One of the most memorable moments was my father and my godfather walking me down the aisle. The first part, my godfather and the last part towards my future husband and the altar, my father. This was a very emotional moment for everybody.
Another memorable moment was the table of remembrance with photos of my two grandmothers who both passed away recently and were loved dearly.
On a lighter note.. One of the highlights was when the groomsmen played a joke on the groom, took the rings out of the box and replaced it with a stone. This was very unexpected and everyone had a good laugh.
We dreamt of a tropical paradise and decided on Thailand for our honeymoon. We were both very excited as this was our first overseas trip. It totally blew our minds, it was everything we hoped and dream for and more. Photos cannot describe the beauty of the landscape, especially the blue waters and the sheer mountain cliffs with tropical forest surrounding it. We would go back in a heartbeat.
The theme for our wedding was a fairy tale, so I needed a dress to match, the search was on... I found my perfect dress in a boutique called Elegant Flair in Paarl. I tried on several dresses, but in the end settled on the very first dress I tried on. I was absolutely in love with the dress, designed by Lise Saint Germain. To complement my dress, I bought the perfect shoes from Anella's, a bridal shoe boutique. It was lace shoes in a pearl white. As for my jewelry, I got some earrings, a necklace and bracelet from Lovisa. The cherry on the top was my favourite perfume, Jean Paul Gaultier. My make-up and hair was done by Larisa Viljoen (now Van Zyl) Hair and Make-up.
Our wedding venue is situated in the Paarl Winelands, nestled in the mountains of the Du Toitskloof Pass. The name of the venue is Du Kloof Lodge. Being autumn and all, we had the most perfect weather for a wedding. The ceremony was outside on the lawn, with the mountains and a river as a backdrop. This was one amazing view and so peaceful. After the ceremony, the reception was indoors with a big view of the same mountains with the sun setting over them. As this is a lodge, there was a lot of rooms available for our guests to stay the night, and some of them did. In the morning, we had an amazing breakfast with family and friends that stayed over.
The decor for our wedding, as well as all the flowers, was done by Carin Brink from Bredasdorp. The main colours were Burgundy, White and Silver. We also incorporated some wood, lace, ivy and lots of fairy lights to achieve the desired effect. The Fruit of the spirit was used as the table names, instead of numbers. Love was the perfect name for the main table. The flower of choice for our wedding was Asiatic Lilies. It was used in the bride's and bridesmaids bouquets, as well as on the tables at the reception. All the flowers and decor was transported over 200 km to the wedding venue.
The groom wore a navy suit with brown shoes and the groomsmen all black suits, all with matching custom made burgundy bow ties. The ring bearer wore the same as the groom.
The main colour for our wedding was burgundy and as it was a fairy tale theme, there was always going to be lace. So that was used as inspiration for the bridesmaids dresses. I loved the look of Infinity dresses, so I contacted them for a few ideas. The end result was a long burgundy dress with a lace top. The little flower girl wore the same, but only in white, with a burgundy sash around the waist. For the jewelry, they all wore matching pearl bracelets and earrings, giving it a slight vintage feel.
The ceremony was conducted by a close family friend, pastor Esri Malan from New Life Ministries in Paarl,
To capture our memories forever, we made use of Lize Venter Photography. We had two photographers, one for the ladies and one for the guys. They made us feel very comfortable, as we have known them for a very long time. They used the landscape, mountains, river, trees and nature as a blank canvass for their creations.
The food was prepared by Du Kloof Lodge. While we were taking photos, the guests enjoyed some delicious fruit canapes and sponsored cool drinks from Deneys Swiss Dairy. For our main course, we opted for a traditional buffet, which included a variety of meat, salads, vegetables and savouries. For dessert, we had a delicious crème brulee. We also enjoyed a very popular chocolate fountain, supplied by Cape Chocolate Fountain. We used some cookies, marshmallows and several fruit as dipping items. Our wedding cake was a gift from Suidpunt Potpourri, a coffee shop in L'Agulhas.
Our wedding invitation cards were designed and made by Paper Paradise in Tygervalley. The colours of our invitation cards were burgundy and pearl white, with the names of each couple embossed on the front side. This also had a classic vintage touch to it.
All the lighting and music equipment was supplied and managed by Willem Steenkamp from Yebo Africa Productions, situated in Bredasdorp. Our first dance was on the tune of Blackbyrd's "I love you, I just simply do". There was a variety of music genres, something for every taste. All the guests enjoyed themselves and danced the night away.
Anella has put together a collection of the most gorgeous bridal shoes. We will help you find YOUR perfect wedding shoes to complete your journey to feeling like a Princess!
