Our backgrounds are so different, and we both had reasons to be afraid to marry, but ultimately we let love reign over fear and we couldn’t be happier!
We agreed that our motto for our wedding and marriage is “We do it OUR way, or not at all.” – and our way was to get married with two witnesses in the forest, saying our vows under a tree and signing our marriage register on a tree stump… and that’s exactly what we did!
But we didn’t want to exclude our family and friends from our joy, so with the help of our incredible mom’s we arranged wedding celebrations with our respective families in George and Pretoria.
And so it goes that one exact year after we met, on the 11th of March 2018, we had the most perfect wedding, followed by the most wonderful celebrations with our nearest and dearest – and we would not have done anything even a little differently.
We went to Italy for our honeymoon in June 2018 where we visited Rome, Florence and Venice... we loved everything about it! Especially the sights and the food!
The best part about having a tiny ceremony is being able to spend money on the things that matter most to you.
My unconventional dress, which couldn't have been more perfect, was a ball gown from Bride & Co.
My hair and make-up was done by two-time bridal make-up artist of the year winner, Corle Barnard.
The gorgeous flowers were done by Gloria Dugmore, mom of close friends, but also an amazing event planner.
Original design rings done by Wolf Bros and Near and Far Jewelers International (American based).
What mattered most was looking and feeling great! Mission accomplished :)
We got married, absolutely free, in the beautiful Newlands Forest, and we took photos there and later at Sunset Beach in Cape Town.
Just a stunning spa day with my two best girlfriends, which doubled as my bachelorette. Mani, pedi, facial and a hot stone massage... with lots of champagne!
Nature was all the decor we needed - we didn't do a stitch of decor, furniture, lighting etc. The forest and the beach did all the work for us seamlessly.
There were no groomsmen, but the groom wore a super comfy, breathable and smart shirt from Cafe Cotton.
There were no bridesmaids, but there were bride best friends!
Our marriage officers were the lovely Dirk and Lorraine Miller. Dirk did the ceremony but they really work together as a team. We met them for coffee before the ceremony and we knew they were the ones! They were super flexible, organized and helpful and had great chemistry.
We chose Lauren Kriedemann for her amazing ability to capture emotion and authenticity in her photographs - because our wedding was so unconventional, we needed a photographer who was flexible and versatile with her packages and ideas, and Lauren definitely delivered on all of that.
She took gorgeous photos in the forest, and at the beach, both when the sun was shining and when the fog rolled in.
No planner needed... there was so little planning to do that it was super easy and relaxed - so we do it ourselves with a little help from our friends and family.
We drove ourselves in our everyday cars! My mom drove me, and Nico drove with my best friend ;).
We didn't do any catering for our wedding, instead we met our witnesses for a lovely breakfast and cake at Blouberg Cafe before getting ready.
No one designed our stationery! Because there wasn't any! Haha.
What party? All the fun was had at the ceremony and then we went to Saldanha Bay Protea Hotel for a mini-moon, which was great fun all on its own.
