Getting to our wedding day was a lengthy processes which included 3 postponements and 2 other weddings in between(and yes the weddings were ours, and to each other!). We got legally married back in August 2020, and in September 2021 we celebrated our marriage in my hometown of Odessa in Ukraine. By the time 11th of November arrived, I could not believe that the day wad finally here! The highlight of the day for both of us was celebrating our love with our family and friends. Because we were already legally married, it took a lot of pressure off the day, and we were able to laugh, dance and enjoy this special day with our nearest and dearest without much stress.
We did go on honeymoon because lets be honest, it is the second best thing of the whole process after gaining a partner! We went to the Maldives, and we picked the beautiful Meeru Resort. It was everything we dreamt of and more- the water villa was stunning, the food was delicious, and we loved just relaxing and spending time with each other.
The wedding dress was a story on its own, and was really the star of the show! I wanted drama, drama, drama when it came to my wedding dress, and I tried on about 70-80 dresses until I tried on the gorgeous Wolli gown by Milla Nova. It was love at first try- the moment I tried this dress on, I knew that this would be the one I marry my husband in! It is an off-the-shoulder A-line dress with incredible details, the best of it being a 4 meter long train. I paired the dress with a pair of Jimmy Choo x OffWhite Heels, which were enough drama on their own. Of course, the dress was a nightmare to walk in, so I had a reception dress by Bride and Co ready to go after we were done with the ceremony and photos(and some flats from ASOS to go with it). For the party, I changed into a cute little ASOS Bridal mini dress, paired with my personalized Puma Sneakers, that say "Mrs Devine" on the back.
My accessories were simple, due to the details of the dress. I only wore a pair of pearl earrings, which were my husbands grandmothers, making it my something old. My something borrowed was my friends veil! After running way over my wedding budget, I realized that I had no money for the long veil that I wanted, so my friend borrowed me hers, making it the real "Sisterhood Of The Travelling Veil"- now 2 of our other friends have borrowed the same veil for their weddings!
My hair and make-up was done by Briella Bridal, and I wanted to stick to a classic look for the ceremony with a brown smokey eye and a classic up-do. However I changed it up for the reception, little my hair down and adding my favourite red lipstick, the Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink in the shade Pioneer.
We choose the gorgeous Cavalli Estate as the backdrop for our dream day. We spent a long time looking for a venue, and even though we live in Johannesburg, we wanted to get married in Cape Town, because it is so beautiful there! We looked at close to 20 venues, but the moment we laid our eyes on Cavalli Estate, we knew it was the one!
Since Cavalli doesn't have any on-site accommodation, we picked Majeka House as our getting-ready space and the place where we spent the night before and night of the wedding. The gorgeous murals at the Majeka House Pool-Side rooms sold me on this lovely boutique hotel, and we had such a blast getting ready next door to each other.
The Cavalli Function Venue is a Green Star rated building conveniently on the R44 highway nestled below the majestic Helderberg Mountain.
I did a great work-out program called "Bridal Sculpt" with the Tone It App App, one month before the wedding.
For my skin, I just upkept my usual regime of alternating my Retionol and Glycolic serums, paired with a lot of hydrating masks from SkinCeuticals and Kiehl's.
I really wanted something classic, modern and timeless when it came to the weddings, so I stuck with very basic colours like white and black.
Our florals were an all white affair by Blom Stories. I absolutely loved the florals that Ilse picked which were tulips, peonies, hydrangeas and garden roses. The were displayed in small arrangements amongst the tables paired with lots of beautiful votives. Our ceremony florals as well as bridal bouquets were all a continuation of the table arrangements. A special touch were the Cape Island Candles that I selected, which were all lit before the guests walked into the hall, so as they walked in, the got the beautiful scent of the African Storm candle.
For the decor, we also kept it very clean and minimalistic and Baie Goeters did an amazing job on the lighting and decor. I loved the hanging greenery and suspended light bulbs that added nice depth to the reception hall. Our dance floor was the checked black-and-white look, and with twinkle lights suspended above it, it set the mood for the party! Our lounge pockets were in the black-and-white theme as well, as was the rest of the furniture. I went back and forth on this, but we ultimately decided to get a neon sign that said "Better Together" from HappinestHire for the reception, and I loved how it came out!
The groom and the groomsmen all wore tuxes, which were rented from Tophat in Cape Town.
While we were getting ready, I gifted the girls a beautiful pair of black pajamas with white piping and their initials on them, which I got from Lillies and Lust.
For the wedding day, the girls wore different dresses but in the same colour and fabric which was burgundy tulle. I bought the dresses on ASOS.
Ryan Warner from Tyger Hills View Church and he was amazing!
AndStory and Fable Of Hearts captured our day and we could not be more THRILLED with the outcome! They were amazing and the photos speak for themselves.
Our videographer was Marnus from MagicHour.
Hey, I'm Jodi! Cape Town based wedding and elopement photographer documenting honest love stories and creating moments you can cherish forever.
Yes we did, Carla from Pretty Different events looked after everything as our on-the-day co-ordinator.
The gorgeous 4-tier cake was made by Waydes Cakes and it was delicious!
The rest of the food was provided by the Cavalli Team
I did it myself, by using a design on Etsy and printing it at Orms!
We had an amazing live singer for the cocktail hour, provided by All The More Live.
Our DJ was Essential Groove, whom I worked with many times at my day job and knew that he can get the party started!
We took dancing lessons at Simply Social Dance, and all our lighting was done by Baie Goeters.
The Cavalli Function Venue is a Green Star rated building conveniently on the R44 highway nestled below the majestic Helderberg Mountain.
Hey, I'm Jodi! Cape Town based wedding and elopement photographer documenting honest love stories and creating moments you can cherish forever.
