I met the love of my life on 25 October 2013 and ever since then I just knew...
Out of all the awesome and romantic memorable moments we had, I would say almost getting run over by rhinoceros' in front of our guests was the funniest AND scariest part! Our guests were having some snacks and drinks on Bona Bona's deck which looked out on the waterhole where we as newlyweds took our wedding photo's, also it was mating season... All of a sudden not one, but three rhinoceros' came really close to us...
Luckily we had a game ranger to guide us through the process and no one was hurt!
Of course we went on Honeymoon! I were so swamped with all the wedding arrangements, so naturally I weren't part of any of the Honeymoon's planning. My husband, Louis, actually did that all by himself!
Louis surprised me with a week long honeymoon in Zanzibar! You could image my reaction when I finally realized: 'This is actually happening!'. On our way to Zanzibar, we met a great couple who also got married the week we did and they were heading to the same destination we did (what a coincidence!), except on the other side of the island. When we landed, the heat was really overwhelming - it felt as if we came from Antarctica and landed in Egypt!
Despite the heat, we had a REALLY great time! We arrived at the Hotel, Sea Cliff Resort, which is a really lovely place since all staff members are always friendly and helpful. The hotel even had all kinds of live entertainment with each dinner!
Zanzibar is full of rich history, culture and GREAT food! We went on loads of excursions such as 'Safari Blue' were you head to all the Islands on the South of Zanzibar, snorkel, prepare and eat loads of self caught fish! We bathed in the sun, swam in the clearest waters, played golf and we even went to Freddie Mercury's home!
Zanzibar - What a BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE!
We went mixture between vintage bohemian, traditional and bush veld..
My dress was designed and made by the one and only Ernst Shutz and it had a bit of a beige undertone, a bit of lace, a low back line and a really long veil! Louis on the other hand, decided to keep it traditional, a black suit, white shirt and a beautiful tie! My bridesmaids wore plain navy dresses also designed and made by Ernst whereas Louis' groomsmen wore navy pants, white shirts with leather bow ties and belts.
I had my hair done up in a bun, make-up was as natural as possible but with a bit of an edge. On our wedding day Louis gave me the set of pearl rose gold jewelry, so I thought it only poetic to actually wear these to out wedding.
The perfect look, for the perfect day!
Wedding venues in and around Klerksdorp wasn't easy to find, mainly due to the fact that our guest list grew with every day closer to our wedding date, but we decided to host our wedding at Bona Bona Game Lodge. Strange enough: both our parents used to take us on holidays to this resort when we were just little kids!
Because most of our guests were traveling from as far as Cape Town, we just had to find a venue with rooms available for that specific night! This made Bona Bona Game Lodge perfect!
My 'bridal beauty regime' is actually a lifestyle, although the mani- and pedicures was just an additional add to this lifestyle.. Healthy food (with LOADS of chocolate) and weekly exercise (mentally AND physically) was the root of it all!
Wedding planning wasn't a breeze.. so naturally my skin showed stress, stress and once more stress! Therefore, I had a lot of homemade skin treatments such as rooibos masks, aloe vera gel face wash etc. I cleansed and moistened my skin A LOT!
The secret is to keep doing what you are doing to look and feel good!
Most of our decor was rustic, but also traditional South African. We used a lot of raw wood, handmade paper flowers, proteas, a lot of candles, rose gold chandeliers and dozens of fairy lights!
The groomsmen wore navy trousers, a white buttoned shirt, leather suspenders and bow ties. We went for a casual but formal look which made this look just perfect!
I decided that my bridesmaids should be able to wear something comfortable and it should be so elegant that they would be able to wear this dress after the wedding as well. It was just a plain royal blue dress designed and made by Ernst Shutz.
Our marriage officer was our local minister, Quintes. He did A LOT! From 'pre-wedding' therapy to all the other admin work which goes hand in hand with the wedding ceremony.
Mrs Klersdorp 2016, Jolene Walkinshaw was our wedding photographer (she actually has her own photography business!). Wow, did she capture some really fantastic moments and best of all: she was ALWAYS prepare to give more than what was expected!
We did not have a wedding planner at all! Everything, from the smallest little detail until easiest parts were self arranged with the help of my wonderful mother and sister. Not just did I have a lot of help from my mom and sister, but also from my closest family members! My father- and mother-in-law both went out of their way to assist us, as did my father, brother, brother-in-law and even some of my cousins!
Needless to say, we couldn't have pulled this off without them!
We didn't have any wedding transport since our wedding was hosted at a game lodge but, I actually fell out of the transport we had to our photo shoot venue...
We were lucky to get a venue where the venue itself prepares and serves the food. It took a lot of pressure off of my shoulders!
I arranged, designed and printed everything myself! With the help of my sister of course...
Our party was epic!
We were a bit stressed about us having to open the dance floor, because neither of us could dance and neither of us had any dance lessons, but we rocked opening the dance floor!
We had one of our local entertainers, Lenro Botha, entertaining our guests. He actually did ALL sound, lightning and he was also our Master of Ceremonies - our guests LOVED it!
This is the one thing I would really suggest to all brides: get some live entertainment!
