Our entire day was more than I could ever have dreamed of! Marrying the man of my dreams, surrounded by all our loved ones was absolutely perfect!
Some very special moments included our wedding vows, having my cousin sing an original song during mass which she wrote just days before the wedding and our first dance as Mr and Mrs De Sousa was the most beautiful, picturesque moment which had me feeling like we were floating on clouds... Literally!
Our honeymoon was to the beautiful Cape Town - Seapoint, where we later climbed on the MSC Musica Cruiseship to Durban.
I had dreamed of my wedding day for as long as I can remember, however, I never really had a clear idea of what I wanted to look like. All that I knew was that I wanted to feel like an absolute queen!
I bought my wedding dress on the Easter weekend in 2018, by "vloek" as they say! I intended on having my wedding dress made as I never really saw one dress that had everything I thought I wanted in it. The bridal consultant at EuroBride in Bryanston didn't have much to go by except that I wanted something with sleeves, a fitted bodice and lots of bling! After trying on about 3 dresses, the consultant looked at me and said "I know exactly the dress!" After much anticipation, she walked back into the room with the most beautiful dress I had ever seen! I put it on and I was overwhelmed with a feeling of pure happiness and absolute awe... With tears streaming down my face, I knew this was the one! And just like that, I had bought my dream wedding dress with a fitted bodice and a princess/ballgown tuille skirt that flared out from my legs, a corset back, a deep v-neckline (with illusion), long mesh sleeves and the most beautiful, intricately beaded bodice which was a mixture of stones and pearls... The beadwork followed through to the sleeves, on the shoulders and wrists which had buttons to finish off the sleeves.
My hair was coloured and styled by my hairdresser, Natassja from Jovem Eterno in Krugersdorp. We decided on a some-up-some-down style with curls, enough to have away from my face, but elegant enough to have long down my corseted back and accented with a pearl and diamanté comb. The look was finished off with my Mother's beautiful veil which she wore on her wedding day!
My makeup was exquisitely done by Elaine Boshoff and Antoinette de Beer from EA Academy in Krugersdorp, which included stunning lash extensions which lasted me 3 weeks, ensuring I had beautiful long lashes 24/7 on honeymoon.
My manicure was done by the brilliant Portia from LaPortia Nail Salon in Krugersdorp - a modern take on a French manicure, ombré French manicure with a touch of sparkle!
Beautiful pearl and diamanté earrings from Lovisa together with very unique pointed heels covered in stones and pearls, matching perfectly with the beadwork on my dress, tied the whole look together!
Our matrimonial mass took place at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Krugersdorp and our reception was held at Mount Usambara Wedding Venue in Krugersdorp.
Elegance and sophistication was the overall feel for our wedding - white, gold crystal. The reception hall was filled with beautiful white roses and a sea of candles held in crystal vases and gold candelabras.
My handsome husband wore a tailor-made black tuxedo from Florida Tailors, with a black and grey waistcoat, silver tie with matching handkerchief.
The groomsmen complemented the bridesmaids with black pants and shoes, white shirts, a black bow tie and beige blazer. The suit was finished off with a pink rose boutonnière.
My beautiful bridesmaids dresses were designed by me and made by a very talented husband-and-wife duo in Krugersdorp who just started their own business, Stichimo. The dresses were floor-length, sweet-heart neckline dresses with lace detail on a fitted bodice that cinched in at the waist and flowed out with a chiffon skirt.
An elegant upstyle and matching pearl and diamanté earrings complimented the champagne/pink dresses.
Father Terry Barnard OMI and Father Ignatius Fidgeon OMI married us.
Our special moments were photographed by the incredibly talented Tracy Loubser (Tracy Loubser Artistic Imagery), a family friend who I've known practically my entire life! She worked alongside Jonathan from Warren Anderson Photography and Videography, who videoed our beautiful day (see our wedding trailer: https://www.facebook.com/warren.anderson.photography/videos/1511947008941835/)
I planned my entire wedding with the help of my phenomenal Mother... We've always made the perfect team!
Our delicious food was prepared by the Mount Usambara team with the addition of some traditional Portuguese dishes.
Our wedding cake was made by our cousin Sanet De Sousa. The cake was a combination of carrot and vanilla with a gorgeous cascade of flowers and gold foil to match our theme.
I personally designed our wedding invitations and printed them at the Cartridge Shop in Krugersdorp. We also gold foiled all the invitations and thank-you labels at home. I designed our logo/monogram and table seating chart which was printed and installed by SignEdge SA.
Our DJ was DJ Paul from Sounds Gr8 who played background music during canapés and got the party started for our reception which included a mixture of Portuguese music, the latest pop music mixed with some golden-oldies and a few Afrikaans tracks to keep the party going!
Paul's services included ambient lighting as well as a low fogger smoke machine that accompanied our first dance which looked like we were dancing on clouds!
Our first dance was choreographed by our dear friend, the insanely talented Mario Gomes from the Mario Gomes Hip Hop Dance Academy in Krugersdorp.
