When Johara Jolene & Ridewaan Sayed tied the knot at The Market Restaurant earlier this year, it was anything but ordinary.
Ridewaan and I knew each other through mutual friends and bumped into each other at a fundraising event in 2012. We exchanged only a few words since we were both occupied with our respective friends. We crossed paths on a regualr basis during the course of that year. However, a year later when we both were ready to settle down, we decided to "give it a bash " and went out to dinner… it was the best dinner ever at The Spice Restaurant. I cried tears of joy on my way home simply because it was so amazingly beautiful and perfect. He, on the other hand, had met up with his friends later that evening and bragged incessantly about our dinner. Ever since then , we have not left each others arms and everyone who has met us agrees that we appear to be "married for years" - so comfortable and so in love.
In the week that he proposed, there was an increasing amount of "marriage" talk. I didn't really consider that option and I certainly didn't take him seriously. But it turned out to be the perfect proposal - and ever so romantic! He planned a trip to Cape Town, but the day before we left he presented me with a yellow flower diamond ring - he knows I love flowers. That was when we announced our wedding date… the 7th of June. 7 happens to be both our lucky numbers - I was born on the 7th and Ridewaan in June . So 7th of June it was
From our first meeting with our wedding planner, Marge B, the celebrations had started. I felt like a princess with her around and we had so many family gatherings and girl time. The fitting of our dresses was a celebration on its own! I certainly did make use of SAWeddings, it is here that I found Marge B from Event Styling. She injected the fun aspect into the planning process and Ridewaan and I were made to feel like absolute celebrities every step of the way.
Being a hopeless romantic,I fell in love with the outdoor setting of The Market Restaurant. It is the perfect stage for a romantic, vintage wedding. A Cape Town chic vintage vibe is what I had envisioned - and so it was to be.
Oh gosh! Everything! But especially when my husband, Ridewaan sang to me. Our dance, his speech, the sparkles and the moment when the confetti cannons shots were fired were also very memorable. Our décor really looked like a fantasy garden and the entire wedding was an evening of highlight after highlight.
Chic vintage fairytale - we both wanted a relaxed atmosphere with a great vibe and for everyone to feel like a celebrity. When we stepped out of the 1940's vehicle, we truly felt like celebrities - surrounded by bodyguards, paparazzi and adoring family and friends.
Chic vintage – my designer, Francois Vedemme, is the best!! The colours and style he chose was just perfect. Ridewaan wore a custom designed, Burberry Pale Birch Grey suit which complimented my gown to perfection. I chose not to have any bridesmaids, however had my cute nieces and nephews posed as flower girls and ring bearers.
We gave Marge B total creative freedom to conceptualize a Fairytale wedding and advised her to choose the flowers and décor - with my guidance of course. My bouquet included Rock Rose, which complimented the vintage set design. It was like I walked into a chapter from my childhood story book. Marge wanted to be different and styled all the table flower arrangements in ribboned bouquets, so that my guests could take them home. She used a combination of Avalanche Roses, purple Cabbage Roses, Daisies , White Proteas, Jip and even some Old Man's Beard. Various greens were combined to compliemnt the overall look and feel. Marge also rigged crystal chandeliers from the trees and incorporated the natural surroundings into the look she wanted to create.
Yes, Marge made my vintage hair clip by herself. I only requested it the day before the wedding and it was perfect for my designer gown.
We chose "Best of Me" by Anthony Hamilton. We had both attended his concert at Gateway which was our first concert together and we loved his romantc style. Ridewaan is amazing! We also wanted a song with an uplifting beat.
It is your day and yes, you should have everything that you wish for, but remember your guests also play a vital role and therefore should be made to feel uber-special.
We have planned our official honeymoon for the end of 2014 as we both have a hectic work schedules, but we enjoyed a week's stay at The Oyster Box Hotel. Also, we have travelled extensively to the Midlands during our wedding build-up. I find it so peaceful and quaint there.
Event Styling Couture Event Design is a supplier of premium, bespoke event services and wedding planning. The company is headed up by Marge B, an entrepreneur and event sty...
A Wedding Day – the day when hopes and dreams, love and laughter, friends and family, past and future, come together in celebration.
