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Monica Cheru-Mpambawashe Lifestyle Editor
This year Christmas falls on a Thursday and with Boxing Day it becomes one long weekend for most people. Therefore it is not surprising that several couples are planning Christmas weddings. What a lovely way to make sure that Christmas remains a very special holiday thereafter. Certainly either spouse will really have to work hard to forget the wedding anniversary!
But planning a wedding for this special day can be tricky. This is traditionally a family day. Which means most service providers may not be willing to work and those who are will charge premium rates to compensate for the special time that they will not be spending with their own loved ones. People who generally work on such holidays like PA system operators and image capturing professionals will be in high demand elsewhere, again pushing up their prices.
Another challenge is that there are usually so many attractions going on at the same time and the wedding will have to compete for attraction. Many guests may feel that they should be elsewhere except maybe for the closest family and friends.
So how does one come up with a superlative Christmas wedding? The Saturday Herald Lifestyle spoke to some wedding planners and service providers to glean tips on the best way to go.
Theme
Although it may be too late for some couples to change this, most wedding planners spoken to advised that choosing Christmas themes for your wedding brings the holiday and the ceremony together in a beautiful manner. That means white, red, green, gold and silver should form your basic palette. Other colours can then be worked on.
The simplest option is to go for an all-white wedding with bold accents from the other colours. The effect will be dramatic and elegant without losing the Christmas feel, experts in décor advise.
But this is by no means mandatory. This is also a good time to eschew traditional wedding traditions and hype the African touch thus discarding the Western kind of Christmas trends.
Christmas in Africa is not about reindeer, snow and Santa Claus and all that. It is about greens to signify the rain season and warm earthy colours which are a permanent shade of the African landscape. So browns, oranges and greens are just perfect. Even blue for the lovely shade of the sky when the rain is gone.
As a way of setting themselves apart from any other wedding, the bridal couple could give their guests some little gifts, just to set their wedding apart from the usual ones. Simple Christmas decoration tokens branded for the wedding would remind everyone of that special day every year to come.
It could be simple toys for children present or exquisitely packaged pieces of the wedding cake. Alternately chocolates could be used instead so that everything is prepared in advance.
Another way of making it special is to have angels somewhere in the picture. The young attendants could have halos and wings, or if that is too much for individual tastes, this aspect can be captured in the décor. A nativity scene with a Christmas tree in a corner would also add considerably to the Christmas feel.
Cake
The wedding cake should definitely have a Christmas appeal. After all people will have given up their own private celebrations or church attendances to witness the nuptials. Cakes also generally form the focal point of the wedding and no efforts should be spared on this one. By now fruit cakes should already have been made and being matured but there is still time to rethink the decoration, if needs be. Dummy cakes are a perfect décor prop which will not be destroyed when the actual cake is cut and can have an afterlife as a treasured memento.
The table
Then there is the catering. Hosts have to go that extra mile to furnish a table that offers more than the usual Christmas and wedding fare. A neat trick is to hire a caterer who is good with food carvings to create an extraordinary presentation. Ice sculptures are also another unique way of setting your day apart.
Invitations
Cards with ornate gilt are a must. This is a special day and the invitation sets the tone. It is the item that will inform people on the standards to expect. So not only must the lay out and lettering be perfect, the wording itself must also be classy. People are cordially invited and kindly invited as some people have taken to writing on their invites.
Venue
Garden weddings are all the rage. But do not forget that this is the rain season. Tents are a must. A child friendly venue is called for if planning a family event. The extra costs of child amusement like jumping castles and minders is worth the investment, unless you are prepared to have unruly ragamuffins screaming and jumping around at the most importune moment. It really is surprising how many people are not ashamed of taking the most ill-socialised brats to any function and sit there relaxed while their children ruin the day.
Time
It is advisable to inform guests in advance on how long the whole event will be.
One option is to keep it short so that people can get back to their own plans. In which case they need to know well in advance so that they suddenly do not find themselves left flat with nothing to do and no alternate plans to end the celebratory day.
Alternately the wedding can be planned to be one unending party at which guests dance till they drop and drift home when they will. The bridal couple will naturally not be expected to spend their wedding night dancing but they certainly can, if they so wish. A massive after party could be the answer. But whatever the case maybe, make sure that all the guests know just what to expect so they can plan accordingly.
For the guests
RSVP written on the cards means that you should contact the people listed and inform them on whether you will be attending or not. This helps with the planning and may save the hosts a fortune. There is nothing as disheartening as seeing tons of food go to waste because invited guests just did not bother to say that they would not be turning up.
When you are a guest, honour your hosts by following their guidelines on how to conduct yourself. Observe dress codes, times and other rules such as those pertaining to children. Remember that a lot of planning has gone into making this day happen and the best present you can give is your simple appreciation of that fact shown through your compliance.
Doing your own thing is unbearably rude and may result in excessive inconvenience for everyone else, so just be a good guest.
Online Reporter