Everybody always says, "The day goes by so quickly, you must take it all in or else you won't remember a thing". Our day was absolutely wonderful, from beginning to end. We both feel so lucky to remember every little detail and relish in the memory of our big day.
My Father walked me down the aisle, and without him, I don’t think I would have made it down. He kept me calm, and told me to breathe. My memories for the day would be incomplete without my father by my side.
Our family and friends traveled from near and far to celebrate with us. We felt loved and incredibly blessed to have a day like we did, with such special people.
Our best memory was when the power went out. We had so many candles in the venue that we didn't even notice until it was time for our first dance!
We decided to do a week in the Winelands, a little local trip to some of our favorite spots in the Western Cape. Our goal was to collect bottles of wine from the year we were married, and keep them for our many anniversaries to come. We loved being alone, just the two of us to talk about the world and our plans. It was magical, I miss it!
I always imagined myself with a very classic look. I am not a very flashy or embellished person and so was drawn to a simpler style. I opted for soft curls in an up-do, elegant makeup, and a pink lip. I wanted red, but my husband begged me not too :)
My makeup was done by Donna Taylor. A patient, kind, wonderful makeup artist.
For my jewelry, I wore two sentimental pieces. A single diamond necklace from a stone my father bought me many years ago, and a pair of diamond studs from my mother.
In keeping with my classic theme, I had a dress made of pieces of tule that were delicately folded and pleated over my satin dress. I loved how simple it was, I felt beautiful.
My shoes were actually a bit of a disaster, I was running around the day before the wedding to find a new pair. My twin sister came to my rescue with a pair of shoes she'd bought and never worn - and they were perfect!
Our venue was like a little piece of Tuscany in the Western Cape. Nestled high up above the valleys of Tulbagh, we chose to get married at Roodezand. It boasts rolling, green hills, with the majestic Matroose Berge as its backdrop.
The venue has so much history, with the chapel on the property having been built over 200 years ago by the current owners family.
The venue owner, Karen, was wonderful to deal with. She was patient and informative, never getting frustrated with my countless emails and questions.
Shortly after getting engaged, I found out that I had a genetic disorder which caused my hips to give me problems. As a result, my previously busy exercise regime had to change to adapt to my capabilities.
Living in Sea Point, my then Fiancé and I would go for walks on the Promenade daily, paired with a few light pilates and physical therapy sessions.
As I have sensitive skin, I stayed away from any peels or chemical treatments as I generally react quite badly to them. I stuck to my natural products and introduced a new eye cream to help with dark circles.
My husband and I focused a lot on ambiance. We wanted the setting to be romantic and dreamy.
We purchased candles, big and small, that we scattered throughout the venue. These were paired with candelabra on the tables, with some greenery to soften the look. The candles were such a great idea, we took all the leftovers home with us, and every evening we light some of them for dinner.
The flowers were true winter colours, boasting deep reds, burgundy, and greens with soft touches of light pinks and peaches. The flowers were all seasonal, and we specifically wanted interesting pieces.
Our Florist was amazing, she knew exactly what I needed, and made the process so easy.
Her name is Martené Morkel from M Flower Design.
The Grooms suit was purchased a few months prior. It was a lovely dark Navy with faint pinstripes only visible when you stood near to him.
We hired Navy suits for the Groomsmen, which they wore with Burgandy ties and brown shoes. It was important for me that they looked similar to each other.
My bridesmaids wore dresses made from a bridal boutique. We went in with no idea of style of colour, played around with a few dresses and eventually chose the dress they wore. They all looked lovely and were so well complimented.
Our marriage officer is the head pastor at our church, his name is Geoff, and he was just lovely. We did our pre-marriage course with him as well, which made our ceremony so personal as he knew us really well.
We used the most amazing wedding photographers in the whole wide world - Thunder & Love.
They are a sparky couple, full of energy and life. They made us feel so comfortable behind the camera, and almost disappeared into the background. Their photographs are so beautiful, and we think they capture the day and all it's emotion and moments.
I planned our wedding for us. I did a lot of research and spoke to a lot of people to find the right suppliers for us.
As we stayed at the venue we didn't need transport, we walked over from the cottage we were getting ready in to the chapel we got married in.
Our food was done by the venue. Karen is a wonderful, imaginative cook, and the food was just delicious.
We had two cakes! A donut cake from the Donut Guy, and a carrot cake from his Wife, Anmar. She owns a company called Crumb Cakes. Everyone raved about the cake, and it was finished before we had a chance to grab any!
Crumb specializes in bespoke wedding and celebration cakes, highly creative dessert displays and edible sweet treats & gifts.
Our wonderful, talented friend, Liezel Liebenberg. She is a designer with a beautiful talent. Her stuff is Pintrest ready!
Initially, we weren't going to do dance lessons, we thought we would be totally fine without them. And the last minute, we decided to quick cram one (literally one) in before our big day. We are so grateful because it helped with the nerves a little.
Our DJ was a company called DJ Dean, and they were awesome. When the power went out, we were down for 45minutes, he kept calm and sorted it out without any hassles.
Crumb specializes in bespoke wedding and celebration cakes, highly creative dessert displays and edible sweet treats & gifts.
