It is almost impossible to single out only a few highlights, as our wedding day was so very special!
When I think back to 12 May 2018, I remember a beautiful autumn day, that started out with a blessing of rain. I knew the spirit of God was with us and that He had already planned out every single detail and that the day would be perfect, it already was just for the fact that I would be marrying my best friend. For someone who is pretty much an emotional wreck on days like these, there were very little tears between myself and the girls while getting ready, but things were quite emotional on the guys' side I would find out later, seeing the pictures.
Walking into the ceremony I was surprisingly calm, until I saw Mornè for the first time. He was overcome by emotion and I felt so blessed and overwhelmed that I couldn't hold in the tears any longer either. We had the whole chapel of guests in tears, from our dads right through to the photographer and the pastor! It was such a special ceremony and you could absolutely feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. When I look at our memories of the day, all you see is such joy and sincere happiness... there was so much LOVE!
Our venue was amazing! They absolutely made our vision of a relaxed, but elegant wedding come to life. We started off dating long distance and wanted our wedding to have an underlying travel theme, but still stay true to both our personalities. We both grew up in small towns in the Free State, and we wanted our guests to experience that small town hospitality. Our floral arrangements were informal, but so elegant and because the day after the wedding was Mothers Day, we had the guests take home the arrangements to spoil their moms.
Looking back at our wedding, I remember having the most fun I've had in a long time, with people so special and dear to us. It was really such a blessed day!
It was the most amazing trip!I felt like I was in a fairytale! We were absolutely blessed to spend our honeymoon in Dubrovnik, Croatia. We left the day after the wedding and got to spend our first few hours alone together in the car, reminiscing about the day, on our way to the airport in Johannesburg.
I remember bursting out in tears when we first arrived in Croatia. I could've been jet-lag, but I just could not contain my excitement! Our accommodation, had an amazing view of the ocean and surrounding islands and we had the most amazing and friendly hosts. We spent most of our time exploring the Old Town, which is the iconic city in which the Game of Thrones series was filmed, seeking out little restaurants hidden in the narrow little streets. We also got to walk the city walls, visit the nearby island of Lokrum by ferry and have coffee with the most amazing view from the top the Dubrovnik Cable car route.
On our way back we had a 12 hour layover in Istanbul, Turkey - which was an added bonus planned by hubby! We got to go out and explore parts of the city and its beautiful mosques before coming home.
It was truly the most amazing trip ever!
My wedding dress had so much history! It was made by one of our local designers, EL Heathcote, using parts of my mother's wedding dress. I had always wanted an A-line dress, but I love history and also loved the idea of having two dresses in one. We ended up using my mother's shorter dress as a base, and added an additional tulle skirt for the ceremony and formalities, which could later be removed when the dancing started.
My hair was done by Danel, from Pritty Woman salon. I wanted a natural updo, with loose curls as my hair is naturally fine and needed to be up for volume. We rounded it off with some pearl and rose gold pins to match my earrings. I also wore a rose gold tennis bracelet which was a gift from my mother-in-law.
My makeup was done in tones of burgundy and browns, with dramatic eyes and a natural lip. Daniyelle Swanepoel did an amazing job!
We got married at Pepermossie in Bainsvlei, a beautiful and rustic venue with such a calmness about it. The open air chapel is built in the shape of a cross, which was so special. They did all the decor and flowers for us and the team did an amazing job. Our hall was ready by the Thursday evening and I could help with the final touches on the Friday morning. They had me involved in the entire process. It was so nice to know that the venue was ready and that Tannie Hennie and the team had everything under control.
The food was really amazing, from the canapés to the main course and we even heard about guests going back for third helpings!
They have accommodation on site, and Mornè and the groomsmen got ready at the venue. Most of our guests stayed over at the venue and we all had breakfast together the morning after, before we left on honeymoon.
I had been working full time, up until a month before my wedding, before starting my own full time business. Being my own boss I gave myself a month to really get wedding ready.
I went to the gym once a day and followed a well balanced diet. I also didn't wear any makeup when I didn't have to. I went for a facial about three weeks before the wedding and continued with weekly masques to make sure that my skin was looking its best.
I had my eyebrows done a week before the wedding and was treated to a back and neck massage the day before my wedding by my beautiful maid of honour
Our decor was relaxed but elegant and had an underlying travel theme. Our tables were named after towns, instead of being numbered, and the names were written in chalk on the floors.
We used the rustic wooden tables as a base and built on that, with white lace runners and rose gold under plates. We had coloured wine glasses, that tied in with our Burgundy and Navy theme. The flowers were done in shades of burgundy with proteas being the main focus, accompanied by touches of navy and lots of pennygum. We also had willow wreaths and wood throughout the decor.
Everything tied together beautifully!
Mornè wore a navy, three piece suit from Carducci with a burgundy tie and dark brown accessories. His watch was a wedding gift. The groomsmen all wore navy trousers, burgundy ties and matching brown shoes, belts and suspenders.
Having bridesmaids in three different cities, made shopping for dresses a little difficult, but luckily Hoiden Bridesmaids came to the rescue!
They have a catalogue, with measuring guidelines that makes sure that every dress fits perfectly. I chose a straight pleat dress in burgundy and just added an accent ribbon around the waist. They wore their own nude shoes and all looked amazing! My maid of honour, a professional make up artist, did their make up and their hair was braided into half up waterfall braids.
We were married by Ds. Peet Louw, a family friend of Mornè's parents, and also the pastor of the church in which he grew up. He gave us such a beautiful message, that will forever remind us about our special day.
Being a photographer myself, the issue of finding a photographer with more or less the same style as my own was a little daunting, but we found the most amazing photographer and videographers.
Our photos were taken by Anneke Human from Seven Quarters Photography, and we were so blessed by her calm and caring personality. JP & Landi, also such calm souls, from Perfect Pear Photography/Videography did out video.
Our wedding transport was just about as special as my dress - they do share a history after all!
The little mint green Ford Anglia, started out as a project for my parents' wedding back in the day, and was their wedding transport once its restoration was completed. Fast forward a few decades and it is now our wedding transport. It was really a very special part of our day.
I designed and made our stationery myself. We played on the travel theme, making our invitations passports, with plane tickets to come and travel with us as we start our journey together after months of traveling long distance.
All our stationery had a burgundy and navy floral theme that carried through and our guestbook was a globe of the earth that guests could sign.
Our sound was done by Star Sound, a local company. We asked guests to send us a song that they promised to dance on, with their RSVP's, which we then forwarded on to the DJ. We had hours of fun and the crowd really enjoyed each and every song. We even had some extreme dance off's and by the end of the formalities "everyone's hips were taken off safety" in the words of best man
