Although weddings are incredible, they can be a bit pricey so we decided to take a few days off and enjoy our time in the Midlands. We are however saving for a honeymoon which we hope to spend in Bulgaria and Greece.
From the very beginning, we knew that we wanted to get married in the magical Midlands. Cranford Country Lodge was the very first venue that we visited and as laid eyes on the venue, we fell in love. No matter where we went afterwards, we ended up comparing every other venue to Cranford. A couple of months, our dream came true and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect venue.
Cranford Country Lodge and Wedding Venue is the perfect setting for country-chic weddings. Nestled in a picturesque valley near Curry's Post, in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands, we ...
Funny enough, there wasn't really a beauty regime for me. The only treatments I can really give credit to is my spray tan which I had done at La Belle Vie in Durban North.
The look that I was going for was very rustic and romantic so this included a lot of wooden elements and greenery. The bridesmaids and I had big proteas in our bouquets as well as greenery and baby's breath.
Centre pieces included round wooden discs, jars filled with babys breath, greenery and candles. Runners were hessian and lace and the main table had a green leafy runner with a few roses and candles in-between. The flowers and majority of the decor was done by Nicole Bezuidenhout from Buttons and Blooms.
We hired a few items from Shelley from Shells of Decor & Design. We placed signs all over Cranford and this was really beautiful.
My husband looked so dashing and the suit was absolutely perfect. After struggling with finding a wide assortment for men, we ended up going to Woolworths in Gateway and to our surprise, the variety was exceptional. From colours, cuts, ties and shoes, we found the perfect outfit for him. As for the groomsmen, we decided to keep it simple. A white shirt, pants and a simple blazer, all supplied by the groomsmen themselves.
This was a tough one...it took me a while to decide on what look I wanted for the ladies. We have seen infinity dresses a thousand times over and I wanted something a bit different. At first, all I knew was that the dress had to be dusty blue (the wedding colour) and finally with some help from Pinterest, I found the skirt and shirt combo. A family friend, Louise made the skirts, shirts, dressing gowns and garters by herself and I couldn't be any happier.
Our Marriage Officer was Stan Phipps from Glenridge Church International in Durban and he really made our service so intimate and special.
After searching and searching for the right photographer, I came across Tammy from Little Things Pics. Her style, her colours and the mood of her photography was everything we wanted and there was no going back. Tammy is incredibly talented and has taken breathtaking photos that we will pass on for generations to come.
Can you believe that we weren't going to have a videographer! After chatting to some friends and colleagues, we were advised to reconsider getting a videographer and boy oh boy are we glad that we did! Simon Hudson was our wedding videographer and I have to say, our video is my favourite wedding memory. I would watch it over and over again and never get tired. Simon is incredibly talented and he has really helped us remember our big day in the most special way.
The one planner I had was Pinterest and myself. Everything related to the wedding was planned by yours truly and although it was incredibly stressful, I am so glad that I did it. Seeing your vision become a reality is so rewarding and I can truly say that I am proud of what I managed to co-ordinate.
Cranford Country Lodge was in charge of the catering and our starter was absolutely delicious, we have received numerous comments about it being the best butternut soup that many of our guests have ever tasted.
Our cake was definitely one of my highlights. Deciding against a tiered cake, we went with a mini cake on top of an assortment of cupcakes (vanilla, chocolate, carrot and lemon). This cake was an absolute dream and it's exactly what I would call a Pinterest-worthy cake, even Pinterest is green with envy! This masterpiece was created by my best friends aunt, the incredible Gineane Rall from So Sweet Custom Cakes and Confections.
Cranford Country Lodge and Wedding Venue is the perfect setting for country-chic weddings. Nestled in a picturesque valley near Curry's Post, in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands, we ...
The stationery was designed by my husband and I. We were heavily involved in designing programmes, thank you notes and all other stationery. We tried to stay away from printing too many items and so we ended up using a mirror to write out our menu.
The physical printing was done by Colour Domain in Durban North.
Here's the big surprise, there were no dance lessons involved and no practising so everything that happened on the evening was authentic and in the moment. We had the loveliest DJ - Eric Rae who we met with prior to the wedding, discussed the music we requested and planned the big day.
Cranford Country Lodge and Wedding Venue is the perfect setting for country-chic weddings. Nestled in a picturesque valley near Curry's Post, in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands, we ...
