The whole experience from the time I woke up until we went to sleep in one another's arms was amazing, but the few things I will never forget.....
.......The way my lovely bridesmaids took care of me and my well-being during the day. Making sure I ate, had water constantly, and that a tissue was given when there were tears from my hubby....so much love!
.....Walking down the aisle, with my mom and step-dad on either side of me, so happy that both of them were alive to be witnesses and give me away. My mom is a cancer survivor, and there have been times in the past when we have had to say goodbye to her before a surgery as we didn't know if she would make it through the operations.
......seeing my family, especially my 3 sisters, shedding a tear as I walked down the aisle. We had to pull some strings to be able to get them all there for the day.
......my husband's speech, in which he cried (for the first time in front of me since we met), while he told our story. Knowing how important I was to him was the most touching moment.
......seeing how our 2 families got along, chatting and laughing with one another, and that all the people that were important to us (minus one or two) were there.
We spent the first night at our Wedding venue - Sacred Mountain Lodge - which was amazing. The next day we stopped at each of our families' houses to say goodbye, and made our way to Tierhoek - an organic fruit farm in Robertson. We stayed in Pepper Tree Cottage, where there was no TV, no signal, a stove kettle and toaster (lekker old school!), a dip-pool and the most amazing view! There was even an honesty (!) box, where you can buy their produce and just put the money in the box. :)
We woke up to the sounds of the birds and the bees (literally), outside our window, and spent the days reading, cooking together, going for walks and taking photos. We took 2 trips to Robertson central, once for shopping, and once on the second-last morning of our stay. We went to "De Bakkerij" where we had an amazing breakfast and, because my husband started drinking coffee on honeymoon, we bought some lovely ground coffee.
We ended the days off every night with a bath and some bubbly, and listening to the sound of silence outside while looking at the stars....
I'm a very simple person in most senses, so I didn't want too much beautifying and fuss. However, a bit of a pamper and fuss on your wedding day is allowed :)
Hair - Initially I had wanted an upstyle, but once I had been for my trial, I changed my mind. My husband loved my long hair that I grew long for the wedding, so I ultimately decided on a curly half-up, half-down style so that it wouldn't be hidden. Chad and LeoAnn de Lange from The Cottage did Kyle's, my mom's, the 3 bridesmaids' and my hair on the morning.
Makeup - I had my makeup and my bridesmaids' done by Chrisilda from Little Lash Lounge - my girls looked absolutely gorgeous!
Dress - My mom and I hunted for the perfect dress. We searched high and low (and online), and ended up going to My Unique Wedding in Claremont where we received the best treatment and advice (and a round of applause when I had chosen my dress!) I chose an A-line corset back dress, which was great as I didn't know whether I would gain or lose weight before the day. It was strapless, and had gorgeous flower-shaped beading spread over parts of the dress, as well as beading on the bust. I had my mom sew in some of her own kitchen tea crocheted butterflies into the underskirt of the dress (something borrowed,blue and old on my new dress),as well as a "promise bracelet" that Kyle gave me 2 years prior.
Shoes - I bought very simple beige wedge heels from Woolworths as they were really comfortable.
Jewellery was purchased from Kays Antiques, and a set of earrings was presented to each of my girls as a gift on the day.
We fell in love with Sacred Mountain Lodge in Noordhoek. Such a beautiful, lush green place, with such down-to-earth people! From the moment we walked in and met Samantha, we knew it was the place. After many debates about other venues, it was such a relief to find somewhere where we were both at ease.They also allowed us a lot of freedom (which not a lot of places do), and worked within our budget, offering money-saving ideas in various ways.
My sisters, bridesmaids, mom, husband and groomsmen and I all stayed the night before the wedding and had dinner together which they arranged under the tent.
Kyle and I stayed the night of the wedding, and the staff kindly set up the room honeymoon-style, with candles and rose petals lining the bed and floor...so romantic.
I try to eat healthily anyway, but I enjoyed a gift of a luxurious manicure at Chelsea Spa in Wynberg, where you lie down for the manicure! Such a treat :)
I also went for Dr Hauschka facials every month for 3 months before the wedding, to ensure that my skin looked great on the day.
Kyle and I are DIY-ers, so it went without saying that we were going to make as much as we could for the wedding.
We bought trees stumps for the tables, and filled jars with water, sand, candles and flowers. We also made table names from wood, of the different languages for the word "Love".
A friend did the chalkboard writing for us.
We bought the flowers and the bridesmaids and I made our bouquets the night before the wedding.
The furniture, wedding arch,tables and chairs were provided by the venue.
Kyle wore a white vest and shirt (Woolworths), charcoal trousers (Mr Price), braces (Chinatown - lol), and a black tie (from his cupboard) .
The groomsmen wore the same as Kyle (minus the braces), and in addition we had socks embroidered with their names on them :)
I really liked the idea of infinity dresses, as most bridesmaids won't wear their bridesmaid dresses again unless they are really nice. So my mom, who is really good at sewing, made all 3 dresses for my girls :) Infinity dresses are also great because they fit you whichever size you are, and look good.
I wanted a shade of green, so my step-dad chose emerald green which was stunning!
Mervyn Eloff - St James Church in Kenilworth
At the SA wedding expo, we entered a photo competition and won an engagement shoot with Jolanda Venter! We were so stoked, and decided to book our wedding photography with her.
She is a Christian, which was a big plus for us, as she could share in the true joy at our union as a sister in Christ as well as a friend (for by that time she was a friend!). She is so down-to-earth, and a truly lovely person to work with. We were very happy with the results :)
We made our own photobooth (which ultimately turned out to be a flop lol!), which was fun all the same :)
The food (Build a burger bar), was prepared at the venue. It was amazing, so simple, and the guests loved it! They even provided gluten free rolls for me :)
Our gorgeous cake was made by one of my bridesmaids, Jacqueline. She made a cheesecake for Kyle for the top tier, and a gluten-free carrot cake for me and a few other GF guests (including herself) to enjoy. It was the perfect cake. She made double chocolate brownies for all the other guests, and there wasn't one left!
DIY-ers! We designed our invitations (with the help of Photoshop),and visited Deckle Edge Salt River (many times) for our paper and envelopes.
As our wedding was a morning wedding, we didn't have a dance floor or DJ, but we made a playlist from suggestions from our guests that played throughout the reception.
We had a private first dance, in the ceremony garden, after all of our guests had left. It was so special, and was the perfect end to the day.....
