This Repunzel finally got her Prince.
Our Love story didn't start on our wedding day, this was only a chapter in our love story. Our love story started on 28th November 2008 as Highschool sweethearts. We said a few years ago it will be special to get married on the 28th Nov 2020 as it is on a Saturday and our 12th Anniversary so we get to keep our date (after a while I told my boyfriend this is his deadline, how long can a girl wait as we weren't getting engaged anytime soon), then life happened and Covid happened. We decided 2020 was a different year and we are still here and healthy so we have to make this happen while we can celebrate our love and party with our loved ones. We actually started looking for venues in October 2020, he designed the rings and on the day he asked my Dad's approval I surprised my Mother and Grandmother with my first dress fitting as we had to wait a while for the rings but had to start planning and can't do things the normal engaged announcement first. We got engaged on 31st October 2020 and our big day was on the 16th December 2020, unfortunately 28th Nov wasn't possible but 16 + 12 = 28 (still our number). Our special day was filled with so much different emotions in one day as all of us were waiting very long for this day and I believe under the Covid circumstances it just made it more special. We would LOVE to do this day over and over again, it was a "lekker" party and that is exactly what we wanted after 12 years. I'm the Repunzel as I have natural long hair, the tower resembles all the obstacles we had in the last 12 years to get where we are today, together with my Prince.
Unfortunately we didn't go on Honeymoon. As we planned everything so quick and for the time we were in we didn't plan anything to go somewhere, budget was also tight and a week after the wedding I tested positive for Covid.
Everything just works out like it should as God's plan and we hope to maybe celebrate our first Anniversary with a special honeymoon just to make it more unforgettable while we are all healthy and able to travel.
I wanted to feel my most beautiful self on my special day but still be my natural self. I actually had an updo planned for my hair and on the day of my final dress fitting my hair was in a braid and I just loved the look, it is playful and December SA heat proof and natural me as it is my own real rapunzel hair. After 12 years you think a girl now which dress she wants, well not this one. I had an idea but not that "I have to get married in this specific dress", but the one I got married in definitely made me feel beautiful and like a bride. I actually still want to walk around in my dress still - it survived a Jägermeister shot the night of our reception....haha thank goodness for dry cleaners. I had black heels with black toe nails, not your usual but that was our color scheme - white and black with natural elements.
Makeup & hair - Makeup & hair by Liesl
Wedding dress - Bridal Manor
Wedding shoes - Cotton On
Jewellery - Lovisa & borrow from my Mother
Garter - Bridal Wardrobe (just the pretty one for photos), the one we gave away was from a friends wedding and now another friend has it (keeping it in the group)
Bridal Manor is an exclusive bridal shop that specialises in selling imported couture designer wedding dresses.
Bridal Wardrobe is the leading stockist of all Enzoani Collections in South Africa and caters for the modern bride who wants to be at the forefront of the latest designer trends.
Imperfect Perfection (IP) - where time is not measured by clock but by memories.
We fell inlove with this place from our first viewing and this was the ONE thing we just had to have, the welcome and HOME feeling you get when you enter these gates is what we wanted. Our getting ready there was the start of the day with a perfect breakfast, IP's team there the entire time to make anything happen you need. He had a special entrance walking down the tree aisle with all our guests, I came in the wedding car Isabella with my Mom & Dad. Entered the Church and all I could see was him standing at the end, didn't even see one guest down that aisle only HIM. Finally husband & wife - it still feels strange to say this. The most delicious snacks and patio chill session for our guests while we were busy with the perfect sunset photos. And let the PARTY begin - intro song was wild wild love from Pitbull. We had the sparkler first dance, father and daughter dance, mother and son dance and few speeches. Then came our out of this world lamb shank plated food which was just amazing and out of this world. Surprise desert table decorations, something from IP's side they do. This team did everything for us on this day, made it all possible without any stress and without any disappointment - they made this perfect day possible and their venue is PERFECT. We arrived imperfect and departured perfectly.
Not much time for these things when you plan a wedding in 2 and half months. We went all natural and just the way we are, tried eating healthy at least and exercise a little bit before the wedding.
The perfect team Imperfect Perfection staff with their Lalo-Na Décor wedding & events décor @Imperfect Perfection staff made everything pretty from the mock table to the actual Reception and Chapel décor with flowers. We didn't need a lot extra as the reception hall was what we wanted with the globes and the perfect feel inside, we only had to decorate the tables. Everything was ready and pretty the night before the wedding so this Bride could sleep the night before, even though the excitement was to much so i couldn't sleep anyway.
The men made a day of this and went shopping just like men do. In and out and they are done easy peasy not like the girls.
Groom's Suite - Woolworths
Groomsmen - Woolworths
We went for a few dress fittings but didn't find anything we liked, they ended up making the dresses as preferred from a local lady and it was perfect. Black dresses with no cleavage (Bride's only request), they just had to feel comfortable and pretty.
Ds. Gerrit Visser - Service
Ds. Braam Klopper - Marriage Officer
We had our Pastor from our old Church that gave the Service with a special message and the other Pastor to do all the official things for us to make us Husband & Wife.
Photographer - Kreativ
Videographer - Meisiekind Fotografie
I followed Kreativ for a while now on FB and just loved the different modern type of photos, not the normal photos. We are still waiting for our wedding photos as it hasn't even been 2 months already and we just can not wait for it to relive the moment all over again and that is why photos are so important to capture all the special moments because the day goes by so quick.
And more special we are waiting for our video from Meisiekind Fotografie, which is also my friend and Bridesmaid. This was a challenge as she had to be in most of the shots but with the help of her team (husband) they made it work and we can't wait to see the video. The emotions is just a little bit more real in a video than photos so we get to treasure this forever. Everyone says a video is the most special thing you have left from this day.
Wonderful Lene from Imperfect Perfection together with Pinterest and the thousand of photos I have saved over the years made everything possible!
Imperfect Perfection's wedding car - Isabella. I got to remake the photo where I sat next to my Mother on her wedding day on her carriage, she sat next to me on my wedding day inside my wedding car. Special moment*
Food was done by Imperfect Perfection and it was perfect, we got such good feedback from our guests on the food because it was SO GOOD!
Wedding Cake was done by Herkie from Cake Haven Pretoria North, we decided on the traditional naked wedding cake and it was so pretty with three tiers of different flavours.
Stationary - Meisiekind Design studio
My friend did all our stationary for us and she created a special logo for us as well. Just loved it and was amazing to have a creative friend to make everything pretty.
Our thank you gift was a brandy shot with sugar - we started this tradition with each wedding to buy this shot for the wedding couple so on our wedding day we wanted to drink this shot with our people.
No dance lessons - maybe we should have but again not much time for these type of things.
DJ - Nico who made sure we stayed on the dance floor, I had to change my heels for my slippers (it was under my dress anyway) because I couldn't feel my feet anymore.
Bridal Wardrobe is the leading stockist of all Enzoani Collections in South Africa and caters for the modern bride who wants to be at the forefront of the latest designer trends.
Bridal Manor is an exclusive bridal shop that specialises in selling imported couture designer wedding dresses.
