The Glades is situated in the heart of the KZN Midlands on the MacKenzie’s family farm. What used to be a pig barn has been transformed into a beautiful rustic venue which boasts a breath taking view over the green hills of KZN.
The Glades is run by the cutest little Brazillian, who is very dear to our hearts, Gabi. We are going to hand the reins over to her….
So Gabi, tell us about your life – where were you born, where do you live now, your family, animals, hobbies and any guilty pleasures?
My life! That is so complex. I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the mid 80’s. I met my (now) husband in Aspen Colorado during the ’06 ’07 ski season, we both worked at the same ski/board shop, hooked up on the first day of work and have been together ever since. We now call Durban home. I love yoga, and try get to classes at least 3 times a week. I’m quite obsessed with organizing and tiding up, so much so that I would call organizing mine and my husbands lives a hobby. I also have a passion for all green things and can spend hours in the garden. Guilty pleasure is 100% chocolate. Can’t get enough of it!
I used to run a gift shop in Florida Rd called Vanilla House, and that branched into wedding decor and hire. At the same time my in laws did a massive revamp on their pig barn at The Glades for my sister-in-law’s wedding. Long story short, I helped organize her wedding as well as my second sister-in-law’s wedding in December of the same year. The December wedding was featured in some popular wedding blogs and I started getting inquiries for weddings at the farm, and that is how it really started. When revamping the barn, with the family weddings in mind, we never thought we would become a commercial venue and don’t feel commercial at all.
We are very happy to hire the farm for events other than weddings. We had a “xmas at the barn” function for kids about 2 years ago. But 99% of our bookings are for weddings.
We have a chapel – which was recently built (with the most magnificent view) – this was previously the stables. We also offer the option of an outdoor ceremony, either by a canopy of trees in front of the barn or by the forest overlooking the dam.
Do you offer accommodation on the property?
We offer accommodation for 14 guests for 2 nights which is included in our packages (one 4 sleeper cottage and a 10 sleeper farm house) which is self Catering. There is also plenty accommodation availible in our road, there are about 15 options ranging from 100 meters to 8km from The Glades.
As I mentioned before, the barn was “built” with the intention of hosting all the family weddings, christenings, weddings anniversaries etc, so a lot of love and thought was put into it. We are very hands on during the whole planning process and on the actual wedding day too. For this reason we only book 15 weddings a year. This way we feel we are able to keep the chararcter of the farm and deliver a very special service to every single one of our couples. Ohh, and our view! I might be bias to say – but I think we have the best view in the area.
Our 2016 packages start at R38 000 – this includes venue hire, wooden tables and chairs, use of the chapel (or outdoor ceremony), on the day coordination and accommodation for 14 guests for 2 nights. We already have15 weddings booked for 2016 so we have started taking bookings for 2017. Our prices for 2017 start at R40 000.
As much as I’m a routine lover, I don’t really have one. If it’s a wedding week then I might be running to the flower market or getting things set up a the farm. If it’s a non wedding week, I’m usually more relaxed and get up to a variety of activities: a run on the beach in the morning, catch up on admin work, meet a friend for lunch, do some more work, research inspiration for upcoming weddings, get a late afternoon yoga class and cook dinner for my husband.
I have 2 right hand ladies. Florence and Nesta. They live on the farm and I wouldn’t be able to get most of my work done without them. I think in another life I was an african and they must have been my mamas, grannies, aunties or something.
The wonderful souls that I get to meet. From couples, to their families and all the suppliers involved. Great friendships have been made along the way.
Eeeekkk, I don’t know if I can choose 1! I find the ceremonies very special. I love to see the groom’s face when the bride is about to walk down the aisle. I also enjoy hearing the speeches – it helps me get to know the couple who I have been working with even more.
On a recent wedding, there was a guy who was supposed to come sing during the ceremony (it was a ceremony with lots, I mean lots, of hymns) – and he was the only person who could lead the singing. He was running very late, and 10 minutes before the start he was still no where to be seen. The DJ took the order of ceremony and quickly started downloading the songs (not to mentioned that we had to guess which version to get). The singer arrive just as the bride was about to step into the chapel. Boy, that was stressful.There was another incident, probably not funny but memorable, when we got a call at 7:30am on a Saturday morning asking if our barn was available for a wedding on that same day. The wedding was supposed to happen in a family farm near by and the night before they had a massive wind storm that blew the bedouin tent and all the stuff inside away. Luckily we didn’t have a wedding booked for that day and in a matter of 4 hours the wedding was all setup and ready to happen at The Glades!
There are so many wonderful suppliers here in KZN! The ones that firstly come to mind are: Fat Aubergine for catering, The Wedding DJ’s (Steven and Benny), Kim – Crystal and Vine, Laura Halgreen for hair and make up, Samantha Maber for photos.
To keep me going: Stay humble, work hard, be kind.For the brides: “Comparison is the thief of joy” by Theodore Roosevelt.
I think next year we will be seeing more and more natural elements. Bold greenery arrangements, flowers that have been picked from the area, foraging. Some fruits/veggies incorporated into the decor. Cooper and rose gold aren’t going anywhere, and neither is bold old gold. And for the sweets? Donuts!
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