If you'r dreaming about an outdoor forest wedding celebration, feast your eyes on this!!
Ehren: We met in our first year at the University of the Western Cape. We were both studying to be dentists. We quickly became friends in first year and by the December holidays, I knew that she was going to be someone special in my life.
Ehren: At the time of planning the proposal, we were literally 1000 km away from each other. I had just started my community service year in Durban and she was doing hers in Kimberly. She was very involved in the designing and creation of her ring – from the shape and size of the diamond, to the design of the (clasp thingys that hold the diamond?). So when it was time for her to visit me, she came to Durban and we went away for a weekend in Port Shepstone and the Wild Coast in the South of Durban. Of course, as it came time to propose I had to start lying in order to keep things a surprise.
I told her that the courier company would not ship something so expensive and luckily she believed me. In the meantime, the Diamond Co. wedding ring company in Cape Town had had the ring designed, made and couriered in a record time and the ring was currently in my possession. I then arranged that the B&B that we were staying at organise a romantic set up of chocolate coated strawberries, champagne, flowers, rose petals on the bed – the works! Also, during the 5 years we were dating at university, we took many photos. Over the course of a month, I printed out the important ones (our first photo together, our first date, my first weekend away with her parents – all the way to graduation) and assembled them in a big red leather photo album with little captions that read as a story. At the end, she flipped the last page of the photo album and there was the ring! Needless to say we were both in tears and I was just happy she was able to make some noise that sounded like “yes”.
We did not have much time to plan our wedding, or at least this wedding; as we had previously planned to do a destination wedding in Bali. Alas, Covid happened and we had to make alternative arrangements. I think we approached Creative Nook about two months before our wedding and I worried that it would not be enough time, but San-Marie is extremely capable. She actually just took such a weight off our shoulders and it was really one big stress-free experience. I recall using SA Weddings to browse for forest-y wedding venues!
Well, as stated above, the only real effect Covid had for us was that we could no longer have a destination wedding due to the ban on travelling. However, we always wanted a morning intimate wedding with 20 guests; so I don’t think Covid or curfews played a major role in that department but I do think it gave us a good enough excuse to deliver to those who were not invited.
Pinterest and Instagram were my best friends. Oh, and Say Yes to the Dress.
For me, it was walking down the aisle and being escorted by my entire family (my three siblings and my parents) to the love of my life. I felt such support and love in that moment, plus, I was crying the whole time. I also loved that we could have all of our guests sit at one long table and enjoy each other’s company, we really got to spend time with everyone who was present.
Ehren: Seeing Zoë for the first time, her brother’s speech that made everyone cry and the speeches in general were really memorable.
I don’t know if this would be considered a theme, but I did request that every guest come dressed in shades of nudes, creams and blush to match the décor. I can remember my mother responding in astonishment; “we’re all going to look like bridesmaids!” and I said; “Exactly.” I just wanted everything to be cohesive and elegant.
To be honest, I did not enter one bridal store before deciding on a dress. I just loved the timeless elegance of Meghan Markle’s wedding dress and decided to have a similar dress made, just with my own changes. I wanted to have a classic bridal look. As for my bridesmaids, I had a man of honour or bridesman, if you will, and I gave him free rein to choose whatever he likes and he really had fun with his outfit.
I don’t have any clue about floral arrangements; so I just requested that the colour scheme be nudes/ivory/blush. I completely trusted that Creative Nook would love the opportunity to be creative and deliver us the most beautiful wedding; as she has for many of her previous clients, and she did not disappoint. I could not stop raving about how incredible everything looked!
My husband, the talent of our marriage, did most of our DIY work. He made the signs for the drink stations and also painted the back of our wedding car.
We did not have dancing at our wedding, as it was only a luncheon after the ceremony. However, we did choose “I get to love you” by Ruelle; as the song I walked down the aisle to. We chose the song because the lyrics truly resonate with us and we feel so blessed to have found a lasting love in each other.
Standing at the altar, sobbing through our vows, while Ehren tried to kiss me five times before he was instructed to. After they pronounced us man and wife, he asked in genuine disbelief; “why couldn’t I kiss you during the vows?”
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Make peace with what you can’t change and don’t let it ruin the day. Trust me, no one will notice if something does not look the way it was meant to. Do your research, make sure that your wedding vendors are right for you and your vison. Have the wedding you want, do not let the opinion of others dictate the type of wedding you should have. If you don’t want a cake, don’t get a cake. You’ll be fine.
No, not yet. My husband and I figured we’d keep our tickets for Bali and go on our honeymoon there when the borders open up.
Our breath-taking forest offers various options for a customised wedding ceremony under a natural pine canopy
We are fuelled by passion and ambition to approach every wedding with creativity and meticulous attention to detail.
