I was really blessed to be able to get ready surrounded by my close friends and family. My cousin did my hair and make-up so beautifully, which made me feel so relaxed and excited for the day.
One of the most memorable moments for me was walking down the aisle and seeing the look on my now husband's face. I thought I would be so emotional but I couldn't stop smiling.
Another memorable moment was when my brother in law went to collect water so that my husband and I could wash each other's feet as part of our ceremony. My brother in law still had his shoes and socks on (despite our wedding taking place on the beach!). He was in such a hurry to get some water from the sea that he forgot to take off his socks and shoes - needless to say that he ended up being splashed by the waves. It was a moment that everyone cracked up about!
Finally, the speeches were excellent and were some of the funniest and most memorable moments of our wedding. My sister's and my parents gave excellent speeches - my parents even serenaded me, much to the delight of our guests. My father in law couldn't read his speech and he had forgotten his glasses, so he ended up making up his speech as he went along. We still tease his about his "Hand of God" speech!
We were blessed to be able to go on honeymoon to Bali.
It was the first overseas trip for my husband and he thoroughly enjoyed it.
The hospitality of the Balinese people was so amazing to experience and it made our honeymoon extra special.
Since we decided to get married on the beach, I wanted to have a laid back yet slightly sexy look.
My dress was made by Sophia Lavigre, who did an absolutely amazing job. My dress was inspired by one I had seen on Pinterest by Betts, called "Antonia". It was a V-neck dress with a beaded lace bodice and tulle skirt. I wanted to draw attention to my legs, so we had a high slit incorporated into the skirt.
My make-up look was a contoured and bronzed look, with a subtle Smokey eye and nude lips. For my hair I went for a side swept look with curls and a jeweller comb. My cousin, Shanaaz Alexander, did my hair and make-up.
Since it was a beach wedding I decided to go with beaded rootless sandals for the ceremony, so that I could enjoy having my feet in the sand. For the reception I decided to go with a pearl embellished sandal.
For my jewellery I wanted to stay true to my simple style - I wore a pair of simple drop chandelier earrings and a pearl bracelet, so that the focus would remain on the beautiful beading on my wedding dress. My veil was a simple fingertip length with glass beads along the edge.
For my lingerie I wore a white push up lace bra and matching white lace Brazilian cut panties.
We got married in Langebaan, situated along the West Coast in the Western Cape.
Our venue was Boesmanland Farm kitchen, situated next door to Mykonos casino. Our ceremony took place on the beach just outside the restaurant, while our reception took place inside the restaurant.
The restaurant has a rustic feel to it and specialises in traditional South African food. All the food is cooked in pots on an open flame and they have a great variety to cater to everyone's taste.
I made sure to eat healthy and maintain my fitness with regular gym sessions.
I made sure to get my hair coloured and styled 6 weeks before my wedding.
I wanted to have an authentic, rustic feel to my decor. I was inspired by lots of Pinterest posts with Hessian runners and wooden logs.
I decided to have Hessian runners with a wooden log centre piece. I also had candles in silver voices, as well as 2 small flower centrepiece on each table. For table numbers I went with simple white frames with a number printed on the inside with a flower motif along each number. As my wedding favour, I had pillows printed on for guests to take home with them.
For my bridal table, I went with a beautiful flower runner and lots of candles in clear glass votives.
I had string fairy lights on the exposed beams of the venue, as well as purple lights shining up from the floor and onto the white drapes along the walls of the venue.
For the cocktail area I decided to get a few grey lounge sets with ghost chairs, as well as white plinth cocktail tables with barstools. I also had my husband make large wooden signs with messages painted on them, which was placed all around the venue. We also had a large basket with little folded blankets inside that guests could use in the evening and take home with them.
For the ceremony, I decided to have white Wimbledon chairs with white shepherd hooks along the aisle. Attached to the shepherd hooks were glass jars filled with baby's breath and white roses. We had a white wooden arch.
The groom wore a navy suit with a white shirt and tan shoes, which we bought at Woolworths. He also wore a Fossil watch with a tan leather strap and a tan leather belt to match his shoes. He decided to not wear a tie, but instead left his top button undone.
The groomsmen wore light grey pants with a white shirt without a tie, as well as navy belts and tan shoes, which they all bought at Woolworths.
My bridesmaids dresses were also made by Sophia Lavigre. I had 5 bridesmaids - I wanted each of them to incorporate their own style into the dresses. They all wore that same dusty pale pink dresses but each one had a different neckline. They had floor length dresses with a high slit.
They each wore their own accessories. Some chose to wear gold or rose gold accessories.
The bridesmaids also wore beaded footless sandals for the ceremony.
They had their hair down and accessorized with baby's breath in their hair.
We had our pastor, Clifford Rutter, marry us, as he's known us both for many years.
He made sure we incorporated our own traditions into our ceremony.
We were so happy to be able to secure our photographers and they did an amazing job. We made use of Matthew Carr photography, a husband and wife duo. They made sure we remained comfortable throughout the day and helped us get all the pictures we wanted. They were amazing at capturing "in the moment" shots. They were also extremely efficient - we received all our picture on the day we returned from our honeymoon, which was less than 2 weeks after our wedding.
I had been planning my wedding pretty much on my own but I knew I would need help on the day to set up the venue and for set down as well.
I decided to go with authentic planning - they helped me to arrange all my flowers, bouquets, the hiring of furniture and chairs and smaller decor items. Lené, who helped me, was amazing and did such a great job in helping me figure out all the small extras that I didn't even think about.
We are an Owner Driven EVENT PLANNING & DÉCOR HIRING COMPANY based in the Western Cape.
My venue was walking distance from my hotel so I was lucky and didn't need to arrange extra transport to the venue.
My food was made by the venue, Boesmanland Farm kitchen. We had a buffet that included fresh braai (fish and chicken), freshly baked breads, lamb stew, veggies and much more.
Our wedding cake was made by Tessa's bakery in Milnerton. Our cake was a vanilla cake filled with caramel and covered in cream cheese icing. It was decorated with a watercolour effect and topped with macaroons.
Our invitations were designed by one of our groomsmen. We ended up doing a lot of DIY with the envelopes and the rest of our stationary so we could get the rustic feel we wanted.
Our party was so much fun simply because our guests love to dance! Our DJ was DJ Mario and he did an awesome job at getting everyone onto the dance floor.
Our lighting was a gift to us from my husband's cousin-he decorated our venue with purple lighting. We also had fairy lights along the exposed beams of the venue, as well as fairy lights in the draping along the windows.
We are an Owner Driven EVENT PLANNING & DÉCOR HIRING COMPANY based in the Western Cape.
