Seb and I knew each other from University but we were both dating other people at the time. When we were both single we started chatting through social media and went on a couple of dates. A few months later we were both in Thailand at the infamous New Year’s Eve Full Moon Party. Amongst the thousands of people we managed to find each other and party into the new year together. Seb got down on one knee and asked me to be his girlfriend.’ Thailand will always be a special place for us both!
The night started with a decadent dinner for two at the fine dining, Roots Restaurant at the Forum Homini Hotel. The evening ended with an unforgettable game of ‘BOGGLE.’ Seb had laser cut the dice to contain the letters ‘Kelly Ansley, Will you marry me?” (Boggle is a game similar to scrabble where the dice contain letters and you have to come up with word combinations depending on their placement within an allocated time)
I thoroughly enjoyed the planning process. We worked as a team both being involved in every decision of the wedding. Our families were involved and it really felt like a ‘team effort.’ The engineer in my husband led to us using spreadsheets for every decision and it helped make us feel in control and organized!
Most of our inspiration came from ‘Pinterest’ and from ideas that we had seen at other weddings which we then made into our own. We also got inspiration from other brides that had gotten married at the same venue.
The most emotional and special part of the day was walking down the aisle and taking in all the people that had come to witness the special occasion. Having my dad at my side and seeing my ‘future husband’ waiting for me at the end of the aisle.
We went with a ‘country chic’ wedding theme, as this tied in with our wedding venue. We are both from the big city JHB, so chose to have country destination wedding. The venue holds an old stone barn as the reception and the decor and theme evolved from this.
Even though we were getting married in a Forest I still wanted to have an elegant lace gown. My only requirement was for it to be lace and have an open back which took months of searching to find ‘the one.’ I ended up ordering it online!
I wanted a bridesmaid dress that they really could wear again afterwards so I chose a neutral peach colour and a halter neck that generally suits all body types!
Again, tying in with the country theme we wanted to have simple but effective flowers. Each table had a wooden log piece with jars of flowers on top. The peach, white and cream colours tied the theme together
90% of our wedding was DIY with a great family effort. My mom and I spent hours collecting and decorating glass jars with hessian and we hand sewed hessian cutlery holders. We made a unique but professional photo booth which was lots of fun and all the flowers were done by our families the day before
‘Matthew Mole- Take Yours & I’ll take mine’- We honestly chose the song for its upbeat nature to match the style of dance we were going for! It became a song we loved to hate after all the dance lessons and hearing it over and over again!
As I walked down the stairs to meet my dad to take me to the Forest Chapel, he started crying when he saw me as a bride. There are very few times in my life I have seen my dad cry and seeing him emotional for the big day is something I will never forget!
Spreadsheets!!! This honestly makes any anxious bride feel in control and organized! It helps prioritise and create time lines for the months leading up to the big day. It can all be so overwhelming especially the last few months and it helps to have a plan in place for what to remember or do!
We did a mini honeymoon break straight after the wedding to the Wild Coast at Umgazi River Lodge for a few nights. We have planned our longer honeymoon for two weeks at the end of April to Bali.
This amazing mother and daughter duo have been featured in many magazines and have won prestigious awards like 1st place in the 2014 Good Food And Wine Show Wedding Cake Challe...
Award-winning bridal collections; that offer timeless designs with impeccable fit, exceptional quality, hand-beading and luxurious fabrics.
