Our wedding day was perfect from start to finish. We kept everything eco friendly, local and had a lot of help from family and friends who made it a cost effective and creative day. It was so special seeing everyone get stuck in with the décor, flowers and small touches. Flowers were sourced from my dad's farm, neighbors' yards as well as nearby forests; most of the wooden decorations were hand crafted by my father-in-law, the cake was baked by local small businesses and my husband and I tackled one or two DIY projects as well. Our confetti was hearts punched out of eucalyptus leaves by my mom, so that was also very special. Walking down the aisle and into the reception seeing how everyone's hard work came together was a highlight in its own.
The biggest highlight was our potting ceremony where we repotted a ficus plant during our ceremony. This was very symbolic and made the day extra special.
Yes, we spent four nights in a lovely cabin overlooking the Knysna forest at Rheenendal (Lazy Leopard Forest Retreat) and then three nights at Botlierskop Game Reserve in Kleinbrak River. We ended it off at an Africamps in Swellendam named Kam'bati. The whole honeymoon was a well-kept secret and we had the best time ever.
The over-all wedding look incorporated lots of greenery, wood and a hint of autumn colours. We wanted it to be natural, comfortable and laid-back cozy.
My hair and makeup was done by the incredibly talented Michelle de Villiers at Studio Michelle, Bredasdorp. She kept my makeup as natural as possible and made the coolest braid that complimented my look perfectly. She was great at keeping me calm and had a very relaxing vibe around her.
My nails were done by Stephanie Kamfer at Blush Beauty Salon in Riversdale.
My wedding dress was was an absolute stunner by Robyn Roberts in Woodstock. I tried on the Alessia dress and I was instantly in love. The floral lace embroidery made me feel like a forest fairy, whilst the plunging V-neck, low back and open sides added a flattering elegance. I couldn't believe that a wedding dress could be that comfortable!
I decided to go barefoot on my wedding day and Robyn made the most beautiful toe-sandals from the offcut pieces of fabric from my dress. I was super comfortable and didn't have to worry about losing my balance on heels!
I kept my jewellery simple by borrowing my mom's freshwater pearl earring studs and matching bracelet. I also borrowed my sister's beautiful garter that she wore on her wedding day.
We got married at the stunning Nightjar venue at De Uijlenes, situate near Gansbaai and the Baardskeerdersbos area. We were well taken care of by the amazing team and had the most beautiful day. Most of our friends stayed on the venue and our families and older guests stayed at guesthouses in the area.
With two equally unique and different wedding venues on the farm to choose from and surrounded by glorious countryside, you will be blown away.
I had a series of facials and chemical peels done by Phoebe at The Beauty Spot Riversdale. No one knows my skin like she does and she made sure I had the perfect bridal glow. Other than that I just tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle and focused on getting enough sleep during the two weeks before the wedding.
The venue had a very natural and rustic feel to it, so we wanted the décor to support that feel as well.
The proteas came from my dad's protea plantation in Riversdale and the rest of the flowers were sourced from neighbors' gardens and nearby forests.
Most of the wooden décor was made by my talented father-in-law who managed to craft all our crazy visions.
Underplates and lighting was rented by Fancy Functions in Mosselbay. They were super reasonably priced and very accommodating. Candles were rented from Candles 4U.
Finally, putting all the décor together was a family friend of my husband's family. Tannie Marelize was an absolute superstar at decorating the venue and made all our ideas come to life.
We, at Candles 4U, pride ourselves in giving helpful and friendly service that will make your event that much more Special.
The groom whore a navy tailored suit by Tidy Tucs Tailor in Tygervalley. They were so friendly and made the perfect suit.
The groomsmen wore chino's and textured white collared shirts bought from Woolworths.
We had leather ties and belts made and engraved for the groom, groomsmen and fathers of the bride and -groom. This was done by Knapsak who were very helpful and lovely to work with.
I love autumn colors as well as the idea of my bridesmaids not looking exactly the same.
So, they wore long flowy skirts of mustard yellow, rust brown and bottle green, respectively. The skirts were matched with a white strap top and brown leather sandals.
Marlize Waite from Riversdale, who also designed my matric farewell dress, designed and made these outfits.
Our marriage officer was Lourens Bester from Wellington.
Our wedding photos were taken by Inecke Jonker at Inecke Photography. I loved her photography style as it was light and natural. She made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and did an amazing job at capturing our special day.
We were absolutely blessed by the best videographers, Michiel & Annie Wedding Films. We loved that they managed to capture the raw emotion of the day without being in our faces.
Our photo booth was also provided by Inecke Photography and was a massive hit at the reception.
Super special was also the fact that we hired Marthinus van Tee, a caricaturist, to draw caricatures of our guests at the Canapés. This also served as the wedding favours for our guests, accompanied by a hand-made wooden frame.
Martinus van Tee is a Cape Town based entertainer who specialises in classy, super fast caricatures at weddings.
De Uijlenes provided a wedding coordinator on the day who was a massive help. Thanks Danelle!
With two equally unique and different wedding venues on the farm to choose from and surrounded by glorious countryside, you will be blown away.
Everything on the venue was walking distance and since I was barefoot, I didn't even need to walk from the bridal suite to the ceremony.
Chef Maurice Marais at De Uijlenes was incredibly accommodating with tailoring the menu to our taste.
We had 3 separate cakes made by two different ladies. Our carrot cakes were made by Antie Rose and our chocolate and salted caramel cake was made by Adele Klopper from Heidelberg.
With two equally unique and different wedding venues on the farm to choose from and surrounded by glorious countryside, you will be blown away.
Since we went paperless at our wedding, all our invitations were digital. We used the website and app WithJoy and would highly recommend it.
Our DJ was a massive hit at our wedding and kept everyone on the dancefloor. DJ Pepe (Pierre Smit) from Paarl did everything sound related and had cool smoke machines, lights and speakers. He looked super professional and you could tell he knows what he's doing.
We, at Candles 4U, pride ourselves in giving helpful and friendly service that will make your event that much more Special.
Martinus van Tee is a Cape Town based entertainer who specialises in classy, super fast caricatures at weddings.
With two equally unique and different wedding venues on the farm to choose from and surrounded by glorious countryside, you will be blown away.
