BUTTERFLY WEDDINGS
What do you need to know?
What do we do for you?
How to order?
Butterflies available?
Butterfly prices?
Breeding process?
Code of conduct
Responses from clients

BUTTERFLY WRANGLING
Earle Whiteley has worked and supplied butterflies for various film shoots in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and at the Ramsgate Butterfly Sanctuary. He has been able to do the most amazing things with these beautiful jewels of the forests.


Butterfly on bouquet


Butterflies on bouquet


Pearl Charaxes larva


White Barred Acraea larva


Emperor Swallowtail larva


Layman larva


Moon moth larva


Layman


Emperor Swallowtail


False Acraea


White Barred Emperor


 

  

Butterfly Weddings
A subsidiary section of South African Butterfly Breeding Association
A section 21 Company. Registration No 2005/035553/08. P.O. Box 599, Ramsgate, 4285.
Tel: (039) 314 9307 Fax: (086) 742 7951 Cell: 074 4225 587
Websites: (1) www.sabutterflies.co.za  (2) www.sabba.co.za 

Note; This service is not available to wedding co-ordinators
To avoid misunderstandings and misrepresentations - we deal directly with the wedding couple only
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We have been supplying SA butterflies as confetti for the last 12 years . Since 1999 to 2011.
Imagine your wedding photos filled with beautiful butterflies surrounding the bride and groom. Or, have each guest participate by releasing a single butterfly. Either type of butterfly release will ensure that everyone will forever remember your remarkable day.

The moments that can be brightened by a  butterfly release are endless. Picture your child’s special occasion embellished with a butterfly release! What child wouldn’t want to release butterflies for their birthday?

 

Whether you want a symbolic release for a graduation party or a unique and exciting highlight to your anniversary party, a butterfly release is sure to create lasting memories for all in attendance.

 

The South African Butterfly Breeding Association (SABBA), is a subsidiary company of Conservation of Butterflies in South Africa (CBISA). Its function is to deal with controversial issues, by setting out guidelines for the "butterfly enthusiast", accommodating their individual rights as well as those rights of the environment, species and related ecosystems.  Enhancing the release of butterflies in local communities that will improve the quality of ecosystems, their species and creating suitable environments for all animal, bird, vegetation, shrub, tree and  bird species alike. All to coincide with one another, as each one is dependant on another for its survival. By releasing butterflies, you are assisting in this scientific program and at the same time fulfilling your personal needs.

Butterflies are fragile and should always be treated with care and used in a proper manner for the benefit of our environments, and at the same time, we have to realize that they are there to serve a purpose as well as to provide us humans with a deep sense of understanding and  a great pleasure. A sense of peace.

What do you need to know ?
The symbolism of butterflies signifies something different to each person who gets one, while the meaning assigned to butterflies differs from culture to culture.

  • The ancient Celts believed that butterflies were souls seeking a new mother

  • The ancient Greeks  called them 'psyche', because their flitting from flower to flower represented the constant movement within the human mind.

  • For many the releasing of butterflies at weddings symbolizes happiness, as butterflies dart off in all directions proclaiming the promised marriage of two souls bound in Gods trust and word.

  • The Blackfoot tribe of American Indians believed that they bring dreams to people.

  • The Chinese see them as a symbol of love.

  • Many other cultures see them as a common symbol of transformation, representing a persons metamorphosis through life.

  • In some other cultures, butterflies are seen as the souls of departed relatives.

  • In some images of the Garden of Eden, Adam's soul is symbolized  by a butterfly.

  • In many countries the Cleopatra butterfly is called the Easter Jesus and tend to appear around Easter and is considered  a symbol of Christ's resurrection.

  • All around the world butterflies represent the winged messengers of some kind or other and always touch the souls of all humans.

  • A readily new trend in America is to hold butterfly release ceremonies to symbolize a loved one's "release" from this life.

  • According to an American Indian Legend – If anyone desires a wish to come true they must first capture a butterfly and whisper that wish to it. Since butterfly can make no sound, the butterfly can not reveal the wish to anyone but he Great Spirit who hears and sees all. In gratitude for giving the beautiful butterfly its freedom, the Great Spirit always grants the wish. So, according to legend, by making a wish and giving a butterfly its freedom, the wish will be taken to the heavens and be granted.

What do we do for you?
SABBA will provide you with butterflies for any occasion, being it a wedding or just a Christmas dinner. We will breed these butterflies that are found to be "locality type" butterflies in your area. We will rear them from eggs and care for them in our nurseries, feed the larvae until they become big and pupate. We transfer the pupa to our hatcheries and have timed your butterflies hatching within a few days before your function. The entire breeding process takes us up to 12 weeks to breed them, depending on the species of "locality type" in question. We then package the butterflies in specially folded envelopes to protect the butterflies from dehydration or damage.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Responses from clients
I cannot adequately express the emotions I felt on Saturday during our function when I opened the packets and those butterflies rose. It was like receiving a blessing from the Lord and I thank you for giving me that blessing. I shall never forget the experience. Your care and concern touched me deeply and I thank you. All God’s blessing for giving an old man much joy.
 Father Morgan Ellis

We opened our packets around my daughter Sharon, 12 years old. She opened her packet. I got such a shock when she collapsed onto the ground and started crying, filled with emotion. I'll never forget this day and the expression on her face. It was one of those once in a million moments of time. Thank you so very much.
Megan Mills

Dear Earle and Lizanne
Just a heartfelt and much appreciated thank you to both of you for your assistance with the live butterflies at the recent wedding I presented. Your support was phenomenal. I truly appreciated the detailed instructions that were emailed beforehand, your incredible patience during our telephone conversations and especially the professional and diligent way in which you operate. The butterflies arrived safely at OR Tambo, survived the night and were that special touch the bride and groom hoped it would be on the wedding day. I do wish you all the best and may you and your butterflies continue to bring endless joys to the world at large.
Cerneels Coetzee

Dear Lizanne,
Thank you for getting the butterflies to us on time. We took some photos to show you how it went. But we do not want our faces exposed. Our guests were very thrilled and I was in heaven with the best wedding in town, because all my wishes came true, especially having butterflies at my wedding. Than you you again for

Packets the butterflies
came in		 Butterfly waking up
from  its sleep		 The Butterflies were quite tame They even enjoyed the bouquet and fed on the nectar

the opportunity to have these beautifully little angelic creatures be a part of our special day. They were beautiful.
Andrea and Sheldon (December 2009)

To The Whiteley Family,
Deryck Earle Whiteley has passed away on the 30th December 2010. A few days later at his final resting place, during the distribution of his ashes, hundreds of butterflies were released as a farewell to him, the father of Earle Whiteley. It was an amazing sight where butterflies lingered on and fed on local indigenous flowers. As if in salute of his passing. An experience I shall never forget.
Earle Whiteley (4th January 2011).

Hi Lizanne,
Thank you so much for your friendly and fast assistance with all the butterflies. I would like to say thank you, and let you know that our day was amazing. It was so beautiful and special with the butterflies at our wedding. It is memories we will always have. The butterflies were so beautiful and everything worked out beautiful. We had a few that were still a bit delayed in waking up, but it was a handful to all the ones flying around. Thank you for making it a stress free thing to deal with, for all the info you promptly sent and the nice instructions with the butterflies. It made our wedding so much more special. All the people were amazed by the butterflies and loved them so much. We will send you photos of the butterflies when we get our photos. Blessed Festive Season and Happy New Year. Many Blessings.
Justin and Storm Botha (Wedding on 27 November 2011)

Note:
We receive many letters from clients, who have been more than thrilled with our service. Please send in your experiences and allow us to include them on this site.