25 Jan Tropical Event: Praslin Island, Seychelles
2017 took us all the way to the Seychelles to plan not only an international wedding but also a fabulous, tropical themed *“drunch”!
*Drunch = drunken lunch
It was a learning curve of note, from a wedding planner’s point of view, since they do things very differently on Praslin Island and event decor suppliers are not nearly as readily available or as creative as in Cape Town. (Side note: we are really SUPER spoilt when it comes to our suppliers over here! #soblessed)
Both events took place at the renowned and incredibly beautiful Constance LeMuria resort on Praslin Island, but the tropical theme for this soirée was only decided on a few days before, so we were left with no time to plan for themed decor! We raided China Town for swizzle sticks and hoped that the island itself would provide the rest!
On the day of the event, we booked a taxi and set off searching for pineapples (zananas), silk flowers, coconuts (cocos) and spray paint. We had a brilliant taxi driver – a big bear of a man with the biggest, most heart-warming smile I have ever seen on any person. He was totally on board with our plans and drove us patiently from store to store, negotiating on our behalf for the best price and if he could not win the argument with the shop owner, taking us elsewhere! (Another side note: fresh produce is incredibly expensive on the island. We spent almost R300 on one pineapple at the first store, after which the negotiations ensued.) We spent a manic hour going from place to place (we were racing against time since we still had to set up the entire event) before our chauffeur and wing man thought that going to a farm instead might pay better dividends.
We turned into (what appeared to be) a neglected dirt road in a thick forest (you can imagine how my mind started racing) and drove all the way up to the top of a hill, where we were met by a farmer working on his dilapidated tractor. It was a scene from a movie. Our driver negotiated with him in Creole and soon we were making our way back down the road to the pineapple plantations (which I didn’t see on our way up as I was too busy imagining all sorts of useless things…)
We picked pineapples aplenty and I even asked him to pick me a giant Jackfruit (which turned out to be crawling with a million ants).
Giddy as cheese, we raced back to the resort to start playing. When we arrived, Blomboy was already doing magic with dried palm leaves and soon we had bright colors, tropical fruits and flamingoes everywhere.
The guests went all out with the tropical dress code and soon cocktails and conversation was flowing. The resort provided the perfect backdrop with the pristine white sand and turquoise water of the beach and palm trees gently swaying in the breeze.
Anyone else have a tropical destination dream that needs planning? Our suitcases are packed…
Credits:
Planning and co-ordination: Blank Canvas Event Design
Venue: Constance LeMuria Resort, Praslin Island, Seychelles
Flowers/decor: Blomboy
Photography: Kyle Krige
