Once upon a time....
...well, fourteen years ago, we met each other with an unexpected eye contact as we passed at the High school stairs... and it was love at first site!
High-school sweethearts and each others first love... only lasted for three years when our paths were destined to split.
We knew the fire still burnt inside, but accepted what was meant to be. Living our own separate lives, seeing the world, we always stayed friends but never expected this...
...ten years passed... but our paths were meant to cross again! Having learnt hard lessons and maturing into two beautiful souls, our love is now unbreakable until the end of time.
Whats meant to be... will be...and true love never fails. Finally together forever... the perfect love story merrily continues! ♡♡♡
Wow... where to begin? I know that this sounds very cliche, but from the moment my eyes opened that morning... the whole day was memorable!
To mention only a few:
~ Seeing my daddy's face when he saw me for the first time;
~ Making eye contact with hubby as I walked in (him tearing up with love);
~ Exchanging our personal vows;
~ Such a fun photo shoot;
~ Being welcomed as Mr & Mrs Hartman;
~ My dance with my daddy;
~ Me and hubby's first dance in the clouds;
~ The original game that the two of us played was so much fun;
~ The yummy food!!!
~ Great friends and family made every moment perfect!
O yes, we most certainly did! We believe that the Honeymoon is a very important part of starting your new life together as ONE, so we made sure ours was an unforgettable vacation :-)
Where did we go? Well let me start off by saying that my dearest husband tried his best to plan a surprise destination for our honeymoon... but because we know each other so well and are not used to keeping secrets - he accidentally revealed the name of the place (a week before the wedding) in an ordinary discussion between ourselves. The look on his face when he realized this, was just priceless!!!
We have always talked about how beautiful our own country is and how many gorgeous places South Africa still has to explore... so I was very happy to learn that we would be honeymooning for 2 weeks in the heart of the most beautiful place I know :- Natures Valley near Plettenberg Bay in the lovely Eastern Cape. This is a place to fall in-love with every time! Its a perfect combination of "bush veld" and sea. The abundance of trees, wild antelope (walking freely through the gardens), wide range of birds and other animals assures that you have a very intimate and peaceful break-away. The walking distance from the beach with mountain views gave us the best of both worlds all in one.
We had a fantastic time!
My wedding look was inspired by my husband himself, without him knowing it.
Long before we got married, he started calling me his "Flower-Child". In his own words he describes the meaning as a lady that has a natural, soft and very feminine appearance and personality - but also representing your own uniqueness and personal beauty. He even engraved this word on the inside of my wedding ring ♡
I wanted to look exactly like my own version of a "Flower-Child", therefore having lots of flowers, lace and pearly accessories.
Hair and make-up matched the above description perfectly thanks to the lovely Natascha-Lee Le Riche (from Kimani Hair and Nails) and Elzane Westerman (Professional Make-up Artist).
I designed my own wedding dress as I wanted a unique look with a combination of "elegant sexy" as well as "soft and feminine". I wanted a dress that would be perfect for the Rustic-Chic wedding theme on our own farm, but at the same time representing my own personality. A dear aunt of mine who has many years of dress-making experience, helped me convert my design into a beautifully unique hand-made wedding dress! The dress consisted of a combination of lace, pearls, swarovski crystals, champagne bridal-nett with a golden shimmer and a flower-pattern detailed bridal-belt.
I had two different kinds of shoes. The first being more elegant and fit for the ceremony, also complimenting my legs and dress-design. The second pare of shoes were Harley Davidson country boots, allowing a rustic look-and-feel with comfort for the rest of the evening's celebrations.
Amante Bridal Wear was the perfect place to find stylish jewellery, matching the dress's pearl-and-swarovski detail, as well as a very feminine champagne garter.
I loved the end result of my unique look as everything came together on that day.
We got married on our own farm, situated near Bethal (Mpumalanga). This beautiful farmhouse was designed and built by my husband and his grandfather a few years ago. From the moment I saw it, I wanted to convert our own house into an intimate and fun Wedding Venue for our own wedding. The farmhouse was absolutely PERFECTLY built for a small wedding, and now the sentimental value of our Hartman home just keeps growing!
Some guests stayed over at Guest Houses in Bethal, such as "Bluegum Country Lodge", "Die Groen Koei" and "Under Elm Trees" while close family and friends enjoyed visiting relatives in Bethal for the weekend.
My hubby asked the big question on the 20th of July 2017, and since we have known each other for 14 years, we decided that we didn't want to waste any more time. Therefore, I didn't have a lot of preparation time for extra fitness and treatments, but rather tried to continue a healthy lifestyle and diet. I did take extra care of my skin with Annique facials and tried to visit the dentist often for healthy teeth. Being so busy planning a wedding in such a short time gave me plenty of exercise. I think the best beauty regime for me, leading up to my wedding, was the joy and excitement... happiness is the key ingredient for a healthy, natural beauty!
Decor was 95% handmade by myself and mom... it was a perfect combination of rustic and elegance and we enjoyed every moment making it together! Even hubby helped sticking flowers and painting ♡♡♡
The color-scheme was perfect for Spring. All combinations of pink and purple, hessian, lace, wood and bronze gave it the breathtaking and very modern look of Rustic-Chic.
We did so much recycling while creating all the bottles and tins into decor more beautiful than I could ever imagine, simultaneously saving money and making use of Mother Nature's stunning elements.
All cutlery, crockery, tables, chairs and table cloths were hired from Fresh Ideas with the friendliest and most helpful ladies.
A wide variety of beautiful fresh flowers were supplied by our local florist Imbali.
Lighting and music were done by another stunning supplier - Night Life Productions. The owner and DJ made sure that our day was everything we had ever dreamed about!! While the lighting brought our hand-made decor to life... they also made sure that the variety of music played were enjoyed by young and old!
We were so privileged to have met Ds. Dolf Germishuys (owner of S.O.S Marriage Ministries) whome did alot of pre-wedding preparation with us. He truly lead a Service that no-one will ever forget, and we have it captured on CD for life!
Over 1000 photos of our perfect day were captured by the amazing Morne Oosthuysen... friend and brilliant photographer whome I have known and taken photos with for 14 years! He captured every single emotion, detail of decor, family and friends, funny photos, intimate photos.... you name it!!!
My lovely mom and life-long best friend, Paula du Preez, helped me every step of the way with planning, organizing, making our own decor, budgeting etc. With absolutely no experience in this field... the two of us made an awesome team in creating MY FAIRY-TALE DREAM WEDDING ♡
I designed my own menu with all the traditional favorite family recipes.
With the help of family and friends who made all the food and the smell of succulent lamb being roasted by a professional caterer (The Viking Services)... this traditional "Farm Feast" was an absolute winner!
The beautiful Chocolate Brownie Kahlua cake and Strawberry Cheesecake cupcakes were made by the one and only Olyvia Bester (Olives Homemade Heart-warmers).
I made use of Unique & Personal who did an incredible job, and in such short time, personalizing all the finishing touches for our special day. From personalized hangers, T-shirts, gowns, and handkerchiefs, to gift boxes and heel-stoppers!
I also used Peartree Handmade Crafts for my hubby's personalized wedding gift :-)
