We had so much fun the entire day. A lot of it was because we decided that, come what may, we won't let ANYTHING get to our heads and stress us out. Standing in front of the altar, I remember looking to my left at the wedding cake (we cut the cake right after "I do") and noticing that it was placed on top of the wooden boxes that were meant for the confetti. I whispered to the best man, "where is all the confetti??". Eventually, they found out that ALL our rose petals were scattered down the aisle - and nothing was left over for the confetti boxes.... So eventually our Pastor wrapped everything up (it was a VERY special ceremony filled with lots of laughs), and invited the guests to grab a hand-full of confetti. We interrupted (laughing) and announced that the confetti is already on the floor - "but you are more than welcome to pick it up and toss it again as we walk past you..." Our guests saw the humor in the situation, collected the confetti in the aisle and cheered as they filled the air above us with petals.
Yes, we did! We actually planned the wedding around the honeymoon... We booked well in advance so that we could take our time researching and planning our trip. We went to Bali. A month before our flight the volcano started acting up, and we really started to worry about whether or not we'll actually be able to go. It calmed down a week before our flight and the week after we returned it started spewing ash! How's THAT for timing??
I wanted to surprise my hubby to be. He, being the highly romantic kind, likes the "Fairy Princess dresses" (his words...). I actually loved the idea of feeling like a princess, so I decided to go for a subtle classic look - lace A-line dress, natural make-up, and an I-do-up-do. The shoes HAD to be a little wild, so I wore light pink bejeweled high-heel pumps that matched the wedding flowers which were Proteas. For the choice of jewelry, I kept one thing in mind... Coco Chanel once said: "before leaving the house, a lady should look in the mirror and remove one accessory". I had a beautiful pair of heart-shaped protea earrings on, and my silver cross necklace that he got me for Valentines two years ago - and that was it. Simple.
We got married at Casa do Sol Hotel and Resort in Hazyview. 90% of our guests stayed the night either at the hotel or at neighboring lodges.
I didn't really have a beauty regime. I just took extra vitamins to ease the nerves and keep my immune system up.
The wedding theme was inspired by Protea flowers, Eucalyptus and Fynbos. It actually started at NAMPO last year when I bought wooden proteas for the house and noticed that they'd make unique bouquets for the bridesmaids! For the reception hall, we had large round tables with a minimalistic decor and white linen. The centerpieces were lanterns filled with proteas, eucalyptus, and fynbos. I found a miniature protea floral called Blushing Bride and used it to bring everything together. We had the canvas sails/blinds pulled up so that the hall was completely open plan, leading outside to the fountain and garden. The ceremony took place in the garden on the other side of the resort underneath a beautiful white steel gazebo. After "I do" we cut the cake (carrot cake with buttercream icing) so that our guests could enjoy it as a snack with drinks while we were out taking pictures. The photos of us cutting the cake in the garden actually look so beautiful! Our wedding favors were Earl Grey teabags that I placed inside a little envelope with the wedding stationery design on (hand cut, folded and glued by yours truly....).
The groom wore a slim fitting dove grey suit that we bought in a China Mall in JHB. With a grey tie, crisp white shirt, brown belt and matching brown shoes. The groomsmen wore matching grey pants from Truworths and wooden laser cut protea boutonnieres that I designed and made myself.
The bridesmaids had their dresses made. They were both pregnant on that day, so I left the choice of dress style up to them. They chose a beautiful pink fabric (that matched the protea pinks), and their dresses were comfortable, long and very flattering.
Our church's pastor married us :) It was very special!
We go NEON CHURCH just outside White River in Mpumalanga. It's a small community, almost like family.
Cathlin Hepburn was our photographer for the day and will be for all our special occasions in future. She is very organized and has spot-on attention to detail! She kept calm the whole day (even when I was running a little late) and made us feel at ease and comfortable in front of the camera.
http://www.cathlinhepburn.co.za/
Nope. Just me, friends and family!
Because everything happened on one venue - we didn't need any special transport.
The food was prepared by Casa do Sol's chefs. It was fantastic. We still get compliments on the amazing food. The wedding cake was made by Helen's Cakes in Nelspruit.
I designed the wedding stationery and our invitation website: http://www.geldenhuysest2017.co.za/
Our printing was done with Minute Man Press in Nelspruit.
Our first dance opened Pandora's Box. Our guests were ready for dancing and didn't need any motivation to keep the dancefloor occupied! The DJ (JC Audio in Nelspruit) had a vibrant playlist! The party lasted till 4: 30 am... Hubby and I left the hall at around 12:30 am, and the rest of the guests made a plan and continued until early hours.
