I was rewarded with a wonderful wedding day, happy guests and fond memories after months of preparation for our special day.
Highlights included the clear hot day, full moon, family and friend time and fun taking photos. The food was delicious and I got to speak with each of my guests for a few minutes. Then having a mini wedding cake fight was Awesome! Best face cream in the world is buttercream frosting!
Special Memories include setting up and rehearsing in the little NG church in Baardies, hugging my mum and dad, receiving a special pendant from my sister Mia Taylor, and a something blue bracelet from my cousin Prissilla de Klerk. Running through bird seed confetti (which we then discovered had little occupants in!hehe) My husband had to gently rehome them out from under the petty coat in the getaway vehicle. Then escaping to the back of the Murasie kitchen so that my friend and bridesmaid Anna Flanagan could refix my hair into place- the sweet kitchen staff taking selfies with me and my husband bringing a coke to share with me, several other bridesmaids joining us to escape the buzz for 5 min, and my cousin saving the day with her spare hair elastic.
We went on more of a Honey- Solar system..We had booked into a seaside cottage with friends from overseas for 3 nights. (Kom-Tot-Rus in Cape St. Helena) It mattered more to spend some quality friend time. And we got oodles of that in.
I settled on an elegant and comfortable style- reminiscent of a lady in the 1800's. The dress, Enzoani I found on Stillwhite.com as I decided on a pre-loved dress. Many people worry about the energy a dress brings- but the loving intent is there in the dress all the way, and why not add to that gorgeous energy! The lace patterns on my dress are endearingly vintage and fascinating to me. I could look at it for ages!
After a safe and professional transaction I had my dress, which fit perfectly! And we just had a few minor adjustments made with a tailor. The engagement ring doubled as our wedding ring as it is so beautiful and loved. Keith had it made to his specifications with Stone Fusion Goldsmith in Port Elizabeth. I wear a lovingly designed ring. <3
In 2005, a new bridal collection emerged and quickly rose to compete with top brands by merging traditional and modern European styles into exquisitely hand crafted gowns.
Tucked away just outside of Baardskeerdersbos (Baardies) is this beautiful venue on a farm.
Tannie Leana de Wet made us feel at home immediately. We had looked at several venues that week but both loved Murasie. We went with the only date open around Jan/Feb as the weather would have been unpredictable over our other requested dates. We considered our options over lunch at Marietjies pub, but after eating there we knew what we wanted.
The quaint cottages immediately caught my attention as well as the practical camping facilities. Once we saw the gardens and view from the reception hall we were saucer eyed with wonder.
The 'piep-klein' town of Baardies also wrapped itself around our hearts with its friendly people and old town atmosphere.
We partied til the cows came home (and the ducks swam in) in this beautiful and safe place.
I did not have a beauty regime persay. I walked our dogs quite a lot in the fresh air and tried to take care of myself. Lots of hugs and support from my family and friends when possible had a great hand in the beauty treatment too.
The Decor was a mixture of the venue facilities and The Husband and Wife Team's (Nel and Christien Schrecker) awesome efforts!
The wooden tables created a relaxed air that I loved and the jewel colour combination lended the venue a further deep and vibrant look. The flowers and rose gold candelbras along the tables were colourful, but practical. I wanted guests to be able to chat and see eachother. The cutlery and dinner service were plain to complement the delicious buffet. I wanted guests to eat and enjoy! Combined with the spectacular views through the floor to ceiling windows the night literally fizzed away.
My favourite touches were the fairy lights and little extras Christine and Nel set out. Christine made sure there were extra flowers available for Kirsty to use on the cake. And the green lawns did the rest of the rest of the work!! :)
Dove and stone grey suits of varying shades with white button up shirts, made them all look very dashing. Keith hired a suit from Keith's Suit Hire in Somerset West (it was uncanny) hehe The groom, his father, elder brother and my father all wore dark blue tyes and the groomsmen rocked the day with wine coloured tyes. Buttonholes in white and green done by Christien finished off the clean and hansome look.
This gorgeous tribe of mine wowed my socks off! I gave them a colour palette and asked for a long dress and they all came to the table like superstars. I was so proud of how they each individualised the ideas and brought it on the day looking gorgeous. <3
Keith's brother Russ guided the ceremony for us at our request after we asked him and his wife Tess, if he would do the honour, but we had legally tied the knot in court sometime before that. Russell has known us for a very long time and has a deeply vested interest in life which we wanted him to share with us and our guests at the ceremony. Tess brought wonderfully sage advice and care, to the conversation, and promises we were about to make. Asking Russ to walk us through into this next phase of our lives made a lot of sense. And was a wonderful choice.
Red Beard Productions - Kobus Pretorius kindly shot our wedding video footage and photos. When I first started looking at wedding ideas I stumbled across a few of Kobus' 'Love Stories of..' I was hooked.
I settled on having a video much later but knew I wanted him and his team involved. I got so excited! I was pleasantly surprised with a caring, professional and open minded team arriving that day. I just wish it hadnt gone so fast! But Im happy the Red Beard team helped me capture our moments so that I can pause and reflect and smile now.
My Dad's trusty Toyota Fortuner transported our gaggle of giddy ladies.
Marietjies Pub and Grill supplied the Boere menu buffet of chicken pie, roast potatoes and lamb. They made mac and cheese and had several vegetarian options at my request too. The kiddies got to enjoy hot dogs and mac and cheese a bit earlier so that they wouldnt be hungry.
Kirsty Rimmer (Cakes by Kirsty, Somerset West) did our beautiful cake and cupcakes with the most delicious vanilla bean butter cream icing! The cakes were chocolate or vanilla flavoured.
We used the Canva Application on my cellphone to create our invitations, then Quik application a video editor in a slide show format. It took some playing around but the end result was off the charts.
Also created the Save the Dates digitally and closer to the wedding we created a facebook page and Whatsapp group to facilitate directions and general information.
This is a very modern and no fuss approach which served us well and limited costs and confusion.
I did much of my research on the internet (Youtube and Facebook and Instagram) I found Boland Weddings and watched several episodes avidly. In rolls DJ Arries - Armand Vermeulen. Well spoken and quietly humble I instantly liked his style. He sent me some of his sets to listen too and that sealed the deal. We had an epic party!
In 2005, a new bridal collection emerged and quickly rose to compete with top brands by merging traditional and modern European styles into exquisitely hand crafted gowns.
