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Archive for the ‘Weddings and Conferences’ Category



Contrary to popular belief, winter weddings can be very romantic especially when you choose a good winter wedding flower arrangement to compliment the chilly season. Your choice of flowers for winter can display crisp festive reds which lend a very romantic feel to your wedding,  deep purples that give a regal effect, frosty silvers for a clean finish, rustic and natural colours for an authentic atmosphere as well as winter whites for that dreamy look and feel.

Add some extra flair to your winter wedding flowers by adding extra non-floral notes and touches to add your unique imprint to your wedding theme…things like pinecones, lemon leaves, ivy, carolina sapphire, holly, berries and so forth.

We have compiled the top 5 winter wedding flowers and themes for you to choose from feel free to use these ideas as you plan your winter wedding floral decorations.

Romantic Winter Wedding with Red Flowers

Romantic Winter Wedding with Red Flowers

Romantic Winter Wedding with Red Flowers

Nothing is as bold and passionate like the red rose, the symbol for romantic love universally and a great choice for winter weddings. Roses are classic and always in season…the bright red will complement a cream wedding gown effortlessly.

Deep Purples fit for Royalty

Deep purple

Deep purple

Say I do in a majestic setting with the use of deep purples to enhance the beauty of your winter wedding. You can reach this effect using various purple winter flowers like tulips, violas, cyclamen and hydrangeas.  Try mixing elements of gold in your setting as a round off to this look.

Frosty Silvers

Frosty flowers

Frosty flowers

Have an elegant winter wedding with a touch of silver using all that sparkles to imitate the frostiness of the season. This theme also reflects a fairytale feel to winter weddings with lots of glamour. For this effect you need silver flowers which are difficult to find but bring an unimaginable sparkle and glamour to your wedding day when found. You can also combine black with different shades of white and grey to make your bouquets appear silver. Try these silver flowers baby’s breath flower, dusty miller and silver-dollar eucalyptus. You can even go as far as giving your winter floral arrangement a taint of silver paint.

Rustic and Natural

Rustic wedding flowers

Rustic wedding flowers

The rustic and natural winter wedding flower theme gives brides room to play with a lot of options to create an authentic feel to their weddings. You can use elements such as twigs, dried pine cones, wheat, bark and branches as part of your floral arrangements. Go for an ombre colour palette Maccauvlei on Vaal with its abundant birdlife and oak forest is the ideal venue to pull of this winter wedding theme. Browse through Maccauvlei’s wedding packages here to see what your options are.

Winter whites

Winter white wedding

Winter white wedding

Perhaps the most classic winter wedding is your winter whites wedding. Our seasonal changes have made it possible for places like the Vaal to also experience snow so brides can very possibly have a truly white wedding. See the Riviera on Vaal Hotel & Country Club’s snow pictures from the year 2012. You can mix up your choice of white flowers to create a whimsical feel to your winter wedding. The Riviera on Vaal Hotel & Country Club has great winter wedding packages that will duly complement your chosen theme.

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Planning your wedding and looking for fun confetti ideas? Well, look no further! RiverBlogger has once again come to your rescue with a few top trends for confetti.

Confetti for your wedding

Confetti for your wedding

Fynbos confetti, better known as scatterlings in the bridal industry, is a very popular option for confetti these days. The fact that it is biodegradable makes it even more intriguing for the also popular green brides. These pink fynbos flowers are stripped in spring time and dried naturally, after which it is packaged in airtight containers to retain their natural colour.

Bird seeds are also a great option if you’d like to go the green route. Not only is this option light in weight, but it is also an eco friendly confetti option.

Everyone is tired of the usual rose petals used for confetti. Why not revamp this option a little and instead of using rose petals rather use dried rose buds. A problem with rose petals is that they stain clothes easily. Be sure to have the petals, or in this case the buds, freeze dried to prevent your wedding dress from being spoilt. Contact PetalMania, South Africa’s only floral freeze drying specialist for more information on this option.

After reading about weddings with confetti like 5 cents, rice, glitter and candy, it occurred to me that some brides might not want to be “thrown with things” so to speak. Therefore, another confetti option would be ribbon wands. Attach ribbons that portray your wedding’s colour schemes to a 40mm long stick and have guests wave the ribbons to you as you walk through them. This creates the most beautiful photo opportunities!

Sparklers as confetti for an evening wedding

Sparklers as confetti for an evening wedding from Riviera Wedding Ideas on Pinterest

Another option that does not involve throwing things includes sparklers. This is the ideal confetti option for an evening wedding, creating lovely wedding shots for your album.

In the end it all depends on what you are willing to spend and weather the wedding venue you have chosen will allow you to use that particular confetti. Remember that most wedding venues have confetti policies, especially nowadays as environmental responsibility is becoming more and more of a necessity. To find out which confetti options the Riviera on Vaal Hotel and Country Club allows, contact them on 016 420 1300 or reservations@rivieraonvaal.co.za.

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Are you a golf fanatic or perhaps marrying one? Would you like to incorporate golf, one of the things you have in common, into your wedding day? This is also a great draw card to get your man involved in the wedding planning!

Golf themed wedding

Golf themed wedding

RiverBlogger has come across a few ideas for a golf themed wedding – ideal for your special day at the Riviera on Vaal Hotel and Country Club.

Let golf inspire your save the date cards and wedding invitations.

Some golf inspired wedding décor and food ideas:

For some wedding photography tips for a golf themed wedding, which can be quite the challenge if you ask me, have a look at these options: Photography tips for golf themed weddings

Visit the Riviera on Vaal Hotel and Country Club for a site visit and see why RiverBlogger thinks your golf themed wedding would work perfectly at this Resort. For more wedding tips and ideas, visit the Resort’s Pinterest boards:

Riviera Wedding Ideas

Riviera Real Weddings

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Groom's speech

Groom’s speech

So do you know what to include in your upcoming groom’s speech or are you overwhelmed with all that need to be said on your wedding day?

Here are a few tips on what to include in your speech to help you cope with the wedding jitters:

  • Remember that the groom’s speech is mainly to thank everyone who was involved in the wedding’s planning for jobs well done.
  • It is also to thank both your and your bride’s parents for all their help and preparations for the wedding. Also thank your bride’s parents for giving her away and include some examples of why you love her so much.
  • Thank your own parents for everything they’ve done and still do for you. Even though your parents know you love them, it is always good to hear it out loud every once in a while and what better opportunity than on your wedding day?
  • Your guests want to hear you speak from the heart, while being a little funny at times, yet sincere. Focus the next part of your speech on them. No need to thank each guest individually, but it is good etiquette to thank those guests who have made an extra effort to be at the wedding personally.
  • Now thank your wedding party, including your best man, the maid of honour, bridesmaids, groomsmen and the ring bearer. Introduce them by name and mention their support throughout the whole process of planning the wedding.
  • Give a special thanks to your best man and consider telling a funny or memorable story which indicates why you chose him to play such an important part on your wedding day.
  • Then comes the part where you need to turn to your bride and tell her how much you adore and love her. Yes, it might sound rather soppy and emotional, but the groom’s speech is designed to be a little emotional as it is not every day that you get the chance to thank everyone you love for what they mean to you. Thank your bride for saying yes when you proposed and then perhaps share a story with your guests about how you met or tell a memorable or funny tidbit of you as a couple.
  • If the bride does not give her own speech to thank her bridal party, historically the groom should end his speech with a toast to the maid of honour and the bridesmaids.

Looking for a wedding venue? Contact the Riviera on Vaal Hotel and Country Club on 016 420 1300 or reservations@rivieraonvaal.co.za and arrange for a venue visit.

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How to arrange a conference

How to arrange a conference

At the conference:

  • Be there well in time to be able to start registration and sort out any last minute issues.
  • Ensure that there is a spare projector available
  • After everyone is seated, be sure to highlight dinner times, pre-dinner drinks and where it will be served to the delegates.
  • If delegates are to check out prior to the end of the conference, ensure that there is storage space available for their luggage.
  • Be present at all social elements of the conference as well, acting as host / hostess and receiving feedback from the delegates.

After the conference:

  • Thank all speakers and the chairperson
  • Thank the delegates for attending and wish them a safe journey home
  • Hand out the conference attendance certificates and appraisal sheets
  • Settle the bill with the Hotel and thank them for their services

Back at the office:

  • When you are back in office, write a formal letter to all the speakers and the chairperson thanking them for their contribution in making the conference a success. Also enclose their fee and expense payments.
  • Formally thank all sponsors
  • Prepare a financial statement for the feedback meeting and keep this with the conference records.
  • Consider whether the conference should be repeated or not and start arranging next year’s conference.

See the previous blog post on how to arrange a conference here: How to arrange a conference

For printing and design, contact MV Communications on 016 455 6100 or email bronwyn@mvcommunications.co.za.

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