Fine Art On Your Wedding Gift List

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Kit

Wedding gift lists are getting more and more creative these days, as couples dare to ask for what they really want. Instead of a traditional gift registry, they might set up a fund for one specific high-value item.

Forget about silver cake servers and tea sets, these days guests are more likely to contribute to funds for that special honeymoon, large trees for the new garden, or perhaps some long-coveted fine art to decorate the walls of the new home.

Original artworks are a great choice for a wedding gift. They are personal, meaningful and will last the rest of the couple’s life together giving them pleasure and enjoyment every day. But as a taste in art is very personal, it can be tricky to choose a painting or sculpture for someone else. Much better let them choose the art and give your contribution towards it.

So if you have all the homeware and dinner services that you need already, why not allow yourself to dream of owning an original painting by your favourite artist and put it as a priority on your wedding gift list? Guests will be happy to contribute to something that is really lasting and that you’ll love.

Maybe there is a special painting you’ve been admiring for ages in a fine art gallery near you. While art galleries haven’t traditionally operated wedding gift registries until recently , some more forward-thinking ones do these days, and even if it is a new idea to the particular gallery you’re thinking of, they may well be open to holding a special painting for you until a certain date. If you’re lucky they might be persuaded to manage the fund for you in form of a gift registry, but if not you could ask your best man or maid of honour to organise the painting fund for you.

Even more personal would be to commission a painting as a wedding gift. For example horse owners might love a portrait of their favourite horse painted by an equestrian artist. Again this fund may need to be managed by your best man or a family member, as individual artists are unlikely to offer a gift registry service.

While many guests will be delighted to contribute money towards a fund like this, as it saves them the hassle of choosing and wrapping and they know that you really want it, others still prefer to give an individual gift, so you may want to put together a short list on a traditional gift registry as well, so that they have a choice.

And the Bride Wore…A Rainbow!

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Kit

White wedding dresses have been de rigueur for so long now that it’s refreshing to see a breath of colour bringing a rainbow palette into wedding dress design. It’s not just pastel peaches and pinks that are becoming popular, but daring lemons, sophisticated grey and silver, and even black.

Check out these stunning wedding inspiration boards at I Want That Wedding to get an idea of how to move beyond white at your dream wedding and put a spritz of individuality into your style.

Why not go the whole way and wear a rainbow?!

The rainbow wedding dress above is made of 100% silk by Wai Ching Clothing in Seattle. Look at the rest of their designs for more gorgeous shades and details and colourful wedding dresses.

The second rainbow wedding dress is from Australia and comes with rainbow streamers in the hair and a rainbow bouquet.

If you want your own rainbow dress it is unlikely you’ll find it ready made, so you’ll need to visit a bespoke wedding dress designer. Take along lots of pictures and your own inspiration board and let your creativity flow!

Wedding Gift Registry – Don’t Forget the Le Creuset!

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Kit

Putting together a wedding gift list is the ultimate in dreaming – you can indulge extravagant fantasies of homeware you’d never get around to buying yourself. For me Le Creuset is the essential item on any wedding gift list – their heavy cast iron casseroles are great for cooking a huge range of dishes, from stews to jam-making and even keeping food hot on the edge of the braai if you dare!

Le Creuset pots make great wedding gifts too because they look good and last forever, and come in so many sexy colours nowadays. So make sure you choose a few different sizes to tempt your guests into fitting you out for the rest of your cooking life!

I would say the essential and most useful pots are the casseroles, or cocottes as Le Creuset sometimes calls them, perhaps a small round 22 cm, a larger 26cm and an oval 27cm one, would cover most family day to day cooking. If you are feeling lucky perhaps add a few sizes of frying pans to the list – these however tend to be slightly less hardy due to the non-stick surface which can get damaged. Mini pots are cute but not nearly so useful every day. Something I’ve never had but would add to the list once the basics are covered, would be one of the huge 36cm casseroles, big enough to cook for a large party of guests.

So when you are choosing your wedding gift registry, do make sure that Le Creuset is available on their list, otherwise you’ll be kicking yourself for years at the missed opportunity!

Wedding Sparklers

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Kit

There’s nothing like sparklers to inject some light and fun into the evening, so it’s not surprising that they are becoming more and more popular for weddings in South Africa.

Picture your first dance outside on a balmy terrace lit only by candlelight and stars and then a circle of sparklers adding a dynamic fizz to the occasion. Or an avenue of sparklers lighting your way in farewell as you both leave the reception.

Sparklers are inexpensive and fun, and will also make for some great night-time wedding photos. Give them out as wedding favours, or have a big bucket of them to be distributed and lit at a specific moment of the reception.

As they only last for 45 seconds to a minute, it takes a little forward planning and organisation to create an avenue of sparklers.

The best plan is to have the guests standing in position with unlit sparklers and then have designated lighters moving quickly down the two lines, lighting each sparkler from their own sparkler. If they start lighting from the top end and the bride and groom start walking slowly once they are halfway down the line it should work beautifully!

These wedding sparklers come beautifully packaged especially for weddings and have a 45 second burn time. Or else splash out on some fun heart sparklers for even more wedding romance!

Unusual Wedding Venues With African Style

Posted on November 2, 2011 by BridalAndCo

Not many weddings can boast of having live elephants as guests at the ceremony. If you’re looking for a truly original wedding venue in a beautiful location and love these gentle giants then consider getting married in Knysna Elephant Park.

Surrounded by pristine indigenous forest, with mountain views, the location is already stunning. Add in the resident herd of elephants benignly overseeing the proceedings, it connects with the soul of Africa, making for a wedding venue unlike any other.

Almost makes me feel like getting married all over again… to the same husband, of course!

Browse here for more uniquely South African wedding venues.

Chantilly Lace And Raw Silk – Couture Wedding Dress Designer

Posted on October 28, 2011 by BridalAndCo

A unique wedding dress designed especially for you – that’s the dream of most brides. And when it includes swathes of Chantilly lace (this year’s hottest couture trend) and raw silk then you know it’s going to be really special. This gorgeous gown is just one of Elbeth Gillis unique designs.With 20 years experience behind her and a individual creative flair, she is one of South Africa’s top couture wedding dress designers and is based in Cape Town.

Her couture wedding dresses are designed as one-off pieces after lengthy consultations with the bride, so will express all her creativity, sensuality and personality in a unique way. With the luxurious materials used and high quality craftsmanship, these bespoke wedding dresses can cost between R10,000 and R30,000.

Brides with a slightly lower budget can still get the trademark elegance and sensuality with one of Elbeth Gillis’ made-to measure wedding dresses from her bridal collection.

Browse here for more wedding dress designers in South Africa.

Wedding Stationery for Bygone Elegance

Posted on October 27, 2011 by BridalAndCo

Love, love, love this idea for a wedding order of service card – the fan shape has a bygone elegance that conjures up ladies in silk dresses languidly fanning themselves at summer balls… It’s created by ByInvitation who design bespoke wedding stationery that is really elegant and inspired . They have a couture design department, who design each item individually so that your wedding stationery will be unique, or a catalogue collection of delectable designs for those on a stricter budget.

Browse more wedding stationery ideas here.

Bridal and Co

Wedding dresses and other bridal services