What started out as an occasion with a 80% rain forecast, for an outside wedding that's just nerve wrecking, it turned out to be the best day of my life.
I was up at 4am, because of excitement, making last minute lists of things which needed to be done that morning. We couldn't really decorate the forest wedding until the morning of the wedding, because the monkeys would've destroyed everything.
It ended up being a beautiful sunny morning.
Our ceremony was in a beautiful forest and our confetti was popcorn (biodegradable). Everyone looked so beautiful. The trees, the flowers, the people... It was amazing.
It did start raining later during the day, and we were running out to take photos between every cloud break. It was a day filled with laughter, good memories, great friends. It was absolutely fantastic and so so beautiful.
We did a tour of the coast. Spent a few days in Plettenberg Bay then off to Oudsthoorn for a 'glamping' experience. It was so much fun. Next we headed off to Wilderness and then off to St Francis Bay and finally Port Elizabeth. We spent a week or so at home, before the next leg of our honeymoon began.
Hein, my husband kept the next part of our honeymoon a secret for as long as he could. We had to apply for Visas so I eventually had to find out We then jetted off to Istanbul,followed by Rome and Venice for a couple of days. This being my first time overseas, it was one of the most enriching experiences I have ever had. We walked a lot, but I didn't mind because we saw so many beautiful places.
Itlay truly has the best pastries! And Turkey.... Wow... Amazing baklava!
I love lace.
I went wedding dress shopping quite soon after we got engaged. The third dress I tried on was the one I fell in love with.
I wanted a very natural look, so my curly hair was taken up in a loose updo with some plaits. My make up was done by my sister-in-law. She is absolutely amazing.
I wore rose gold comfortable pumps, which went well with my rose gold jewelry which I bought at Lovisa.
We got married at Beyond the Moon, a farm venue just outside of Wilderness in the Western Cape.
When my husband and I set foot onto the venue, we both knew that this was where we were going to get married.
I have always wanted a forest wedding. I love nature. So when the venue confirmed that they have a forest option available, my husband and I were both so excited.
It is an absolutely beautiful venue. Very green with large open spaces.
I started eating healthier. Eating less junk food and opting for the 'make-your-own-food-for-a-change' thing.
I have always been very strict with my skincare regime. I have found that Eucerin products work well with my skin type.
We had fairy lights hanging everywhere and white pom poms, which my family and friends spent hours fluffing from tissue paper.
I had ivy hanging from the walls and chandelier of the reception venue. Everything was pastel colours and very natural/neutral.
For in the forest my mom made banting from Hessian and pretty lace and a pretty lace ribbon curtain which acted as a backdrop. My dad made the amazing door through which our guests entered. We collected glass bottles from everyone we knew and hung them everywhere from the trees with beautiful flowers in.
We did everything ourselves. Which was very very hard work. But in the end it was so beautiful and I could see everyone's special unique touch in everything they did.
I love my family.
My husband wore navy blue skinny-fit pants with a grey shirt and blue jacket. Along with a blue and white polka-dotted tie with brown leather shoes. All bought at Woolworths.
The groomsmen wore light blue shirts and grey/brown pants. Bought at Cape Union Mart. Along with a cute navy blue bow-tie. They all bought their own brown shoes.
As I said, I absolutely love lace. And I really love the idea of the lace top with a detachable skirt.
It was the weekend of the Black Friday sale and my mom and I were just doing casual scrolling on the internet when we came across an amazing sale for the soft flowy skirts I had been looking for. The Maiden, a very nice online store based in Pretoria, was very quick to respond to my request and within a month I had all the skirts for all seven of my bridesmaids.
I sent them all on a hunt for a top that could work with the skirt and we were relieved to find one for everyone at Picnpay Clothing.
They all wore their own jewelry and the shoes they were most comfortable with.
I think they all looked absolutely stunning. The look really suited everyone.
My very good friend Patrick Foster captured the moments of our special day. He goes above and beyond the norm.
As I mentioned, we were running in and out of the rain to capture these moments of happiness and we had so much fun doing it.
He truly captures such natural moments of joy. That's why he was my only choice.
We didn't have a planner for our wedding. But I am also so glad about that.
I gave a general idea of the look which I wanted, and my family and friends just made it happen.
I don't regret for one moment doing things the way we did. It brought us together as a family. And what better way to get to know your in-laws than to tackle creative and challenging tasks together.
Two good friends of mine helped with the designing. My friend, Susan Kemp, she's a graphic designer in Cape Town. She designed my thank you cards.
And Elmarie Taljaard from Welgeluksalig Designs, designed my wedding invitations.
My mother hand assembled every single one of my invites.
Our reception was beautiful. We didn't dance though, but we did laugh. A lot.
We had such a great time catching up with all our friends.
A good friend of mine did the sound. We used a playlist on a laptop. A live band would've been amazing, but we decided that it was an unnecessary expense.
