We met in April 2015 at the Jolly Roger Pub in parkhurst after a friend's farewell. Our first date was on the 30th of April 2015 and its been two years of adventures since then. I've been blessed with not only the perfect husband but two amazing Ginger kids aged 10 and 12. The three of them welcomed me into the family from day one.
We are expecting our first baby boy at the end of this year.
We planned a weekend away to Cape Town to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. My husband booked dinner at The Test Kitchen in Cape Town but our flight was delayed by 3 hours! So he had to make another plan and I think the nerves got too much for him and he then proposed at home. He arranged for my best friend of 25 years to wait at The Fairway Hotel to celebrate with a bottle of bubbles. We then flew to Cape Town at 7:30pm that evening and ended up at a small little Italian restaurant that was still open at 10:30pm.
The weekend was full of supersizes from amazing restaurants to seeing great friends to celebrate our engagement. Our baby is an engagement baby!
My husband took great care with the rings he had made by remembering what I pointed out at shops and showed him on pictures during the last year. He had the perfect rings made and they are both the perfect size!
Our wedding was at The Fairway Hotel in Randpark and one thing I can say about the wedding is that our day flew by! Every step of the day was made memorable by my friends and family.
My suite was decorated with flowers and champagne. My friend did my make up whilst my mother and aunt steamed my dress. It was a very special morning having all my favourite women in my life with me.
Sharing my last 20 minutes as a Miss with my dad before we entered the chapel for the last bit of life advise was so needed. I would recommend that all brides make sure they have enough time to share that time.
The next surprise waited for me in the chapel. My friend and her band mate played the wedding march live on a violin and harp as I walked down the isle. This was arranged by her and my husband without spilling the beans before the wedding.
We made our way onto the Vista Deck to cut the cake (which I made myself) for the guests to enjoy with a cup of pea and eisbein soup while went down to take some pictures. The cake was layers of brie cheese filled with preserves, nuts and ginger cookie crumbs.
Our wedding was kid friendly and it was so special to see the little girls taking everything in.
The rest of the evening flowed smoothly with speeches and delicious dinner. We opened the dance floor to L.O.V.E by Natalie Cole. Our DJ was great with his playlist consisting of golden oldies, classics and the latest favourites. They played music that our guests could sing along to and that kept them on the dance floor for hours.
We ended the night after mid night in our suite, just the two of us enjoying a night cap and some chocolates.
We spent a couple of days at The Palace of the Lost City. We will go on a second honeymoon next year when the baby is a bit bigger and can stay at his grandparents for a couple of days. I will then be able to enjoy the food and drinks that Europe has to offer.
My wedding colours were Rose Gold, Blush and Burgundy. My ring is quite vintage so I stuck to the vintage theme for my hair and jewellery. My dress was a fitted sweetheart neck line with a loose and flowey bottom half. My shoes were vintage blush pumps.
The Fairway Hotel. We got three complementary rooms for the night for us and both sets of parents. Most guests made a weekend of it and stayed in the hotel. The hotel gave all of the guests a 50% discount on the rooms for one night as part of our wedding package.
I can highly recommend The Fairway. They are very professional and very easy to work with. They have great winter specials and I must admit that they were the most accommodating out of all of the wedding venues we visited.
I did not do much before the wedding in terms of the above. I am not one for too much pampering. Planning a wedding is expensive enough.
I cut out carbs and high fat foods for the three months leading up to the wedding. I was also in my first trimester of my pregnancy so I could not eat much anyway.
I went to my hairdresser the morning of my wedding for my hair and my friend did my make up.
Decor: white trees, glass baubles, tea candles, rose gold linen, blush pink lighting and little trees made with sweets for the kids.
The wedding was in the ballroom at the venue and we had the Vista deck for the smokers.
The lighting was a soft blush pink that enhanced the decor colours. Our stage/dance floor was a standard floor that the venue provides.
The groom and groomsmen were dressed in dark brown suits from Eurobride. The suites were rented. They all had blush pink ties and an off white shirt. The outfits were completed with funky Happy Socks.
The two bridesmaids had black dresses which they bought for themselves. I did not have a style preference for them - they could choose what they felt comfortable in.
The flower girl dress and shoes came from Cotton On
Prof Sakkie Spangenberg
Francois Booyens Productions
0829419226
We did not want a video. Francois did a great job! We could not be happier. He sent us over 500 edited images two weeks after the wedding. He also had a A3 book photo book printed as part of our package.
John Meyburgh Event and Floral Design.
071 555 2038
He did a fantastic job! I was the most relaxed bride throughout the planning process and during the event. If you have extra cash to spend on a planner - DO IT! Your day will be much more memorable and you will not stress about a thing!
We used Golf Carts at the venue
The food was prepared by the venue. Fantastic food! All my guests complimented us on the best wedding food yet!
The wedding cake was three layers of Brie cheese with cream cheese, preserves and ginger biscuits in between and on top. The cake was made by myself. I bought the cheese and preserves from La Marina in Modderfontein.
I did it myself and printed at Jetline.
We panicked three days before the wedding at got two dance lessons from a dance studio in Randburg.
Our DJ was supplied by Blast Entertainment.
I had the live band in the chapel - Urban Strings 076 651 2433 larah@urbanstrings.co.za
Our exquisite Windsor Ballroom hosts up to 180 wedding guests and the wedding ceremony can be held either in the East or West Chapel. Although we recommend hosting weddings of ...
