The rules

Who runs it

Couples' Favourites is organised by Karen Pretorius, trading as Elite Wedding Society (sole proprietor), contact info@eliteweddingsociety.co.za. A copy of these rules is free to anyone who asks.

Who can win

Any wedding vendor in one of the award categories with an approved page on Elite Wedding Society, showing at least 3 photos of their own work, when voting closes. There is no fee: a vendor's page is their entry, and couples can only vote for a vendor whose page has those photos, so they can see what they're voting for. Nominations count for any vendor in an award category.

The award categories for 2027 are: Venues, Photographers, Videographers, Wedding planners, Caterers, Cakes & desserts, Florists, Décor & hire, Dresses & suits, Traditional attire, Make-up & hair, Music & entertainment (DJs, bands, MCs, praise singers and photo booths are in Music & entertainment, and décor stylists and tent and furniture hire in Décor & hire). Other kinds of vendor in our directory, such as marriage officers, stationery, rings, wedding cars, mobile bars, mobile kitchens and toilet hire, aren't awarded this year.

Each vendor is in one field: their award category, in their area. Gauteng is one area. A part of Gauteng becomes its own field for an award category once at least 6 vendors of that category there are in the running when voting closes: the parts are Johannesburg, Pretoria, the East Rand, the West Rand and the Vaal, placed by the town on the vendor's page (for example Sandton and Soweto are Johannesburg, Centurion is Pretoria, Benoni and Heidelberg are the East Rand, Muldersdrift and Roodepoort are the West Rand, and Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, Meyerton, Sasolburg and Deneysville are the Vaal). The other Gauteng vendors in that category then compete as "elsewhere in Gauteng". Every other province is one area (Parys is in the Free State). A vendor who thinks they're in the wrong area can ask us before voting closes.

Businesses owned by the organiser (including Karen Pretorius Photography and Wildling) can't be nominated, voted for or win, and neither can businesses owned by anyone who works for or advises Elite Wedding Society, or by their spouses, life partners or immediate family.

Each field has gold, silver and bronze. A field with 5 to 9 vendors in it when voting closes awards gold only; a field with 10 or more awards all three; a field with fewer than 5 isn't awarded. Every medal also needs at least 10 counted votes. If no vendor in a field reaches that, the field isn't awarded that year, and we say so with the results. We don't lower the bar or extend voting afterwards. That way a medal always means something.

Nominations

From now until 31 January 2027, couples can nominate the vendors who made their day, whether those vendors are on Elite Wedding Society yet or not, in any of the award categories. Like votes, a nomination counts once the couple presses the button in our email, and each email address can nominate each business once. Nominations don't decide who can be voted for: every vendor with a page is in the running. They decide the finalists. After nominations close, the 5 vendors with the most nominations in each field (with at least 2) become finalists, and vendors tied at the cut-off are all finalists. Finalists are shown first while voting is open and may say they are a "Couples' Favourites 2027 finalist". Nominations for a business that isn't on Elite Wedding Society yet count from the moment it makes its page. The fair play rules below apply to nominations too.

When

Nominations close on 31 January 2027 at 23:59, and voting runs from 1 February 2027 to 31 March 2027 at 23:59, South African time. The medals are announced on the site and by email in April 2027.

Who can vote, and how

Anyone aged 18 or older, with their own email address: couples, and the families and friends who helped plan a wedding. Votes are made on a vendor's voting page. We then email the voter a button to press within seven days; only then does the vote count. Each email address has one counted vote in each award category in each province (Gauteng counts as one), and may vote in as many categories as it likes. Voting is free and voters can't win anything.

Fair play

Vendors may share their nomination and voting links with their couples, on social media and on their website, and ask for nominations and votes. They may not vote for themselves, ask their staff to vote, vote on anyone's behalf, use made-up or throwaway email addresses, or offer anything in return for a vote (such as a discount, a gift or a prize draw). Buying votes is not allowed in any form.

We check the votes before announcing the medals. We may set aside votes we reasonably believe break these rules, for example a pile of votes from one connection with addresses that don't look real, and we may remove a vendor from the running if they break them. A vendor may ask us why votes were set aside, and we'll explain. After these checks, the vendor in each field with the most counted votes wins gold, the next silver and the next bronze. Vendors with the same number of votes share the medal, and the next number of votes down gets the next medal.

What the medals bring

Gold: a gold medal badge on their page for the year; a gold medal badge for their own website; the top spot in the 2027 guide to their kind of vendor in their area; a feature on our Facebook and Instagram; a certificate to frame or share; a free sponsor spot in one of our giveaways (normally R500); and their story in the winners' article in our journal. Silver and bronze: their silver or bronze medal badge on their page for the year; a medal badge for their own website; a place right after gold in the 2027 guide; a mention in our winners' post on Facebook and Instagram; and a certificate to frame or share. All of it is free. There is no cash alternative, and the prizes can't be passed on to another business. The giveaway sponsor spot is for one giveaway in the 12 months after the results, under that giveaway's own rules. Medal winners may say so for their field, for example "Couples' Favourites 2027 gold: wedding venues in Pretoria", on their website, social media and printed material.

Privacy

We keep a voter's name, their wedding date if they gave it, and their email address only until the vote is confirmed (or for seven days, if it never is). After that we keep only a scrambled copy of the address, which stops a second vote in the same field. Voters' names and addresses are never shown publicly or to vendors; a vendor only sees how many votes they have. Votes are deleted a year after the results. More on our Privacy page.

Changes

We only change these rules to correct a mistake or if the law requires it, and we'll show the date of the change on this page. If voting can't go ahead for reasons outside our control, we'll say so here and tell the vendors in the running.