Food Love

Enjoyed the Good Food & Wine Show again this year - always buzzing - especially the slow food market type food court. Love the stand set-ups - especially the Cavendish Square stand. Stunning detailed cake by Cakebread and the table settings with my fav Le Crueset mini French Casserole dishes (these come in the best colours!).

Cupcake Delights

I love cupcakes and all the gorgeous decor one can get nowadays - and Denise's Delights helps you to get your creative juices flowing with all the delicate flowers and edible glitter. 

And let's not forget the endless cake decor possibilites from Nicoletta - all so pretty!

Wedding Venue: 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa

What a stunning location for a wedding! The 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa has an amazing outdoor ceremony area with amazing views of the sea and the majestic Twelve Apostles mountains.

Location: Camps Bay
Capacity: 80

Weddings at 12 Apostles Hotel:

• Zara-Zoo - Photographers
• Zara-Zoo - Photographers
• Du Wayne - Photographer

Oh So Sweet!

Ok, so I have a major sweet tooth - there's just no denying it. And my new favourite treat is soft toffee from Sweet Temptations - just can't get enough!! Especially the Turkish Delight - as you can see from the pic below, it's the one on the left that's sold out :)

You can find this delicious toffee made with Belgian chocolate at their stand at Lourensford Family Farmers Market on Lourensford Wine Farm in Somerset West (every first weekend of every month) and at Oude Libertas Slow Food Market in Stellenbosch (every Saturday morning).

Wedding Venue: The Vineyard Hotel & Spa

The Vineyard Hotel & Spa with its beautiful gardens and amazing views of Table Mountain is an award-winning Cape Town wedding venue.

Location: Newlands
Capacity: 150

Weddings at The Vineyard Hotel:

• ProPhotography - Photographer (Sybrand Cillié)
• Jean-Pierre Uys - Photographer
• Ian Mitchinson - Photographer

Jamaica Me Crazy

Can't believe dinner club rolled around so fast again...but never too soon to catch up with the girls! Great night at Jamaica Me Crazy - the Caribbean restaurant was the perfect setting for cocktails and convo :)

Wedding Venue: Nooitgedacht Estate

Nooitgedacht is a lovely venue in Stellenbosch with more than one location for an outside ceremony - love the tree lined path towards the venue. Added bonus: area indoors for ceremony if the weather doesn't play nice :)

Some of my fav weddings at Nooitgedacht:

• Christine Meintjies - Photographer
• Gilliam - Photographer
• Eric Uys - Photographer

Winter Warmers - Cape Town Restaurant Specials

Addis in Cape
Location: 41 Church Street, Cape Town
* For the month of May, on Wednesday and Saturdays: A set menu with starter followed    by a variety of eight different dishes finished off with a  cup of our famous traditional Ethiopian coffee. Only R120 per person.

Asoka
Location: 68 Kloof Street, Cape town
* Every weekend for only R95, you will get two tapas and a glass of Excelsior Sauvignon Blanc or Cabernet Sauvignon. 
* Every Sunday the tapas are half priced.

Blues Restaurant
Location: The Promenade, Camps Bay
* 2 course lunch for R120
* 3 course dinner for R150

Café Delicieux
Location: Shop 6, The Forum, Cnr Jip de Jager & Kommissaris Street, Welgemoed
* Winter Friday night dinner special: any two courses for R125 or any three courses for R155.

Chapmans Peak Hotel Restaurant
Location: Champmans Peak Drive, Hout Bay
* Choose any 2 meat dishes their winter meat selection and receive a free bottle of Elements white or red wine and 2 free Amarula crème brulees.
* Or have one of the following specials: soup of the day R35, Malay lamb curry R89, mussel Mexicana R69, winter platter  R99, 1 kg white Vanamei prawns, served on a bed of rice with a free garlic butter or lemon butter or piri-piri sauce R99.

El Burro
Location: 81 Main Road, Green Point
* Most lunch items cost 50% less, between 12pm and 5pm daily.

HQ
Location: 100 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town
* Enjoy the 2 for 1 special on Monday nights at HQ. Buy one steak or cocktail and receive one for free. Lunch Special: buy one steak and receive another one for free.

Live Bait
Location: The Harbour House, Kalk Bay
* For a mere R60, eight succulent tiger prawns, with sesame stir fried vegetables and an Asian noodle salad.  Valid for dinner, Sunday to Thursday and lunch Monday to Thursday.

Nobu
Location: One&Only Hotel, Dock Road, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
* For R299 per person: five-course set menu including new style sashimi, the restaurant’s famous rock shrimp, beef toban and a sushi roll of the day. For dessert there are three choices including Nobu Cape Town’s signature chocolate bento box.

Pasta Factory
Location: 2A Park Road, Gardens
* For the month of May, from Monday to Saturday between 11am and 4pm, pizza and pasta will be R30.

Polana
Location: The Harbour House, Kalk Bay
* Half of a large, fresh Elgin free-range chicken, flame-grilled, with shoe string chips, a parmesan and avocado salad and a herb or chilli sauce for R50. Valid Sunday dinner to Thursday dinner and Saturday lunch.

Rioja
Location: Camps Bay Club, Corner of the Meadway and Victoria Road
* Every Thursday: half price pizza between 5pm-7pm. (Applies to eat in only).

Sinn’s Restaurant
Location: Wembley Square, Gardens
* R50 Lunch Creations including: eal bratwurst and creamy mash, pepper steak, egg and chips, juicy Moroccan chicken breast burger, fresh Sinn’s gourmet salad, curried Asian chicken noodles, deep-fried baby calamari.
* 3-course dinner special with glass of wine at R150 per person.

The Five Flies
Location: 14-16 Keerom Street, Cape Town
* Monday and Wednesday evenings: R120.00 for 2 courses & R150.00 for 3 courses.

The Planet Restaurant
Location: Mount Nelson Hotel, 76 Orange Street, Cape Town
* New, vegan journey menu: 6 courses for R300 per person or 4 courses for R220 per person.

Wafu and Wakame
Location: Corner of Surrey Place and Beach Road, Cape Town
* 50% off all noodle dishes and 25% off all sushi.

Wedding Venue: Cascade Country Manor

Cascade Country Manor is just so stately - the photo opportunities are amazing! Love the ceremony area with a waterfall as the backdrop.

Location: Paarl
Capacity: 100

Beautiful weddings at Cascade Country Manor:

• Ian Mitchinson - Photographer
• Steven Booth - Photographer
• Peartree - Photographer

Blakes - Bar l Lounge l Dining

Went to Blakes for my cousins birthday celebration - great place for drinks especially with 3 floors and all with different vibes!

Wedding Venue: The Conservatory

The Conservatory is another one of my 'I wish' venues. Love the blank canvas that is the venue - just so much one could do!

Location: Franschhoek

Capacity: 120

Stunning weddings at The Conservatory:

• Du Wayne - Photographer
• We Love Pictures - Blog
• Jean-Pierre Uys - Photographer

Game on!

Tried out the tenpin bowling at Grand West Casino - love the lumo look. Started off with 2 strikes but still ended up last...haha think I need to up my game!

Wedding Venue: Backsberg Wine Estate

Love Backsberg Wine Estate and its outside areas - the gardens for a ceremony and venue opening onto a courtyard for cocktails and canapé's under the stars.

Location: Franschhoek
Capacity: 200

Lovely weddings at Backsberg:

• Annemari - Photograher
• Steven Booth - Photographer
• Agape Studio - Photographers
• Aleit Group - Wedding Planners

Good times :)

Celebrated my fiancé's (♥) birthday at Knife at the Crystal Towers Hotel - great evening with my future family-in-law :)

Wedding Venue: Clouds Estate

Wish i could fit all my guests into this venue...sigh. Clouds estate is gorgeous - especially the balcony with that amazing view!!

Location: Stellenbosch
Capacity: 100


Pretty weddings at Clouds Estate:

• Zara-Zoo - photographers
• Du Wayne Photography - blog
• Greg Lumley - photographer
  

Beauty Bulletin

A friend told me about the Beauty Bulletin and the Product Review Club and i couldn't believe I hadn't heard about it before! As far as I understand it, you have to subscribe, join the Product Review Club and review products - and after every three products you review, you will receive a freebie. Sounds fab to me :)

Wedding Venue: MolenVliet

GORGEOUS wedding venue in the Stellenbosch winelands!! MolenVliet is fairly new - love the simplicity of the venue as well as the black and white flooring.

Some of my fav weddings at Molenvliet:

• Zara-Zoo - photographers
• Cap Classique - blog
• Aleit Blog - wedding planners

Celebration of our Mom's :)

Trip to Origin Coffee Roasting this morning for Mother's Day breakfast with my future in-laws - awesome breakfast!! Loads of different coffee's on offer as well as THE best flapjacks topped with syrup, banana and ice-cream :)

Then off to Il Leone for lunch with my amazing Mom. Delicious sounding pasta's on the menu - went with linguine with porcini mushrooms in an olive oil and garlic sauce - no regrets :)

Wedding Venue: Hout Bay Manor

If I had 70 guests on the list for my wedding then this would be my venue :) Hout Bay Manor and Pure Restaurant looks amazing!!

Some of my fav weddings at Hout Bay Manor:

• Cap Classique - Blog
• Greg Lumley - Photographer
• Carmen Visser - Photographer

Robyn Roberts Bridal Wear

Attended the Cape Town Wedding Festival at The Lookout in Granger Bay - my favourite exhibition was for Robyn Roberts Bridal Wear. Stunning dresses!!

Loving the Sunshine

Fab weather in May - a trip to Camps Bay Beach was a must! And how can one go there without making a stop at the best ice-cream parlour in the city?? Love, love, love Sinnfull ice-cream - especially the Addictions, Cookies 'n Cream, Turkish Delight and Aero (with real Aero pieces!!) flavours. Ok, so I pretty much like all the flavours haha

Celebration!

So one of the girls just got engaged - romantic proposal at Zewenwacht Wine Estate :) We had to get together to say congrats and Izabellas at Eden on the Bay was the location of choice. Champagne breakfast with chocolate cream cappuccino's and pancakes for dessert was awesome :)

Stunning Wedding @ Simon's

Attended an absolutely stunning wedding at Simon's at Groot Constantia. Black decor with a touch of damask and gorgeous flowers. Loved the cake too!!

Beautiful Beach Wedding

Beautiful beach wedding at Dolphin Beach Hotel. Gorgeous cupcakes and shell detail on the cake stand. And the cupcakes were delicious :)

Strike!

Family time at Let's Go Bowling was good fun. Love how everyone's competitive sides come out haha. 

How hot are my tenpin bowling shoes?? At least my bowling ball was pink :)

Devilish dessert

How can us girls be expected to stay away from Beluga when this devilish dessert is on the menu?? Deep fried Lindt white chocolate balls with a side of decadent butterscotch sauce and creamy vanilla ice-cream on a crushed biscuit base...absolutely sinful.

Fabulous giveaway!

Awesome giveaway on The Pretty Blog for all those DIY brides-to-be - stand a chance of winning a one year subscription to Posy Wedding Software to help you plan your wedding!

On the hunt again

So still wedding venue hunting but definitely closer to making a decision! Viewed Rhebokskloof Wine Estate today in Wellington - so pretty :) Loved the outside areas for a ceremony in front of a lake.

Ice ice baby

Decided to go down and support a friend (and the SA ice hockey team!) at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championships taking place at Grand West Casino during this week. Front row seats at the SA vs Luxembourg game was exciting but scary with that puck flying around!! Still have a lot to learn about the game but it was pretty thrilling and ended in a win for SA :)

Must-have Missibaba

How gorgeous are these bags from Missibaba??! Is it too early to put this on a birthday list if one's birthday is 6 months away? :)

In love...

OK, I'm just going to put it out there... I'm in love with Country Road!! Country Road's April Collections in store now :)

Wedding Bells

Another wedding in Durbanville - this time at Durbanville Hills Wine Estate. Stunning venue for numbers 100 and below. Amazing view! Awesome to share in the happy couple's special day :) Loved the menu's that they had printed by Castle Graphics:

Mexicano

April's dinner club rolled around fast but of course us girls were eager for a catch up! El Burro in Green Point was the restaurant of choice. Stunning decor!! Loved the lighting and piñata's. The waitress's had the cutest dresses with embroidery detail perfect for the restaurant's theme.

If you're looking for authentic Mexican cuisine and tequila filled cocktails then this is the restaurant for you! I had squid with chilli and lime, and a side of rice - this wasn't on the menu but a special for the evening - well liked! We sat inside but the balcony is perfect for warm summer evenings :)

Pretty pretty

Went to a wedding (awesome one at that) a couple of weeks ago at D'Aria in Durbanville - lovely food and venue! The bride gave the female guests a mini wedding dress which held the table setting names - just so pretty! 

Absolutely Fabulous!

You have to check out the pics on Kim Gray's Blog of the High Tea at The Table Bay Hotel - how fabulously delicious does it look?? Definitely have to make a plan for a tea party with the girls :)

Love your body!

20% off all skincare at The Body Shop until 10 April :)

While you're there, Spoil Yourself Gorgeous by signing up for The Body Shop’s Love Your Body^TM Rewards Programme - apply for a Love Your Body Card^TM and earn points every time you shop at The Body Shop.

And don't forget to sign The Body Shop's petition against sex trafficking of children and young people - your signature can make a difference.

The Naked & Famous

Young Blood by The Naked & Famous = my new fav song!! Check it out on YouTube :)

Mucking Afazing

Popped in at Charly's Bakery this morning for a treat - and what a treat it was!

Decided on 2 chocolate brownies (yes 2 - just in case one wasn't enough hehe) and 2 pigs ears... and wow, BEST BROWNIES EVER!! Wish I could have one every day... :)

Ubuntu House

Please take a moment to read the below and help out if you can :)

Ubuntu House is part of the AFM Executive Welfare uMephi project and is a place of safety / halfway house for newborn babies, given up by their mothers, mostly saved from abortions and rejection due to HIV or abandoned and sometimes just thrown away.

Since the house opened in 2003 until present we have cared for hundreds of babies and placed almost all of them with adoption parents and reunited with their biological parents.

We rely a lot on People to help us with our needs to look after these little babies and to find suitable homes and parents for them. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Ubuntu house wish list:
Infacare no 2
Gripe Water
Teething powders
Batteries for baby swing chair {Torch size]
Epizone E  or Emulsifying Ointment B.P. { Use to bath babies with }
Sudacrem  { for nappy rash }
Baby wipes { Fragrance Free }
Duphalec
Baby big / large wrappers.
Babygrows { Prem; 0-3; 3-6 & 6-12 months}

Buscopan / Scorpex
Baby towels and face - cloth
Baby pillows & Pillow cases
Toilet Paper
Curtains and matching Duvet covers
Paper Shredder
Small steel or wooden cots for babies.
Multi-Fold Hand Towel {Paper towels for dispenser code: 286914 }
Baby rocking / carry chair x 3
Bread, Milk etc. for Volunteers & Staff while at Ubuntu House

A girl can dream...

Even though I am venue hunting and not focussing on anything else wedding wise, I love viewing the "real weddings" online - especially those from Wedding Concepts. Simply stunning :)

Mr P Trend Flashes!

Love Mr Price's monthly trend flashes - great heads up for what i'm going to be hunting down in the near future :)

Woolies Fab Fashion Favourites

How fabulous are these Top 10 Fab Fashion Favourites from Woolies??! Loving the aviator jacket and sling bag :)

These potential buys are absolute torture when trying to be a grown-up and save for my future...sigh :)

Easter for the Elderly Project

For those out there who would like to make Easter super special for the elderly at Huis Zonnekus please see info on the Easter for the Elderly Project below :)

Much Easter giving at his time of year is, as it should be, focused on underprivileged and abused children thus leaving an equally vulnerable and deserving section of our society un-catered for – namely our Senior Citizens. This Easter we have decided to support Huis Zonnekus in Milnerton. There are currently 20 men and 77 women residing at Huis Zonnekus and we would like to present each one with a gift pack of 1 deodorant / toiletry and some marshmallow eggs at a tea party on Monday 25^th April at 10am.

We would like to encourage you, your friends and family to donate a gift pack or any items that we can use to make up a gift pack e.g. marshmallow eggs, deodorant, body lotion, shampoo, toothpaste etc that we can ensure we have 1 gift pack for each Granny and Grandpa. 

The drop off point for the donations is as follows: 83 Malmesbury Road, Kleinbosch – Please sms / call Lucy at 084 5594990 to ensure someone is home before you drop off any items. If you have more than 5 gift packs at a point and are unable to drop them off, we can arrange to collect these after hours. Please arrange to deliver / for us to collect by COB Friday, 15^th April.  

In addition, with our Santa for Senior project there were a few people that were interested in ‘Adopting a Granny or Grandpa' – which would entail visiting or dropping off a treat / gift every now and then. Many of these Seniors have no family or friends visiting so would appreciate even the smallest gesture. If you are interested in ‘Adopting a Granny or Grandpa' then please email us and we will get back to you with more details.

If you are able to assist us with this project by either donating gift packs / items for the packs / cash, with some of your time to assist on the day of the Tea Party or with your baking skills for the Tea party, then please contact Clarissa on ccwitten@mweb.co.za  / 084 559 6918 or Janine on tazz31jj@yahoo.com / 083 453 2432 or Lucy on lucywalsh@mweb.co.za / 084 559 4990.

We would really appreciate it if you would please pass this on to anyone who you think may be interested in helping with this worthy cause.

i heart sa

Awesome vibe at K Day :) Especially the love for South African music - even with all that heat!! La Vuvuzela gave a great performance - how fabulous are these girls!!

                                       

K Day @ Val de Vie

So excited to see one of my girls performing at K Day this Saturday!! So proud of her and all that La Vuvuzela has achieved. And Val de Vie is a potential wedding venue so I'm killing two birds with one stone :)

Hope you've all bought your tickets!!

Summer lovin'

Oh how I love summer! Especially in Cape Town. :) Just look at this view from Capello's at Eden on the Bay.

Such an awesome feeling seeing Table Mountain while chilling at the beach enjoying a buffet breakfast! And let's not the forget the great company of my future family-in-law :)

Later that day, off to Carlyles in Vredehoek for 2 of my friends celebrating their 25th birthdays - in essence a 50th birthday party :) Great vibe and pizza (yum), and good times with friends.

And to end off the weekend, and eating out for the 4th time in 4 days (haha), a much needed catch-up with one of my favourites. We decided on Beluga to satisty our continuing sushi addiction. And who could say no to their half price sushi and cocktail special! Samurai platter is de-licious. A welcomed addition to the special is half price dim sum - definitely on my next time list :)

The sweetest thing

About 2 years ago, a group of my girlfriends and I started a dinner club. Once a month we meet up for dinner to catch up over good food and drinks :)

This month was my turn to choose the location. Naturally this brings with it a certain kind of stress in having to find a fabulous place for us to spend the evening. Not saying that there aren't loads of amazing places to choose from in Cape Town - just that finding somewhere interesting that we haven't all been to is a challenge.

After much research online, a restaurant in Vredehoek kept popping up - Woodlands Eatery. The restaurant looked pretty (from the pics I found online) and a couple of bloggers mentioned how impressed they were with the place. I couldn't find the menu online so sent through a request to Woodlands Eatery for one to be sent to me via e-mail. A short while later I received it along with information that the menu changes regularly - nice touch for those who frequent the place. Still unsure about the place (although the menu consisted of many delicious sounding eats), I received an sms from one of the girls saying that the March edition of Glamour featured the Woodlands Eatery - another indication that this would be a good choice :)

Woodlands Eatery oozes vintage charm and the decor lends to the woodlands theme. The wall dedicated to mirrors, the hanging lampshades and picture frames all add to this restaurant just being the sweetest thing! Loved the floral linen napkins and the mismatched chairs. Added bonus was the good service along with the variety of options on the menu.

Some started the off with the cocktail of the evening, nectarine and granadilla mojito, and a pita topped with parma ham, nectarines, rocket and goats cheese - sounds amazing right :) Enjoyed by all and followed by mains including prawns & calamari with mango salsa and guacamole, steak with pepper sauce, Larry's (chef) cheeseburger with a secret sauce and cape salmon.  All in all, a fun evening with great friends, food and convo!

I would definitely recommend starting a dinner club with friends (if you don't already have one). Our lives are so hectic now and setting time aside to catch up and reminisce with those we don't see on a regular basis is good for the soul :)

Little Pink Book

This book is the perfect way to start off wedding planning! I was given this as a gift by my future sister-in-law the day after we were engaged - great engagement gift if you are looking for one :)

I'm a big fan of "real wedding" articles in bridal mags and this book has a few of them - love getting inspiration from other people's beautiful weddings.

There's a wide variety of venues listed in the book and what's great is that it tells you how many people the venues cater for without you having to enquire at each one.

The book guides you with your budget and what to start with first when wedding planning - also highlighting how many things there are to think about when planning your wedding!!

You can enter the Cap Classique competition to win one of these books or visit your local book store to find it. Little Pink Book is also running a competition - buy one online and stand a chance to win a 1 night stay for 2 at Lanzerac in Stellenbosch (Cape Town) or 2 night stay for 2 at Skylodge in Hartbeespoort (Gauteng).

Here comes the bride...

As a newly engaged woman (giggle) I was looking forward to attending my first bridal fair. On Friday evening, Fiancé, Mom and I set off to the Canal Walk Bridal Fair. Friday was a good choice as one needs time at each exhibition - and the madness that ensues at Canal Walk on a Saturday, especially after payday, would not have allowed for that.

I was really impressed with the amount of competitions that were taking place - we entered as many as we could! Winning a photographer for our wedding would be a huge cost saver. I would have liked to have seen more wedding venues with exhibitions there - this is still something that I am hunting high and low for.

I loved the stationery exhibited by The Fairy Factory - took away some great ideas for my own invites. And then there's Elsje Designs- stunning, stunning, stunning! And so creative! Loving the laser cut designs.

Choc 'n Cherry had an amazing cake on display at the expo - beautiful heart and ribbon details. Also loved Nelle Cakes.

I have yet to see a wedding dress that screams my name but I came close to it at the expo - a design by Ilse Roux was simply lovely :) We chatted to her about her designs and she said I was welcome to visit her studio and try on some of the dresses that she has on site. Can't wait!! 

One of the make-up artists that drew my attention was Helga - amazing pictures at her stand and the girls featured looked gorgeous. I was a bridesmaid in a wedding where Helga was used by the bride - the bride was extrememly happy and she looked even better than the pics on display.

But the best part about the expo was how supportive my Fiancé and Mom were - spending 2 hours hunting for great ideas can be pretty taxing and them being there with me (with no complaints) was an added bonus.