If you are lucky enough to get a second chance don’t waste it.
If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it’s that everyone has a story, and every story is special and unique. Like anything before we can see the bright lights we need to walk through the darkness.
I was married young and gave birth to a strong healthy little boy. We were not married for long, when we decided to go our separate ways. A little over a year after we were separated I met Louter Willie du Toit, the man that would later become my husband. We have been together for the past four years and our lives are enriched with love, happiness and so many adventures. We spent most of 2021 talking, planning and budgeting towards the wedding.
Lian (my son) had quite a few questions about the ring, and what it meant. One afternoon after school, Lian asked Louter, ” Oom Louter hoekom dra mamma ‘n ring.” Louter explained to him that my engagement ring was a "pinky promise" that we will get married and then he will wear his ring to once we were married. And that the ring is a covenant forever. These days if the ring is not on the finger, whether we are in the shower or washing dishes, Lian reminds us about that promise and asks us to please put the ring back on our finger.
Finally the big day arrives.
The day started out slow, I was awake in the early morning hours, planning the last small details in my head. I curled myself in the soft cotton duvet, eagerly waiting for the girls to wake up. I smiled silently, I felt excited and eager to get up and get ready.
Hours later I heard their voices and jumped out of bed.
We had breakfast, quiet time and then the make-up artists arrived. They were amazing each one of the girls looked like they fell out of some kind of fairy-tale, four beautiful princesses. Everything was picture perfect.
Staring out of the window, I saw a beautiful blue pond; little ducks were walking around the pond no care in the world. They quacked and walked round and round. The sky was blue with a few fluffy white clouds. The clouds soon vanished in the sky as the temperatures started to rise. It was one of the hottest days in Robertson. The sun was scorching, but the view took my breath away. It felt like I was staring at an oil painting, for that moment, time stood still while the blue pond was shimmering.
Mom helped me with my dress and jewellery; the tears started rolling down her face when she took a moment to look at me. She laughed and wiped her eyes, no crying today, she smiled. My girl, you are beautiful she cried softly.
The girls were all ready and waiting outside. It was the big reveal; they could not believe their eyes. They hugged me and held me tight, truthfully I wanted to burst out in tears, but I somehow managed to keep my composure. Little Lian spent most of the day running from the one guest house where Louter and the groomsmen were getting ready to where we were. Luckily we were quite close (walking distance). Lian had a very big job, he needed to ensure the rings were kept safe and as far as I can understand he took it very seriously. He held the box tight and no one was allowed to touch or look at it.
The photographer guided me in the poses and I felt like a queen. Lian was not very keen on the pictures as any 5-year-old boy would be while dressed in a suit and jacket. But he made some exceptions and gave me hugs and kisses rather than smiling for the photographers.
Before I could catch my breath I was standing in front of my husband, Louter Willie du Toit. With tears rolling down his face, he could not have been more perfectly crafted, for me. Hand in hand, we said our vows. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. My eyes were fixed on him the entire ceremony, seeing him be brave enough to express himself so beautifully, well let’s just say I could not have asked for a better man to spend my life with. We said, I do, Louter took my face in his hands and kissed me. Time froze in that moment; all I could feel was my heart beating through my chest. We were meant to be after all we had overcome this was our fairy tale.
As we walked through the crowd, filled with family, friends and loved ones, with coloured rose petals falling, the magical moment will be saved in my memories for a lifetime. Our love story started out on Tinder and here we are four years later. We are happier than ever before.
Good day, Honeymooners checking in! ;)
A truly spectacular experience, I had no idea where we were going. I was only allowed clues and the destination would be confirmed once we were on our way.
The first stop was Victoria West we stayed in a quaint guest house called Moonlight Manor Boutique Guest House, a beautiful place with a classic vintage feel. The rooms are large fitted with a bit of a vintage Victorian bathroom. Very elegantly put together. We had dinner at the Ka’Roux restaurant. This is a truly great place to visit if you are in the area.
The next stop was Kimberley for one night only, and then we made our way to Sun City. This is the city where dreams come true. I can truly write a book about our experience. We stayed in the Cabanas for five days. We tried to do everything and go everywhere. Every night we ate at a different restaurant, we tried new drinks and made the most of every meal. We truly tasted the food, we would talk and joke and rate the meals as they came in. Based on presentation, taste, smell there was definitely no dull moments. We played games while waiting for the food. We were like two young madly in love honeymooners.
Valley Of The Waves was so much fun; we went on the lazy river, down the slides and even spent time in the waves. My husband and I had a couples massage, we had lazy days by the pool. There was no stress, just relax and unwind. The biggest worry we had, was which restaurant we would try next.
We even met a couple of well knowns and it was truly amazing being able to experience that together. Definitely one of the most amazing moments was when Demi-Lee Moore sang our wedding song to us live at the Sun Fest and we were asked to dance along, truly one of the most special moments.
After Sun City we made our way to a boutique hotel called Pont De Val Boutique Hotel. We spent two days touring, eating and just enjoying the sights in true VIP style. We could finally have our favourite; cheese platters with a good bottle of red wine at the Pont De Val Restaurant. The weather was lazy and cold, the best weather to spend quality time. Pont De Val was a real treat for us. We saw Parys; and walked on the bridge with the locks, it was a unique experience.
Gariep Dam was next, we stayed there for a night and made our way to George where we would soon reunite with our friends and by that time the rest of the honeymoon flew by. We had so much fun, we travelled from George to Knysna and then to Sedgefield where we stayed a week. Again we ate and drank and toured everywhere we could. We tried new meals, shopped at new places and tried new cocktails.
I was engaged for a week when I found the one.
We were driving around and visiting so many places. Who knew you had to make an appointment to go for a fitting. My mom and I were off to Canal Walk to search for the Bridal Couture, not knowing that it was outside of the mall. Eventually we walked around, and I just felt so demotivated, there was not one dress that caught my eye. However the search did not end there. Back in the car, I started phoning bridal boutiques and everyone was fully booked.
I googled around my area and found Richelle’s Wedding dresses. I will never forget this day, I begged “Tanie ek is raad op, help my asseblief ek wil graag vandag tenmiste een rok aanpas”. Anna-Marie was so kind, she said we are most welcome to come by, and we arranged a time. She was lovely, she guided me towards the look I wanted, and what style would complement my body shape.
And suddenly, this was the one. The dress fit perfectly and enhanced my natural curves, it hugged my small waist, and every detail was draw droppingly beautiful. The colour worked wonders for my pale skin tone. I was so nervous and a ball of stress, Anna-Marie and Rene’ made this whole experience, one I will never forget. I found the perfect dress and it all worked out like it was supposed to.
As the saying goes, life is too short to wear boring shoes. The next hunt began. I was not sure about exactly what I wanted, but I knew two things; it needed to be a flat heal and I wanted it to be different, yet elegant. Tough call, most shoes I saw were so shiny I could see my own reflection and this was not what I wanted. Not to talk about the price. I could buy three pairs of jeans with the price of the shoes.
A friend of mine recommended Shein to me for some regular shopping and I decided to see what they have on the shoe category. My, was I surprised. They have so many beautiful kinds of shoes, and the prices are really attractive. So I took a chance, I ordered my shoes from them. Thinking if it does not arrive, I wouldn’t have lost a lot of money, but if it did then score. With very low expectations of these shoes, I kept looking around. Three weeks later a box arrived at my house; let’s just say they exceeded my expectations. The shoe itself is a good quality, light colour with beautiful white pearls. The perfect elegant pointy flat shoe and it looked stunning with my dress. I love my shoes it’s perfectly versatile and so classy, for less than a thousand bucks.
Oh, but the somethings, I tried to stick with the traditions and got all my somethings. For the something new my husband and I agreed he would get that. I showed him more or less what I had in mind for the jewellery, the idea was very simplistic. My dress had so much detail already; I wanted the bracelet to be soft and sensual with a bit of a sparkle. He got me the most beautiful timeless silver bracelet from Pandora.
I have always been a big believer in the less is more saying and on my wedding day it was no different. The bracelet was paired with a longish shimmery earing that was a combination of silver and rose gold. Something old and borrowed – My colleague was kind enough to borrow me her vail, it was the perfect style and colour for my dress. Something blue was a ribbon on my garter.
There is nothing that makes a woman feel sexier than beautiful white lace underwear. I got a white balconette strapless bra that gave me the perfect amount of support and the right amount of cleavage to finish the look off. It all worked out so beautifully.
We got married at the most beautiful venue and by far our first choice.
The Key - our guests all stayed in guest houses surrounding the venue.
Many years ago while in school, I remember waking up in the morning and seeing my mom follow the same skin regime daily. I guess that’s where I got the idea of a morning routine from.
My morning routine has been the same for many years. I have always loved Nivea products, they are light weight, and affordable. As they say, if it works for you then stick to it.
I recently started adding one final step to my morning routine, since Covid we all have been more conscious of a healthy immune system and that’s why I start my morning without fail by boiling hot water and adding 3 to 4 slices of lemon and a tea spoon of honey to get my digestive system going. This is a definite immune system booster. It has also proven to improve my skin and leave me feeling glowingly fresh.
Further to the skin regime, I like getting a chemical peel every 2 to 3 months. I have been on a yearlong journey with Diminish Face & Body Sculpting; they are friendly, kind and so accommodating. I look forward to my catch up with them every three months. I drive from Durbanville to Somerset West and it’s so worth the drive.
Minimalistic elegance with greenery and touches of blush peony roses and white ohara roses. Red is the sign of love, the decor will not be complete without it!
Decor Suppliers:
Flambojant
Florist - Annuscha Du Plessis best friend & bridesmaid.
Along with friends and family who helped make it the most memorable day. My bridesmaids were with me every step of the way. I would be lost without these wonderful ladies.
Corne- Olivier
Annuscha Du Plessis
Carmen van Niekerk
Nicola van Niekerk
This is such a funny story. I had dresses picked out for the bridesmaids and in fact, I had bridesmaids and Louter hadn’t even asked his groomsmen yet, when we started looking for a suit for him.
Three years ago, two years then, Louter and I went shopping, it was just a general lets spoil ourselves we deserve it kind of a day. Edgars had a very attractive sale in their suits section. Louter who works in construction has always found the formal more corporate look a lot more appealing that the general Chinos and collar shirt.
The idea at the time was to buy the two jackets on sale and he would start wearing it when he returns to work after the December break. Well, that never happened, the jackets remained unworn in his cupboard for two years, until a wedding of our friends where he wore the one and the other sort of remained brand new with the tag on until we got engaged.
Originally a new suit was in the budget but, and that’s where we did not do enough investigating, suits for men especially tailored suits cost an arm and leg. I was happy to pay the piper but Louter being the cautious spender that he is, did not agree. Eventually we were on the hunt for the exact trousers that would go with the jacket we bought two years back.
We made our way back to Edgars, this time we went straight to Canal walk and we would soon find out that the once admired suit was no longer in stock and not just out of stock but they stopped making that specific brand.
Words cannot explain how disappointed we were, I had no idea what we would do now, after shopping the entire weekend for some trousers that would fit that particular jacket, I was not happy when Louter suggested we go to Cape Gate. It was the last resort, and I was really not positive. We made our way to Cape Gate and again, I just can’t explain the wave of emotions we both felt, this was a big deal, we were both ready to give up , and then we came across a size 38 in the exact same material, it was the perfect fit, but way to many sizes too big. Distraught I walked away, on my way out heard a small yet glimpse of positivity, “Skat”. It was Louter calling me back to the horrifying clothing rale with the one pair of trousers that would make the perfect fit. "Dis op special" Louter had more hope in his voice, Skat kom ons vat dit na 'n taylor en kyk net of hulle dit kan verander vir my. And that is how the groom’s suit was found.
The groomsmen all bought navy Chino’s pants and wore a white collar shirt. They all looked very sharp when we added the brown leather bowties.
Teal Multiway Maxi Dress - YDE
Gerry from Friend of God Church
The sunset chaser, the story teller, the lady who has a way to complement and capture moments like never before. Maggie, our photographer is a true story teller, she lives for spectacular sunsets and wonderful views. She thrives for perfection, she has a passion for taking the most time freezing elements. We were so blessed to have them to capture our love story.
@Maggie Photography
Hundreds n Thousands Cake - Beautifully designed to our exact request.
Food - Bourbon Street Robertson
Keg & Gin Table - Shaggy Stone
Glinster & Glans - Melony - A artist, creative and absolute beautiful of a personally.
My biggest wish for my wedding was that it would be a great celebration. A day filled with so many special moments and lots of dancing. We went for the minimalist look, less is more. The reception was made up beautifully. Annuscha was my florist, advisor, psychologist and is my best friend. She helped with everything and guided me through the process. I could not have asked for better bridesmaids, they were all there for me in every way possible. I would not have had such a beautiful memorable wedding without them.
Louter and I are both fond of dancing and though we danced a couple of time around the kitchen, the wedding dance felt like the bond that will forever bind us together as one unit.
We had a DJ, and the music was great. There was a healthy mix of modern, old school and many sokkie songs.
