Our wedding took place in an outdoor chapel and newly built modern reception hall of Simbali Lodge. We wanted everything to be different than the normal, so we opted for an outdoor venue between the trees and landscapes of Tierpoort just outside of Pretoria. Our wedding was different in apparel too, as we got wed in black on black on black, with the only white being our Converse All Stars. We wrote our own vows and recited it to each other in front of a small group of friends and family we hold dear. Our reception hall was also decorated in a dark and moody tone, making use of all natural elements found on site. Including cement underplates, twigs and branches as table decor, and black candles throughout.
Though there are many more special moments, we really enjoyed having our 6 year old daughter dress up in black too, complete with her own All Stars too.
Custom Black Dress by Catherine Walk Boutique
Hair and makeup by Salon Picasso
White Leather Converse All Stars
Black Watches and Swarovski Necklace and Earrings
Dark and moody makeup and hairclips
Nails in black and touch of glitter
Custom Black Diamond set in White gold ring and custom wedding bands
Black Tungsten Ring for Groom (Wolf Bros)
Black on Black 4 Piece suit for Groom
Simbali Lodge and Function Venue,
Overnight at Nyala Bush Camp adjacent the venue, with some guests opting for hotels down the road.
We found out, in June, that we're expecting our second child in February 2022, whilst already planning the wedding since March, with dress already bought, forced us to try and stay healthy not only for baby, but also for the wedding. Stuck to our daily routines and had a surprise pregnancy massage 2 weeks before the wedding. Had to gradually colour hair so had about 3 visits to the salon for that.
DEKinstyl did a full on dark and moody theme with big statement piece floral arrangements with natural elements and dark accents througout. Natural wooden long tables and simplistic yet modern table decor.
Groom was dressed in a black on black 4 piece suit. Also with White Converse All Stars. I also gifted him with a custom pocket watch engraved with our wedding date.
Ingrid de Klerk has a very unique style and was perfect for the effect we wanted.
She owns Ingrid de Klerk Photography and made us feel very much at ease and captured all the natural moments.
Although we sourced out own vendors, Simbali has an extensive range of vendors at their disposal.
Chef Christian van den Berg is an old friend of the groom and they worked together for years before. He is also now the inhouse chef for Simbali.
