Our wedding day was truly such a special day...
The whole day had such a magical feeling to it.. Getting my hair done, having our make up done.. Everyone around us was just so happy.. It really felt as though the world was happy that day!!!
I have the most treasured and special memories that will last in my heart forever. Below are a few moments that stand out for me.
My bridesmaids had not seen my dress and did not know what style I had gone for, so once I was dressed and ready they all gathered outside and I walked out to make my grand entrance. Their faces were priceless!!! They have been my closest friends for many many years, and we have done so much life together, I was so excited for them to see me in my dress and to have them by my side at my happiest moment!!!
Thanks to technology my sister facetimed our family in Cyprus and that was quite a special surprise!!
Unfortunately my father passed away a few years ago, and in one of the most important walks in my life, I would not have him next to me. My mother and I spoke about this many times, and I battled with this reality for a very long time. We decided my mom would walk me down the aisle.. One of my fathers very good friends offered to take us to the church, and on the way, although the emotions were high and a few tears ran, was as though the heavens were smiling. The sun shone so bright through the windows of the car and it was so beautiful!!! When we arrived at the church, our bridesmaids and my maid of honour, my gorgeous sister, were waiting for me. They fluffed my dress, fixed my cape and we were ready to go. They made their way down the aisle and i took my mothers hand and we walked into the church. I looked up at my husband and he was crying, real tears.. It was one of the most heartwarming moments of our wedding. Another highlight was when our bridal party walked into the hall, we chose to play "Sing Hallelujah" by Dr Alban, we were engaged for about 3 years before we got married, so we thought that song was quite fitting.. We then walked in to a Greek song, and we had briefed the bridal party to be waving napkins in the air - It was quite an awesome moment!!! My sister gave a beautiful heartfelt speech which honoured our father and our uncle who has also passed away recently. Our guests were close friends and family and have stood by us through those difficult times, so when my sister spoke, everyone in the room felt the emotion of that speech. My groom and I had planned a joint speech as he is quite a shy guy... Well.... he completely took over, went on his own tangent and had the guests in hysterics for a good half an hour!!! That is exactly why I married this man!!! He is quiet and unsure of himself most of the time, but that person that everyone witnessed at the wedding is the amazing man I see every day!!! We had gone for dance lessons as we both have only left feet, so our first dance was also such a beautiful moment!! I could go on an on for days about the beautiful moments on our wedding day - It really was the most perfect day of my life!!!
We plan to go on honeymoon next year as we didn't have much leave left and we would like to make our honeymoon special for both of us. We did however, go to Sun City for a few days just to recharge the batteries and spend much needed quality time together!
I tried on about 20 wedding dresses, but none of them were " the one". My sister suggested that I have my dress made. I was hesitant at first, but I couldn't carry on trying dresses on and not making a decision. We went to an outstanding store named Pantha Em in Bedfordview. I showed them a design of what I liked, we decided on colours, lace and the dress was set in motion.. I also decided that I didn't want a veil, I wanted a cape.. It would cover my arms for the church and create that drama I was looking for.. They bought into my idea and created the cape that I had dreamt of!!! It was outstanding!!!! I wanted a very romantic look as I am cheesy like that.. so when the ladies at Pantha Em suggested I go to Monique at Spoilt.Inc which is on the same property to chat about the make up, I go quite excited as things were coming together. Pantha Em and Spoilt.Inc are situated at venue named the Fat Mermaid. Dress fittings were always so much fun, I would get my nails done, grab a bite, have a drink and fit my dress all in one!! I have heard horror stories about brides having issues with their dresses, but this was really one of the most beautiful experiences for me. My sister and I chose to honour our loved ones that have left this world by wearing earrings that looked like feathers - As the saying goes - Feathers appear when angels are near..
Our wedding was local as in Greek tradition we should get married in the church. The wedding was the the Pantannassa church in Melrose and the venue for the reception was the Wanderers Club. I was wary at first as it is not a wedding venue, but planner from the venue Rosalina was outstanding. There wasn't a question that I asked that she didn't find the answer for. The ballroom makes for a very impressive function and the staff are just so helpful and accommodating, They made this wedding so easy to plan!
I have very sensitive skin and i break out very easily. So I was weary of trying a new beauty regime, but my sister suggested trying the Tea tree range from the body shop. It was instant love at first sight!!! My skin loved the new products and I am very happy to have switched to them. I didn't have time for spa treatments, so after work here and there I had a my nails done and I had the best spray tan! We went to Glamglow in Illovo for the spray tans. The lady suggested we do the spray two days before the wedding, so off we went on the Thursday and got ourselves sprayed! As the evening went on, the colour developed and we weren't allowed to bath until the next day, but luckily it was night and when we woke up the next morning I showered and the spray lived up to its name - I had the most beautiful glow - I didn't look orange, it wasn't streaky. It was just a glow!!! I loved it!!!
We didn't want the over the top flower arrangements with the vases that are so big in the middle of the tables so people can't see each other. We wanted greenery and roses. The ballroom at the Wanderers is grey, so that was the palette we worked off.. I wanted rose gold and dusty pink incorporated into the colour palette, so we made wax seals with our initials that tied the ribbons on the napkins at each place setting. We used rose gold candelabras and had single roses hanging from them. I also had a combination of square and rectangular tables, I didn't want everything to be matching, but I wanted everything to tie in together. And I believe my planner Claire understood exactly what I wanted and translated my vision into a reality beautifully!
The groom wore a gorgeous charcoal suit and the groomsmen wore lighter grey suits. We had rose gold paper flower boutonnieres made and they all wore them on their lapels.
We got the bridesmaids dresses from Gelique. There was a bit of confusion and we had a few ups and downs but at the end it all worked out.
The bishop from our church was our marriage officer.
I found a great combo deal for a photographer and videographer and arranged to meet them to see if we all gelled well. We got along from the first moment!! I could see these ladies do this work for the love of it, not for any other reason. On the day they scouted the venue, found beautiful spots for our pictures and made all of us so comfortable! They really were amazing!!!
A very good friend of mine is a wedding planner. So she helped me so much with getting this all together!! He name is Claire Woods
A friend of my fathers own a fleet of cars, so he offered his cars and drivers to take us to the church. My groom and his party arrived in a vito minibus named Air force one!!! HA HA HA HA!!!
The Wanderers did an outstanding job with the food. I wanted to do family style dining and they were more than happy to accommodate and make up a menu with me to suit our wedding perfectly!
My wedding cake was done by Perla cakes. I had asked for cupcakes and a cake to cut. Kerry was so helpful and friendly and our cake turned out exactly how I had wanted it!!
My sister is an extordinary designer and she designed everything for my wedding. We had table talkers made with the tale names on one side, menu on the next and the drinks available on the other side. She designed a canvas where guests wrote their messages to us and it is now hanging on the wall in my home.
Our DJ was DJ Phillipe, he also assisted in getting the lighting sorted out for us. lights setup against the pillars in the hall and they literally transformed the whole hall!! We went for dance lessons to Glenda's Dance studio and Glenda even came to our venue the day before to practice so that we felt completely comfortable when doing our first dance!! The party was amazing.. We danced away until 4am!!!
Smoorverlief Bridal is run from a studio which provides a personal and professional service to Brides and Bridesmaids. A "Proudly South African" boutique that stocks the entire Cin
