My husband studied French. At 2AM, the morning of our wedding, I was practicing the french pronunciation of a poem by Paul Éluard. "I cannot be known, better than you know me..." I remember thinking that I was absolutely mad. (French is a really difficult language). But I just kept thinking how much it would bless him. And during our ceremony, as I recited the french poem, he gave me a smile that I will never forget.
Seapoint, Cape Town. We are such book worms. We spent our days strolling on the prominade, reading in different coffee shops and eating way too much ice cream. We stayed at the Peninsula Hotel in Seapoint.
One of my favourite scriptures in the Bible, Psalm 51, speaks about a bride adorned in gold. Martja from Nupt Bridal designed a dress with gold lace in the bodice, a low back and a fit and flare cut. (My husband loves my derriere... so it was all about fit). Marike from To Be Bridal Styling (hair and makeup) gave me an old Hollywood glam look with sideswept hair and deep red bold lip. My jewelry was a pearl bracelet and earrings from my sister's wedding. My shoes were stunning soft pink suede pumps from Call it Spring.
I always wanted to get married in a library. We chose to get married at The Rand Club in Johannesburg Central Business District. People have so many misconceptions about Johannesburg and the inner city. We wanted to showcase the beauty of Jhb and remove stigmas.
It had a room with a spectacular library, which created the perfect backdrop. Our bridal party and family members stayed the night and the suites were very luxurious.
Rand Club, the pinnacle of historical Johannesburg and an icon amongst the city skyline, offers a quintessentially grand and elaborate multi-purpose venue.
Skincare, sleep and exercise was everything for me! I can highly recommend SKOON skincare. My skin has perfect on my big day. I worked out with Kayla Itsines' sweat app and followed sound advice from fitness experts Uleen Fourie & Lean Girl. My nails were pampered by Sorbet. My Gelish set lasted me 4 weeks. Our budget was a bit tight, so I couldn't get too much pampering done, but I did what I could at home. I used Skin Creamery for my decolletage and Davines hair care for my lovely long locks.
Our theme was mid-century glam/library. We had merlot carpets, thick gold curtains, tassels, burgundy, palladian blue, soft pinks and neutrals. The Rand Park with is rich and infamous history provided the perfect back drop. My husband and I are both literature nerds, so the library created the perfect backdrop. The venue has so many antiques and art pieces that we could pick and choose from. Mariette Loubser, stand-up comedian and florist from Vars Liefde Flowers did my bouquet and arrangements.
My husband wore a velvet deep red blazer, with Polo pants and mandarin collar shirt. His watch was from MVMT, shoes from Edgars. The groomsmen wore Chinos from Woolworths and linen shirts from Cotton On.
I wanted my bridesmaids to uniquely express their personalities in their outfits. I gave them a colour scheme and they each sought out their own dress. My criteria was: 1) Our colour scheme and 2) Do you feel gorgeous in it? And it showed in the photos.
Marinus Hayes (Married by Marinus)
My husband is a photographer, so it was only natural that we get a talented team. Jana from Soif de Vivre Imagery was our photographer and Moon Raccoon Weddings shot our wedding video.
I planned my wedding in a month, on quite a tight budget. Style doesn't have to break the bank.
We stayed at our venue and did not require transport.
The Rand Club provided the most delicious and dainty canapes. Our cake was made by Jemma Baker from Jemma Baker Bakes.
I designed my own stationary via Canva.
Sound and lighting was provided by The Rand Club. We created a playlist on Spotify that we streamed. We also Zoomed some of our guests in due to Lockdown regulations. We have great moves, so no need for dance lessons.
Rand Club, the pinnacle of historical Johannesburg and an icon amongst the city skyline, offers a quintessentially grand and elaborate multi-purpose venue.
Rand Club, the pinnacle of historical Johannesburg and an icon amongst the city skyline, offers a quintessentially grand and elaborate multi-purpose venue.
