Getting married with the backdrop being a natural waterfall is something out of a storybook.
From my sister-in-law singing to our guests, to rain falling softly throughout the evening, it was pure magic.
Our guests held up giant sparklers that lit up the dancefloor as we danced the night away.
The first highlight is when I arrived at our accommodation the night before and walked into a surprise bridal shower with my bridesmaids and mom. I did not get a chance to have a bridal shower earlier due to COVID. They had set the room up with flowers, balloons, snacks, pizza and dressed me up in cute bridal accessories. I will hold that feeling and memory close to my heart.
My second highlight is when my day started with my bridesmaids waking me up with a present and a letter. My husband had written me a letter and gifted me a very special Irish ring that would become a family heirloom on our future daughter's weddings.
My last highlight is when I got to kiss my husband and seal the deal in front of a magnificent waterfall with all our family and guests cheering us on.
We have not been able to go on a honeymoon due to the pandemic. Hopefully, in the future, we can go to Ireland where my husband's parents stay.
For my makeup, I wanted to go for an effortless bridal glam that complimented my wedding and personality. Chloe from Chloe D Beauty understood the glam look I was going for and she delivered! She created beautiful tones that complimented my features and skin tone and made me look and feel like a bride.
For my hair, I wanted soft curls with delicate white flowers intertwined in a beautiful braid. Taylor from Rock Paper Scissors was fantastic and such a joy to be around. She recreated the inspiration photo to the tee.
My wedding dress is an Anna Georgina creation that was altered and had new adjustments made to it to suit my style. The dress was pure perfection and fit my body so effortlessly.
I wore 2 different pairs of shoes on the day. The heels are from Rubi and the leather flats are from Blu Betty.
For my jewelry, I went for an elegant pair of earrings from Lovisa.
Mine and my husband's rings were made by Stone Fusion.
We got married in Hogsback in the Eastern Cape. A long twisted road up a mountain leads you into the most beautiful quaint village of Hogsback. Our venue for our wedding was at The Waterfall Cathedral and Barn. The ceremony was held in front of the magnificent Hogrock Falls waterfall with our guests surrounded by forestry and the sounds of water flowing beneath them.
As you ascend from the waterfall, it leads you to the reception venue where big slider barn doors open up into a quaint boho style barn. The rain started to softly fall down during the evening and our guests were huddled around the cozy fireplaces.
The venue was very accomodating to all our needs. Some of our guests stayed the night at the venue in the Silver Birch cabins while others stayed close by.
Being a simple 'plain Jane' woman, I did not do much beauty prep leading up to the wedding. On a few occasions, I used some Sorbet beauty face masks and under-eye masks. I always made sure my nails were well kept by Harmony Beauty Salon and my hair was coloured and kept vibrant from Elite Hair.
Our venue, The Waterfall Cathedral and Barn at Hogsback Country Weddings, was great in that they provided all the elements for our big day. They did all the flower arrangements, table decor, lighting, draping, and set up.
For my flower bouquets, I used Fleurs Sauvages from Port Elizabeth. They were amazing at creating my colour pallete in flower form. They used burgundy and soft pink chrysanthemums, soft bunny tail grass, blush roses, fynbos sprigs and penny gum leaves. They also created our confetti with fynbos leaves and pops of mini purple flowers.
For my decor, I opted for a minimalist look with fairy lights draped across the ceiling and long tables with beautiful local roses and forest greenery running along the tables. The tables were lit up with Silver Birch Tree stands holding candles on top creating that romantic feel.
The groom wore a dark emerald green suit from Delbro Premium with a design pocket square. They tailored it to his body.
His shirt was monochrome roses from Woolworths.
He wore purple design socks from Stance. His shoes from Arthur Jack.
The groomsmen wore beige Chinos with a white long sleeve shirt and a burgundy jersey from Woolworths.
My beautiful bridesmaids wore custom burgundy and floral dresses from Hoiden Bridesmaids.
Each dress was the same colour pallete but the top design was different. The Maid of honour had an off the shoulder design, the bridesmaid had a deep V cut design and the other bridesmaid had a halter neck design.
In the evening we all wore a light denim jacket over our dresses.
The flowing skirts were burgundy with a high slit and the tops were a white floral design. They each wore Rubi heels and Blu Betty leather flats later in the night.
Their makeup look was bold and sexy with a dark burgundy lip and a defined cat eyeliner by Chloe D Beauty.
Their hairstyles were braided updos by Taylor from Rock Paper Scissors.
Wim from Weddings without Boundaries was our marriage officer. He was amazing and helped us throughout the whole process. He did all the legalities for us.
On the day our dear friend Tim married us. He is very special to us and we loved making him a part of our wedding.
Equally at home with personalised contemporary non-religious as well as traditional religious ceremonies, Wim is the Eastern Cape's popular and well-respected non-denominationa...
Our photographer was Annerie from Annerie Myburgh Photography. She was incredible, understanding, and professional. She understood the style I wanted and delivered exactly what I asked for.
Our videographer was Michael from Michael Beyers Video. He was fantastic, easy-going, and professional. We had so many changes due to Covid but he stood by my side and delivered the most beautiful video of our day.
Leigh from Hogsback Country Weddings was our planner. She was great and always kept in touch with me and made our beautiful day possible.
The caterer from the venue had made a gorgeous harvest table of canapes for our guests. They snacked on cucumber roll-ups, flatbreads with spreads, and sipped on welcome gin drinks.
For the starters, we warmed up with some delicious butternut soup and a toasty to dip in. For mains, we were spoiled with a huge build a burger and build a taco spread. Our guests loved this.
Our wedding cake was anything but cake. We had doughnuts from Go Nuts 4 Donuts that piled up on a 3 tiered wooden cake stand. An assortment of chocolate-dipped, white chocolate-dipped, and cinnamon & sugar.
The doughnuts were accompanied by macaroons from Macspiro in East London.
All stationery I designed and created myself.
I made a large wooden board with hooks on and each guest had a leaf with their name written on it. They threw their personal leaf together with the confetti as they blessed us upon our arrival.
We took dance lessons for our first dance from Natasha Tait Dance & Events. She choreographed our dance to our song and dancing abilities. It was a big surprise as my husband cannot dance and our guests were blown away. We danced to "I got you babe" which has been "our song" for the last 12 years.
We had a DJ from Hogsback Country Weddings.
Equally at home with personalised contemporary non-religious as well as traditional religious ceremonies, Wim is the Eastern Cape's popular and well-respected non-denominationa...
