Spring is wedding season and most of SA’s prime venues have long been booked out for September and October. Each wedding is a major logistical operation with long checklists. Gumtree’s Estelle Nagel says the local wedding industry is a huge business online and covers all the obvious bases and several that you may not have thought of.

Nagel’s top five unusual wedding items found on Gumtree are:

1. Wedding dance lessons with bespoke choreography so you can dazzle at the first turn on the floor when all eyes will be on you.
2. Specialised live wedding music with a violin, harp and piano combination.
3. Six-tier glass cake stands made to order – for a spectacular effect.
4. Personalized wedding figurines of bride and groom sculptures – a keepsake for life
5. A 1m high LOVE sign for the lawn or the entrance hall     

Nagel also says that online is the best place to look if you have an emergency. “If someone lets you down, or you’ve forgotten something important, everything you could need is available somewhere – limousines, flowers, catering, photograohy, DJs, marriage celebrants, suit hire, even second-hand wedding dresses (‘only used once!’).”