Nothing was ordinary about our wedding day! In fact, we celebrated for days before! There are so many things I find memorable, from the incredible vendors we had, the challenges and the triumphs. The things that in the bigger picture seem so small. Everything was memorable, and highlighting it is going to be the biggest challenge yet.
We are so lucky to have the very close group of friends that we do, in fact, they are our chosen family. We are even more blessed with the family we have been given to share this life with. My husband and I both come from very big families, and we are incredibly grateful that we are all so close to one another. There are a few times in our lives that we are reminded to cherish what we have. Our wedding was another opportunity where our eyes were opened by how lucky we truly are.
We started our celebrations on the Thursday night before we got married (we were getting married on Saturday). This was an opportunity to have a first night send off, and send off we did. Our wild bunch of friends traveled far and wide to join us at a dingy little pub in the midlands where we drank, danced and sung until the early hours of Friday morning. Uncle Cyril had announced earlier that night that restrictions were lifted, not that we needed anymore motivation to act like we were at Matric Vac, this just meant that we were on full send, legally speaking.
On Friday morning, obviously feeling not too well, the boys were up for a round of golf while my bridesmaids and I were drinking far too much at my kitchen tea. Our rather large bridal party, 20 in total, only made our coordinators job that much more difficult when everyone arrived at the afternoon run through not so coherent. The odd few who hadn't been around for the drinking activities during the course of the day quickly jumped on the band wagon, even ordering drinks for the coordinator. I think it was as this moment that Jen from Harrington House finally believed that the amount of booze we had ordered warranted its own trailer. To give you some context, when you have a marquee wedding, the vendors have some strange formula which tells you how much liquor you should order based on the amount of guests you have. We ran that formula numerous times yet the numbers just didn't seem right. Completely disregarding the mathematics behind the formula, we sent in our booze order. Within minutes of it being sent, we received a concerning phone call advising that we have ordered far too much and that this amount is enough for a wedding three times our size. After a bit of back and forth, our order was placed.
After the run through we had a final look at the venue where our magical team were doing what they do best. The weather was terrible but spirits were high. As we stood there, it dawned on us that we had done this in just three weeks. It was an unreal feeling. From the run through we hustled back to the Hilton hotel to get ready for our welcome dinner.
Thinking that an early start time together with a send off the night before would deter our group from attempting anything silly the night before the wedding could never have been more wrong. With the strongest second wind, our team tested the bartenders speed until early hours of Saturday morning - the wedding day.
Because we had planned our wedding times before receiving news of the restrictions being lifted, our bridal party maybe had two hours of sleep before they were required to wake up before getting ready. I was staying at the venue in the bridal suite with our fur baby, Penelope, so we decided that it would be rather fun for our entire bridal party to be able to mingle in the morning during the "get ready phase". A conference room was set up with tea, coffee, food and waiters should anyone feel brave enough to order from the bar. The men had a team from Bodes Barber who treated them to hot shaves, trims, styling and even nose and ear waxing. The girls had their hair and makeup done. Although I wasn't there, I've heard that it was the best morning any bridal party has had getting ready.
I woke up in a quite country cottage with our four legged baby at the time and had a very relaxing morning with my own special team who made me look presentable. The morning was well under way when the girls arrived and it was now our turn for photo's. Before I knew it I was being shoved in a car and on the way to the ceremony site we went.
One-by-one my bridesmaids walked into the venue and next minute I was holding my Dad's hand behind a closed french door. Instead of having a special song that I walked down to, I had prerecorded a voice over of a few words I felt I needed to say. As typically brides don't speak at weddings, this was my way of being able to thank the few people I needed to, in my own way. Doors opened and it was time to walk. All I can remember is gripping onto my Dad's arm, most probably so I didn't fall over, looking up and seeing the man I was about to marry. Everything else was a blur.
Our ceremony was performed by my uncle which made it so special. The memorable moments for me were of course getting to say our vows and saying I do to the person you want to spend your forever with. However, just before that, we needed to exchange rings. My sister had all our rings, which for some reason Darren did not know. So, next minute he reaches into his pocket and gives me a ring that I know is not his, so we can exchange that ring. He looks and says, "Sorry, I don't know where my ring is, so we can just use this one". In a panic he had manage to arrange a ring from a guest before I arrived so that we had something for the photos. Naturally, this came out quite loudly during the ceremony. Next minute, we were signing the register and it was now time to party.
After family photos and canapes, where games were played, rugby was watched and won, our guests took part in a live art piece (instead of a traditional wedding book) we quickly had our bridal party pictures and a small creative shoot. The rain had stopped just long enough for this. Full of mud and freezing I opted to enter the reception and then quickly change into my dry dress before speeches. Failing to mention this fact to a few of my bridesmaids had them in panic when I entered the tent, cut the cake and then appeared to be running away with two of my sisters running after me. All panic was averted when I came back a few minutes later.
Our speeches were out of this world. Our MC roasted each speaker before he or she spoke. Darren's two sisters joined his brother during the best man speech as a surprise. My Dad had the room in tears. The maid of honour was nominating shots to herself. My brother didn't thank the parents even though that was his job and Darren delivered the speech of a lifetime. Standing ovation, one after the next, everyone was having an absolute blast.
Another incredible highlight for me was the garter and bouquet toss. We had all married couples join us on the dance floor and they were then asked to leave based on the number of years they had been together. The point is to recognise the longest lasting marriage and award the garter and bouquet as a symbol to that couple as this is the true test and sanctity of marriage, time. We had a tie between two couples. One of which wore the garter around her head for the rest of the evening, and the other now wishes to redo their vows because of our wedding. Both couples have been married for 38 years.
We then danced and celebrated until it we were shut down due to restrictions. The rest of the evening was spent sitting at the hotel spending time with our friends and family speaking absolute nonsense, eating McDonald's burgers until we were all ready to finally get some sleep.
We then slept until Wednesday and I've been searching for a time machine ever since.
We haven't been on Honeymoon yet. My husband surprised me on my 30th birthday with our tickets for Bali. We are scheduled to go over our first wedding anniversary.
From before I was even engaged, I knew that I was going to wear a dress designed and made by Casey Jeanne! That was it - end of story! For years I have been obsessed with her work so when it was finally my turn you can only imagine my excitement. My princess dress had been found, and everything after that simply fell into place. My earrings, tennis bracelet and hair piece were family heirlooms so that was easy peasy. The shoes were a bit of a story as I tend to have a slight addiction, so I ended up buying 4 pairs. I ended up wearing a very simple and comfortable pair from Steve Madden. My hair and make-up was also fairly simple for me, I wanted my hair down with a simple curl, and I'm all about a nude lip with bold lashes. It was more of a thing finding the right artist for me. I had quite a few trials with different artists, tried the airbrush thing - wasn't for me. And eventually came across a gorgeous lady named Kendyl from Nixon. She was it! She knew exactly how to deal with me. I'll never forget, on the morning of the wedding, she arrived early just so she could sit and have a cup of coffee with me and have chat. When my bridesmaids arrived (we got ready separately) she could tell I got a little tense with nerves and very nicely chased them all outside to go and pop champagne. She knew how to get me to calm down and focus on her. She gave me breaks often and really let me enjoy my morning. She gave us enough time that I could ponder around, take my fur baby for a walk and have another cup of coffee in-between. Finding an artist who is good at what they do is one thing, finding an artist who gets you and you feel comfortable to speak to is key.
My underwear was a simple choice, I was given a beautiful garment from some dear girl friends which is what I wore on the day. The piece was from Luna Intimates and is just stunning.
Naturally, my veil was made by Casey Jeanne, too. I had two very specific requirements. It needed to be long enough so that all 11 of my bridesmaids could fit under it (I wanted one specific picture), and I wanted "You'll never walk alone" to be embroidered on the veil as a surprise for my husband. The veil is breathtaking and is currently doing its rounds as something borrowed for my dearest friends weddings. One day, when it is finished being the traveling veil of my sisterhood, it will be converted into a baby cot net.
If you've seen my pictures, or saw the dress in person, you will quickly agree that there was absolutely no way I would be able to wear it all night. It was a lot of dress! So, I had a very simply ready to wear dress from Opari as a second dress to dance my way into the evening. It was beautiful and so comfortable. I got so many compliments on this little number. I also changed into a second pair of Steve Madden shoes which were a little easier to dance in.
I felt like a princess, and every now and then I try convince my husband for us to redo the wedding just so I can wear the dress again.
We got married at Harrington House in Hilton, Kwa-Zulu Natal. We were honored to be Harrington's first marquee wedding hosted on their newly built marquee site.
Our guests stayed at the Anew Hilton Hotel which is down the road from the venue. We arranged shuttles to and from the hotel so our guests did not need to drive.
My regime didn't stray too far from my usual routine. I had the dress altered to fit me so luckily I wasn't trying to lose any weight before the wedding. I did try any drink more water and be more conscious about being hydrated. I had my brows and lashes done just before the wedding, I always use Allure Defining Beauty. I had dermaplaning done by Allure the week of my wedding which I loved.
My nails are done by It's a Girl Thing. They booked the entire day for me and treated me for the big day. Incredible Mom and Daughter team.
My hair has been cared for by StudioNix (340 on Main in Bryanston, JHB.) for many years. Nicolette scheduled appointments for treatments in the months approaching the wedding for some extra care. She gave me natural products for home use and treatments to use on a weekly basis. I have hair extensions to thicken my hair, which Nicolette treats and installs, too. Nix is a legend with any hair, but if you're a blonde whose looking for a hair magician, do yourself a favor and go see Nix. She goes the extra mile for her clients, special occasion or not!
I had tanned gradually over the two months before my wedding so I had a natural glow. Although I love my spray-tan lady (my bridesmaids used her for the wedding), I wanted to make sure that nothing could go wrong on this tan! So I used the tanning bed instead.
My husband and I went to Life Day Spa for a day the week before to de-stress - this was needed!
My regime didn't stray too far from my usual routine. I had the dress altered to fit me so luckily I wasn't trying to lose any weight before the wedding. I did try any drink more water and be more conscious about being hydrated. I had my brows and lashes done just before the wedding, I always use Allure Defining Beauty. I had dermaplaning done by Allure the week of my wedding which I loved.
My nails are done by It's a Girl Thing. They booked the entire day for me and treated me for the big day. Incredible Mom and Daughter team.
My hair has been cared for by StudioNix (340 on Main in Bryanston, JHB.) for many years. Nicolette scheduled appointments for treatments in the months approaching the wedding for some extra care. She gave me natural products for home use and treatments to use on a weekly basis. I have hair extensions to thicken my hair, which Nicolette treats and installs, too. Nix is a legend with any hair, but if you're a blonde whose looking for a hair magician, do yourself a favor and go see Nix. She goes the extra mile for her clients, special occasion or not!
I had tanned gradually over the two months before my wedding so I had a natural glow. Although I love my spray-tan lady (my bridesmaids used her for the wedding), I wanted to make sure that nothing could go wrong on this tan! So I used the tanning bed instead.
My husband and I went to Life Day Spa for a day the week before to de-stress - this was needed!
Boujee, black, white and gold, strictly formal/ black tie event with quirky twists, something different to the usual Midlands do.
Fully black draped marquee with crystal chandeliers. A centered stage at the back of the marquee with curtain fairy-lights as its back drop and two raised floral masterpieces on either side of the lectern. On the left of the stage is the one-of-a kind 'flame' cake set just in-front of lit -up marquee letters spelling out my new surname. Directly in-front of the stage is a lounge pod where my husband and I sat during the speeches. This gave us a front row seat to the special people speaking on our wedding day and made us feel connected to them. Our parents tables were either side of our lounge pod and our extremely vibey main table placed directly behind, centered in the marquee. The tables were decorated with sprayed black palm leaves, black sprayed miniature pineapples and birds nests, white growing flower gardens down the center of the table with a mixture of black pillar candles and skinny tall candles on black candle sticks. All foliage was sprayed black to give a elegant feel. White bleached pampas was used with the sprayed foliage to give a dramatic contrast. There were three main themes for the tables, but each table was to have a unique element. The themes were alternated between tables and together with its unique element, no two tables were exactly the same. The name tags were black and white animals wearing sunglasses. This was a fun touch and our guests loved the idea with most of them wearing their name tags throughout the night.
Separating the beautifully decorated tables and the dance floor are perfectly placed high tables and chairs for those guests who may need a seat but still want to be close enough to the dance floor.
At the front of the marquee is a massive 100sm dance floor with crystal chandeliers above and DJ lighting set-up around the sides. The DJ stage is set up on the right hand side of the floor and with our custom made 8 meter bar on the opposite side. The bar was matte black with timber accent pieces and down lights installed. the bar was dressed with black and crystal decor, gold monkeys with fruit and cascading sprayed foliage with flower pieces. The bar was hand built by the brides brother and father to absolute perfection.
On the open side of the marquee is a beautifully set up and lit stretch tent where we had lounge pods, high tables, coffee bar, games, all within the theme of our wedding. It was immaculate! My dad had refurbished a rowboat originally built by my grandfather, which was sunk by my brother while finishing in the dam of my family farm. We used the refurbished boat to served complimentary drinks from. My dad also hand built the golf club stand for the driving range which was designed to be converted into a coat hanger for us to use in the house.
The service provides were as follows:
1. Decor & flowers: Sarah Stuart Flowers
2. Furniture: The Furniture Lab
3. Tables & Chairs: Celebration Time
4. Marquee Letters: Party Princess
5. DJ stage, speeches stage, sound & lighting:
6. Draping and marquee lighting: Drape Rite
7. Other (cutlery, glasses, servers, mobile kitchen, mobile fridge): Muirheads Hiring
My husband had his tuxedo and all accessories made by the very best, and oh so trendy Henry from @Trublu Custom Tailoring in Sandton. Henry guided us every step of the way and made the process an unforgettable experience. We are so grateful to Henry and his professionalism. He has an eye for detail and made sure my husband left the studio looking his very best. My husband looked drop dead gorgeous in his tux and thanks to Henry's world class tailoring, he felt like a million bucks, too. Sexiest tux I have ever seen!
The groomsmen and page boys tuxes were hired from Eurosuit in Rivonia.
Bridesmaids in black has always been my vision. I always wanted a chic look, but wanted my bridesmaids to feel HOT!
Finding a style that suits all body types and that my bridesmaids felt comfortable in was always a forethought. The hair and makeup I pretty much knew from the beginning. I wanted dark and dramatic makeup with a high ponytail. Lashes and contouring all the way! I found the shoes first, which where a black strap heal with a clear toe strap, I bought them on superbalist. I ended up with a top and skirt outfit which looked beautiful on all the girls. The tops were from Zara and the skirts from Queenspark. The girls jewellery was from Lovisa.
The bridesmaids makeup was done by Odette from Odette.H Make-up Artistry and the hair by Craik Speirs Hair Company. Both teams were exceptional and my bridesmaids loved their final look.
Mike Alexander from Marriage For Life.
If the saying "a picture says a thousand words" is true, well then our photographers pictures say a billion! Man-oh-man did we hit the jackpot! As I said above, there are just some providers you don't compromise on - here is another very important one. Courtney Clegg of Court Clegg Photography is the girl behind the lens on our day and she is just incredible. Although not related to Johnny Clegg, Courtney's picture's are as inspiring and as memorable as some of the legends best selling albums.
This young talented farm girl has been given a gift and man is the world starting to know her name. Courts was exceptional, not only on the day, but everyday before and after the wedding. She did our engagement shoot, our rehearsal dinner, our wedding day, and will be the girl who captures every special moment for the rest of time. She has a way with people and sees things that no one else can. The girl has a vision, all you have to do is trust her. Courts gave us so much more than we even paid for, and we are forever grateful to her. She was tasked with a rather large and loud bridal party and she handled them with ease. Remember the name, she's starting to take over!
Our Videographer was the very talented media production company, VEIA. Media. This very cool team has given us something that is irreplaceable and worth every cent. From their professionalism in leading up to the day to the updates after, we were always kept in the loop. This team has a way of being EVERYWHERE without you knowing they are there. They captured everything and more. It is hard to explain why having a video of the greatest day is something you will never regret. There are moments captured that you weren't apart of, or have forgotten. There are things said and actions done that memory doesn't preserve. Our memory is fallible and you will never get a second chance to get a moment back. If I was ever to give advise on what I believe to be the 'must haves' on your wedding day, a video is definitely on the list. I get to listen to my husbands speech over and over again. I have a forever lasting memory of my Dad looking at me the entire way down the aisle. Plus, watching a video bring back ALL the feels!
I was the bride who had everything under control. I have planned every single detail and no stone was left unturned. We live in Johannesburg and were getting married in the Natal Midlands, so we needed to be on the ball. Vendors are quite scarce in the Midlands and the good ones are quickly booked. It also didn't make my planning easier as we wanted a black tie wedding and not the 'typical' Midlands vibe.
I had schedules for every vendor for every last minute of the day, and even days leading up to the wedding had been planned. Our planning was finished almost 6 months before our wedding date. My type A personality made sure that I had coordinators arranged for venue set-up and on the day management. I loved and thrived off of planning our wedding so I didn't need a full-time planner to help me. Then, the unimaginable happened.... our wedding venue cancelled on us just 3 weeks before the date we were to be wed. That's 21 days!
The vision for our big day and every detail that we had been planning for over a year came to absolute pieces when the news that our original venue could no longer host us. We were shook to say the least.
Jen from Harrington House came to our rescue by offering their brand new marquee site that she and her team had been prepping for months on end. We were now going from a fully fledged wedding venue to a marquee type wedding where we needed to hire in and arrange every last item and piece of furniture. From dance floors to lighting, kitchen tents and fridges, bars, tables and chairs, even salt and paper shakers, we needed the lot - and quickly!
I would not have been able to plan our wedding without the team I had by my side. When our original venue cancelled our florist, Sarah from Sarah Stuart Flowers, our coordinator and caterer, Sherree from Hamblin's Catering, and venue manager Jen from our new venue Harrington House came together to redo and redesign EVERYTHING, and I mean everything. We had to start from scratch with just three weeks to go. These dedicated ladies and their formidable teams proved that anything is possible, no matter the circumstances.
These ladies worked around the clock for us, and literally made our day what it was. Nothing was too much, no hour was too late and everything was possible - they were going to make damn sure of it. Within days, we had made the impossible seem within reach, so it was rather laughable when my coordinator called me to let me know that we now needed to be prepared for the rain. The last thing I had even considered was the weather, but now that we were going to be having an outside wedding with a marquee on a grass field, with a weather report that wasn't playing ball, we needed to rethink a few things - this this now just under two weeks to go!
As the time went by, the weather report changed from bad to worst, not only was there going to be some rain expected, it was reported that we were going to have 100% chance of thunder storms and it was going to be freezing! Also, this wasn't just going to be on the day, this was forecast for the days leading up to the wedding. Our new suppliers were coming from far and wide. Because of the short notice we had to source furniture, decor, marquees from any vendor who had availability. So, we now had to make travel arrangements, in the rain. We had to make sure that there was enough dry storage space when everything arrived at the venue. We had to make sure that the transport companies could get in and out of the venue as the condition of access road worsened with the relentless weather. Nothing stopped this team of ladies! Nothing was going to stand in their way. They come ready to conquer, and conquer they did.
So, when I get asked if I have a planner to help, I cannot simply say yes! Rather, I had a team of angels who didn't take no for an answer. These ladies went above and beyond for us and created our masterpiece wedding.
We didn't need traditional wedding transport, however, we had arranged a shuttle service company to transfer our guests from the hotel to the venue and back again in the evening. The Shuttles ran non-stop until the wedding was over so our guests did not need to worry about driving nor did they need to arrange alternative transport.
We used Mabasomax cabs and shuttle services (located in Hilton, Kwa-Zulu Natal) and they were amazing. They also assisted our guests with airport transfers to and from the hotel.
The most delectable food was prepared and served by Hamblins Catering. To this day, we still have people commenting on our food. This team is untouchable in the industry, and it is clear as to why. If you've read our story about how our planner/coordinator was part of the team who made our day possible, this was just one more thing that Sherree took on to make the day what it was. She redesigned our entire menu just two weeks before our wedding, and absolutely smashed it!
My husband is obsessed and is a die hard fan of Liverpool F.C.. Naturally, he requested a red ghastly football cake as our wedding cake. Anyone who knows me, knows that there is NO way that was happening. So instead, we designed a white 'flame' cake which was symbolic to the liver-bird wings which correlated with our black and white wedding. Our decadent and delicious cake was made by Chef Nicola Vancoillie, my husbands cousin. It was so amazing that she has already had to remake our wedding cake (in the form of cupcakes) so we can curb the craving. Our next order is going in soon!
We served Magnum's and Cornetto's for desert. We also had sugar-free and vegan ice-creams from Paul's Homemade Ice Cream. The ice creams were served by waiters who carried them around on trays with dry ice which gave a smoke type elegant look.
For midnight snacks, we took a nostalgic trip down memory lane and served Mcdonald's junior burgers which were delivered by the Pietermaritzburg branch so they could be served warm. This was a huge hit with our guests!
A young innovative graphic designer based in Sandton took our unique vision and made all our dreams come true.
From animated name tags to personalised EVERYTHING, Aaliya Laher from Studio A, delivered world class services making sure that everything was just perfect. Aaliya took our ideas and pushed the brief even further turning them into some insane reality. She arranged absolutely everything for unbeatable prices.
Naturally, with our unforeseen venue change, just three weeks before, Aaliya jumped straight in and started redesigning all the changes that needed to be made. Regardless of the immense time constraints, Aaliya delivered everything we needed without a single flaw. Her skills are impeccable. We loved working with Aaliya.
We used a company called brandability for our personalised drink stirrers for the bar, personalised lighters for the smoking sections and personalised pens which we gave as thank you gifts to our guests. Brandability also did our personalised golf umbrellas and personalised can insulators.
As a surprise for my husband, I had arranged personalised bar mats to be made with Liverpool's famous quote "You'll never walk alone" using our stylised 'A' which were displayed on our custom made Bar. The bar mats were made by YesMan Branding in Pinetown.
There are no words to fully describe our wedding reception. If you've made it this far into our story, you already know that we had a pretty stressful few weeks leading up to the day. But, everything we went through was worth it. This was the best day of our lives. From the games that were played, the events that took place, to then having our reception started off with a roast by our hilarious MC, there is nothing we would change about our day. We had a line up of incredible speakers whose speeches we watch over and over again. Guests have asked me if we had written scripts for our speakers because they were so brilliant. People were either in tears of joy or tears of laughter, but mostly laughter. I have had people saying that our wedding was like a live performance it was so perfect. We have received compliments that the attention to detail made our wedding stand out to any wedding that our guests had been to before. The biggest compliment we received was that the brides oldest family friends wish to renew their vows after 38 years of marriage, and they want us to help them plan it. Other family friends still get tearful speaking about our day when it comes up in conversation. Our reception, our entire day, is what real magic looks and feels like.
Our dance lessons were one of the highlight experiences of our Wedding preparations. Darryn Phillips from Dance Zone International took us under his wing and helped us differentiate between our left and right feet. Darryn is an exceptional human being with so much talent in teaching dance that by our third lesson I was being tossed into the sky, on purpose! We couldn't believe it!
Darryn, our instructor was a majestic dance instructor magician. We left every lesson in the best frame of mind and had so much fun in the process. We even had a group lesson the week before our wedding with a mixture of bride tribe and other friends, and the evening was a bladdy hit. I recommend this to all future couples if you're looking of a fun way of getting you into the vibe of your wedding week with a bunch of friends.
As each couple knows, there are some vendors that you just don't compromise on. For us, a good DJ was imperative! We struck gold when our DJ, Russ Whiteley owner of CB Sound and Lighting, a sound and lighting legend in the events industry agreed to play at and set-up for our wedding.
Russ and his team came with all the bells and whistles. We had a stage with a set up that was fit for a festival. The DJ team played live throughout the night with lighting shows to accompany their insanely vibey sets. Our dance floor was full the entire evening. This team is wild and is everything you need at a wedding. They read the crowd and know exactly when to bring out those golden oldies. Russ and his team had the farm boys dancing around a beer bottle, had the ballies refusing to leave the dance floor and had girls on shoulders.
