The entire day was a highlight for me! All my dreams and desires coming together in one absolutely perfect day. After waiting and praying for this day for so many years, it was everything I could have dreamed of and more...so so much more. The weather was perfect, the sun shining like it hadn't all week, made the outdoor setting absolutley breathtaking and fairytale 'mooi'. Set out in the paddock of an old farmyard, under the shade of elegantly tall trees and a massive old oak, rows of wooden benches and shepherd hooks lined the aisle for us to walk down.
These are a few of the moments that made this day memorable:
My 90 year old grandfather, Gumpy, gave an awesome blessing but the biggest blessing was having had him with us on this day, he has played a huge role in the lady I have become and never stopped praying for my husband.
I had the priveledge of having both my parents walk me down the aisle and my dad not only gave me away, but performed the entire ceremony too!
After having been called the run-away bride by friends and family alike I decided to wear my running shoes under my dress for a laugh...and gave them to my husband as part of our vows to show that I had finally stopped running because I chose him. Friends thought I might run and blocked the aisle with their legs :) and my husband asked where my 'proper' shoes were...hahaha. Think he was a little worried..
I am much shorter than my husband and we joked that I needed a box to stand on so that I could kiss him...he jokingly made me one for our engagement shoot which I then had my nephew take to our ceremony and he came up and quickly placed it for me before our 'first' kiss....on the box are the words "so I can kiss you whenever I want"
I loved the fact that the day was not bound by traditions and 'the way things are done', we had so so much fun just being who we are and showing our family the quirky side us that makes us the couple we are.
Under the LARGE branches of a 100 year old Oak tree we said I DO to forever, with all of our closest friends and family there to witness and share in our joy.
My husband planned a 2 week adventure for us...which wa incredible as we both love to explore and cannot stay in 1 place too long...
We started off with a night at Timamoon in Hazeyview
2 nights at Kruger Park Lodge
1 night at Palano Hotel in Maputo
3 nights at Golden Sands Beach in Ponta do ouro, Mozambique
3 nights at Hluhluwe River Lodge
3 nights at a friends beach house in Zinkwazi, KZN
It was pure bliss and I would not change a thing about my surprise honeymoon, loved every moment.
I am very natural, so I didnt want anything over the top or too different.
My hair was done up in plaites and curls by the very talented Karima Geoghegan of Salon Heads Inn, in Ermelo, with a flower garland of roses and blue thistles down one side, made by Marie se Blomwinkel, Ermelo.
My make-up as well as my bridesmaids and my moms, was done beautifully and naturally by one of my friends who has her own beauty studio, Elma Dos Reis of Beauty Lounge, also in Ermelo.
My dress was whimsical and beautiful. It was incredibly comfortable and I fell in love with it the first time I tried it on. It was the first dress I tried on and couldnt believe that I felt so amazing or that it actually fit me, I felt like a princess. I didnt think you could decide on a dress after the first fitting so I went to my other appointments but ended up going back for my dress :) It was everything I wanted. It had the low-cut back, with beautiful detail and sheer netting. The front was beautifully embroidered with pearls, beads and crystals on the bodice and trimmed with a crystal belt to separate the bodice from the chiffon layered skirt in ivory.
It was elegant and a little sparkly without being over-the-top.
My shoes were a soft, dusty pink peep-toe pair with a short heel and an ankle strap, they looked like dancing shoes :) and had a beautiful glittered bow over the toe.
I found my gorgeous dress and cute wedding shoes at Bridal Wardrobe
Bridal Wardrobe is the leading stockist of all Enzoani Collections in South Africa and caters for the modern bride who wants to be at the forefront of the latest designer trends.
We were married at Kralinbergh Guest House and Wedding Venue - Grace Finds Love
The venue has 8 rooms, 2 of which were kept for grandparents and the rest were booked on first come first serve basis. Ermelo, our closest town is a mere 3km drive (if that) from the venue so guests were able to book into B&B's and guesthouses there too. Many of our guests come from the area so simply went back home.
Due to an accident when I was very young, where my front tooth got broken in half and had never been fixed properly, I decided to have my teeth whitened and capped before the wedding.
Dr CC Pretorius of Laeveld Dental Laboratory in Nelspruit, did an absolutely stunning job.
I chose the venue for its beautiful wooden tables...they were handmade by the owners grandfather, and were everything I wanted. I decided on the venue because of the tables, it was the one thing I had wanted and was a must have on my list...so when I walked into the venue and saw the tables I was sold!
I didnt want to detract from the beauty of the tables, so no tablecloths were used. I used penny gum leaves, roses, tea light candles and candlelabra and desert roses for the table decor.
The penny gum runners ran over the edges of the tables to complete the look and soften it too. Grey chargers were used under the plates with a soft scalloped grey serviette and a sprig of lavender tied into it.
Fairy lights hung in long strands behind the brides table with strands of gum and glass balls with flowers here and there.
Wreaths of penny gum were tied together and hung from the roof with flowers and fairy lights placed here and there.
There were swings outside in the trees that surrounded the venue and these were decorated with ribbons and flowers, just to tie in with the day. I saw a picture of a round swing covered in flowers, willow branches and leaves on pinterest and fell in love...so when I saw the exact swing at the venue I knew I had to do it. It was magical on the day and the photo's I have on it are gorgeous.
MNE Verhuurings in Ermelo was where we got most of our décor, underplates and serviettes.
The groom had his suit made by a tailor in JHB as a surprise and the groomsmens tops and chinos were bought at Woolworths.
My sister, mom and myself found our bridesmaids dresses by chance at Bride & Co in Pretoria. I had initially decided on the colour grey for the bridesmaids and was adamant that I would not settle...then by chance we stumbled upon these dresses while browsing around for ideas. My sister tried one on and I was sold...I decided then and there that we would make the other dresses (flowergirls and my wedding dress) match these ones...and thats what we set out to do!
The dresses are a beautiful dusty pink with a sequined top in brown, grey and cream shells and beads. The top was tight fitting while the bottom was a loose chiffon that hung easily and fitted in with the soft whimsical theme.
My dad perfomed the ceremony but we used our pastor, Jurgens van der Merwe, to perform the legalities.
Kim Tracey Photography was the creative genius behind our amazing photoshoot.
She is so much fun to work with and so easy to be around and makes you feel completely at ease. She put together a great package where you have the option of doing an engagement shoot beforehand so that you can get to know her and get a feel for what the photo shoot would be like... We loved every moment of each shoot with her and she captured our day and each moment so perfectly and beautifully.
Kim's photo's are incredible and I would highly reccommend her for your special occassion...as they say the 'proof is in the pudding.'
Don'Annique Troues in Ermelo - helped us with all the decor and flowers. They made my dreams come true and the venue was transformed into a beautiful fairytale of lights and leaves and candles.
It was simplistic but beautiful.
My youngest brother drove me to the venue in our parents Chev, nothing fancy, just a comfortable mode of transport for bumpy farm roads.
The venue, namely Nalisa Janse van Vuuren, prepared all the food and appetisers...which I must say were incredible! I would highly reccommend them!
Our wedding cake was made by one of my dear friends, Leana van der Meulen. She used a family recipe to create this amazing dark chocolate and orange liqueur sponge cake.
My cousin, Stacey Hopewell, made my invite on spark adobe. It was incredible and so beautifully different. We took this option to save on paper and time as our wedding was arranged in less than 3 months.
We did have a few dance lessons but nothing formal, we just went over to friends of ours who love to dance and they showed us a few moves to help us with our first dance and to give us a confidence boost.
We had a DJ who did all our sound and lighting for both inside and outside and kept the party going until the venue lights went off and the doors were closed for the night. The DJ was organised through one of the groomsmen.
We did have a few dance lessons but nothing formal, we just went over to friends of ours who love to dance and they showed us a few moves to help us with our first dance and to give us a confidence boost.
We had a DJ who did all our sound and lighting for both inside and outside and kept the party going until the venue lights went off and the doors were closed for the night. The DJ was organised through one of the groomsmen.
Bridal Wardrobe is the leading stockist of all Enzoani Collections in South Africa and caters for the modern bride who wants to be at the forefront of the latest designer trends.
