I went to visit a friend in st. Lucia for a week in KZN and she was overly excited to introduce me to all her friends from her hometown. I wasn't keen on meeting new people, especially guys, but I eventually agreed to meet them as she assured me that I would be safe with them, especially this Reinhardt-guy whom she sees as her older brother... We decided to make use of the John Dory's Wednesday half price sushi special and that is where it all began. My eyes kept meeting Reinhardt's eyes, and he decided to innocently break the ice by bringing me a blue John Dory's balloon and that's where it all started! A week after I was back in Bloem, he messaged me on facebook and it was as if we have been friends forever. What I thought was just going to be a holiday fling ended up being the love of my life!
I have waited for months for that special day!!! He already asked my dad for his blessing in December 2016, and I knew about everything as I was with him when he blurted it out that he wants to marry me... however, the proposal was a different story - it was all so thoroughly planned that I did not expect one thing. He waited a few months longer than he initially planned for my engagement ring to be finished, when he told me to just start planning the wedding because we both wanted to get married in July and time was running out. Eventually he planned a very romantic home cooked dinner for us the evening before our 2nd anniversary, he even had my mom calling me that day to tell me that she's heard the "bad news" about my ring which is going to take another week be finished! So, after many disappointments because of this ring that just doesn't arrive, I stopped wondering and over thinking stuff. I prepared myself for a romantic evening, celebrating our anniversary... He sat me down to a candle lit dinner at his house, and just when I was about to finish my dessert he jumped up, knelt next to me and presented the most beautiful pink morganite ring while "officially" asking me to become his wife.
The hardest part of planning my wedding was the fact that I was 800 km from my venue. I live in the upper part of KZN, near st. Lucia, but wanted to get married in my home town - Bloemfontein. One week before our wedding my mom and I went to the venue to finalize a few things, but upon our arrival we learned that our reception hall didn't have a roof and only half a wall. Needless to say, we were going to have to change venues... Luckily our venue had more than one hall, and our 130 guests would fit perfectly inside the smaller one, however, our decor needed to change, along with the draping, seating corners, etc. We had a week to start rethinking and redo everything, I was blessed with the most awesome venue manager and draping specialist who helped to ensure we had the perfect day! My bridesmaids helped me with all the smaller details and together with everyone who jumped in and helped we had a more perfect day than what was initially planned for. From the food to the decor and everything in between, I would not change one thing accept that I want to experience the day all over again!
On Sunday morning after our wedding my husband and I left for Clarens to enjoy a week of rest in the Maluti mountains. It was a surprise for me, as he did not tell me where we were going before hand. We had a wonderful time, enjoying time with each other, taking in the scenery and resting as much as we could after a very busy 6 months of wedding planning.
I wanted to go for a classic and timeless bridal look. I was lucky enough to have found my dream wedding dress at Olivelli in Bloemfontein, it was a princess cut dress designed by Sottero & Midgley and I felt like a princess-bride the moment I put the dress on.
I went for a silver shoe, seeing that our wedding was white and silver and I liked the idea of the shoe fitting in with the wedding. My dress had silver Schwarovski crystals on, so it went perfectly with the silver shoes.
My hair and make-up was the hardest thing for me to decide upon, as I wanted my whole look to fit together and to complement my style for the wedding. Karle Potgieter, my make-up artist transformed me into a classic burlesque doll with her timeless technique. My hairstylist ensured that my hair was put up in the most perfect bridal up-do that I have ever seen, with not one string of hair out of place - and it stayed like that until the next morning!
My corset dress ensured that I did not need to wear a bra under my dress, but I did want to do something special with my panties, so I bought a little white lace number which I gave to one of my bridesmaids to do something special with it, as she is training to become a designer. She ended up sewing "I Do" on the backside with Schwarovski crystals, and it is something I will always cherish!
My "something borrowed" was my earings. My mom's best friend is in the jewellery industry and I have always admired her pearls, so she lent me a pair which went perfectly with my classic bridal look.
For the evening's cold weather I had a fur shawl draped around my shoulders that we fastened with one of my late grandmother's antique pearl-like pins with silver accents.
Everything I wore on my wedding day made me feel closer to a classic princess bride than I have ever imagined. My look was timeless and I hope that my daughter would one day say that she wants to look like her mom on her wedding day.
We got married at Monte Bello Estate in Bloemfontein - a venue I would recommend to each and every bride to be! Most of our guests came from far, so they had to stay the night, luckily Monte Bello has accomodation also, so the could all stay there and enjoy the evening with us till the end!
Before my wedding I knew that I wanted to loose atleast 6kg's. When we started planning our wedding I immediately also started to lead a healthier lifestyle and working out for the big day. I did some low-level body weight training and cardio, but what mostly helped was eating the right things and drinking huge amounts of water. In the end I lost 8kg's before my wedding and I have never felt heathier and more happy with my body!
I also started using facial products which would hydrate my skin. A week before my wedding I went to my therapist to treat me with a low profile chemical peel which made my skin glow and free of any spots.
The Friday before our wedding me, my mom and my three bridesmaids were treated with a full body hot stone massage to relax and unwind. I would recommend this to every bride, as it really made me relax and enjoy the exciting time ahead.
Our decor and flowers were done by a very good family friend who've dreamed about our big day with me from the start! Maretha from Function & Wedding House in Bloemfontein helped me to have my winter wedding with a warm touch and I would not change a thing! Our guests were seated at tables with white and silver linen, crystal, candles and red roses. I wanted to go for a clean, classy and elegant look with lots of candles for a warm atmosphere, and red roses, because it is my favorite flower and what is a wedding without flowers? I had to incorporate my love for bling and the crystal were complimented by the candles everywhere. The drapings and lighting were done in such a way that made the whole reception come together and feel like a unity, with the table decor, flowers, fairylights and drapings. We had crystal chandeliers hanging low and fairylights put all over the ceiling, which made the hall look like a winter wonderland fairytale. We also had two seating corners with white and silver furniture and a fairylight backdrop on each side. Our wedding were the most beautiful fairytale wedding I have ever seen. A timeless and elegant affair is how I would describe the whole event.
My most handsome groom were dressed in a charcoal color tailored suit which we bought in Johannesburg,with a white shirt and silver tie. His groomsmen were dressed in a slightly lighter colored suit than my husband which they hired from Euro Suit, also with a white shirt and silver tie.
My bridesmaids were dressed in silver tulle dresses which complimented my wedding dress. They had detailed bodices with lace and silver embelishments, and tulle skirts. To ward off the cold weather, they had silver shawls to drape over their shoulders. Their hair and make-up was elegantly done, with smokey eyes, red lips and a low bun. Part of their gifts from me was their silver and pearl earrings which rounded the whole elegant look off.
My parent's preacher at their church married us on Christian standards and believes.
Snap photography did our photo's, and I would not use any other photographer ever again! Perfect Pear did our video.
We did not make use of a photo booth, we rather had the photographers take candid pictures of all the guests enjoying our wedding.
I did event planning myself, so I planned the wedding with the help of my mom and the venue manager at Monte Bello, who ensured that I had everything I wanted and more!
We rented an old 1930's Ford to transport me to the venue from my parent's home, where I got dressed.
Monte Bello has their own chef and staff who provided delicious food! Our wedding cake was done by one of our dearest friends, who loves cooking in his spare time. Our wedding cake, however, was a challenge for him as he has never baked before. He went on a few courses and had some training in working with fondant, etc. The cake came out moist and delicious and absolutely beautiful!
Our stationery, along with our logo, I designed myself, we printed it from home and my bridesmaids helped to cut, paste and embelish everything.
We went for one dancing lesson just to have a choreographed first dance, which we enjoyed a lot! Our MC's ensured that the guests were ready to party and enjoy the night with us by the time we got back from our photo shoot, and we had a blast from the moment we were introduced as Mr. & Mrs. Hedder. The guests played games, competed for the garter and flowers and danced the night away with us until our feet could not take it anymore. Even weeks after the wedding we still hear about how our guests enjoyed the wedding - the most fun and enjoyable wedding we have ever experienced!
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