My darling hubby Michael and I met at high school and even dated back then. Our lives have moved in different directions over the years, but recently we reconnected via LinkedIn. I was living in London and Michael in Cape Town, so our relationship has been a long distance one. Our wedding day was the beginning of our new life together in Cape Town. Unfortunately it did mean that many of my friends were not able to make it, but we looped them in on Facebook Live.
Sadly my folks both passed on many years ago, but my brother and I are close in age and have been best friends since we were little, so it was fitting that he was the one to give me away on the day. In honour of my Scottish heritage I wore the Campbell clan colours down the isle, which my brother ceremonially took from me instead of lifting the veil as I'd opted not to wear a veil.
I was so incredibly happy all day and walking down the isle as I caught Michael's eye we were both caught in a moment of emotion - just sheer joy really. It is truly wonderful to marry your best friend.
During our "two of us" photoshoot our amazing photographer Tiana Smith from Beloved Photography took us out to one of the neighbouring farms. It had been raining during the day, so the ground was wet. But my clever hubby had packed my welly boots, so there are some funny pics of me romping around like a crazy princess in a wedding dress and welly's.
I can honestly say it was one of the happiest days of my life.
We spent a few luxurious days at a boutique hotel in Hermanus called Mosselberg on Grotto. I can highly recommend the Southern Right Suite as the huge glass doors on two sides of the room provide the most spectacular view and you can watch the whales frolicking in the waves from the comfort of your lounge.
Each night they lit a cosy fire and gave us a nightcap with choccies. Littlie touches like that make such a fab impression.
My dress was second hand from a bridal boutique in Seven Oaks in England called Brides Dress Revisited. It was a Dolce satin fit and flare dress with a silver satin overlay by Essence of Australia. The shoes were sparkly silver strappy sandals by Carvela Kurt Geiger. My side tiara was from Debenhams. As any traditional bride, I stuck to the something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue for good luck ... for old I wore my Mum's wedding ring on my right hand, everything else was new to me apart from a cream faux fur stole that I borrowed from my sister and of course my blue was in my garter.
Hair and make up by Minke du Plessis who did a fantastic job of meeting all the ladies different requests and making us look stunning.
Freelance Professional Hair and Make-up artist in the Western Cape who specializes in bridal hair and make-up.
Our wedding ceremony and reception was held at De Malle Meul in Philadelphia which is about 20 minutes outside Durbanville, Cape Town. The venue is a repurposed Mill and still has the mill wheel in the building. The venue is perfect for a smaller wedding and has many "shabby chic" and quaint features that make it a perfect wedding venue.
We stayed overnight in local guest houses that were furnished with traditional and contemporary items and were very comfortable.
I was trying desperately to loose a few pounds before the big day, so I was religiously doing my "Couch to 5k" 3 times a week. The ladies also had a spa day at Thyme and Wellness spa just before the wedding to make sure our skin was flawless and we looked well rested and pampered.
We had very simple décor with just flowers and candles on the tables. Mabel from Die Gieter in Paarl provided our décor and bouquets.
My lovely hubby and his best man donned light grey suits and black shoes ala James Bond style. Their lavender waistcoats and ties were from Dessy in the US. Suits hired from local Mr Suit. My hubby is crazy about Star Wars, so I managed to get him a pair of rebel alliance cufflinks from Etsy and the bestman wore golfing themed cufflinks.
My bridesmaid wore a dark lavender floor length dress from Debenhams and my gorgeous flower girl a party dress from Monsoon.
Our minister was the Rector of a local church and had been my congregational minister in the UK whilst he had been posted to London for a season. It was wonderful to have someone who knows me to perform the ceremony and provide biblical wisdom in the talk.
The lovely Tiana Smith from Beloved Photography took our wonderful pictures for the day. She made us so comfortable that it was like having another member of the family there. Our photo's are simply stunning and she has captured our day perfectly.
I planned my wedding myself with plenty of help from my lovely hubby who was closer to the action with me in London. I had so much fun doing it that I've started my own Wedding Planning business, so if you know anyone that needs a hand with a wedding in Cape Town, ask them to drop me a line. You can find me on Facebook @jillyandersonweddings.
The caterers, Two Food Fundies, a husband a wife team that specialise in classic menus with a contemporary twist, provided us with a banquet that our guests are still raving about.
My cake was from Lizel's Cakes in Paarl. She made two, one was the Wedding Cake and the other was a surprise for my groom. He's mad about Star Wars, so we had a Death Star carrot cake with bride and groom storm troopers on the top.
We opted for paperless invitations and used a Website called Appy Couple that creates both a website and an App that can be downloaded onto Smart devices. It was fantastic as I was able to keep up to date with all our responses and replies on my phone and what's more is the App sends out reminders to guests on your behalf so you spend very little time chasing to find out who's attending. It also ensures that everyone has the right details for each event they are invited to.
Michael insisted we took dance lessons which we did in Cape Town just a few weeks before the wedding. On the night we fudged our moves a little, but all in all it was a little bit "Strictly".
Our DJ from Agape Studios provided our sound and lighting and did a brilliant job of keeping the dance floor full.
Freelance Professional Hair and Make-up artist in the Western Cape who specializes in bridal hair and make-up.
