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The wedding at Sun City of Mbali Mlotshwa and Nkosinathi Maphumulo – better known as DJ Black Coffee – was the talk of the town this week, with lots of praise heaped on actress and wedding planner Sophie Ndaba.
Guests took to social media to praise Ndaba for everything – from the flowers to the décor – for the wedding attended by Ndalo Media CEO Khanyi Dhlomo, EFF leader Julius Malema, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula and Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba last Sunday.
So if you are planning to get married in the next few months, Ndaba has some advice on the hottest trends.
“Flower walls are trendy at the moment,” Ndaba says, so think Kim [Kardashian] and Kanye [West’s wedding], and a beautiful backdrop for all your wedding pictures.
The most popular flowers at the moment are classic roses, tulips, peonies, and calla lilies, and the more trendy stephanotis (a variety of jasmine), ranunculus, lily of the valley and hydrangeas.
However, not all flowers are in. Daisies, she says, have been overused and should be avoided.
With regards to seating arrangements, intimate tables for the bride and groom only are out.
It’s important for brides and grooms to have a “last supper look” – or a tableau effect for the main table.
Image credit: City Press
On the furniture front, if you have a big budget it is best to go for custom-made tables and chairs.
“The furniture you choose can break your event, it doesn’t matter how much you’ve spent for your wedding,” she warns.
Whatever your budget is, it is important to stick to it.
Wedding planning, says Ndaba, is a tricky business. “Sometimes we go over budget when clients want to add names on the guest list at the eleventh hour.”
Ndaba likens her job to a “doctor who is about to do cosmetic surgery”.
“I always ask my clients what is their dream wedding and what they want to achieve on the day,” she says, adding that she advises them not to be copycats but says they can rather use other people’s weddings as inspiration.
She’s planned weddings for the likes of Gauteng e-Government department head Boy Ngobeni, businesspeople David Mabilu, and Shauwn and Sbu Mpisane
The budgets she works with range from R50 000 to R30 million, and her company takes a fee of between 10% and 20% of the total.
Her daughter, Rudo, organises the smaller budget shindigs.
Ndaba refused to say how much Maphumulo’s wedding budget was.
