Our wedding day honestly was the best day of my life. I had so much fun getting ready the morning with my sisters (who were my bridesmaids), my mother and my new sister-in-law. We laughed so much! Driving to the chapel I was filled with excitement, and when I finally walked in I could not stop smiling at my husband to be. Not even a drop of nerves. The ceremony was also filled with jokes and laughter, which echoed our relationship so well. The reception we danced and laughed and ate the most amazing food and it was just incredible! The celebration was intimate, fun and light hearted and we only had 50 of our closest family and friends present, making it a truly beautiful experience being surrounded by so much love!
We took a road trip around the Western Cape, starting in Riebeek West. We stayed at an old timey hotel, and experienced what the little town has to offer in terms of culture and, of course, food! We also traveled next door to Riebeek Kasteel, and enjoyed the most amazing variety of olive products! The little town has the quirkiest little shops and we enjoyed exploring these. Next stop was Citrusdal. Here we stayed in a little cottage surrounded by citrus trees and mountains. With a jacuzzi on the patio we had a very relaxing stay, enjoying nature, each other and the time to just unwind. We took a stroll through the "feetjie stap roete" as well as the citrus trees, which was lovely! Next stop was Swellendam. What a beautiful place! Here we also stayed in a little cottage surrounded by absolutely nothing, just mountains trees and farm animals. At night it was pitch black with only sounds of animals in the distance. We explored the surroundings and visited the Fairy Sanctuary in Swellendam, which was breathtaking! Our entire road trip we popped into all the little farm stalls on the way, stocking up on home made products and snacks, including loads of jams, preserves and cheese (our ultimate guilty pleasure)! I was also treated with my husband taking over dinner duties with braaing for us on the nights we did not go out to eat. It was so much fun, so relaxing and we had a great time together!
For my wedding look I wanted something natural, flowy and fun. I had my dress made by Mrs V Atelier in Stellenbosch, and Mariza did such an amazing job!We chose the fabric together along with the design but she made it come to life and I ended up with the perfect dress! My hair piece was also hand made by Mariza along with my garter. My make-up was done by Mari Verwey Hair & Make-up, and she made me look natural but beautiful without looking like a completely different person! I had two pairs of shoes, pink velvet heels with floral embroidery detail for the church service, after which I kicked out my heels and traded them in for sparkly rose gold and pink sneakers! For jewelery I had my grandmother's silver and pearl earrings, sparkly bracelets and a matching pearl necklace.
We got married at Liefland Wedding Venue in Tesselaarsdal. A relatively new and undiscovered venue in the small town of Tesselaarsdal, about 20 minutes from Caledon in the heart of the Overberg. Surrounded by farms, canola fields and mountains, it truly is a magnificent place for a wedding. Our guests stayed over, some at the venue which offers accommodation in a 5 bedroom house, along with tented accommodation and the rest stayed in nearby guest houses.
Before the wedding I decided I wanted to look my very best! I joined Virgin Active and started with a work-out routine. I also entered into the Sleekgeek 8 week Winter Challenge which provided me with an eating plan and workouts which I followed religiously. I ended up losing 5kg and 28cm! Beauty wise I invested in the Theravine range of products, and also went for regular facials leading up to the wedding, to ensure my skin was radiant and spot free.
This was a full one DIY wedding with all the decor done by myself. I planned, made and executed everything. I ordered the flowers from Oak Valley in Elgin and for the arrangements I had friends and family jump in. I also had help from my mother with the sewing of the runners and serviettes and my sister in law helped with the painting of the flower boxes.
The groomsmen rented their suit pants and waistcoats from Smartmen Suit Hire. The ties were bought from a little boutique in Tygervalley centre and the lapel pins made by myself.
Two of the bridesmaids wore emerald green dresses from YDE and shoes that I painted by hand. The other bridesmaid had a dress made in soft pink and wore her own shoes. For flowers I made them each a matching fabric bouquet.
Barend Nel
Bianca Smit Photography
I planned and coordinated everything prior to the day. On the day I had a family friend, Raquel Theron, work her magic to make sure everything ran smoothly.
None.
Catering was done by Two Food Fundies and it was amazing! The cake was made by my lovely friend Marcellé Swanepoel.
The stationary was designed and printed by myself.
The reception was a ball! As we walked in we went straight into our first dance, which was a spontaneous and unrehearsed affair. We had a DJ supply the music for the day.
