When my heart was yet again shattered by Uncle Cyril in early February '21, my dad jumped into action and arranged a truly phenomenal elopement for us on his farm.
It was a gorgeous, cloud filled summer's day and we held the ceremony in front of my favourite tree surrounded by our families. Incredibly special and intimate.
We did, however, want to have a little party with our extended family and friends, and seeing a lull in Covid cases jumped at the chance to do just that on 23 April. I've always wanted to get married amongst the trees and 'Die Woud' was the perfect venue for our dream day.
Throughout the lead-up to our wedding I folded 1700 origami cranes and Heike from Fleur le Cordeur took a small idea and turned it into the most whimsical, fairytale setting. We were completely blown away by how beautiful everything looked.
The day turned out exactly as what I had imagined and if I could, I would do it again and again.
After our elopement in February, we took advantage of specials caused by international travel restrictions and spent two weeks in the Okavango delta in Botswana. A bucket-list experience for both of us.
I was going for a classic, elegant and sophisticated look. My dress was inspired by an Oscar de la Renta creation that I have been drooling over ever since I saw it on Instagram. Kobus Dippenaar did a truly phenomenal job of creating something even better than the original.
Because the dress was slightly shorter in front, shoes were a major part of the look. I think I scoured the internet but eventually found them on Instagram. Opulence Boutique imports amazing pieces and these beauties were perfect.
Jewellery were from The Diamond Shoppe where Gavin also had my engagement ring made.
For make-up and hair I tried to keep it simple and natural. Corlé Barnard did an amazing job.
Before we even got engaged I knew that we would get married at 'Die Woud'. We organised literally everything around the available dates they had for us and despite postponing four times, they were incredibly accommodating and helpful.
I loved having the ceremony outside amongst the trees and the whole venue just has the perfect layout. It really is a special place.
Die Woud is in perfect harmony with nature nestled between established oak trees and majestically tall wattle forests.
In the (many) months leading up to the wedding, I folded origami cranes. With each postponement the amount of birds grew until I had about 1700 of them. I knew that I wanted to incorporate them into the decor somehow but wasn't quite sure how to do it. I wanted it to not just be a string of birds among the trees but to be almost sculptural. Heike understood and took my small idea and ran with it. The end-product was a breathtaking flower-bird-forest suspended installation, with tons of fairy-lights which reflected in the glass venue. The most beautiful decor I have ever seen.
My granny used to do wedding flowers so it was a really important part of the day, a way to honour her memory and have a little bit of her with me. Heike's work literally took my breath away. All the bouquets were exquisite and the installation on the arch had me mesmerised, it was hard to look away from them.
I cannot thank her enough for the hard work and thought that went into everything!
Gavin had a custom suit made with Frank Bespoke and we rented suits for the groomsmen
I wanted my bridesmaids to look beautiful and feel comfortable on the day. We decided on the style and colours together and after looking around all over town, decided to have them made. The dresses had a similar silhouette and complemented my dress.
Jenni Elizabeth captured our day in the most beautiful way imaginable. She was always my first choice but was unfortunately not available for our initial date. Luckily, because of all the postponements we could eventually book her for our day. Blessing in disguise.
Karina Louw from Salt Productions was our videographer and she also did an incredible job. I have watched our highlight video about a million times and still get tears in my eyes every time!
I wanted to do all the planning myself but Leandré from Die Woud did our coordination on the day. She was brilliant, I could just be present in the moment and could enjoy the day with my loved ones without having to stress about a thing.
Shetil from Cake and Love in Cape Town baked our wedding cake. It was gorgeous and delicious in equal parts.
Shetil bakes part time whilst also being a paediatrician. I know... Super impressive. On top of that she also donates a part of her earning from baking to charity. Just an all round lovely human being!
Fleur design studio designed our e-invites and did out stationary on the day. They were so patient with me and did a beautiful job. I wanted the seat savers to be a little origami crane and MJ learned how to fold them so that the placement would be in the right position. Talk about commitment!
When we started planning there were two non-negotiables for me: a great DJ and an open bar. Those two elements always lead to a fantastic party.
By the time we eventually got to have our wedding, all our guests were hungry for a jol!! Shaun from the weddingdj's was the absolute best!! He really set the tone for the wedding and gradually through the day built the party up to epic heights. Everyone was very sorry when the lights turned on and we had to finish up. We could have danced all night if there was no curfew!
Die Woud is in perfect harmony with nature nestled between established oak trees and majestically tall wattle forests.
