Today we have a guest post from the lovely Angie from Green Weddings Designs who is based in beautiful Cape Town. Here she gives her top tips on planning your special day in this simply stunning part of the world. Thank you Angie!
Planning a Wedding in Cape Town
Cape Town is the wedding capital of South Africa, with it being one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and with the variety of wedding locations the possibilities are endless! For international couples it provides affordable options compared to the UK and Europe and is a wonderful destination wedding setting. If you are planning from abroad and are interested in getting married in Cape Town, I have put together my top 5 tips.
Choose Your Season, Then Your Date:
Cape Town is a very seasonal city, unlike other cities in the rest of the country, the seasons are very noticeable. It’s important to understand what type of season you would like to get married, because I can assure you, Cape Town is not hot all year round. Our winters here are cold and rainy, and we experience snow on the mountains. I would recommend researching the weather patterns beforehand but a general rule of thumb our seasons are as follows:
Summer: The warm weather starts from December till early March. With long days and warm evenings. Our summers are characterised by wind, so it’s important to ask the locations you are interested in about the wind during the summer months and the best time. The evenings start getting a bit cooler from early March. I got married at the beginning of February in the winelands near Wellington. It was as hot as 37 degrees, and no wind. We had the perfect Mediterranean evening for dancing outside beneath the stars and fairy lights.
Autumn: This is mid to late March till May. We have beautiful copper shades during this time with some warm days up to 29 degrees. The warm weather is sporadic however and usually accompanied with chilly evenings and cooler days thereafter.
Winter: June – August is our coldest and wettest time. The advantage however, is that many venues are discounted at this time and if you are looking for an indoor setting there are countless beautiful venues and styles to choose from. You can also wear a wedding dress with many layers!
Spring: Our gardens are noticeably categorised by Spring blooms from mid-August, however the days are still cool till mid-November where most days are below 20 degrees and there is a chilly wind. We have a later Spring and Summer than most parts of the country. There are of course pockets during those months that are warmer. The day usually starts off chilly, followed by a warm mid-day, and then late afternoon it becomes chilly again.
Location, Location, Location!
Besides getting married in a castle, we have almost every kind of setting under the sun. From over 800 vineyards to choose from, to mountain landscapes, farm settings, game farms, majestic sea views, forests, beaches and more. We offer so much beauty! It’s important to be clear exactly what type of setting you would like, and if you are not sure, get yourself a wedding planner to help come up with a concept, location and theme.
Hire a Wedding Planner:
Organising a wedding from abroad is not an easy task. It is very important that you have a wedding planner or coordinator that will help you with all the arrangements. In most cases couples might only visit the venue a few days or up to a few weeks to the actual wedding day. I planned my wedding from the UK in the winelands in Cape Town and I saw how beautiful the venue was from stunning pictures of a friend’s wedding. I just knew it was the place and looked no further. I was so happy with the result. You can also ask the planner or coordinator to take you on a virtual tour of several places if you decide not to fly out in advance to look for venues. They will also help you source the vendors that you require such as florists, photographers, marriage officers, DJ’s, caterers etc., so having the right wedding planner is key!
Your Dress:
If you are choosing a destination wedding I would recommend sourcing a dress locally. Unless you can fly out to the destination a few times before for fittings, it’s just too big a risk to source your dress at the destination. What is important here is to understand the seasons in Cape Town so you choose a dress with the right fabric. You don’t want to choose a dress with a heavy fabric if you are getting married in Summer, you will not be able to breathe.
Choose Indigenous Flowers and Locally Produced Food:
When choosing a wedding at a destination, such as Cape Town, incorporate the local elements into your wedding. Such as the floral arrangements. The Western Cape is home to the most beautiful flora and fauna. Support our local blooms rather than importing from your home country. This will reduce the carbon footprint and save on your costs such as, using the world-renowned proteas. We also grow lots of beautiful blooms locally including roses. Partner with a good floral designer to help you with this! As Cape Town is home to over 800 wine farms, there is an abundance of good wines to choose from.
A Bit About the Author
Angie Floyd
This article has been written by Angie, who is a wedding planner based in Cape Town. She specialises in Eco-planning and helps couples with ideas to minimise waste and reduce the carbon
footprint for weddings. She is passionate about helping clients make the most beautiful and memorable wedding day. She is the owner and founder of Green Wedding Designs and you can get to know more about her here.
