On our wedding day, as to be expected, there were a few too many memorable moments to recall all of them here, but a few that were really noteworthy would be, the the lead up to the ceremony to start off with, the reception and all in all the feel of day....
In the months leading up to our wedding, we had already rescheduled our wedding once, due to lockdown. Having been in a long distance situation throughout our whole relationship, we were just not up for waiting to finally be married anymore...all the signs were there...were NOT postponing again. It was a bitter-sweet experience, seeing as we had to uninvite more than half our guest list. We ended up only having our family there, except for our closest 2 friends - they are a couple (he was a groomsman and she was my maid of honour). Not having any of our other friends there, gave us this looming feeling that the day would not turn our how we wanted it to and we barely spoke about the topic all throughout the weeks leading up to the wedding. What we knew is that we prayed on it and we trusted that it was in our Father's Devine plan that we should get married then.
Surely enough, our day turned out to be even more perfect than we could have ever imagined...
The walk down the isle at Winery Road Forest, is for sure the longest, most dramatic walk that I have ever seen at a weeding, nevermind our own (ha-ha)...best choice I could have made, though. This long walk gave me enough time to catch my breath and take in all of my surroundings, as my father and I walked through the woods. As the sun was lightly peaking through the branches and I held onto my dad, I remember thinking 'this is it...the moment every girl dreams of' and I was overwhelmed with excitement. As we walked and I finally laid eyes on my 'hubby to be', I will never forget that feeling of absolute surety of this man, standing at the end of the isle.
Throughout planning the wedding, I tried to include my husband in all the decision-making, but he only had certain preferences here and there, and other than that he left me to my own devices, saying that he really wants me to take care of all the detailed decisions that need to be made. So....having planned most of the wedding myself (which I thoroughly enjoyed, by the way) and our friends not being able to be there, I was constantly worried that the experience wouldn't be what he had hoped in his heart, but...as we walked into the reception area, he grabbed my hand with both his hands and said: "Lovie! This is the BEST small wedding ever!" Being a man of few words when it comes to expressing his emotions, it honestly made my day when I saw and heard his excitement over our big day, in spite of our friends not being able to attend.
The most memorable thing that sticks with me until this day is the feeling that I had the whole day...even now, as I recall our wedding day the feeling comes rushing back...not a feeling of nervousness (which is quite strange for me, because I am usually quite anxious) but a feeling of absolute bliss. I wanted to shout out with joy and burst into tears all at the same time, purely because I felt so blessed. This day was everything we had ever spoken and dreamt about, and more and I was SO grateful that our Heavenly Father made a way for us
We went to Hartenbos for our Honeymoon and we stayed at the most exquisite place - The Bay Lodge.
We chose to stay in one place and travel to where we wanted to be during the day, so that we wouldn't end up spending most of our time on the road and living out of our suitcases...we booked into the Superior Suite (which has the most beautiful view right on the ocean) and later moved to the Presidential Suite, which had its own hot tub on a covered balcony, overlooking the ocean. It was the most luxurious, relaxing experience and I would go back any day.
I have always been very big on makeup and hair. Having done makeup for a couple of events and weddings myself, I have always known that I wanted to do my own makeup for my wedding day. When the time came, I started doubting whether I still should, but in the end I stuck with my gut and knew that it would be something that I would always remember, so I did my own makeup for my wedding day and I do not regret it for one second - you know yourself better than anyone else does, so if you love doing it yourself...why not?
Madeleen Van der Merwe (Owner of Madeleen Skin and Beauty) did my hair and understood from the get-go that I was going for a very feminine, romantic feel throughout the whole wedding, including my hair. I gave a difficult task and something that she had never done before, and she absolutely outdid herself. The amount of compliments I received about my hair (before it rained out - and yes, it rained later that day) was incredible. Madeleen was not just a hair stylist though, we really bonded and she was an amazing help on the day, helping me get dressed and giving us a few tips that she has picked up during her 17 years of being in the wedding industry.
Christine from "A touch of Eleganz" was our decor and flowers service provider and oh...my...goodness...she captured the true Pinterest wedding look that I pictured. I did not think that we would be able to pull off a "pinterest look" with our budget, but Christine made it happen. She captured the romantic, intimate, elegant feel in a way that brings me to tears, because her setup of decor and flowers is was created the atmosphere for these beautiful memories that we have today.
I am a real girly girl...so when it came to dress, shoes, jewellery, etc...there was no holding back. I wanted to look like an elegant, feminine princess, without looking "overdone". My dress was rented (and specially made for me) by My Special Day bridal and Cyanne jumped through hoop to have my dress ready for me, in spite of a shortage on materials and lots of delays during lockdown. My dress arrived a day before the wedding and it gave me that tingly feeling in my stomach when I tried it on.
We got married at Winery Road Forest. Our guests did not stay the night, as we got married locally and had only 20 guests. We accommodated all of our family that came from other provinces in our own homes. The venue does offer a list of recommended accommodation in the surrounding area, though.
I did not have a specific regime, leading up to the wedding. I tried to eat as healthy/balanced as I could, so that my overall health and skin would be in a good state by the time of the wedding.
My grandmother, who is a renowned figure in the Annique community, treated me with facials to ensure that I had that "glow" that every bride wants on her wedding day. On top of that, my Doctor gave me a sample of "SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid cream" to put on the nigh before the wedding, as I struggle with eczema and dry/sensitive skin - this cream absolutely transformed my skin into the skin that I have always wanted.
Our breath-taking forest offers various options for a customised wedding ceremony under a natural pine canopy
We are fuelled by passion and ambition to approach every wedding with creativity and meticulous attention to detail.
