Half way to Lourensford, my maid of honour realised she had left her bouquet at home. Funny part was that none of us had a key, luckily my 4-year old niece, who was my flower girl, could fit through one of the windows.
My highlight would be that as my mother walked me down the aisle, I felt so nervous but looked up to see my (future) husband who with such a calming smile, which immediately put me at ease.
The wind howled on our wedding day, causing my veil to fly off my head as soon as I reached the altar. During our vows, my husband couldn't hear one of the questions properly, due to the wind, and responded with an "I WHAT?" instead of "I WILL".
Since our wedding was in December and my husband, who works away, would be leaving on the 30 December, we decided to spend the festive holidays with our families. We are yet to go on our honeymoon, ,most likely mid-2018.
I bought my dress through Ever After Bridal in Durbanville. It was a Juri dress by Enzoni. I fell in love with my dress because of the beautiful lace train. My dress was completely fitted with diamanté straps and a lace bodice. My shoes were a simple white stiletto heel which I bought at Aldo. Keeping an old tradition in mind, I stuck a six pence (a gift from a relative) under my left shoe for wealth and prosperity in my marriage. All of my accessories were bought at Colette. Lhameese Soles is the lovely lady who did my hair, my make up was inspired and done by Robyn Geyer. Lastly my lingerie, which was a gift, was bought at Boux Avenue. Nails were done by Gloss Up Girl.
In 2005, a new bridal collection emerged and quickly rose to compete with top brands by merging traditional and modern European styles into exquisitely hand crafted gowns.
We got married at the majestic Lourensford Wine Estate. My husband and I spent our wedding night at Erinvale Golf Estate. Most of the bridal party spent the night at my sisters house which is near to the wedding venue, so we all had breakfast together.
We wanted a very elegant look and feel for our wedding. Paradiso Flowers arranged a beautiful hanging garden with greenery which was interspersed with burgundy flowers and naked bulbs. The hanging garden was offset by the venue's chandeliers. The tables were set with white table linen and burgundy napkins. A long greenery garland ran the length of the tables with white candles of various heights. Our centerpieces were candelabra with burgundy candles.
Lounge furniture was supplied by A-Create for a relaxed cocktail hour.
Our tables names were inspired by our little Yorkeshire Terriers, Duke, Cassie and Dash.
The candy table was my sister, Candice Stephenson's creation.
Step into a floral paradise with Paradiso Flowers, where wedding dreams come alive in the most enchanting ways.
The groom wore a grey suit from EuroSuit, with a white Polo shirt and a burgundy tie with tan shoes with Happy Socks. His orchid boutonniere, Fossil watch and Invictus cologne added the finishing touch.
The groomsmen wore grey pants and waist coats from EuroSuit with white shirts and burgundy ties.
My bridesmaids all designed their own burgundy gowns. We decided each bridesmaid would wear a different shade of burgundy. I chose the material for each dress. We tried to keep it modern and elegant but sexy, hence the high slits. We used ideas from Pinterest for inspiration.
The Reverend Father Brandon West was our marriage officer.
Rezaine Desai from Rezaine Desai Photography captured our entire story - from the beginning of our relationship to engagement to our wedding.
We coordinated our own wedding, with lots of help from various family members - our moms and sisters mostly.
My husband arrived at the venue in a red vintage Chevrolet Apache "bakkie", sourced by his mom. The Apache made a stunning backdrop for many of our wedding photos.
I arrived at the venue in a sleek white BMW320d, the use of which was a gift from a friend.
Our wedding cake was tiers of dark chocolate and red velvet with fondant silhouettes from Cake Couture by Justine. The cake was a gift from my sister.
Food was prepared by Stir Foods. Starters comprised of beef carpaccio, mains were a delectable chicken supreme served with mushroom duxelle and pomme puree. Dessert canapes rounded off the meal.
Our Save the Dates were designed and printed by Rezaine Desai Photography.
Invitations, menus and table names were designed and printed by Paper Paradise.
A saxophonist, (wedding gift from the groom's sisters and brother-in-law) Winston Cogil, provided the musical background for the ceremony and the cocktail hour.
Eddy Meyer from Exclusive Event Experts provided the sound for the reception. We opened the dance floor to Leroy Sanchez's cover of Perfect by Ed Sheeran.
Step into a floral paradise with Paradiso Flowers, where wedding dreams come alive in the most enchanting ways.
In 2005, a new bridal collection emerged and quickly rose to compete with top brands by merging traditional and modern European styles into exquisitely hand crafted gowns.
