Where do I begin, one of my favourite moments .. by far was seeing my Fiance's sons in suits ... Yes I was not only Marrying the man of my dreams but became a mother. Such a spectacular moment in my life. A highlight was definitely having ACDC's " Shook me all night long" as our entrance song at our reception .. fun and shaking our booties we made a definite statement of what was to follow.
We had a Staymoon ... We got married in December & all our family from Cape Town,Port Elizabeth &George gave up the ocean to be with us on our special day in Pretoria so we hosted Christmas for the first time officially as MR. & Mrs De Jager.We are planning our honeymoon a bit later this year.
Classic. Timeless. Elegant. As the oldest grandchild and the first to get married, I decided I had to set the trend. I stuck to what suited me best. My hair thanks to my very special friend of 15 Years Uzaan Laubscher @ Nevaeh, Lashes & Nails by her dream team Philecia van Breda & Riana Claassen Wentzel @ Nevaeh, and Finally Make-up by the divine artist Danielle Burger.. they could not have done a better job!
The dress... I fell in love with Karmen by Blue by Enzoani 2018, I was blessed have the stunning advice of Belinda from Whimsical Bridal who let myself,my mom & Godmother choose 5 dresses... she said to me that I need to listen very carefully .. the right one will just whisper it ... she said each dress had a voice , just listen to the one who spaks to you! And there is was I heard it ... "I am Yours" - Karmel. Stunning breathtakingly Classic & Elegant - She beat every expectation & Fit like a glove, and blew everyone's breath away.
The Lovely Sunette manager at L'Aquila Country Estate Managed our Special day.With onsite Chapel, Reception, Spa, Accommodation what more could a bride ask for? A hands on team , with in-house suppliers (Décor & Flowers) that know the Venue , know what is needed & thus a very trusted team. I had the time of my life , the food was spectacular ... everyone was delighted to see the stunningly prepared different courses & delicious ! Guests were still able to book into vacant rooms at the very last minutes... and we could rest easily knowing our family & friends who stayed far & danced till late were safe & sound. Plus .. a stunning breakfast the next morning was the perfect platform to chat about special moments from the Big day before.
Health & Fitness , If you don't love yourself , how can you expect someone else to love you. Acceptance was a big part of my wedding day , embracing myself , my partner & celebrating our health & the fact that we were blessed to find one another . I don't believe in changing or going to extreme measures before your wedding day - remember your partner needs to recognize you .. he is committing to a lifetime with the person he fell in love with .. who is not necessary the slimmest fittest fairest of them all so why try so hard. Not to mention that a sudden change in diet , rise in stress & a new routine to stick to will just tire you out & add unnecessary strain on yourself & your relationship.
In-house Flowers / Décor & Candles were supplied by the teams from Bridal Lounge & Royal Candles, trusted in the hands of Sunette manager at L'Aquila. She did an amazing job, and noted that there is a tight budget & she assisted where possible to have my dream come to life, I wanted an elegant setting .. something that will remind us of the French ballrooms - dusty Blue & Gold set the colour palette & from there Sunette did the rest, My favourite were the large Candelabra which had a swirl of flowers draped down them... stunning !
Getting the perfect suit was very important to my handsome groom. He has a very unique sense of style & not just any old suit would do. After Months of Searching he found the perfect 3 piece suit at Woolworths , known for it's quality it was perfect & the Groomsmen could also easily purchase the matching suits. A very important note that the groomsmen are not to be neglected as they have a very important role to fulfil ... to compliment the groom of course!
Budget Budget Budget, Finding a dress that would suit the Bridesmaids budget was very important ... often Bridezilla takes over & poor ladies who love & support her go through extreme lengths to please her.. I felt that I had to find something that is affordable, could be used again & still suits the theme of the wedding. I found Anzelle at Lingerette Boutique & I was very pleased with her service, with little stress & effort I had the perfect dresses for all 3 my bridesmaids & Flower girl delivered to my door in good time before the wedding too. All the dresses fit perfectly and because of the Infinity style they could each put their own twist on the look which was great!
Wow , Pastor Tommie was fantastic. We don't belong to a Church & we had a lot of concern that we would not find someone willing to marry us , or that we would find someone that would charge us an arm & a leg . However this was not the case with Pastor Tommie. He sat us down, we had a lengthy conversation & be the end of the night we were happy to leave the most important task to him. He is also a Professional Trauma councillor & boasts with a Doctor in Criminology(Domestic Violence) & Hons BDC Psychology - thus we have made a great friend & should we ever go through troubled waters we know that we can trust him to guide us through the storms.
I am so grateful to have had Photographer Margaux & her Videographer husband Pieter from Margaux Cronjé Photography capture my Wedding. They were amazing I every way, I received some sneak preview pictures & can't wait to see the rest. Being recently married themselves they know what moments were most important & could never be replaced, they were funny & intimate made us laugh & showed us how to pose which made the experience so much Fun ! Margaux cute quirky comments .. after every second click there was a gasp or a shout " Oelalaaaa" and that just makes a bride feel insanely stunning & confident! I can't thank them enough & look forward to the rest of the pictures & video.
Sunette Ferreira @ L'Aquila did it all ! Never a dull moment , and in all the excitement & busy craziness she was calm & collected & that was greatly appreciated. She assisted everywhere , from organising the DJ, the photographer the MC she and checking on the bride to make sure I'm happy & if I needed anything else .. Blessed to have had her at the centre of the madness which let to a massive success!
