Matthew & I met as neighbours eight years ago - after two years of chit-chatting over the wall and "hello neighbour" we decided to have a glass of wine and the rest, as they say, is history.
After almost five and half years of "not so patiently" waiting, I gave up thinking about it too much… I was out with a friend for dinner and when I came home, he declared his undying love for me and got down on one knee and popped the question. I was shocked… cried and accepted.
Between our engagement and wedding date there wasn't a lot of time to 'over think' things, which made the planning process a lot easier. My fiancé and I were very much on the same page in terms of what we wanted. SA Weddings was a huge help in terms of venues and suppliers. We also used a wedding planner who took away a lot of the stress for both of us.
We sourced all our inspiration from Pinterest and Melinda, our wedding planner. We created a secret board on Pinterest and together pinned ideas for my big day. The variety of ideas available were incredible, but at the same time horrible. Eventually Melinda told me to 'step away from the laptop'!
Walking down the aisle
Somehow Matthew and I agreed on Carnival as a theme. We wanted it to be fun, quirky and relaxed. The theme reflected our personalities and as much as there were pretty elements, there were also fun things, like the gum-ball dispensers and animals with party hats.
I never wear dresses! I wore a tutu with a tailored denim shirt, because it describes me and my personal taste. I didn't want to be traditional at all. Also, the skirt was sort of a dream come true - secretly I have always wanted to be a ballerina, HAHA! Bridesmaid's dresses: We liked it, we bought it.
All of this was done by Melinda from Pretty Things For You. She did the table settings as well as the dessert buffet. We decided not to have a main table but to rather join our guests in our celebration. It was wonderful dealing with one person only and not a whole lot of suppliers.
Yes we did a lot of DIY! Melinda loves making decor for her clients, ensuring each celebration is unique and personalised. From the handmade pinwheels and thank you tags, to the centrepieces with popcorn and flowers - nothing was shop bought or used as is.
Billy Joel - Just the way you are
Enjoy it, relax and DON'T stress… BREATH! Make it fun, you will wish you could do it all over again once the day is over. Promise.
Matthew & I went on a mini honeymoon; we have 4 kids between the 2 of us, so finding a babysitter for a week proved MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. We decided to plan day trips in JHB, such as spend an evening at Gold Reef City and the next day at the theme park. We also spent a day at a spa, became tourists in JHB central and went to the top of Carlton centre, Gautrain to Sandton, where we had had lunch and shopped. On our last night of our honeymoon we spent time relaxing together at a Game Lodge.
Tres Jolie is a country wedding venue situated on 5 hectre estate in Ruimsig, Gauteng. The venue is accessible to all major centres of the region and the tranquil estate offers...
We provide a professional on location hair and make-up service by a team of hair and make-up artists to brides, corporate, publications,shoots, film, make-overs and general cli...
