What If You Went To Zanzibar for Your Honeymoon

Deciding on a honeymoon getaway is one of the most exciting things when planning a wedding. In fact, the entire concept of a honeymoon is designed to getaway from it all. In our modern day lifestyles it means getting away from the stress of wedding planning which usually lasts some 12 months or so. Lately I have been thinking about which honeymoon destinations are suitable closer to home. Of course tons of people go to Victoria Falls for honeymoon. There is really nothing wrong with the destination. To be sure it is now coming alive with lots of investment which makes it a great place to explore. Talking about Vic Falls, my favorite right now is the brand new Safari Club completed in August 2012

What about Zanzibar? It's closer to home here in Africa. By way of background, Zanzibar is in East Africa off the coast of Tanzabia. It has a rich history of having been a major trade hub in the old world of plantations and slave trade. Today, it is a transformed bustling tourist and above all honeymoon destination. There are different places to stay when in Zanzibar. One of my favorites is Melia Zanzibar a top notch resort on the east coat of the island. Getting to Zanzibar is fairly easy; from Harare you have two options. Fly to Johannesburg and get a direct flight to Abeid Amani Karume International Airport on the island of Zanzibar. 40 minutes later you should be already enjoying your honeymoon on Melia Zanzibar resort.

The second alternative is flying to Nairobi Kenya and then connecting to Zanzibar. I guess it will all depend on which route is more convenient and above all cost effective so you have more to spend on your retreat. I have discovered that many people hardly think outside of Zimbabwe when it comes to honeymoon gateway. It is understandable that resources can be severely limiting. However, if well planned its worthwhile having a small wedding and spending less in order to blast off on a honeymoon of a life time. That's just my view. You will be amnazed just how many options are available for honeymoon outside our boarders even without going as far off as Zanzibar. Chobe Safari Lodge is another one in Kasane, Botswana. You can easily reach by road via Vic Falls. Now this would be really an adventure but worthwhile.

Where would you go for yours?

We Have Moved!

We are happy to officially announce the arrival of a new look, brand new ZimBridal website way ahead of schedule. We are now www.zimbridal.net. Thank you for so many years spent together at this free hosting space offered by blogger. It's been warm and cosy. Due to your support year after year we have overgrown this blogger home.

As you follow us to our new home you will find that we have matured and become a force to be reckoned with in the Zimbabwe bridal space. You deserve the best, where we are going you will find unique daily information to help you have the best wedding there can be. We have a full-time editor for the new Zimbridal site

Thank you. We leave this blog intact as a preservation of memories of all the time we spent together here. It effectively becomes a permanent archive on the internet. Lets go to Zimbabwe Wedding top website!

www.zimbridal.net

Aurther and Charlene

I Was At The Zimbabwe Winter Cake Tasting Affair!


Zimbabwe Wedding Cakes - On Saturday 16th July 2011 I had an excellent experience at the Dots Events organized Winter Cake Tasting Affair held in Harare at Barbour's Department Store in town. I got to know of the event a few days before through a great friend - Grace - from WinLian Decor. I am glad I attended. Many thanks Grace!

Dots Events is a new concept by Paper Maid and Countess Media. This initiative is aimed at hosting exhibitions that bring together service providers in the events industry for networking and to expose their businesses to the general public. This particular event was interesting for us at ZimBridal because of our ongoing commitment to connect you with top-notch service providers in the wedding/bridal related industry.

I met and shared some good time in discussion with a number of service providers especially those focused on doing wedding cakes. Exhibitors at the event included Spar Joina City, Spar Brooke, Restaurants such as Cee Cee's. I also had a lengthy chat with Collin from Dots Events the organizers of the exhibition. I got to know that this is the first such exhibition of its kind in Zimbabwe and his company plans to have bigger and better exhibitions in the future.

Judging by the cakes on display great talent was exhibited. Collin assured me that all of the service providers on show had been vetted to insure high standards and professionalism. If you are at that stage of looking for a wedding cake i have a few contacts that i met at the event (am putting one of them at the bottom). I did taste a few cakes and i was impressed by what went into my mouth. The overall attendance was great i would put it at 150 to 200 visitors altogether to different stands.

One of my selected impressive exhibitors who do wedding cakes that i would like to share and recommend here is Bright Events a small company run by Netsai a lady with great talent and excellent personality. On the left side is a picture of some of the cakes by Bright Events. You may contact Nestai Dera on +263772438523 or +263(04)770029 or by email


Aurther
Zimbabwe Wedding Cakes : tag

Guest Post: Why Use A Wedding Coordinator?

By Kimberly

Once you have got over the initial excitement of becoming engaged, there comes the time when you need to start planning your event.This is a very exciting time and you may be looking forward to organizing the whole day yourself but once you begin you may find it more difficult, time consuming and stressful than you thought.Not long ago, a wedding coordinator was thought of as a luxury, only used by the wealthy. Now a coordinator is essential to the well planned affair.

Saving Time

A wedding requires many hours of detailed planning. The average wedding can take over 250 hours to plan that’s equal to six (6) weeks fulltime work. That’s quite a daunting task particularly if lie most couples you have very busy lives. This leaves you a few hours in the evening and to plan at weekends and organize probably the biggest event of your life. A wedding coordinator works alongside you taking care of all the laborious task so you can enjoy your wedding without having to worry about the contract for the musician or how many servers you will need for the reception. He/She does the research and has the knowledge and expertise to locate a site or wedding professional to match your needs, personality and most importantly budget.

Reduces Stress

Hiring a wedding coordinator means you can enjoy all the fun of the decision making without having to worry about how to make it all work. You can have a great time during your engagement period and on your wedding day knowing you have someone making sure everything goes smoothly.The careful planning and expert referrals by a coordinator will virtually eliminate the risk of mishaps on a wedding day. Most importantly in the unlikely event that something should go wrong, from a fallen hem to a service provider issue (or any other emergency). Your wedding planner will ensure that all aspects of your wedding day are handled, so that you and your family enjoy the celebration with peace of mind.

Save Money

A coordinator will help you stay within your budget and find the best values for your money. Some services providers offer commission to bridal coordinators which in our case as Phenomenal Events will pass on to you in the form of discounts. A good wedding coordinator has researched several service providers in each category and your wedding coordinator’s recommended list should provide you with style and value.

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This is a two part guest post from Kimberly. Kimberly Williamson is the managing director of Phenomenal Events. She can be contacted by email or phone +263 (04)310237 or +263(0)772 422 048. Her company provides wedding planning services for your Zimbabwe wedding.

An Option for Your Wedding Catering

About two weeks ago i came across the hand-out below. I thought it did be useful to help all those currently dealing with catering issues. I do not know how good these guys are. If anyone has anything on them please drop a comment below.(Click to enlarge)

You Zimbabwe Wedding - How A Marriage Officer Can Spoil Your Wedding Day

In case you didn't know all things can go well on your day except for the ceremony. When that happens all things have gone bad. Yet your ceremony is essentially your wedding. If it's messed up your wedding day is as good as a flop. A total flop. Just yesterday i got into a lengthy chat with a friend who happens to be a marriage officer. In our discussion i realised just how bad these guys can turn your day into a nightmare. Marriage officers can completely spoil things for two key stakeholders of any given wedding. The wedding couple (and their guests) and the wedding planner.

A verified true story is that a couple of weeks ago a certain wedding ceremony was delayed (and everything else thereafter) after the marriage officer committed himself to seven other weddings on the same day. Instead of being there at 12 noon he only arrived some three hours later changing into clothes of his trade in the car park! Why this happened can be understood from a certain perspective which i will explain in brief a few paragraphs below. When this happened you can imagine how divastated the couple was. Let alone the wedding planner. To the planner all your efforts for months to protect your brand and build your professional reputation can easily be shattered by this one guy - the marriage officer.

What often happens with marriage officers is that too many couples assume that they will do things professionally. So they leave everything to fate in the hands of the officer. The backgrond to the Zimbabwe legal marriage system is that marriage officers are authorised and recognised to be so after writting an exam. There is no mention in the Zimbabwe Marriage Act of whether marriage officers can be paid or not. In other words the Act is silent on this matter. Also because of the economic difficulties that the country has gone through in the last 10 years, many supposedly professional and ethical marriage officers actually made a living out of conducting marriage ceremonies. The original idea of a marriage officer is that they are meant to serve the community in which they live.

Some went as far as charging for conducting the ceremony. Yet most relied on the good will of wedding couples and their families to give them a token of thanks which would usually come in the form of cash. This is understandable as these officers incure costs of travel and set aside their time to be at your wedding. So then this explains what happened a few weeks ago with the late marriage officer. He apparently overcomitted himself for gain. To survive.

This then gives us some lessons when looking for a marriage officer. As the one wedding or planning the wedding you will need to make "face to face" contact with the proposed marriage officer. Get to know them and understand how they professionally operate. As a matter of fact and with all due respect it is not enough that one is a priest, pastor, bishop or elder (in Zimbabwe these are the religious figures authorised to conduct marriage ceremonies). You need more committent than supposedly carried by the title. Experience has taught so many people this fact.

You will also realise that modern day weddings require more active, interactive and moderately humorous marriage officers. For example, there are many different ways today that the vows can be done. In other words there is a modern and rather unique way of doing the procession yet accomplishing the same results. In essence without watering down anything. My chat with this friend was absolutely eye opening.
The following is a summary of what i can say are some good tips when thinking about a marriage officer;

1. Take your marriage officer engagement seriously

2. Seek face to face contact/discussion with them to establish their professionalism

3. Offer to take care of basic expenses and give them a token of appreciation

4. You may even assign a car to pick him up on the day

NB: In case you would like to contact the marriage office i had a chat with, his name is Mr E. Mequee. You can contact him on +263772425913 or by EMAIL. As a disclaimer, i have not seen him at all in his trade so i cannot gurantee how he will perfom. However i have respect for his professionalism. I have asked for his pictures at work hopefully once i get them i did be able to update this post with those pictures.

Zimbabwe Wedding Service Provider  Interview: WinLian Decor

I recently had an exchange with the owner of one of Zimbabwe's top wedding planning and decor service providers, Grace. I have included a few pictures of some of her work for you to read the interview in context. Am looking forwarding to bringing you lots more informative and educating interviews from a wide range of wedding related service providers to help you have a prosperous day!

Aurther: Grace, thank you for your time and welcome to this interview with Zimbridal. We know that your company WinLian Decor is has been in business for some reasonable period of time. Would you like to briefly give us an overview of your business?

Grace: Thank you for the Opportunity to Talk to you about our Business. WinLian Décor is pretty much a one-stop solution for Brides who are planning their Wedding Day in Zimbabwe regardless of where they are in the world. We offer a Personalised Wedding Planning service to couples where each wedding is individual and tailored to the couples dream day. We also  offer Décor Hiring services which extend from Tents, to chairs and tables, Table Lines, chair-covers and sashes in a wide variety of colours, Vases and all things decor. We Pride ourselves in providing innovative and modern décor items such as LED Spot lights, Submersible lights for vases and Gell fillers that bring that beautiful modern look to any Wedding or events. We make sure that every bride is taken care of from the first stages of planning to their wedding day.

Aurther: We notice that your business has three representative offices i.e in Harare, Zimbabwe, in the UK and in the USA. What made you come to this decision and how does this arrangement directly benefit Zimbabweans who are planning to wed in Zimbabwe?

Grace:  We realised that there are Zimbabwean Brides, all over the world who wish to plan their wedding in Zimbabwe and do not have a point of contact to help them with the process and so we have consultants in the countries mentioned to make the process of planning easier for those Brides planning remotely. It has worked very well for us and are happy to say we have even helped brides as far away as Australia , it makes couples feel more secure in the knowledge that they have a close contact that they can turn to at any time or day.

Aurther: Thanks for the pictures of some of your work that you have provided us with here. We are putting them up on the blog for our visitors to see. Clearly, we can tell by looking at the pictures that your company is advanced in what it is good at. What can you tell our readers  about the type of Zimbabwe wedding venue they need to select if they are to get this kind of WOW presentation?

Grace: Well, It does not really make a difference where the Wedding is held as we strive to make sure that your event is amazing in any setting. Our job is to transform the venue to what the client is envisioning and am glad to say we have always done exactly that. Whether it be your lovely yard or a beautiful venue, we will tailor the décor to your requirements.

Aurther: In your long period of time in this business, what has been your observation of mistakes made by couples planning to wed when it comes to their wedding planning as well as decor for their wedding? What would you emphasise on if you would get a one to one advice session with them?

Grace:  I’m glad you asked that, as I have always noticed the one mistake that couples make is not starting their planning process early enough. A wedding is a big day and giving enough planning time will ensure you get all the details right to avoid disappointment on your big day, as you so eloquently put it in a previous blog ‘your wedding is your brand’ and should be protected. Couples should also maintain  a close working relationship with their service providers as this ensures that both parties are on the same page guaranteeing that the couples vision is not compromised.
With regards to décor, I would advise couples to have a clear idea of what they like. Using Inspiration boards (see website) as we do, will help them to clearly define their theme and colours. Remember however that your wedding day should be fun and reflective of who you are so don’t be afraid to make bold choices and do something different!! – Your wedding should show your personality.

Aurther: Your company profile is quite impressive i must admit in terms of what you have on offer for hire. In your opinion what is it that couples that are wedding should hire and what is it that they should buy to keep?

Grace: Thank you for the compliment we are always looking for ways to bring world class standards to our Zimbabwean Brides, In terms of things to hire, I would say all equipment such as chairs, tables, tents, chandeliers the big things… as you only use them once. Our personalised products such as paper napkins with Groom and Brides names on them which are specific to their wedding and favour items for guests would be the items that I would recommend to buy and keep. Couples will be glad to know that we do offer these personalised products such as those above and can have a look at our range on the WinLian Decor website.

Aurther: Finally, thank you again for this interview. We trust we will be able to talk to you again in the near future about some aspects of wedding planning seeing you are a also seasoned expert in wedding planning. But before you go we just would like to ask what is it that you put on the table for our readers who are planning to wed should they go with you for their wedding planning or wedding decor?

Grace : At  WinLian Decor, we provide professional consultation and planning services for weddings and events in Zimbabwe for Brides residing in or out of the country. Our passionate and qualified staff will work with you all the way to create unforgettable magical moments. Our services include, but are not limited to:

Wedding Decor 
Wedding Planning
Event Decor
Consultation  
Wedding Gown Hires
Floral Arrangements
On the day coordination

We assist couples with making their dream a reality. From design and creation to logistics, we can work with you to ensure that every detail is perfectly planned and that your day turns out just as you had imagined it! : Thank you for having us and will look forward to speaking again the future.

You may contact Grace for any further inquiries on this EMAIL.

Zimbabwe Wedding Venue Review: St Lucia Park Part 2

This review for St Lucia Park is a continuation of my last review which you can read here under the title Zimbabwe Wedding venue Review: St Lucia Park Part 1. If my first part of the review interested you so much that you want to try the venue for your garden wedding lets dive into practical details about securing the venue.

How big is your guest list? If your guest list is 150 people long (or less) without going over you can prepare $500.00 to secure a specific date that you would have chosen. If you have more than 150 people the cost will be $4.00 per person. This arrangement is rather punishing when you get down to some analysis. Say you have 151 guests you will end up paying $604.00 to secure your venue a jump of $104.00. This means your 151st guest is essentially paying $104.00. This is just my analysis , it is highly likely (having dealt with them before) that St Lucia Park will still let you pay $500.00 for your 151 people guest list.

The venue is strict when it comes to access to the venue. I somewhat feel this needs some reconsideration. For example everything should be off the premises by 10pm. This includes your equipment e.g PA system. This does not apply to the marquee, i suppose. This will reasonably be removed the following day. But then the bar closes at 930pm and all catering services (by the way St Lucia Park does not allow outside catering). By 10pm all cars and buses ferrying guests should have left. This of course excludes your guests who would be staying at the venue.

Your PA system will have to be brought in from outside. The venue does not have a pubic address system. On this point you can have a look at the providers listed on the side columns of this blog, these may include PA system providers. The venue has a back-up generator which your PA system suppliers can utilize. There is a lot to talk about under catering at St Lucia Park. I will touch on this probably in my Part 3 blog post on this review.

Zimbabwe Wedding Venue Review: St Lucia Park Part 1

This post will probably be a two or even three part series on St Lucia Park. I once did a review on this same venue on this blog a couple of years back (see it here) but time has moved and i have also received a significant number of inquiries concerning this particular venue. I have personally had contact with this Zimbabwe wedding venue over a prolonged period of time. For nearly seven years i had major events at St Lucia Park some of them lasting as long 21 days (regional training).

St Lucia Park is not altogether strictly a wedding venue. It's a facility designed essentially for training/seminars/conferences. It however has a huge space occupied by more or less an all season garden. It is this space that has made weddings spectacular at St Lucia Park. The garden space makes garden weddings outstanding. The venue does not have a hall or auditorium big enough to fit typical wedding guest (100-500). This means you will need to hire a marquee to accommodate your guests.

There are key aspects that gives this venue a great advantage over many other wedding venues in Harare. St Lucia Park is by no means the best venue you can expect in Harare. It's a suitable venue of a reasonably high quality standard. It's vicinity to Harare as a center of commerce is a great advantage. It is however not close enough to the city center to attract gate crushers and excesses from your guests. In fact most couples who pick this venue hire transportation to ferry guests to and from the venue even though there is a reliable public transport system (Kombis) that drops your guests some 500 meters away from the venue.

Customer service at St Lucia Park is great. I have always enjoyed their alertness to client "demands".I personally think that's what makes the difference between a great venue and a very poor venue. If you intend to have your planning/organizing team or even a few guests from out of town to stay on the venue, St Lucia Park has descent accommodation. I have used it so many times on my last training job to host relatively high profile participants from all over Africa.  Read Part 2 of this review for practical details as to how to secure the venue (link to part 2 will be live tomorrow Tuesday 8pm Zim time).

In terms of customer service we give them a 4 out 5 rating. In terms of being suitable for hosting your best day overall we give St Lucia Park 3.9 out of 5

Your Zimbabwe Wedding: How To Protect Your Brand

Exactly a year ago  i wrote on this blog about HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BRAND. Just this morning as i was going through the local paper (The Herald) i came across the  following article which i would like to share with you all.

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Caterer sued US$10 000 for spoiling wedding 

Court Reporter

A HARARE couple is suing a caterer for  US$10 000 for allegedly supplying a burnt cake and failing to complete decorations in time spoiling their lavish wedding held last year.
In a chamber application filed this week at the High Court, the couple — Effort Jera and Roslyn Mashava — claimed that they contracted the caterer Mrs Sunungukayi Mapuke to supply a six-tier cake and decorate facilities at their wedding.
However, Mrs Mapuke has also filed a counter-claim of US$4 700 in breach of contract.
The wedding was held on October 2, 2010 at an undisclosed venue in Harare.
According to the summons the wedding cake was supposed to have a shape of three-legged chrome pots in accordance with a picture the couple were shown in a sample magazine by the Highfield-based caterer — Mrs Mapuke.
The couple claimed they were charged US$360 for the cake and US$475 for decorations.
Mrs Mapuke, according to the Jeras had also agreed to supply the couple with a tent to accommodate 500 guests and a high table for 20 members of the bridal team, including a gift table.
But, on the wedding day, the couple said in their summary of evidence they they then paid a deposit for the services agreed upon.
Exactly a month before the wedding Mrs Mapuke, who operates her catering services from Western Triangle in Highfield, allegedly advised the couple that the available tent would not accommodate 500 guests seated on tables as they required but could only take up to 300 guests.
The couple had already booked 48 tables from another caterer — Dreams Hiring — a fact that they claim Mrs Mapuke was aware of.
The couple averred that that when they went to inspect the wedding cake they discovered that the shape was not in accordance with what they had agreed with the supplier.
They inquired and were told that the initial cake had collapsed and she failed to provide the three legged chrome shaped pots.
As such, the couple said Mrs Mapuke resorted to using artificial cake stands.
She allegedly promised to polish the icing and produce the required shape through an artificial stand.
“They decided to allow her to do the job but definitely not condoning the unprofessional manner in which she had conducted herself,” the couple stated in their papers.
She was asked to make two more cakes              for the pastors who would officiate at the wedding.
“She then charged US$60 for the additional cakes but on the wedding day they were                surprised the cakes were not in the agreed shape despite an undertaking by the defendant (Mrs Mapuke) that she would polish them                   to resemble the shape that the couple             required.
“The shock of their lives came when they cut the cake for the ceremony. The cake was burnt and the icing was peeling off. It was not even fit for a wedding,” the annoyed couple claimed.
Further they said Mrs Mapuke went on to put icing on a burnt cake to cover up for her poor work but risking “embarrassing” the couple by making them serve a burnt cake to their guests.
Nevertheless having discovered this in front of guests, the couple went on to cut the cake and served some guests as required by tradition, hurting their feelings and embarrassing them.
The couple further claimed that Mrs Mapuke failed to provide a top table that could accommodate the 20 member bridal team.
The decoration, they argue, was not up to standard tarnishing the image, dignity and reputation of the couple.
Therefore the couple is claiming compensation of US$360 as refund for the burnt cakes, US$200 for unfinished decorations, US$5 000 for damages for embarrassment of a substantial inedible and unsuitable cake.
They also said the cake, which they had been initially promised would have a life span of about five years started developing moulds within a few days.
The couple is also demanding a further  US$5 000 in damages for embarrassment of the small table that failed to cater for the bridal team.
However, Mrs Mapuke in her counter claim wants the couple to pay her US$4 700, citing breach of contract.
In her counter claim Mrs Mapuke stated that she demanded US$2 000 for breach of contract and emotional stress caused by the couple.
She is also demanding US$2 500 in loss of earnings saying she had lost business as a result of the couple’s failure to return 87 tiebacks and 12 cake stands after their wedding.
She said this has affected her business and she has to repay deposits to other clients.
She is also demanding a further US$200 to replace the tiebacks and cake stands.
In her defence, Mrs Mapuke who is representing herself, however, admitted that out of the couple’s three cakes only one was burnt.
She denied that she did not provide the top gift table, saying some speakers for the public address system were put on the table.
Mrs Mapuke said when guests arrived at the wedding they shifted chairs from the top table resulting in the shortage of chairs for the bridal team.
She also averred that it was not her fault that the company contracted to do the decorations failed to do so. 
She also said she received payment only three days after the wedding.
The Jera couple has instructed Jakachira and Company law firm to represent it in the lawsuit, which is yet to be heard by the High Court.

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To Your Special Day and Happy 2011

Suitable PA System For Your Zimbabwe Wedding

Brand new Public Address (PA) System for Hire for your wedding at only US$200.00 per day i.e 8am to 5pm at an location in Zimbabwe. 

Terms

1.           Fee excludes fuel to and from your wedding venue

2.           After party service costs an additional US$100.00 (i.e 5pm onwards)

3.           Back-up generator strictly for PA system available for no additional cost

Call SAM and mention ZIMBRIDAL on +263(4)610188 0r 0912 218 307 or 0912 425 913

This service provider is endorsed by Zimbridal Blog

Who Is Doing Your Wedding Photos?

Are you wedding in Harare, Zimbabwe? Available is an EXPERIENCED wedding photographer. Capture your wedding Kodak moments professionally. We deliver  at least 300 high resolution super quality shots on CD for own printing (we print and deliver in album if you so wish for additional $75.00) of your Ceremony, Photo shoot and Reception photographs.

Cost:  US$400.00

Deposit: US$200.00 (non-refundable) on signing of contract

Bookings: All bookings at least 2 weeks in advance ( June-July 2010 full).

Contact: Aurther - 00263912288617 or Email

We have experience with following leading Harare wedding venues amongst many others;

1. Wild Geese
2. St Lucia Park
3. Zim Gardens
4. Celebration Centre
5. Rainbow Towers
6. Tynwald Gardens
7. Paradise Gardens
8. Chapman Golf Club

**This service provider is endorsed and highly rated by this blog**

To Your Special Day!

Buy Zimbridal Blog Posts in Digital PDF Format

Don't be tired down by always having to read off the internet.

Planning your Zimbabwe wedding needs time and care. It's of paramount importance that you get the right information at the right time. In the digital information age nothing beats the internet. If you don't know our story, we started this blog way back around September 2006. We had just had our wedding on the 9th of April in Harare. The sheer madness of trying to put our wedding together gave us the idea of creating this blog to give away insider information on planning the best wedding for those coming after us.

Since then the blog has had a life of its own. Thousands of wedding planners have gone through our "hands". We are absolutely humbled to know the feedback has been positive and the information here very much appreciated and useful. (check out the testimonials label to the right). We obviously have not included all testimonials but the few we have shared would suffice to encourage anyone.

We know that planning a wedding in Zimbabwe is made easier by all the information available here. Without boasting we also know there is no offer like this blog in Zimbabwe at the moment. We also know at the same time that not everyone has the time to go through the over 140 posts (and growing) on this blog. What if you could sit at home after work or over a relaxed weekend and read the entire blog in your own time at your favorite spot?

So we are saying all the blog posts on this blog are now available for purchase online (international users) and on CD for users based in Zimbabwe. We have compiled the blog into an ebook with a table of contents starting with the most recent articles going back to 2006. We have also included a directory of vetted service providers. Invaluable information for anyone serious about their wedding.

For international buyers, purchase is by Paypal and major credit cards (paypal accepts major credit cards) - international users - email us - for instructions. Local users can call us on +263912 288 617/+263912 417 616 or - email us- so we can arrange a cash payment (or bank deposit) and pick-up of ebook on CD. The ebook has more than 100 pages and includes all articles and pictures published on this blog up to February 2010 plus vetted directory of service providers in every sector e.g photography, flowers, venues, gowns, PA systems, honeymoon destinations, car hire you name it. The ebook online and on CD will cost the same US$19.95 a small investment that can save you time and money (even thousands of dollars).

We honestly hope this little offer will make your planning ever easier in your own time!


Just some parting facts - on average you spend up to $100 calling dead-end service providers prior to your wedding (some of which might be crooks and poor quality chancers), you spend even more - $250 - on fuel driving about prior to your wedding going to meet dead-end service providers. What if you could have all the already vetted and trusted service providers in your hands?

To Your Special Day!


Here are the details again - international buyers - EMAIL US
Zimbabwe buyers - Call 0912288617/0912417616 or EMAIL US
Price - US$19.95

Wishing You A Great and Memorable Honeymoon!

Are you like a few other couples who think about the honeymoon last. When we had our wedding the honeymoon was top on the agenda. I see the honeymoon as a way of rewarding yourself. I have noticed that many couples worry more about the wedding venue than the honeymoon destination. Both are very important aspects of your wedding and non of them should be treated as more important than the other.

You know I was talking to an older couple than us (thats is my wife and i) whose wedding was in the mid-90s in Harare, Zimbabwe. One thing i took away from the discussion with them was just how memorable their honeymoon was. Even though by today's standards you and i can laugh about it, back then it made their day. It was really something. It remained sticky for the rest of their lives. In fact this couple's honeymoon was in stages, soon after the wedding reception they checked into Elizabeth Hotel. Now you wouldn't like the state of Elizabeth Hotel today. I think it also was known as Hotel Liz or Liz Hotel something like that. It's actually at the corner of Robert Mugabe and L. Takawira in Harare now almost like "down-town" Harare.

But the point is their honeymoon was memorable. The following morning i think they said they took off for the Eastern Highlands.

Here are some tips as you work-out your honeymoon get-away;

• Research, research, research. No guesses get the facts about the destination and know what you are getting into.
• Plan your transportation - drive or fly (including local movements)
  
• Length of stay
• Accomodation
• Fees - entry, tooll gates, etc
• Decide if you will get gifts for friends and relatives e.g curios, post cards, T-Shirts etc

If you are considering Zimbabwe's beautiful resorts as part of your honeymoon i have a few suggestions below (you may also even use them for your wedding as a wedding venue if you like):

Troutbeck Resort (Nyanga)
Contact: +263912 132 136 or +263912 132 137
Email

Carribea Bay Resort (Kariba)
Contact: +263912 132138, +263912 132 139
Email

Great Zimbabwe Hotel (Masvingo)
Contact: +263912 132 134, +263912 132 135
Email

You may also call African Sun central reservations in Harare, Zimbabwe on +263 4 700521-4, +263 4 250501-7

To Your Special Day!

Aurther

Zimbabwe Wedding Venue: Bronte Hotel Out of Business!

Bronte Hotel in Harare Zimbabwe is one amongst favourate spots that wedding couples and their parties often find reasonably suitable for a memorable photo shoot that promotes their brand. I have driven past the Bronte Hotel a couple of times before and have coincedentally saw some couples enjoying a great photo shoot in the garden.

Well am sad to announce that Bronte Hotel has since stopped allowing wedding photos on their property. I went in today and asked the lady at the front desk who also seemed unsure why this has happened. All she could say was that "wedding people were traspassing" and i really wondered what that means.

Unfortuntely the reservations manager also handling weddings wasn't in I would have wanted to personally ask him why this has happened. However the lady said the hotel is still open for wedding receptions of maximum 50 people :) She also suggested that if you REALLY want to use Bronte Hotel for your wedding photos you may call or email the reservations manager for some "excemption" on +263-4-796631/5 or Email.

For now Bronte is out of business!

To Your Special Day!

Aurther

Zimbabwe Wedding Venue: How To Protect Your Brand.

One definition of a brand is "a recognizable kind". Do you realise that you and your spouse are a "recognizable kind. From the moment you start spreading word of your fourthcoming wedding to  friends, relatives, workmates and associates you begin building a brand.

This brand will be known as Loveness & Tafadzwa. Every time people make reference to your brand they say things like "In August we will be going to Loveness & Tafadzwa's wedding". "We are getting ready for Loveness &Tafadzwa's wedding". "I will be looking for an imported gift for Loveness &Tafadzwa's wedding". The list of your brand reference is essentially endless.

Your Zimbabwe wedding venue, for instance, is as important as you the brand. I suppose everyone knows that people will continue making reference to that brand years later. So it is important how you select the kind of service providers to use at your wedding because this will for a long time be associated with a recognizable kind. (Here on this blog we do our best to offer service providers that protect your brand)

I was talking to a service excellence expert today. In fact we have been exchanging ideas for a long time on service excellence. We talked about many things including different wedding venues like, Rainbow Towers, Chapman Golf Club, Wild Geese and others. We noted that at almost every function (not limited to weddings) there is always a tendency to have the very last group of people going short on something. This can be drinks, food and/or seating space. The list really can go on.

It seemed to us in the discussion that most wedding or event planners tend to think about a certain number of people and do not actually take into account eventualities. Say you prepare for 250 guests and 260 show up for some reason. The extra 10 can easily become fierce spoilers that can cause a crisis and damage your brand in the process. In fact they can influence a good number of your invited 250 guests to cast your brand in bad light.

What is easier to take extras into account than try and recast your brand in good light later? You may do this for donkey years to come. Spoilers will leave saying things like "at Loveness & Tafadzwa's wedding we left without a drink. Not even Mazoe!" Is Your Brand Crisis?

ToYour Special Day!

Aurther

Zimbabwe Wedding Venue: I was at Wild Geese today

Yesterday as I was driving home with my wife I got a call from Seb from Wild Geese. The conversation started off difficult because the phone was "breaking". Well in the end Seb invited me in for a chat today (Thursday) we agreed at 11am at his office.

Sometime back I wrote about Wild Geese here on this site. The title of the post was Wild Geese Might Just Be For You.  What I saw today compelled me to write yet again about them. Seb took me around the Lodge showing me different things they are doing to make their facility world class. As all this was going on I was in constant thought; what can I tell the hundreds of visitors who throng Zimbridal every week about what am seeing here.

In our conversation Seb did his best to point out to me that contrary to widely held views Wild Geese is not expensive. To be honest I was suprised to hear that because all along I had kept the mentality that the venue offers value for money. He then did a quick comparison with many other Zimbabwe wedding venues that people use around Harare.

I learnt one thing from his 1 minute illustration; folks lose out a lot because they never take time to thoroughly compare things. This is the thing with people. In fact I think it's a general "poison" that people don't seem to be afraid of in life. It's a deceiving line between value for money and expensive. All in all it turned out that Wild Geese (everything put together) is actually cheaper than most places that people eventually take up as their Harare wedding venue of choice.

Well I thought Seb was objective and fair in his analysis and I invited him to do a guest post on the blog, which I hope he will soon do;  perhaps giving general advise on wedding planning in Zimbabwe ( I mean he has probably over 8 years experience in the field).

I am happy that before I left Wild Geese I managed to get something which I think is valuable to readers of this blog (I wasn't really prepared to take that drive - even though short -but for nothing). We agreed with Seb that ALL orders (bookings) that will come through Zimbridal for wild Geese will receive a discount on the bill.

I personally think this is something meaningful. There is nothing as lifting as a dollar saved when planning a wedding. I have been there. What if you could extend your honeymoon stay with that dollar. Savings are never bad to many of us I suppose.

Well I will be announcing that arrangement here soon, hopefully in a few days. I will then disclose all the nitty gritties of this arrangement in terms of how you can go about getting your discount. In the mean time have a look here on their website

Update: Do you wish to wed at Wild Geese?  Email us here stating date, number of guests, starting time, garden or indoor. Please include a contact name and number  in Zimbabwe- for a special quote.
To Your Special Day!

Aurther

Would Tiger Bay be a good Zimbabwe honeymoon candidate for you?

When we had our Zimbabwe wedding because of our budget we were mostly focused on Zimbabwe honeymoon destinations. We eventually flew to Victoria Falls ( didn't want the trouble of driving that long distance).

It was such a magnificent experience staying at the Kingdom Hotel Victoria  Falls the first 2 or so nights and them moving out into a lodge for the reminder of the time.

I realize that Zimbabwe has a lot of places to offer for a unique honeymoon. You just need to search and get that unique deal. Remember thousands of tourists come to these places to see what we have, something we ourselves never fully exploit.

There is place called Tiger Bay Resort in the Kariba area. A company called Club 52 is currently offering a Tiger Bay Resort weekend excursion. They will transfer you from Kariba mainland by boat at $60.00 per person and take you to the banks of the Ume River were the resort is located.

Your accommodation will cost an additional $180 per night inclusive of three meals per day, some drinks, and two activities per person which might be a game drive, a cruise, fishing or bush dinner. This is sure a place to take your camera with you for a memorable honeymoon.

Email or call [+27 (0)21 683 6576] Club 52 for further and most up-to-date information (mention Zimbridal).

As you plan your wedding, keep a diary of honeymoon possibilities. Track changes and developments at your destination of choice. Did you know you can get a sweet discount by negotiating on the basis of being honeymooners. People generally have a soft spot for honeymoon couples!

To Your Special day ! - Aurther

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Would you entrust your wedding guest list to Air Zimbabwe ?

 

Every evening I scan the internet for news on Zimbabwe. The other thing being that I also try to see how any news might possibly affect a perfectly planned Zimbabwe wedding. Well I mean negatively affecting an otherwise properly executed wedding right at the last minute.

Well I came across an article that talked about a recent emergency at Harare International Airport were an MA60 plane got stuck on the runway on takeoff supposedly after hitting a warthog. The flight to Bulawayo was canceled and people had to find their own way. I suppose many missed important appointments.

What more a South African Airways flight to Zimbabwe from Johannesburg was also canceled on account of the Air Zimbabwe plane still stuck on the runway. Oh my what would this do to any of the many couples that come home to wed every year. What would this do to your guests flying in from abroad.

Your guests or you have a few days off to come in... wed and return. The other half of your entire guest list is stuck in London or Johannesburg with no hope in sight concerning how they will connect let alone the disinterest of those responsible. A costly Air Zimbabwe mishap.... if you can for now avoid Air Zimbabwe.

The guys are just going through too much trouble at the moment you don't want it to spill into your plans. Air Zimbabwe can't be allowed to catastrophically disrupt your months or even years of careful and costly planning. (by the way that's the MA 60 type of plane pictured)

Got a review to share on Air Zimbabwe? That's what makes this site useful to everyone. Leave a review below. Also see review for ZIMGARDENS

Portable Toilets for your Zimbabwe Wedding Venue?

Some folks prefer outdoor weddings at open air sites. These are fun too when well planned and especially involving less people. There is one thing common whenever people gather ...ablutions. It might not necessarily be an open air wedding that needs portable toilets, some venues especially at sports clubs and so on may do with extra ablution facilities for weddings with 250+guests.

There is a company in Harare called Portable Toilets. A standard chemical toilet will cost you $50.00 per day and an additional $50.00 for delivery covering 1 to 6 portable toilets.

Portable Toilet Hire
24 Dover Rd, Chisipite
Harare
Zimbabwe
Phone: 263 (04) 490859/(0)912 461 808/(0)912 302 816/(0)11 700 748

Got a review to share on portable toilets? That's what makes this site useful to everyone. Leave a review below. Also see review for ZIMGARDENS