Having our ceremony at 09:30 in the morning, it also meant that the day started very, very early...which I didn't quite comprehend at first but it was definitely worth it. With awesome bridesmaids by my side and a steaming hot cup of coffee this bride, who is not a morning person at all, sat up straight for hair and make-up at 04:00 am...
Being the awesome girls that they are, they also sat up straight for hair and make-up at 04:00 am.
It could have been the caffeine or the fresh, early morning air, but we were having so much fun despite the early morning start.
My family comes from The Netherlands and unfortunately, my father couldn't come, so my Aunt and two of my cousins came instead, Maartje and Willem. Maartje was my maid of honour and Willem and my aunt were witnesses. It was their very first time in South Africa and they, for the first time, understood my love for this country. It was so special too, finally, to be able to share with them, the beauty of Table Moutain, Kirstenbosch and enjoy a glass of proudly South African wine at the "braai". They enjoyed the wedding so much! There wasn't a dry eye between the lot of us.
Likewise, Garnet's uncle made him a promise, that they would come back to South Africa for his wedding...needless to say, they didn't expect him to get married! Surprise!!
His uncle and aunt came all the way from America. His grandmother from England, who is 92, made our wedding her last trip to the sunny South Africa. It was the first time I met any of them and they were so kind and welcoming. It was amazing to finally meet them and talk to them face to face.
Our wedding day was everything that I dreamed of and more. I couldn't have imagined it any better than how it all turned out. All our guests laughed and cried with us, had fun with us and enjoyed a good plate of food with an amazing glass of wine.
There was nothing more that we could have wanted for our special day when we proclaimed our love to each other in the presence of all our dearest friends and family.
Not yet, my husband had to go back to work.
We did, however, go on a mini-moon at the beautiful Clouds Estate in Franschhoek for the weekend. That was amazing!! Best surprise ever!
Wedding dress: Elizabeth Stockenstrom, Durbanville (0218644228)
Wedding shoes: Rainbow Wedding Shoes
Hair: Joie De Vie - Somerset West, Louita Dreyer (0218525993)
Make-up: Plush Feather Make-up - Somerset West. Monique Naude (0724857790)
Jewellery: Dolce Mondo
Hair accessories: De Sluier, Netherlands
We wanted our guests to remember the togetherness of family and friends, of laughter and to wipe away a happy tear.
The look and feel that we decided on for the wedding was a comfy, warm yet stylish feel with a hint of jazz and dusted with classic, styled notes.
Landtscap is a beautiful, clean canvas that you can dress up exactly to your own look and feel and between Izette (flowers and decor) and Tammy (Landtscap) they translated my description and pictures into a living dream!
Our ceremony started at 09:30 which meant that hair and make-up needed to start at 04:00 am...
So, 4 am, the hairdresser (Louita) and make-up artist (Monique) showed up at our door, ready for action!
They were an amazing team! They had worked out a timetable so that they both knew who was suppose to be where at any given time with the deadline in mind. The bride (me), 3 bridesmaids, 1 aunt and 1 mother-in-law, who kept disappearing... Despite all that, they finished ahead of schedule. Everyone was very happy with how they looked, we couldn't have gotten a better team.
The dress...I saw this picture of a dress on Pinterest and was sold. Needless to say, it also carried a price tag more than our entire wedding budget! Fail! After trying on dresses and just not finding the one, I contacted Elizabeth. I told her my dilemma to which she answered: "show me the picture". The rest is history!
The dress turned out better than I could have ever imagined. The level of craftsmanship that she provides is out of this world. The best part was that Garnet loved it.
My wedding shoes came via a friend from her shop in The Netherlands. Her bridal shop stocked the brand Rainbow Wedding Shoes and I was fortunate enough to have gotten a pair from her as a gift from my father. As did my hair piece that I wore that day.
My earrings and armband was a present from Garnet, then my fiance now my husband.
Elizabeth’s gowns are the ultimate in femininity, romance and sensuality. She has built an enviable reputation for creating exquisite bridal gowns, using only the best fabrics.
We got married at the magical Landtscap, Stellenbosch. Tammy van Jaarsveld (0810481188)
They have their own in-house co-ordinator that handles everything that needs to be done or sorted. Tammy was amazing!
Landtscap is situated in the Devonvale of Stellenbosch, with the most magical views of the Cape mountains and the Stellenbosch winelands.
SKincare - RegimA
Beauty salon - Lizca, Somerset-West (0728073217)
I had good intentions to continue with my gym routine and healthy eating when I got serious flu three weeks before the wedding... and it took two weeks to go away...so :) I made the best of it!
With the help of RegimA Skin products and Lizca from Lizca Skin Care, Somerset-West, my skin was glowing like never before. Lizca is the best!
Flowers & Decor: Leipzig Floral Design - Stellenbosch, Izette Carinus (0824770069)
Izette from Leipzig took care of all my crazy decor and flower ideas turned it into our fairytale.
She was absolutely amazing. I was chopping and changing, adding and shuffling things until the very last minute and she just made everything work.
We needed extra seating for our guests that fitted into our comfy yet stylish look and she found the perfect lounge suite that fit the theme.
From glass balls hanging from the ceiling to the flowers on our cake, she made everything happen without us lifting one finger. She really took good care of us.
Groom suit: Made by I Tailor - Stellenbosch Square (0827316673)
Groomsmen suits: Rented from Smart Men Suit Hire - Strand (0218535999)
We struggled to find a ready-made, well-fitted suit for Garnet. So we started to find out what it would cost to have a suit made for him...and if it would fit our budget.
I Tailor in Stellenbosch square is a small undiscovered gem!
They have their own unique way of doing things but rest assured it all works out perfectly. This I found out by being an overly anxious bride with very little time left for finding a suit...or have it made. The only answer I ever got to my stressed out question "is it going to be ready in time?" was "Yes Ma'am, not to worry", but I never got to see the suit until the day of pickup.
Excellent work, master class craftsmanship! Worth every cent! Nothing more to say :)
For the groomsmen, we went for a hiring company that had a wide variety of sizes in the same colour suit.
Smart men Suit Hire did not let us down. Good service and very helpful.
Bridesmaid dresses: Bridal Allure - Blouberg, Elizabeth (0215564880)
Earring: Accessories
Shoes: Edgars
After my first two options being cancelled without being told or "lost" by the staff...my nerves were shot!
Only 5 weeks left before the wedding and no bridesmaids dresses is a big problem...to say the least!
Via google, I stumbled upon Bridal Allure and Elizabeth answered within an hour to my desperate cry for help.
Her team was so helpful and she assured me that they will do whatever they can to make sure that we got the dresses in time.
Maybe it was meant to be this way but for the first time, we got the colour dress that we wanted from the very beginning!
We got the dresses two weeks before the wedding and that was enough time to have the necessary alterations done.
Also by Bridal Allure.
I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out in the end. The girls looked beautiful!
Bridal Allure is one of Cape Town’s largest & most respected wedding stores with a reputation for professional, personal service and individual attention.
Marriage officer: Marriage Matters, Michelle Walker (0825710226)
Photographer: Greg Lumley - Cape Town (0836040107)
Videographer: White Lines - Somerset West, Wynand
Greg is an award-winning photographer and he is really worth it!
Our wedding day had one unwanted guest and that was Mr Wind!
Not fun!
Greg did an amazing job even though the wind kept on messing up my hair. He is such a wonderful, happy man that he just gets everyone else around him to relax. Including all the camera-shy men :). We couldn't have asked for a better person to capture our special day.
He was never invasive or in your face. He was just there, doing what he does best.
Same can be said of the video crew from White Lines.
They were never in your face or trampling down guests to try and get that one shot. They were just part of the "furniture" doing what they do best, and what quality!
The most beautiful video, capturing those special moments that you can watch again and again at the highest quality possible. They have an amazing drone that can give you a bird's eye view of your venue and guests just enjoying themselves.
I must add that the two companies work very well together. They made a great team seeing that they know and respect each other's work.
They were able to capture the magic of our special day and we are excited to show our children one day.
Landtscap: has their own co-ordinator that travels with you through the whole journey.
There was no need to hire another person. Landtscap has their own co-ordinator that is present the whole time. She covers the food tasting, set-up, your whole day and the break-down.
Tammy was amazing, we don't know of anything that went wrong. The day went so smooth! Everyone was really happy.
Our venue, Landtscap, lies between the vineyards, up on a hill. So we asked a friend of ours to transport me and the bridesmaids to the venue in her Landrover. Worked perfectly!
The men got there in their own cars.
Nobody cried over their car's underbellies being scratched or the dust. :)
Two Chefs: Landtscap's in-house chefs.
When you book Landtscap you get the Two Chefs with that booking.
They pride themselves on the fact that no man has ever left any one of their functions hungry, and trust me, no man did!
The portions are huge but still look absolutely delicious, classy and well presented.
They are open to new ideas and are will to try out anything. No dietary request or restrictions reduced the taste or look of what they put in front of you.
The groom, Garnet, was outside when they served the starter and they immediately took action to make sure his soup was kept warm until he returned to his seat.
Our cake was of a different kind... We had a tower of oreo's that the chefs of Two Chefs created for us. (picture below)
With that did they made homemade vanilla and salted caramel ice-cream cones.
How doesn't like ice-cream and Oreo's!
We enjoyed every crumb!
Printing: Minuteman Press - Somerset West, Angelique (0218500506)
Funny story...!
I forgot about the stationary until one month before the wedding...! Oops!
So with Microsoft word, google and a whole bucket of patience I created something that we were happy with.
Then we discovered Angelique at Minuteman Press that helped me get everything printed and sorted out and reminded me of the few details that I had forgotten...so she was just amazing! Couldn't have done it without her.
DJ: Nezarius (0844581359)
We had a luncheon wedding, so no dance floor.
Our brief was very specific: Chill out, lounge music, no heavy beat or distinct vocals.
We couldn't be happier with Nezarius.
He did all the sound engineering and everything was top class. No wires anywhere visible, or microphones that needed attention in the crucial moments. No-one complained about the sound or that the music was too loud.
He was just there, in his spot, doing what he came to do in the best way that he could and he delivered a hundredfold.
He created the vibe that we wanted and made our guests and us, happy and cheerful.
Landtscap is situated in the Devonvale of Stellenbosch, with the most magical views of the Cape mountains and the Stellenbosch winelands.
Elizabeth’s gowns are the ultimate in femininity, romance and sensuality. She has built an enviable reputation for creating exquisite bridal gowns, using only the best fabrics.
Bridal Allure is one of Cape Town’s largest & most respected wedding stores with a reputation for professional, personal service and individual attention.
