Our sister company, Travel Concepts, has reported that the US market is growing exponentially as many American couples recognise Cape Town and South Africa as an exciting wedding and honeymoon destination, bursting with unforgettable African luxury experiences! Offering exquisite landscapes from the picturesque vineyards of the Cape Winelands to the authentic untamed wilderness Africa is known for, South Africa is a destination that leaves its visitors with memories unrivalled by any other.

As the world sits up and takes notice, Wedding Concepts has proudly been invited to become a regular contributor to some of the top USA Bridal Blogs, who have been at the forefront of pushing wedding trends online for years.  The en-vogue bride visits these blogs on a regular basis as they deliver creative inspiration from flamboyant table décor right down to the finest detail.

We are associates of blogs such as Style Me Pretty, June Bug Weddings, The Wedding Chicks, Lucy Dylan Weddings and Couture Colorado to name but a few. These blogs select a small number of handpicked top wedding professionals from across the globe who specialise in their destination.

To find out more about a few of these inspirational blogs – continue reading below!

Style Me Pretty

Launched in 2007 Style Me Pretty is a style savvy wedding resource devoted to the modern bride. They feature only the most chic and style centric wedding related content. Updated daily, they currently see over 16.5 million monthly Page Views! SMP is quickly becoming one of the most read wedding resources on the web.

Wedding Concepts Style Me Pretty Features:

• South Africa Destination Wedding Vendor on their Little Black Book List 
• Anne-Laure & Richard’s Real Life Wedding

Junebug Weddings

In the last five years Junebug Weddings has become one of the most popular, trend-setting and well-respected wedding brands in the world. With over 500,000 page views a months, they take great pride and honour in promoting the best wedding photographers along with the most talented and trusted wedding professionals from Seattle, Southern California and around the world.

Wedding Concepts Junebug Wedding Features:

• Part of their recently launched World’s Best Wedding Planners & Designers Hotlist
• Guest Pinner on The Junebug Weddings Pinterest Page

Wedding Chicks

Sharing everything new, classic, funky, hip and just plain fun for weddings, Wedding Chicks ensure to fill a brides day with inspiration, ideas as well as beauty. With over 26, 000 Facebook fans and counting – this is a bridal blog to be reckoned with!

Wedding Concepts Wedding Chicks Features:

• Fran & Paul’s Real Life Wedding 
• Casey & Dan’s Real Life Wedding 
• Lynn & Gavin’s Real Life Wedding

Images by Jean-Pierre Uys, Chris Munton, Christine Meintjes, welovepictures, Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen and Jules Morgan

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With a global team of creative talents our office is a hub bustling with energy. We share a day with our dynamic squad to share in some of the highlights that make our jobs so fulfilling.

Rise and shine

At 08h00 the team members clock in and dedicate the first part of the day checking important e-mails.  Office Manager Megan Kenney does the all-important morning coffee run just before ten, when the team gets together for a status meeting.  On the agenda is a myriad of points for discussion: New enquiries, current projects, marketing initiatives, budget updates, as well as a trends alert.   By 09h30 tasks have been delegated, everyone has shared their diary for the day, and the real work can start.

Morning rush

Kim Werner, senior coordinator, sets off for a client meeting in the winelands.  At the venue, a site inspection gets underway.  Floor plans are drawn up, the flow of events on the wedding day is outlined, and the photographer arrives to meet the couple.  After two hours of intensive brainstorming, a food tasting follows and Kim takes notes whilst the clients tuck into the delicious fare.

Back at the office, Wedding Coordinator Kate Diaz is preparing for a décor mock-up with clients from Dubai.  The boardroom is transformed into a real life slice of the wedding day as the table gets festooned with elegant crystal candelabra, flowers in jewel tones, and scented candles.  Different cutlery and glassware options are carefully laid out so that the clients can choose their favourite combination.

Meanwhile, Hannes Loubser has made his way to the airport.  The Creative Director of the business, today he gets to enlighten prospective clients in Johannesburg regarding their marquee wedding in Polokwane.  His aim is to convey important information relating to the logistics of the big day – the sourcing of trained staff; the transportation of hired furniture; and arrangements around guest accommodation.

During the morning six new enquiries are received, and Managing Director Christina Holt handles each one with uncapped enthusiasm.  In between, she has a marathon Skype call with clients in New York and also designs a mood board with innovative design ideas for a UK bridal blog.

Out to Lunch

On most days, the Wedding Concepts team can barely afford to leave their posts to grab a bite.  Today, however, Group CEO Richard Holt has an important luncheon with a former client to discuss potential business leads for the Event Concepts division.  A keen relationship builder, it is Richard’s task to ensure that Wedding Concepts strategically aligns itself with leading thinkers in the industry at home and across the globe.

As Richard leaves, the magnificent marketing duo, Debbie Reabow and Danielle Pannack, returns from the Top Billing studios where the finer details around a Win-a-Wedding competition have been finalised.  With two upcoming TV recordings agreed, they can now focus their attention on the daily Facebook and Twitter updates, populating the new website with content, and briefing their design studio on new office signage and business cards.

On the Travel Concepts front, there’s not a moment to be spared either.  While Chantal is compiling exotic beach honeymoon options for a wedding couple, Mandi is shortlisting the most bespoke safari packages for an incentive group.  They compare prices, research new properties, check dates and bookings, coordinate transfers and timings, and issue vouchers.

No time for a nap

When the afternoon slump threatens to kick in, the team members recharge their batteries by going in search of inspiration…   Richard gets the second round of coffees for the day, with PA Megan finalising the details of his overseas trip.  Debbie shares a hilarious YouTube music video.  Kate gets her daily fix of local and international blogs – covering the spectrum from fashion and weddings to lifestyle and popular culture.

After the brief break, it’s all systems go again.  While Christina and Kim are meeting with new service providers – an up and coming DJ and a photographer from Germany who plans to spend the summer in Cape Town – Richard conducts an interview with a job applicant and Kate makes calls to source props for a styled shoot.  The team members make the most of the open plan office space to exchange ideas and create meaningful interactions.  Visitors come and go; parcels are delivered and collected; bit by bit the most breath-taking celebrations are taking shape.   It’s a testimony to pride and passion in action.

Collective Soul

As the day draws to a close, the team all but shuts down.  Kim is off to a client rehearsal dinner and Hannes makes his way to the launch of a new exclusive hiring company.  After a walk with their dogs at sunset, Christina and Richard are back online to start planning the next day.  In a weeks time the team gathers for a seaside dinner to celebrate the launch of the exclusive Concepts Collection and new websites.  It’s a cycle of creation and dedication that never stops. And, by all accounts, one that keeps this insatiable team in top form.

To get in touch directly with the team, click here to visit out Contact page.

Images by Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen, Gavin Casey, Jean-Pierre Uys, Ian Mitchinson & welovepictures

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We personally love the Robertson Small Hotel (and so do many of our customers) for its design, style, intimacy and food. We decided it was the right place this year for the team to kick back, relax and enjoy the exclusivity and the 5 star experiences.  So on a sunny winter’s day with a sprinkling of snow freshly covering the surrounding mountains the team made their way towards this scenic valley. Some stopped for wine tasting or tea along the way whilst others, like Hannes, spent some serious green to satisfy his “green fingers” at a nearby Nursery.

We arrived at the Small Hotel with partners in tow, mid afternoon to home-made chocolate cake, lemon meringue pie, apple crumble and several bottles of bubbly from the nearby Weltevrede wine farm. Like anyone who has ever stayed here, all the team and partners were blown away by the rich and stylish opulence of the rooms, especially Mandi who was lucky enough to have bagged the honeymoon suite and also those who were staying in the stunning poolside suites.

Despite the sun it was a bit chilly for a swim in the pool, so some of the team opted for calming massages, a scenic walk through the quaint Robertson streets, or a foamy and relaxing bubble bath before dinner.

Later on – all respectably suited and booted for dinner, we met for more champagne in the bar, where Richard presented the team with two bottles of sparkling Shiraz from Camberley. We toasted to a successful season,  past, present and future for both companies as well as to the individuals that make up these stirling wedding and travel teams!

After some hilarious games we then made our way through to Reuben’s restaurant where we had a truly fine dining experience alongside Springfield Life from Stone Sauvignon Blanc and Vruchtbaar Cabernet Sauvignon – both excellent wines from nearby wine estates.

Perhaps it was the serenity or the exclusive surroundings, but unlike previous outings the team all retired early to their King size beds and even Hannes, our renowned night owl resplendent in hat and resembling a French painter left early, no doubt to tend to his plants.

The post Big Celebration in the Small Hotel, Our Team Outing in the Robertson Valley appeared first on Wedding Concepts.

The Wedding Album

Considered as “The Vogue” of South African wedding magazines, the current issue of The Wedding Album is truely en vogue with its latest offering of fashion, real-life weddings and original inspirations. As with previous editions, Wedding Concepts assisted their wonderful team with their 3 themes that fall into details pages of The Album.

For each issue we give our support in the form of expert advice on all things wedding related and our brief is always to produce a details section, a decor page, flowers, stationary and food for each theme. For any bride, these pages are invaluable because they are able to be inspired by exact table settings, flower arrangements, invitation ideas and so on for each theme. Again we are very proud to have been a part of this exciting and creative magazine shoot but also  so happy to have had many of our valued suppliers involved! A big thank you to those who made such an effort for this particular shoot and special thanks to Kate Rawbone for her work on production of this shoot.

Vintage Affair – Reinvent the timeless silhouette of an Irving Penn Portrait

Queen of the Hills – think Helen of Troy & Joan of Arc. Invite the troops for an elaborate medieval feast to toast yourselves victorious

Farm Girl – Pastoral romance meet modern earth child in vintage lace & an organic, handmade approach that’s natural & consciously crafted

And we’re not done yet! We also have Lynne & Gavin’s beautiful real-life wedding coordinated by the very talented Kim Werner also in the latest issue of Wedding Album! To view the wedding in its entirety, click here.

Your Wedding Day Magazine

Your Wedding Day is a South African bridal magazine that is published annually and celebrates everything from real-life weddings to sharing other brides’anecdotes and inspired and treasured moments to those vital details and how-to’s that effectively promote the industry’s most important bridal suppliers.

Your Wedding Day is a magazine focused solely on real weddings, real inspiration and real ideas in South Africa and with the help of valued and well known wedding suppliers, this magazine takes on the role of each bride’s personal wedding stylist, showcasing real-life weddings and inspiring her with ideas. For this issue, Christina Holt, MD of Wedding Concepts, shared some expert advice to those couples who may have found an ideal outdoor setting perfect for a dream marquee wedding.

Also featured in this issue is an stunning article featuring Top 6 Cake Trends for 2011. With beautiful 3 and 4 tiered cakes prepared by the always bubbly oompa-loompa’s from Charly’s Bakery and a stunning 5-tiered Lindt Chocolate wonder from The Hunt House Collection by Kanya Hunt, this fun shoot was shot on site at Wedding Concepts HQ, with production by Kate Rawbone and styling by our Creative Director, Hannes Loubser. Congrats to all those involved for this very fun and always creative photo shoot!

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