We met in 2014 at a restaurant not far from our house now. We'd both just come out of serious relationships before that so spent a lot of time together as friends and getting to know one another. 7 months later we decided to give it a go and have been inseparable ever since.
Chris booked me a surprise holiday for my birthday and planned everything to the tee (agendas, wine farms, adventures - every detail was meticulously planned and carefully thought out to make it a weekend full of our favourite things). He arranged for us to have a brunch the day after we arrived for us at Babylonstoren and he suggested we go for a walk in the gardens (it was freezing cold and pouring with rain and the poor man was sitting sweating and taking off jackets in the restaurant - should have known something was up). Not too far into the walk and nerves got the better of him and he dropped on his knee and popped the question. He even arranged for a sneaky photographer to capture the moment so I have all the moments to look back on. It was a perfect day!
We got engaged at the beautiful Babylonstoren in franshhoek which kickstarted our fairytale a year and a half ago. We decided to have our wedding on the long weekend in December so that our guests could also extend their summer holidays and stay a bit longer in Cape Town. We’ve tried to do little bits and bobs every month so we didn’t leave anything to the last minute which I am so thankful for as we had almost no stress on the day. It was totally worth the wait - our day was perfect!
I spend the morning with all my bridesmaids, mom and mom-in-law as well as my gran and my new sister-in-laws. It was a beautiful day filled with love, giggles and so much fun. I was so calm and relaxed all day, but the butterflies started kicking in when I put on my dress.
The venue arranged for us to arrive on the back of a tractor which was super fun and different, absolutely loved it! Getting to the aisle and hearing the music start just got me so excited and seeing my hubby at the end of the aisle was just so magical. Chris is my best friend and we were just so excited to see each other at the end. If I could live it all again, I would in a heartbeat!
We went on a European winter wonderland trip that we’ve wanted to do for ages. We started off in Istanbul and then moved to Munich, Prague, Dresden, Nuremberg, Strasbourg, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and then home. It’s been a bucket list of ours for so long and it delivered on every expectation we could have hoped for. Was so special to just unwind and spend some time together after a year and a half of planning.
Chris took the reigns on the plans and mapped out every single detail - from flights to trains to places to go and see, he did it all!
I went for a very classic look - vintage Hollywood waves in my hair with a gorgeous set of handmade floral clips from Sadie Bosworth which I just loved. My hair was done by Corle Barnard and was just beautiful.
My makeup was a mix of natural tones and a very striking salmon lip for that pop of colour done by my dear friend Samantha Carter. I felt and looked like a princess.
My dress was a Blue by Enzoani design and had a lace bodice and a very flowy and beautiful chiffon skirt which just had a life of its own in the wind and looked so gorgeous in the pictures.
My rings and earrings were from browns, and so was Chris’s ring. He opted for a classic gold band, and mine is a Marquette cut engagement ring with an infinity band as the wedding band. My earrings were also half infinities to match my wedding band.
My shoes were from bride and co, my veil from Dednam Coutour, my something borrowed was my sisters garter and my bracelet was my something blue which came from pandora.
We got married at the ever quirky old Mac daddy in Elgin, Cape Town. All the little nuances of the venue added to the uniqueness of the day. Chris and I are quite a chilled couple and love things that are off the wall and not expected.
The venue is full of charm, funky caravans, beaches and all round a special and unique charm so was a perfect fit for our personalities.
We had half the wedding guests stay on the grounds, and the other half at nearby wine farms along the valley road. We made use of a shuttle service so no guests had to drive anywhere and could enjoy the day to its fullest. We partied until the sun came up and was a magical day to be able to spend with our nearest and dearest.
Honestly I didn’t do too much.
I have short and thin hair so I did treat myself to the most beautiful long extensions which my fabulous hair dresser Tarryn Lee Kay has did for me. The extra length and volume made my dream hair come to life on the day.
I have done monthly facials with my therapist at Sorbet to ensure my skin was on point and I joined a HIIT class twice a week to just keep myself active.
Mine and my bridesmaids nails were done by my super talented sister Megan from About Me Tranquil Beauty in Vanderbijlpark.
We wanted to keep it natural and simple.
Our runners were a mix of pennygum and eucalyptus leaves which were in the center of the table with various vases with floating candles in them to give height and light accents. We had all sorts of greenery handing from the roof to add volume and texture. 4everyevent did the most spectacular job and brought everything to life so perfectly. Chanelle and Nadia outdid themselves on all the details.
Our sweetheart table however had a lot more colour and floral detail in it and we incorporated various pinks, whites and oranges to the table along with some delft vases and some more floating candles. It looked like something out of a magazine.
Our chairs were white and our tables a nice dark wood. The two complimented each other so perfectly.
At the end of our aisle we had a beautiful hexagon arch with floral accents which stood at the end of our white aisle and matching white chairs.
We made a neon sign with our surname on it to place in the one section of the venue which we turned into a photo area which provided many giggles and some great pics. We had a photobook / guestbook made through Champagne Occasions which everyone could stick their Polaroids in and leave us a message. Was so special reading everything after.
We tried to do and source as many local suppliers as we could. The boys socks all came from sanccob and their ties were from knotted ties. Their shoes came from freestyle and their shirts from Woolies. Suits were a find from oriental plaza
My girls earrings are from botanica jewelry and their necklaces came from nom nom. The ladies dresses are from Hoiden & bubbles and bridesmaids and I went for various shades of green to give that beautiful ombré look and it delivered on all expectations. Our wedding colours were green and grey and we had pops of colours that came in from our bouquets and flowers. 4everyevent came through with the most beautiful bouquets for us all which then went into vases after the wedding to add pops of colour around the room and not to waste anything unnecessarily
We asked Chris’s dad to marry us which we kept as a secret and only revealed right as the ceremony started. It was so special having him play such a special and intricate role in our day.
We got legally married in our friends garden 3 weeks before and Nick Prinsloo officiated for us here. He is so funny and made us feel completely at home and comfortable. I think this was a great help for our ceremony as we kind of knew what we needed to do so made us so much more comfortable on the day.
We had the absolute pleasure of working with The Geldenhuys’s for our photos and SecondLuke for our videography.
Goodness me these guys were amazing in every way! Bundubashing up hills and mountains to get the perfect shot, up and down with us all day and honestly never made us aware of the camera - they just fitted and blended in so perfectly! We loved working with them.
We didn’t have a coordinator for the wedding but we did have the venue’s coordinator for everything on the day and venue related things and Rene Roux was a showstopper! She is beyond amazing at her job and made sure everything went on without a hitch or a bump. She was amazing and I cannot commend her enough.
We used Gafferlys for all our shuttles up and down to the venue and they were superstars. Everyone was on time and home safely. Such champions on the day.
The food was supplied by the venue and was so homely and delicious.
Our cake was made by Tessa’s bakery and was a combination of vanilla at the bottom and carrot on top and was delicious. We went for an all white cake with some fresh pennygum flowers which were put on on the day.
Elaine from Sulit design made the most beautiful stationary for us. From personalized menus to little signs for the flip flops we have to our guests for the dance floor, she did it all. We kept to the floral accents and simplicity to keep to the theme.
We call each other “penguin” so we had a little penguin monogram made for our stationary which added such a personal touch to everything
We completely winged our dance. We both have 2 left feet so didn’t want to put any pressure on having to learn a dance. We opted for a more quirky song and danced away to “grow old with you” from the wedding singer movie so we just went with our gut and danced in a way that was natural.
Our DJs from That DJ Guy really made the dance floor come to life! They were fantastic and kept the party going right up until the end.
