Our Honeymoon was only 7 days at the beautiful Victoria Beachcomber Resort & Spa in Mauritius.
It was officially our first trip out of South Africa together.
We spent most of the time relaxing on the beach with beer and cocktails.
We also did some water sports which included paddle boat, kayaking, snorkeling and then we swam with dolphins in the open ocean. This was the most amazing experience of my life, to be in their territory and trying to keep up with them - such gentle and magnificent animals.
We also did the Wild South Tour, which included visiting religious sites, understanding how Mauritius came to be, and visiting the World Famous Chamarel 7 Coloured Earth Reserve, Chamarel Waterfall and Giant Tortoise Park. Before heading back to the hotel we visited Rhumerie de Chamarel (tasting the rums and seeing how it is made).
The 7 Coloured Earth is working with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation ("MWF") on programmes to to restore, conserve and manage the forests of Chamarel. The project, which began in 2009, aims to preserve endangered Mauritian fauna and flora and to restore the area's unique biodiversity by weeding out exotic plants and planting native species. The MWF is the only non-governmental organization in Mauritius to be exclusively concerned with the conservation of the endangered endemic plants and animals of Mauritius.
I was never a girl that dreamed about her wedding day from a young age, so when I got engaged 2 years ago, I really had to start thinking about what I really wanted for my wedding day. We got engaged on 27 May 2017 at 12h00 and I went to my first Bride Expo in August 2017. I was extremely overwhelmed with all the information, as everything looked amazing and I wanted it all. It was suggested to me that I need to start a "scrap book" with all the things a really like and want & then we take it from there.
I knew I did not want anything over the top, so I decided to go with a simple yet elegant wedding look, something that is me and fits with our venue.
Hair: My hair was done by my 1 & only fabulous hairstylist - Adriette van Niekerk from Hairtique (I grew back my natural hair with white streaks and had a few extensions. My fringe was out of my face and the overall look was half up & half down with curls).
Make Up: My make up was done by my 1 & only fabulous make up artist - Mercia du Plessis from MDuP_make_up_artistry (soft on the eyes with a dark lip).
Wedding Dress: I went to various boutiques to see what my actual style was that fitted my body type and after 6/7 consultations with different boutiques, I found my dream wedding dress at Tres Jolie Bridal and Evening Wear in Lynnridge Mall. My dream wedding dress was a Morilee dress by Madeline Gardner. I have never felt more inlove with a dress as when I first tried on this dress, it was made for me.
Shoes: I was searching every shop I could until I decided to have a look online...I found my perfect wedding heels from Superbalist (Miss Black Lake G Court Heels Blue & Silver Glitter) - these I wore for the wedding ceremony & taking photos. My second pair of shoes was Tommy tekkies (baby blue & white) that I got was from Shoe City in Mall @ Reds (these I wore for the wedding reception & dancing the night away).
Lingerie: I got these from Bra's & Things in Centurion Mall.
Jewellery: I got myself some stud earrings from Woolworth's in Mall @ Reds, blue & silver long hanging earrings with a diamond bracelet from Lovisa in Menlyn Mall. My wedding present from my Husband was a Swarovski tennis bracelet (blue & white diamonds).
After viewing 14 different venues, we knew we found THE venue when we walked into the gates of Lace on Timber.
The Lace on Timber team are creative professionals and is there to guide every bridal couple in every step of the way. Lace on Timber is set between luscious and natural forest like tree setting on the edge of Cullinan, easily accessible from the N4 Highway, just a short drive from Pretoria East. Lace on Timber does offer full exclusivity of the venue with french industrial details yet romantic in every way.
We got married in Lace on Timber's Outdoor Chapel. Their outdoor chapel is situated between luscious trees and includes wooden benches with grey cushions as seating, as well as Victorian couches for elderly.
Lace on Timber also has an Indoor chapel which is modern, timeless and romantic. The Indoor Chapel is designed to perfection with unique glass windows and doors opening to expose our natural luscious trees and adorned with natural light.
Lace on Timber's Reception Area has the tall windows and exposed brick gives an industrial, yet classic look to your wedding day.
The Bridal Suite (also the Honeymoon Suite), is decorated to perfection with a large poster bed, glass chandeliers, a beautiful dark floral mural and delicate bathroom amenities. Absolute Perfection!
Accommodation: Some of our guests stayed the night at Lace on Timber’s very own accommodation which is situated on their premises and a walking distance from the chapels and reception. There guesthouses are unique and consists of 11 rooms which accommodates 2 guests per room (9 rooms are furnished with queen sized beds & 2 rooms have two 3/4 beds available and each room has an en-suite bathroom with shower). All 11 rooms are inspired by industrial French style, complimented by a touch of timber &drizzled with rose gold perfection. In the event that all the Lace on Timber's rooms are filled & the guests would like to spend the night, there is accommodation around the venue available within a range of 3 - 10 kilometers.
The creator, creative mind and owner of Lace on Timber, Jeanel Bezuidenhout, is also the creative florist behind all flowers and decor at Lace on Timber as Pebble & Lace. She assists with all aspects of flowers and decor for the wedding, bouquets, chapel flowers and hanging center pieces & table arrangements.
Our wedding decor was also not over the top, it was rustic & elegant.
Bride & Bridesmaids Bouquets: I had a medium sized bouquet which had greenery with blue flowers and leafs. My Bridesmaids had medium sized ring bouquets which also had greenery with blue leafs.
Open Chapel: Greenery on x8 Shephard Hooks which included blue & silver ribbon, Greenery with blue flowers and leafs on the door frame, Wreath Greenery on the doors which included our initials "B" and "M" inside the wreaths.
Reception: Chandeliers and Fairy Lights hanging from the roof, as well as a hanging centerpiece with Eucalyptus with a touch of blue leafs with flowers. We also included white candles and greenery on the window frames.
Main Table: Love sign in front, Greenery floral runner with a touch of blue flowers & leafs, French candelabra with long silver candles, x2 rustic lanterns with small round sky blue candles, x2 glass coasters with medium dark blue candles, Mr & Mrs Rutherfoord-Jones sign, silver under plates and white napkins.
Guest Tables: Greenery floral runners with a touch of blue flowers & leafs, Silver candelabra with long white candles, x2 rustic lanterns with small round sky blue candles, x2 glass coasters with medium dark blue candles, silver under plates and white napkins.
We visited Bride & Co in Brooklyn Mall to buy my Husband's tuxedo.
His looks was completed with the tuxedo which was a dark blue, a white tuxedo shirt, silver bow tie, silver pocket square, silver & baby blue lapel pin, brown belt and brown shoes.
His wedding present from me, completed his look - personalized wooden cuff links which had our wedding date on the one and our initials on the other; as well as a Daniel Klein watch.
The Best Man and Groomsman's looks we hired from the same shop. Their looks were completed with a lighter blue suits, white shirts, silver pocket squares, silver lapel pins, brown belts & brown shoes.
The wonderful Ciska Barnard hand made the dresses for my girls.
Their dresses were a 2 piece (the top and the skirt). My Matron of Honour and Flower girl had navy blue dresses and my Bridesmaids and Flower Ladies had silver/grey dresses. Their look was completed by light blue heels. I also arranged with a supplier to make personalized hangers for each lady (their names and our wedding date) to hang their dress on as well.
Hair: Some of the girls' hair was done by my 1 & only fabulous hairstylist - Adriette van Niekerk from Hairtique.
Make Up: The girls and mothers' make up was done by my 1 & only fabulous make up artist - Mercia du Plessis from MDuP_make_up_artistry.
We asked my godfather to marry us - Hannes Coetzee.
Our wedding food was made by the in-house Chef of Lace on Timber. After the ceremony the guests enjoyed a Harvest Table for Canapes, with a Craft Beer Table and a Gin & Tonic Table.
When all was seated in the reception our menu was a 3-course meal -
* Starters was Caramelized Pear & Gorgonzola Gnocchi with Roasted Nuts.
* Mains were Grilled Fillet (served medium) smothered in a truffle wild mushroom cream on a bed parmesan mashed potatoes - for the adults & for the children under 12 was served with Hamburgers & Chips. They also served special meals for the x4 vegan guests we had.
* Dessert was Oreo Cheesecake, Amarula Iced Coffee Crumble, Nutella & Bar-One Ice Cream and Ice Cream Sundaes with balsamic pavlova.
We did not go the traditional wedding cake way (as the wedding cake never gets finished), we decided to go the route that everybody enjoys....Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnuts. Each guest received a doughnut as a Thank You gift (which included both my husband and my family name crests). The rest of the doughnuts the guests could enjoy through the day & evening. There was left over doughnuts the next morning, which we decided to hand them out to everyone we saw next to the road, robots & toll gate.
ManifiQue Laser Cutting creates all wooden, perspex, paper & leather products, according to each person's requirements. If you can dream it, they can cut it! ManifiQue Laser Cutting specializes in laser cutting & engraving decor and specialty products for weddings & events, customized home/business decor & corporate gifts.
This power couple is so amazing and always keeps you updated on the products. They always go the extra mile to make sure that each person is happy.
ManifiQue Laser Cutting assisted us with making our wedding tree invite framework (we diy'ed the rest of the invite), a big unplugged ceremony board, Mr & Mrs Rutherfoord-Jones sign for our main table, Mr & Mrs signs for our chairs at the main table, Remembrance board that was placed in front by the reception with a bouquet of flowers, Welcome to our Beginning sign, and our initials "B" and "M" that went in the middle of the wreaths by the chapel doors.
My father-in-law made us a wedding ring box out of wood, and the top part was also a tree with our initials on it, and on the side was our wedding date.
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