How can one point out highlights if the whole day was so magical?! Mmm let me see...
Our wedding car got stuck in a ditch, so I was standing on the side of the road in my wedding dress haha! That would definitely count as memorable!
The ceremony was certainly the time where I had the most emotions - happy, nervous, excited, oh flip so many people watching! I have never seen my soon-to-be-husband at the time smile so big. I just focused on him and all the butterflies flew away <3
A last highlight that I would like to share is my parents sokkie-ing all by themselves to "Dames by Biggy" by the end of the night, who would have thought haha! They are so special and everyone was watching xx
We managed to go on honeymoon to Mauritius right before the national lock down. On our first day there, we took a lovely trip to Ile Aux Cerfs on a catamaran, but sadly the next day all activities were cancelled due to the corona virus. We were not allowed to leave the hotel for the rest of the trip and we were sent home 2 days early due to the Mauritian and South African borders closing for any further flights.
We were very lucky to have gone, regardless of the circumstances, many couples had to cancel their honeymoon!
I went for a soft, elegant look for my wedding. My dress had a silky chiffon skirt with an embroided train, and an illusion bodice with what Didi calls Lindi lace. My husband has commented many times on friends' and family's wedding dresses, that he likes thin straps, so I went with that.
My hair and makeup was done by the lovely Donna Taylor. She is truly amazing and made me feel like a princess. She did soft colours for my eyes and lips, while still giving me the "I'm getting married today" look.
I bought my shoes at Queenspark - a pair of flat sparkly sandals. In my opinion much more comfortable for my small feet than a pair of heels. And besides, I didn't want to be towering over my husband :p
The only jewellery I wore was a simple gold ring that once belonged to my grandmother, and dangly diamante earrings from Lovisa that matched my dress. I had a plain hair clip, as I didn't want to draw attention away from the masterpiece braid that Donna created.
Motivated by "all things beautiful", the work of Didi and her team is sure to leave you enchanted.
Morné and I got married at Die Stoor in Moorreesburg. They recreated an old tractor storage warehouse into a beautiful little chapel. The reception hall is on the same venue, so no need for the guests to travel from one place to the next.
The venue offers plenty accommodation - four cottages a bit further away on the farm, and some rooms at Die Hut closeby. We stayed at Vleidam Guest Farm, which is about 15minutes away from the venue, and other guests used AirBnb or Lekkeslaap to find accommadation in the town of Moorreesburg.
My Maid of Honour and I happened to start a membership at Virgin Active right before I got engaged. She was the perfect "shredding-for-the-wedding" companion! Without her I probably would have skipped gym way too often. I am not the biggest fitness person, but the wedding definitely gave me something to work for.
As I am naturally fair skinned I opted for a few Tan Can sessions to get some colour. I went to Beyond Beauty in Paarl, they have great service!
Besides the above I really didn't go through a lot of beauty prep. I tried to eat more healthy to avoid skin breakouts before the wedding, and I timed by hair appointment to ensure no regrowth on the day, but that's about it!
My decor and flowers were done by the owner of the venue, Wilinda Hanekom from Swier. I wanted green, gold and a soft yellow, so she created a fairytale reception hall for me. I had hanging gardens and a massive greenery arch behind the main table. Dozens of candles and fairy lights galore.
Table decor and flowers were different at each table, which I thought was a nice touch, and the golden perspex table numbers really brought everything together.
Wilinda has white couches and ottomans that was used for the canapes on the lawn, and then later it was brought into the hall for additional seating for those wanting it.
The groom and his groomsmen all wore navy suits that they rented from Mr. Suit Hire. Everyone had their own brown shoes and belts. Morné (the groom) bought funky(ish) socks for them to wear at Woolworths. Their ties were all navy, the groomsmen's with white dots, also from Woolworths.
Wilinda Hanekom, the owner of the venue, made their lapel flowers from the flowers left over from the reception hall.
Other than that, Morné wore an old watch that had stopped working a long time ago haha! He usually wears a fitness watch, which he clearly thought wasn't fit for his wedding day.
My three bridesmaids looked beautiful in their emerald dresses from Hoiden Bridesmaids. They were all the same colour, but different styles. I've always wanted to get married in a forest, but when that didn't work out, I decided to just have as much as possible greenery at the wedding as possible. The emerald dresses fitted in so nicely with the theme.
They all wore thin, simple flower crowns. Mostly green with tiny white flowers here and there.
Andrew Boake, a pastor from my husband's church gave the message at the service, but a local minister from the NG church in Moorreesburg, Ds Louw, officiated the marriage and took care of the legal side of things.
We got our marriage contract done through EasyANC, which we did online and it was super easy.
Charlene Vernooy from Vernooy Photography captured our special day. She was absolutely amazing and made us feel very comfortable in front of the camera. She is very talented and also does well in cycling and singing. Although we chose to not hire a videographer, Vernooy Photography also offers this service.
Charlene uses two cameras, each with two memory cards to ensure dual recording - in case something goes wrong with a memory card. This really gives peace of mind that nothing will happen to your photos!
Charlene's assistant took care of the photo booth during the canapes. They had lots of props and the photos were printed on the spot.
We didn't have an official planner, but my sister, who got married four years ago, loves event planning so she helped a lot. Other than that, the owner of the venue also took care of the decor, flowers and catering, and I'm sure there were lots of "behind the scenes" coordination going on on the day. She and her team really did a great job.
My bridesmaids and I got dressed about 15 minutes away from the venue. We hired a wedding car to take us to the ceremony, but sadly the car wasn't allowed to leave the town borders, so we had to meet them on the side of the road closer to the venue. When we got to the car, it was stuck in a ditch and we had to wait for someone to tow it out! We had a good laugh and it definitely makes for a good memory!
Sadly I don't know much about cars, so I can't tell you what make and model it was, but it was a beige, vintage, four-seater car with leather seats. It is privately owned and only operates in Moorreesburg.
Oh the cake!! It was so delicious, made by an old high school friend of mine who lives in Paarl - Christeleen Botha. It was a naked dark chocolate mouse cake, decorated with yellow flowers. Beautiful!
Wilinda Hanekom, the owner of the venue, did the catering - wow! It was the most delicious food I've had in a long time, and a big variety too! We had a buffet with three differnet meat, six sides and six desserts.
My maid of honour is a very talented graphic designer, and she helped me with my invitations and church pamphlets, as well as the thank you notes for the tables. We spent hours together creating them, and I can really recommend her. Her name is Elandi Jooné from Shine Design.
Morné and I love to sokkie - perhaps not the best at it but we didn't feel the need to take lessons. We danced to music from DJ Wayne Burns who lives in Durbanville. They brough their own lighting and it created a great "party" atmosphere. We danced all night!
During our ceremony a friend of ours, Charles Egan, did the sound and music, and also played our worship song on keyboard. He was accompanied by the lovely vocals of another friend, Taryn Minnie.
Motivated by "all things beautiful", the work of Didi and her team is sure to leave you enchanted.
