of the spiritual bride and bridegroom. My husband’s vows! Extremely different and full of humor but still deep, just the way he is and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Another favourite part was at the end of the night when everyone went outside and lit sparklers, while my husband and I sent a red heart-shaped Chinese lantern into the air. Thereafter they stood in two rows holding the sparklers up for us to run through, send us off into our new life.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently? I would have loved to do the Maypole dance we planned, but unfortunately it rained out. I grew up in a German community and they used to do it to celebrate the coming of spring, this was the start of a new season for us and I wanted to celebrate it festively. I think it would have made awesome photos! The rain itself was a blessing though, it made for an awesome sunset and still beautiful photos. Another thing, I would probably have hired a videographer. We thought it would be silly, to see everything that didn’t go according to plan permanently captured on video. But I regret not having something to remind me what was said and the blessings that were showered on us that day.

What every Bride should know: Your husband is the prophet, priest and king of your home. Follow and serve him, do not try to take his place, it is not where your strength lies. God made us to love, serve and inspire them. “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown” Proverbs 12:4

What every Groom should know: A woman’s willingness to serve, flows from a deep unconditional love for you, treat it as such and show her gratitude, love and respect. “For her worth is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10

The post Christopher Smith Photography – Real Wedding appeared first on Little Pink Book - South Africa's Best Wedding Blog and Planning Book.

The owner of Melted Toffee (Alicia Robinson) is a romantic at heart, thus her love for the wedding industry. She gains her energy from people, taking great pride in her work, with the greatest satisfaction being to bring inner beauty to the surface by the stroke a brush.

One of her previous brides had the following to say:

“Alicia is one of those girls who one likes instantly upon first meeting her. Her passion for beautifying comes across in everything she does. She always looks like she just emerged from a fashion catalogue herself, yet has such a comfortable, down to earth attitude – that she immediately puts you at ease. Aside from feeling like the absolute best version of myself when she did my hair & make-up, for our engagement-, wedding- and maternity shoot, what I appreciate most about Alicia is her attention to detail & the professional manner in which she takes charge of the day, so that you don’t have to worry about being at the right place at the right time. She puts love & care into every curl & every application and because of this I keep on making one booking after another with her! (Louise van der Westhuizen, Lovelab)”

Visit her website for more images and information!

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For the Workshop at Festa and Kleinevalleij, brides-to-be will be wined and dined, inspired and educated by Western Cape’s most talented service providers, including wedding dresses by Molteno Creations, wedding cakes by Wendy McLeod, hair and make-up by Danielle Jacobs, Men’s Styling by Moi Styling, catering by Malita Joubert, stationery by Little Works Design Studio, flowers and décor by Bunches for Africa, photography by Trudy Joubert, furniture by Goeters, videography by Storyboard Productions, gifts by That Little Shop and Sweet Temptations and entertained by DJ Chopper! Every Bride will walk away with a Goody Bag filled with vouchers and gifts from the workshop suppliers as well as a the latest Western Cape Little Pink Book worth R105!!

Get ready to be pampered and visit our Workshop Page to find out what our workshops are all about. Don’t miss this Little Pink Book Wedding Workshop.

Seats are limited, so purchase your ticket now!

Pay R250 with your Credit Card through our secure PAYFAST portal

14th Wedding Workshop –  Western Cape – 27th June 2013 - Festa/Kleinevalleij

Time: 17:30 for 18:00 – 21:00

Little Pink Book Wedding Workshop

Interact * Taste * Feel * Experience

The post Little Pink Book Wedding Workshop at Festa appeared first on Little Pink Book - South Africa's Best Wedding Blog and Planning Book.