Our wedding kicked off when our Song 1000 years started to play ❤ thank you Dj
We took our Vows exchanged our Bling & cried happy tears ❤ our romantic celebrations were showered with soft fragrant rose petals as we drifted off into manicured gardens with cascading waterfalls to strike several poses ❤ we made our Grand Entrance at our reception shared our first meal as two hearts in Love
{it felt like walking on clouds }
Everyone cheered us with pink bubbly Blush Champagne ❤ we danced the night away twirling & swirling to our favourite Songs as though nobody was watching ❤
Spent our Wedding Night in the Honeymoon Hut soaking in the Jacuzzi tub filled with Romance ❤
P.s. will honeymoon abroad ✈
My Man & I knew from the moment we met that we are the perfect soul mates and wasted no time whatsoever to become soul mates with 10 days to say "I do" ...
MY DRESS
I felt perfect in a beautiful white Bridal Gown at Bride and Co - Gateway. I have a good neckline with a tiny waist and my dress maximised my good features an added bolero minimized my not so good features (my upper arms) while my mid-length veil complimented my look. I have a sentimental tattoo down the center of my back worth showing off and my dress did exactly that.
LINGERIE
My two aunts both with naughty written all over their faces went shopping at 028 Lingerie Durban North gifting me with satin smooth & silky Lingerie - the same aunts that set us up to date
Gideon my man chose the venue:
Macnut Farm & Wedding Venue and was the best kept secret right up to the rehearsal the evening before our Wedding. The VENUE took my breath away from the moment I stepped out of the car and onto the manicured lawns. A tiny Chapel with high stained glass windows was tucked away between the leafy trees and a stream gently splashed down an outcrop of rocks creating a sparkling waterfall. This setting was just perfect for my Garden Wedding surrounded by the sights & sounds of mother nature added bonus doves cooing in the tall trees nearby.
My BRIDAL SUITE boasted a king size Four Poster with snow white crisp clean bed linen and bath towels. The photographer was thrilled that the lighting in my dressing room was so picture perfect even the Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist complimented the perfect light
FAMILY ACCOMMODATION
My family were accommodated in three double rooms at the venue and we stayed the entire weekend on a bed & breakfast basis rounded off the morning after our Wedding with a huge full English Breakfast in the formal Dining area. This was very special as we joked shared wedding anecdotes and my new husband had the honours of saying 'Grace'.
GUEST ACCOMMODATION
Out of town Guests that required accommodation made use of Airbnb for their overnight requirements.
Being a no frills type of gal and a creature of habit I tend to be up to date with my well being and visit both my Doctor and my Dentist regularly. My Go To Happy Place ⏩ Sorbet Galleria Amanzimtoti they have my coffee ready for me as I arrive for my monthly Pedicure Manicure & Wax to no rush around last minute beauty regime for me I believe women should be up to date with their health & wellness. A 6km walk at least twice a week preferably on the beach also important for my physical & inner therapy. I use good quality Salon approved hair treatment products
trimming my hair frequently a little colour highlights to bring out natural lighting and sun streaks is a regular visit to my hair stylist Wendy at HeadGirls Amanzimtoti so with 10 days to my "I do" my hair was on point anyway much to the delight of Hello Honi {travelling Stylist} easy to work with well maintained hair - my crowning glory my Mom fondly refers to
OUR CEREMONY
My grass and heavy stone aisle was strewn with fresh rose petals by my adorable flower girls both dressed in satin fabric with floral flowers trimmed with gold. The Marital Arch was decorated in white roses. Little white wooden hearts hung everywhere and each wedding guest was given a handmade white tissue holder decorated with lace and labelled " for happy tears only" - everything representing white for purity of spirit even my bouquet was a dream come true - my Mom personally responsible for flying 3 Satin White King Proteas from Cape Town to Durban without crushing one petal {she probably would have tried to source them from Kirstenbosch Gardens if she couldn't find any elsewhere}
The sound of the stream trickling down over the rocks as we took our Vows in the most beautiful garden setting is something I will never forget. Our Ceremony was captivating. Our dashing Ring Bearer almost stealing the show in his black suite & bowtie teamed with a crisp white shirt. I am blessed with the best having a beautiful Maid of Honour that is also my best friend and soul sister. Her Wedding Planning skills and eye for detail ensured a glitch free ceremony. She was also responsible for the design and printing of our Order of Service booklets all tied up in pretty peach coloured bows.
My highlight was "the smooch" and everyone cheered hooray ❤
THE CHAPEL
Being inside the tiniest Chapel in the Southern Hemisphere was a surreal experience hard to describe. A single white King Protea stood proud in a silver vase at the Altar {thanks Mom} and candles flickered light on the walls. Dancing figurines {handpainted I'm told} on the high curved ceiling witnessed us signing our legal documents and also listened as we whispered sweetness to each other.
So intimate.
THE RECEPTION
After our photoshoot we made our Grand Entrance to our Reception Area. Colour colour and more colour. The long tables on either side of the hall were beautifully decorated by Hannah of Macnut Farm. Hannah is a multi talented lady and Art is her middle name. She has a natural flair and ability to create the right atmosphere and mood according to the bridal couple's style. When my Mom told her I am a colourful gal Hannah just knew that her floral arrangements must burst with colour. Hannah teamed her decor with Rose Gold vases and goblets some filled with of tiny white candles multiplied by mirrored centre pieces. The underplates were gold and the neatly folded linen napkins lily white. The polished silverware & cutlery together with crystal wine glasses gleamed in the subtle candle light. Hannah said although she has been 'doing' weddings for 20 years each wedding is unique and identifies with each couple's personality and individual taste. The lighting chosen by Paul, Hannah's husband (the couple co-own the farm) complicated her romantic mood setting complete with Sweetheart Table and Wishing Well [for wedding gifts] The ambience was soft & subtle with mauve undertones. Custom Monogram Lighting is really not our style.
THE BAR
The dimmed cosy pub area with rich red faux leather upholstered & silver studded castes and sofas created a "salon" type atmosphere. Pin Spot Lighting on the numerous sequined costumes displayed on the bar walls added a touch of Glamor and some Oh la la
My Groom, Gideon's sister inlaw went shopping to the largest Chinese Shopping Mall in the greater Durban area and sourced Ethans's outfit from The Wedding Store in the Mall. Gideon also shopped at Luxury Wedding Events and found a White Tailored Jacket for our Big Day well within his budget. My man chose his two brothers as his Groomsmen [Bestmen for short] the threesome are known as the Three Musketeers. They went shopping to tried & tested Truworths Man for their matching black collared & cuffed Black Shirts and their non-crease fitwell Men's Trousers were also tailored. Their matching colourful polka dot socks set their cheeky yet sophisticated tone. They are very close and share a special bond too personal to share. In fact, our Ring Bearer is the nephew of my Groom and while only just 2 years of age he is no stranger to a camera quite photogenic too. His name is, as mentioned above, Ethan and the all important Rings were carried on a beautiful satin white pillow bought, especially for our once in a lifetime occasion, at the same Chinese Mall as his smart outfit and bowtie.
FLOWER GIRLS
My flower girls, Rebecca and Hannah, are sisters and their Mom went shopping for their outfits to Woollies. She found matching colourful satin dresses and pretty floral head bands and teamed their look with golden "princess" court shoes for their dainty feet matched with soft pastel pink boleros adding just the right touch of prettiness to their Flower Girl Look exactly as I imagined being showered with soft delicate pastel coloured & fresh rose petals »»» I chose not to have an entourage of Bridesmaids and opted for a Maid of Honour instead. Sherena, my older sister, bought her outfit off the peg at Truworths, Cavendish Square Cape Town teaming her look with gold & silver stilettos that she wore on her Wedding day. Sherena choose stylish jewellery from her own collection and her bouquet included the other white King Protea {thx again Mom for flying Mango with 3 large white King Proteas on your lap} Must include my adorable 20 month old nephew, Carter Lentz, who performed the admirable task of announcing my arrival. He carried a chalkboard with the words 'here comes the Bride' boldly inscribed onto the slate - too cutie pie I thought!
A Pastor from Church on the Move in Malvern was our Marriage Officer. Her name is Dina Grobbelaar and she did a really beautiful ceremony. Her Prayer was really special to us and the words she spoke touched my heart strings. I remember feeling really relaxed as she lead us to say our Marriage Vows to each other ❤
Roxanne Larkan Photography:
Roxi is amazing behind her lense and from the moment she anmounced her arrival at the Bridal Suite I just knew everything was going to be fine. In her quiet spoken voice she clicked away at her camera making me feel completely at ease as I dressed for my Man. We had sooooo much fun at our photoshoot we were completely relaxed and enjoyed the laughter. The afternoon early evening was a photographer's dream come true as it was overcast which meant the lighting was picture perfect. We both highly recommend Roxi and her assistant - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love surprises and left everything in the capable hands of my Mother and my Sister.
Sherena is a born co-coordinator and loves planning weddings. She has successfully planned several of her friends weddings and is no stranger to checklists and clipboards.
Behind the scenes her timeline of events for our Wedding was followed almost with military precision. No glitches or flops or blisters ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Our wedding was on a farm so we arrived by car on Friday and left by car on Sunday - we were offered a ride on a tractor but we declined
Our wedding CAKE:
Did I mention I like surprises?
Our cake was top secret and we saw the explosion of colour for the first time when we made our Grand Entrance. We chose to cut and eat our taste of cake as soon as we entered our Reception - our first intimate act after our "kiss". My favourite and Gideon's too: decadent chocolate Gateau with white chocolate dripping or ganache decorated with fresh flowers and topped with a stencil of our pet names for each other:-
HonBun & My Love
Alta from J & A Creations Amanzimtoti take a bow your cake was beyond delicious
My multi talented multi tasking Sister and lovely Maid of Honour designed all our Stationery. As we announced we would be married in 10 (yes ten) days there was no time to print & post official wedding invitations therefore we opted for vitual invitations on Social media platforms and it worked for us besides we prefer to protect our forest trees thus avoiding paper usage
SPEECHES
Wedding speeches are usually the icebreakers at weddings and some secrets are exposed for all to hear - but that's the fun part ! Even when my Dad walked me down the stone aisle and lifted my veil I knew he was proud of being my Dad just as much as I was proud of being his daughter - his speech was short but very fatherly and his Toast well received.
My sister's speech poem and kind words and even spilling the beans on my pet hobby brought tears to my eyes and laughter till I ached.
My Mom's Speech was more directed toward her new Son in Law Gideon - who can blame her as she met him for the first time at our Wedding rehearsal the night before we tied the knot!
The Bestmen aka Groomsmen took turns to welcome me into their family and seemed genuinely delighted that their bachelor brother has finally found himself a beautiful bride (me of course) ...
The DJ and MC just happens to be Gideon's bestie - the combo worked well and was of special significance to Gideon as the pair have known each other for ages and ages being in sync with instructions. The music was great all the 80's & 90's stuff to dance to - my Father Daughter Dance was very special and our First Dance un rehearsed completely off the cuff we drifted in each other's arms twirling and swirling on the dance floor we were miles away in our own world oblivious of our guests watching us TOSSING OF THE BOUQUET
a century old tradition- in my life I have catch many bridal bouquet's as a single gal so when I got to throw mine and I simply smiled and pondered at the pretty young girl who caught mine- wondering when will it be her Special Day...?
TOSSING OF MY GARTER
Gideon was blindfolded with his tie and had to find & feel his way around to the beat of the tune "a little bit of Monica in my life" - after much shy fumbling he found my beautifully handmade garter and after the tossing it was caught by a pre-pubescent boy whose Mother promptly returned it to me ... a souvenir to keep forever in sentimental bag handmade many moons ago by a good friend Estelle Viviers Xx it's turn to shine
LIGHTING AND SOUND
All taken care of by Paul of Macnut Farm - perfect sound system perfect lighting in fact after 20 years of doing weddings Paul and Hannah have got it all down to a fine art.
DANCING LESSONS
Nope - Gideon and me - we are naturals on the dance floor just like we met and fell in love we are meant for each other - who needs lessons...!
We have a beautiful and colourful wedding and it took just 10 days XX
