Our wedding day, from start to end was nothing short of a miracle out of our Heavenly Father's hand! A slow, calm start to the day that built up to an emotion filled ceremony next to the slow running river of Marlenique and a joyous reception with the most breathtaking view. We laughed and cried and made the most beautiful memories that will certainly last a lifetime.
We spent the first 3 days of our honeymoon just outside of George, on the gorgeous Buff&Fellow farm in their beautiful eco cabins, where you are surrounded by wildlife and can watch them closely from your doorstep. We also made time to go see some elephants and paraglide. The next day we spent in Knysna, soaking in the breathtaking views from Knysna Heads and enjoying local restaurants. We ended off our honeymoon just outside of Knysna in Cliffhanger Cottages. We spent our last 2 days there where my husband arranged us massages which we had on the deck outside with the most incredible view.
I'm not a very bold person, so I loved that my hair, makeup and dress suited that perfectly. I wore my hair down in soft waves, with just the front parts taken back, and my makeup and lashes were elegant, but not over the top, done by a very good friend of mine, Kari Stofberg Hayes. I still wanted to feel and look like myself. My dress was made by a local dress designer, Anri Ham, and she did a marvelous job! I initially wanted a completely different look, but that wouldn't have been practical as we LOVE to dance, so she literally drew the dress I then decided on on the material draped around my body, and I was so pleased with the end result. The last few days before the wedding I went lingerie, shoes & accessories shopping. I bought nude heels and droopy earrings. I wore a Daniel Wellington bracelet my husband got me as a wedding present aswell.
We got married on Marlenique in Simondium, which is actually a family farm of one of our very good friends, so it has some sentimental value to us. Our biggest requirement while looking at venues were a BIG dancefloor, and Marlenique met that criteria immediately. All of our family & friends stayed at accommodation in the area such as Le Bonheur, Station House, Oak Tree Lodge, etc. as Marlenique doesn't have guest accommodation available yet.
Marlenique Estate is a beautiful, yet functional venue just outside Paarl in the Simondium area of the Cape Winelands on a working Citrus Farm.
I did not do anything that was out of my ordinary routine too much. I had my hair and nails done at The Hair Nook in Paarl and my husband spoiled me with a sports massage to get all those tight wedding planning knots out which I had in the Labori Centre in Paarl. I didn't really follow a fitness program, but I did adjust my habits to eating more healthy, because I wanted to be a beaming, blushing bride with clear skin! I'm a member at Virgin Active Paarl and me and my husband frequently enjoyed workouts there. It was important to me to not go overboard with strict diets before the wedding because you tend to fall back into old, bad habits quickly afterwards instead of creating a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
Marlenique Estate is a beautiful, yet functional venue just outside Paarl in the Simondium area of the Cape Winelands on a working Citrus Farm.
