What a blessing it was to walk down the isle with my dad, my hero, on my side... walking towards the man of my dreams. When my eyes met Charl's across the chapel, it was magical! It felt like it was only the two of us in the world. In that moment, only we existed. Our wedding day was a dream come true.
Every moment was special, and is ingrained in my heart. I think of every person that was there with us. I think of their smiles and beautiful words. I think of the prayers and blessings we received. I think of our parents - our role models and heroes, who have been there with us and for us every step of the way. I think of our family, our friends, our gorgeous cake, our first dance, our beautiful wedding, and our love, and I realize just how blessed we are!
We met in 2005, and started dating in June 2006 while we were both still students. Even with tight study schedules and deadlines, two very different people starting developing an everlasting bond that would soon turn into something magical. From falling in love to meeting the parents, we soon became inseparable. Through the years, we have shared many memorable moments and milestones. We stood by each other through all the good times and challenges, and have always been particularly happy when we could share in each other’s accomplishments. We learnt about each other and never gave up on each other, and our love kept growing stronger.
It was a quiet spring Saturday afternoon in September, and we had just enjoyed a peaceful afternoon and a wonderful picnic. Just as the sun set, next to a fire by the river, under a willow tree, Charl decided to get down on one knee. For the first time in years, I was speechless. And, after a while, I said YES!
Every moment of our wedding day was extremely special, but some of the most memorable moments were...
The moment my father first saw me in my wedding gown, and standing alone with him while we watched the horses run past before making our way to the chapel.
When I saw my husband overwhelmed with tears as I walked down the isle, also in tears.
The father daughter dance.
Our first dance, for which we practiced 3 months, was magical because for those few minutes, nothing and nobody else existed - it was just the 2 of us.
Our honeymoon started with a few lovely sunny days on the beach at the Umhlanga Sands hotel. Thereafter, we went to Bushman's Nek resort in the Drakensberg where we experienced snow. The snowy mountains, walks in nature and the fireplace made it magical.
My wedding look was soft, feminine and natural.
Hair and airbrush make-up was done by Mercia from iShadow Hair & Beauty Boutique. The tiara I wore was hand-picked by my mother at Bride & Co, and mom also picked out the perfect jewelry for me. The opal & swarovski pendant complemented my wedding ring, and the look was finished off with plain swarovski studs and bracelet. The crystal inserts in my rose bouquet complemented the swarovski elements in my jewelry as well.
The dress was a Bride & Co designer dress to which a few alterations were made. I also got a stunning lace bolero and veil with beading on it from them to finish off the look. The perfect lingerie was selected from Barkley & Clegg.
The shoes - well, that is a story on it's own. When we started planning the wedding, I wanted white pumps, so I got a pair of beautiful Lilli bridal ballet shoes. When we decided on the venue, I decided that I needed a pair of boots - so, then I got my Bronx cowboy boots. Finally, I decided that the boots are not comfortable enough to wear the whole time, so I ended up getting a pair of fluffy white Cotton On slippers. So for the wedding day, I wore my pretty white ballet shoes for the ceremony, the boots for the photos and dances, and the slippers for the remainder of the reception.
Louig Giano Italian Wedding Village. It was absolutely amazing! The hosts are professional and really made an effort to make the day and our stay memorable. The venue has 7 rooms, which was fully booked by the close family.
A healthy eating plan was followed for 8 months prior to the wedding and I started taking vitamins and supplements. Home teeth whitening kits were used on a regular basis throughout this time. I started going for monthly facials and nail appointments. Finally I went for sunbed sessions for 12 weeks prior to the wedding.
We wanted the decor to complement the venue, but also to reflect a little piece of who we are. The venue provided gorgeous wooden tables with heavy white legs, and cast iron chairs. The flowers was done by Maria from Flowers & More Menlyn Maine, who is a dear friend. It consisted of roses, Arum lilies and baby anthuriums. We added votive candles in clear glass to the tables for soft lighting, and wine red organza overlays and chair bows to finish off the look.
The groom and groomsmen wore classic charcoal suits from Eurosuit, with wine red undercoats and cravats from Black Tie Hatfield.
The bridesmaids wore beautiful, plain, wine red dresses that we got from Spree. Their look was complemented by their jewelry from Lovisa and gyp bouquets.
Prof Jaco Beyers - Lyttelton Hervormde Kerk. I have known Prof Beyers for 13 years now. He was at the church in my hometown when I was in high school, so it was an absolute privilege for us to have him as our marriage officer.
X-quisito photography - Alicia & Christo Deysel captured all the memories for us. They were amazing! A family friend took the video footage for us.
No. Looking back, I am very happy that I did not use a planner. I feel that planning and coordinating everything myself made it so much more special for me. However, I would not have been able to do it all without the support of my amazing husband, parents and our bridal party.
With the venue that we chose, we could not have a wedding car. But they did pull out a horse cart that they decorated with roses for us to use for photos.
The food was prepared by the venue, and the wedding cake was made by my mom.
The stationery was designed by Marinet from MG Designs, who was my maid of honor. The printing was done by Minuteman Press Centurion.
We took dancing lessons for about 3 months before the wedding for our extraordinary choreographed first dance. The lessons was provided by Maxine from the Beverly Hammond School of Dance and was absolutely worth it!
The dj, sound and lighting was provided by Louig Giano Italian Wedding Village.
