The day goes by so quickly, and we enjoyed every moment.. but the parts that stand out the most for me are:
The actual ceremony in the Catholic church.. it was so special and spiritual.. and filled with so much emotion.
The couple photoshoot, where we got to just focus on each other, it was the calm time in the craziness of the day...
Dancing and enjoying the reception with our guests, our closest friends and family (this was even more special because it would be the last time we saw many of them before we moved to the Netherlands).
We left the very next day for Honeymoon in Bali for 2 weeks! It was amazing quality time together, with more adventures doing things we loved (sight seeing and taking in the culture, date nights at restaurants tasting the local cuisine, water sports, animal encounters, and not forgetting the many intimate moments shared too... ). Thanks Grand Aston Bali Beach Resort, and the Bali Spirit Hotel for making our stay extra special!
THE LOOK:
First I found my wedding dress.. it was actually the first dress I tried on, & made me feel like a princess.
Ivory Lace Ballgown, petticoat, and veil from Bride & Co, Canal Walk (bonus that we found out it was on sale, just another sign it was meant to be! They also did the minor alterations- added sleeves to the dress). The sleeves were the something old- material scraps left over from previous alterations, added to my dress thats was my something new.
Then found everything else to complete my look:
Necklace was a gift from my mother (she bought it at a shop in N1 city)
Earings and bracelets, & hair ornament from Lovisa (Blue Route)
My mothers evening bag from Forever New (Blue Route), my something borrowed.
Shoes from Next step (Canal Walk)
Blue Lace Garter was a gift from one of my bridesmaids. (My something blue)
Lingerie- my ivory lace panty from distractions line at Woolworths (Blue Route), nude strapless bra by Wonderbra (Edgars, Canal Walk).
HAIR:
Salome at Scar Hair Studio in the CPT CBD. She is an award winning hairstylist with very yellow hair, humble, such a sweetheart, energetic & fun-loving personality, and really passionate about her job, and it shows in the end result! THANK YOU for your outstanding job!!!
MAKE-UP:
Estelle Gordon, make-up artist extrodanaire!!! Met her at a wedding expo, and adored her work, and bonus was that we hit it off and chatted up a storm. She was at MAC V&A Waterfront, but now works at MAC in Durban. THANK-YOU for your beautiful work!!!
Tips:
Before I went looking for the different elements of my look, I researched and made a pinterest board about what kind of dress I liked (lace, ivory, style that suites my body type), and what theme/feel I wanted for my wedding (regal, vintage, romantic), so I had a clear idea of what I wanted for my look, which made shopping for the different elements easier.
Did the same for hairstyles I liked, showed my pinterest board to my hairdresser, and we incorporated different elements at the hair trial before deciding on what I wanted. The hair trial was important, I feel it saved time on the day, and ensured that I was very happy with the end result.
For my make-up, I also had a trial (I did it the same day as my kitchen tea so that the money I spent on the make-up trial wasnt wasted) where we discussed what kind of look I wanted (natural, but with bold eyes) and can check you are both on the same page. It really puts your mind at ease knowing ur artist knows what you want & u not gonna look like a clown on ur big day.
We got married at the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Bergvliet, Cape Town.
It's the church I grew up in, so felt right carrying out the Sacrament of Marriage there. It's a beautiful big church with its stained glass windows and statues of Our Lady and Jesus.
We had the reception at Hudson's venue on Vredenheim wine estate. Beautiful setting for our photos, and excellent choice catering and decor wise.
My husband (then fiance) and I both went on a diet, and both lost about 15kg each before the wedding, thanks to constantly motivating each other and supporting each other to stick to it.
Continued with my normal skincare routine (daily facewash & moisturise), increased my intake of water, and made sure I got a good nights rest the day before the wedding.
I made sure to get my hair trimmed every 2-3months, and had hair treatments to keep it looking healthy and help it grow longer for the up-do I wanted. The last haircut and treatment was in the wk of my wedding.
I have very thin hair, so used a removable extension (that I bought through my hairdresser) to give it more volume for the hairdresser to work with. I brought it with to my hair trial to make sure it would work well on the day.
The week fo my wedding I went for my wax (hollywood, legs, underarms), & went for my mani and pedi at Mani Pedi Constantia Village. I went with my mom and bridesmaids and we all had our manicures done there together, was really nice bonding time over some bubbly.
I went for a spa treatment the week of my wedding... just to de-stress. Would highly recommend some me-time to future brides, just to process everything happening and chill out.
We used Hudsons on-site decor team to bring my vision to life for the reception.
Colour scheme: navy, gold and ivory.
Went for a formal, regal, vintage, romantic fairytale feel...
The Bridesmaids got their navy dresses at the Space (Canal Walk).
The Maid of Honour got her dress from Grey Emporium (Gardens Shopping Centre)
Shoes- nude
Jewellery- gold with pearl detail
Father Scott, the marriage officer at our parish.
Photographers:
Riekert Cloete Photography
Videographers:
Popped Red Balloon Productions
Photobooth:
Fabulous Photobooths
