Our wedding day was a celebration of love, friendship, family, and God's grace. After 8 years of being in a relationship, which included three years of us being in different countries, our wedding day was a celebration of Michael and I starting our life together, at home. After Michael accepted a permanent position as a winemaker in Romania at the end of 2020, we accepted that moving to Europe was our next step. We were fully invested in the possibility for one year, after which we realized our home, and happy place will always be South Africa, among our family and friends. We prayed for opportunities and for the Lord to guide our path. In testimony of His grace, Michael was offered a promising position in Paarl, and I was given the opportunity to start lecturing at Stellenbosch University. Our wedding was both our "welcome home" and our "thank you" party, with which we embraced our new chapter.
We made a conscious decision to be present during every moment of our wedding day, and the week leading up to it. It is advice I would give any future brides and grooms. Thus, memories we cherish include the smell of the awe-inspiring floral arrangements when we were given a sneak peek of our reception hall before the guests entered. One of my favorite moments was during our first dance when Michael spun me probably four times directly after one another - we did not practice this dance at all, as Michael argued it would be more special if we just "went with it" in the moment, and boy was he right! Both of us cherish the conversations we had with our grandparents directly after the ceremony, and of course, the moment our eyes met whilst I walked down the aisle.
To highlight a few moments and memories is an impossible task, but when we think back on this day, it is a compilation of all these small elements that fill us with gratitude, joy, and a giddy sense of excitement.
When we confirmed our wedding date, we were not certain whether we would still be living in Romania or lucky enough to have moved to South Africa by then. Thus, we chose a time during which Michael would not be harvesting in Europe. However, because we were blessed to be working in South Africa by the time we got married, our wedding date was smack-bang in the middle of the harvest season! We made it work, but not going on a long honeymoon directly after our wedding was a small and easy compromise. We still managed to slip away for two nights to one of our favorite spots on earth - Kromrivier in the Cederberg. We spent this time discussing every detail of our wedding day, sharing our fondest moments, memories, and details the other one might not have noticed. We opened a special bottle of wine which we had bought the day after we got engaged and fittingly enjoyed it the day after we got married. We went on a beautiful (challenging) hike and spent the nights stargazing on the porch. Driving back at 3 am the Tuesday morning, to be back at work by 7 am was completely worth it. We wouldn't change a thing!
The main element of my wedding look was definitely my dress. I was never the girl with a scrapbook of pictures of how my wedding and wedding dress would look one day, I only knew I wished for it to be authentic, and a true reflection of my fiancé and I. Regarding my dress, the first thing I did was go for a special day of wedding dress fittings with my mom. My mom was receiving treatment for breast cancer at the time, so this was a special outing that allowed us to celebrate life and its positive elements during a stressful time. After trying on dresses in every shape and size, I was even more confused as to what I wanted, than I was beforehand. Browsing bridal couture online, I fell in love with the style and elegance of Kobus Dippenaar Atelier dresses. Consequently, my mom and I booked a consultation with Kobus. What was supposed to be a quick meeting turned into an hour-long chat and by the end of our visit we were laughing and sharing thoughts as if we were old friends. After multiple coffees, pictures sent, and sketches, Kobus helped me to arrive at a concept for a dress that captures everything I aspire to be. The creation process was a journey I'll never forget and it made wearing the dress on the day even more special.
The design was inspired by Vivian Westwood's draped satin gowns, but of course done in true Kobus Dippenaar style (as Kobus says, "he does not duplicate, he interprets"). My gown was off the shoulder with a heavily constructed corset-like bodice. The bodice was attached to a figure-hugging skirt, which still had enough room to allow the stunning material and drapings some movement. The ballgown over-skirt added drama to the dress and made me feel like royalty. I kept this skirt on until we opened the dancefloor after all the toasts and courses were done!
My accessories were minimal but timeless, with pearl and diamond stud earrings and a rhinestone embellished clutch. My shoes were ivory saying wedding pumps, which I later swapped for my favorite pair of Nike Airforce 1's ever made (they were shades of white, cream, and silver as if they were specially made for a wedding!).
My makeup was done by Jeane from Visual Artistry Makeup - she is the very best at creating a natural but striking makeup look. I wanted to look like myself, just more refined, and Jeane managed to pull it off perfectly. She also did my bridesmaids' makeup and they all loved it!
My hair was done by Sanmarie Botha. Sanmarie's skills are unmatched! Being a perfectionist and a planner, I went for two hair trials to make sure I loved the style we were doing on the day. On the morning of our wedding, there was a light breeze and something inside me was compelled to go against everything we planned and ask Sanmarie to do an updo instead. I showed her one picture, of what I "kind of liked", and we had a discussion about how she would alter it to suit me. Without one trial, Sanmarie absolutely nailed my wedding hair look, by doing a couture bun, that was not too big, too low, too messy, or too tight. She also did my bridesmaids hair and they absolutely loved it. She also taught them a few handy tricks, which we all still use in our day to day hairstyling!
Michael was in Romania at the time that we had to decide on a wedding venue, so venue hunting was another special outing I did with my mom. We knew we wanted to get married in the Stellenbosch Winelands, as Michael is a winemaker, my family is involved in the wine industry, and it is the place where our romance started back in 2014. After visiting almost every wedding venue in Stellenbosch, we went back to the very first one, Nooitgedacht. It stole my heart the moment we arrived and no other venue was able to capture the essence of Michael and me so perfectly.
On our wedding night, we slept in the manor house's bridal suite, and we were served a delicious (and very much needed) breakfast the following morning!
Grandeur is back in vogue. Nooitgedacht Estate has specialized in exquisite, hand-crafted weddings for over 35 years.
When we got engaged, I promised myself two things: 1. That I would prioritize my health rather than my esthetics leading up to our wedding, and 2. That I would not invest an absurd amount of money in beauty treatments. I am proud to say that I managed to keep these promises. One of my best friends (and bridesmaid) Uleen Fourie writes workout programs and educational nutrition guides for women to live a healthy life without restriction and burnout (together with my other best friends who founded Burnt Fit). I followed Uleen's workout programs, which are mainly focused on weight training. I became stronger than ever before and consequently gained muscle definition, becoming more toned. I also added a few spin classes to my regime, to keep my cardiovascular fitness up and sweat out some toxins. With regards to eating, I followed no specific, restrictive diet. I incorporate calorie counting in my lifestyle at times when I feel I have a certain goal I want to reach relevant to my eating habits, nutrition, and fat loss. Because these nutritional guides allowed me to understand my body, nutritional requirements, and eating habits I had zero anxiety with regard to eating, dieting, or restricting. This in itself was a major triumph for me.
In addition to a healthy body, my other main concern was my skin. I follow a professional skincare routine (The Ordinary products and SUNSCREEN) and did not change anything before the wedding. I did go for one dermaplaning treatment (at the laser lab) upon recommendation of my makeup artist, which refined my skin texture and ensured a healthy glow on the day.
The décor and flowers were one of my favorite elements of our wedding day. It exceeded our expectations and was absolutely perfect. Heike from Fleur Le Cordeur made all our floral dreams come true, with magnificent greenery and fairy lights arrangements covering the venue's entire ceiling. The tables were filled with white floral arrangements and thousands of candles. Our ceremony took place outside, in a cobblestone lane under beautiful oak trees creating a natural arch. On both sides of our "stage", Heike made two incredible floral arrangements on white plinths, which created a stunning frame.
Decor elements such as white Wimbledon chairs, golden easels, and colonial-style white furniture were rented from N Concepts, sourced by our coordinators, Trunk events.
Tracy Branford of Trunk Events offers a very personal service and plans all the weddings of her couples with a very hands-on and loving approach.
Michael wore a tailored tuxedo from Fabiani, with a satin collar and trim alongside the legs. He looked dashing in a black bow tie. The groomsmen wore black suits and skinny black ties, adding to the classic elegance of the event.
The bridesmaid dresses were custom-made by Griet de Villiers. She is one of my mom's good friends and known throughout Paarl for the magnificent dresses she makes. She made all my ballgown and matric ball dresses whilst I was at school so it was a special experience to have her make bridesmaid dresses for my best friends to wear on my wedding day. The dresses were boob-tube and ankle length, made out of a luxurious emerald green material with a satin-like sheen. They accessorized with gold jewelry and nude heels. The girls are all truly striking and stunning, and although it does not take much to make them look breathtakingly beautiful, the dresses were perfect on them.
Ryno Els, from Toringkerk in Paarl. He also officiated the marriage of my cousin and went to the same university residence as Michael, so it was special having him there.
Our photographer was the brilliant Danelle Nel from Danelle Stofberg photography. I've known Danelle since school, so it was special having her capture our wedding pictures. She is such a professional and made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera, even though Michael and I are both a bit shy.
Tracy and Monique from Trunk events were absolute stars in helping to organize our dream day! As we were abroad for some time leading up to our wedding, I interacted with them via skype and they were wonderful in helping us to make sure everything is in order.
Our food was divine! It was prepared by the chefs at Nooitgedacht venue. Our canapes included arancini balls, mini roosterkoek with gruyere cheese, figs and biltong, tempura prawn skewers, and smoked salmon parties with cream cheese and caviar. Our main was Fillet la Nooitgedacht - a perfectly cooked beef filled, with vegetables, parmesan-infused mash, and a puff pastry round. We received so many compliments about this. Our wedding cake served as dessert. It was prepared by Crumb cakes and was a carrot cake with walnut halves, cream cheese icing in between the layers and buttercream icing on top. For late-night snacks we served braaibroodjies prepared on the coles.
Emma Baard from EB Weddings designed elegant and classic stationary for us in white, emerald, and gold. She perfected our vision and was a dream to work with!
Our goal was to have the first part of the reception be a sit-down dinner, with courses, wine, and champagne served by waiters to the tables. After the toasts and speeches were completed, we opened the dancefloor, and then the party started! Despite my requests, Michael insisted that we shouldn't practice our first dance beforehand. although this made me very nervous, I am so glad that we did it this way. Not rehearsing and practicing specific steps allowed us to really be present while we danced. We opened the dance floor with Beautiful Crazy by our favorite country artist Luke Combs. We did it our way, truly enjoyed it and it set the tone for the rest of the evening!
Founded by the ever creative and forward-thinking Nico Laubscher, who celebrated 26 years in the wedding and event planning industry.
Grandeur is back in vogue. Nooitgedacht Estate has specialized in exquisite, hand-crafted weddings for over 35 years.
Tracy Branford of Trunk Events offers a very personal service and plans all the weddings of her couples with a very hands-on and loving approach.
Crumb specializes in bespoke wedding and celebration cakes, highly creative dessert displays and edible sweet treats & gifts.
Calegra Bridal House sells wedding dresses designed by the most trendy and fashion forward designers South Africa has to offer.
