The ENVIE concept, founded in 2012, is a creative lifestyle and concept Design Company, with a focus on planning, styling, and executing what he explained as weddings, corporate events, and lifestyle celebrations. He said when planning a wedding, the top three important things are the destination of the wedding, the budget, and a wedding planner who will ensure there is a proper flow at the wedding.

With the destination of the wedding, it helps to figure out where should he start looking for venues. “For example, in Bloemfontein, there are venues that we need to book a year in advance, so as soon as the clients decide the wedding is in Bloemfontein, we start shortlisting venues and booking the appropriate one,” he explained. When it comes to the budget, Peng said he knows how uncomfortable it is for people to talk about this but it is important. “Once a budget is set, we can look at the type of style the wedding will be. The budget will determine what things we can and can’t have,” stated Peng. The third important thing, that he feels people usually forget about, is the ‘flow of the wedding’, which is why he feels having a wedding planner is important. “It is important to have someone who will guide your guests on where to go on the day of the wedding, it is not nice having guests waiting around not knowing what to do or where to go.”

Peng said throughout his years of wedding planning, he has experienced some weddings where not everything went 100%. He explained there are things within his reach that he can control as the planner, but then there are other things such as the weather that he cannot control. “Some time ago, it started raining after the bride walked into the ceremony but the problem was we had set up outside in a longue setting for pre-drinks – now we had to think on our feet and move the pre-drinks setting to the open hall while the ceremony is happening.”

Peng stated that everyone wants the perfect wedding, which does not really exist. “I think it is important for our brides to remember what the day is about, it is about joy and love – if you as a bride will dance with joy under the rain, I promise you, the guests will follow suit.” He concluded that when selecting a wedding venue, it is important that you look into the facilities the venue offers. “I always advise my clients to look at what is being offered at the venues they want, yes, they might charge a higher price, but it is okay if you won’t need to hire tables, chairs, etc. at an extra fee.”

OFM Business Hour