The Célébrer Luxury Wedding Workshop

The 4th and 5th of November 2011 marked a brand new event on the South African calendar, set to become an exclusive annual affair. The Célébrer Luxury Wedding Workshop was the first of its kind and presented something completely different to the traditional wedding expo.

Photography by Jean-Pierre Uys Set in the opulent surroundings of the Val de Vie Wine & Polo Estate outside Paarl, it was a luxurious day of inspiration, creativity and pampering for brides-to-be who managed to get the inside edge from South Africa’s top wedding experts. Gorgeous Top Billing presenter and bride-to-be herself, Jeannie D, was MC on the Friday and Good Hope FM radio DJ, Ayanda Tini, was MC on the Saturday. Every aspect of planning your wedding day was covered and discussed by the top industry experts from wedding planning, couture bridal fashion to the best wedding menus, cakes, honeymoons, jewelry and much more. Both days started off with headline sponsor, Estée Lauder’s top make-up artists heading up the beauty segment, advising guests on how to take optimal care of their skin with demonstrations of bridal make-up. Then hair specialists from Be Première gave tips on the latest hairstyles from the catwalk and red carpet. South Africa’s top wedding planners, Aleit and Wedding Concepts, shared their insider knowledge on all you need to know to pull off an amazing wedding and Décor guru, Alwijn Jacobus Burger, shared his expert knowledge and inspiration on how to be unique and different when choosing the theme and décor for your big day. A fashion panel was lead by beautiful celebrity stylist, Marilize de Clercq, who asked top fashion designers Hendrik Vermeulen, Kobus Dippenaar, Stefania Morland and Jenni Button all you need to know when choosing a style for your wedding dress. Each designer also showed some of their gorgeous bridal couture in a fashion show later in the day. Brides-to-be got top advice on wedding menus from award-winning Celebrity Chef, David Higgs, and Val de Vie’s winemaker, Harold Versfeld, talked about wedding wine pairings. Isabella Niehaus, Kanya Hunt and Lindt’s Chocolatier, Dimo Simatos, demonstrated different wedding cake options and lucky guests got to taste some of the cakes as well. After the gourmet wineland lunch, Exclusive Serenity gave tips on how to choose the best honeymoon destination and Johan Louw from Uwe Koetter Jewelers spoke about what designs to choose for engagement rings and custom made wedding bands. During intervals, La Maison mixed the up the décor in the decadent Val de Vie Ballroom where the workshop took place, with stylish chair changes, luxurious cushion props and lighting. Amazing prizes were also up for grabs and some very lucky brides-to-be walked away with Val de Vie wines, vouchers from La Maison, Bosch appliances, Estée Lauder hampers and vouchers from @Home. On the last day of the workshop the two grand prizes were drawn: a pair of diamond and tanzanite earrings from Uwe Koetter worth R16 000 and a luxury honeymoon - a five night stay at the 6 star Coco Palm Bodu Hithi resort in the Maldives - worth R40 000, courtesy of Exclusive Serenity. Renowned wedding photographer, Jean-Pierre Uys, was there to capture every detail and Cape Town´s premiere wedding videographer, FJS, filmed the day. Fairlady Bride was the proud media sponsor for this fabulous event and every guest received a luxury goodie bag. This Luxury Wedding Workshop was proudly organised by Vivid Luxury, the luxury brand specialists; in partnership with Val de Vie Events, the wedding experts who produce hundreds of fabulous weddings every year. The event was a massive success and is set to roll out next year to Joburg, Durban and Bloemfontein and become an annual institution worth coveting.

The Célébrer Luxury Wedding Workshop | Wedding Articles