Obviously the moment walking into the chapel and seeing Jan's face will always stand out, but our first dance was my absolute favourite moment of the entire day. We did not take dance lessons as we didn't want to stress or put on a show for anyone but ourselves. Everyone else faded away and for the first time that day, it was just us. We kept it natural on a song that has a lot of meaning to both of us - Feels like home by Chantal Kreviazuk. The words just resonated with me.
Other highlights included: My cousin from Bermuda that came over (even though her 2 sisters are getting married in November). We have Scottish ancestry and that was my something old, my cousin surprised me with a piper who played the most amazing bagpipes while we walked out of the chapel. This was very personal and special. My Scottish Terriers are also Black and the other white, having them there in their kilts (in our family colours) made my day and kept me calm.
We went on a half-a-moon along the Garden Route. I was terribly ill with flu for our entire trip. We are, however, planning to celebrate our 30th birthdays and honeymoon on an island holiday in the next few months.
It was all about timeless elegance. I did not want to look back at these photo's in 10 years and think: "what was I thinking?" My jewelry was simple diamond earings and a silver diamanté bracelet. My wedding dress was my WOW factor, a form fitting Diaan Daniels design that was elegant yet sexy. A lot of layers of lace and so much detail leading up to the off the shoulder "sleeve".
My hair (and my bridesmaids hair) was done by my brilliant friend, Claudia, who is a hairdresser and owner of Plush Hair Studio in Port Elizabeth. She is also a makeup artist and did the bridesmaids makeup. My makeup was done by Arielle Rademan, an ex model turned makeup artist who has been in the industry for the last few years.She is lovely and extremely talented. She is also the photographer, Astrid's sister, and WOW, do they make a mean team!
My Scottish Terriers (also my ring terriers) kilts were made by a lady from Krugersdorp, Louisa Lessing, the owner of Cozy Coats for pets. She is the international "go to" person for dog accessories, the most famous being the clan specific kilts with bagpipes, pin and sporran.
We were married at Running Waters in Port Elizabeth. I am a teacher and I attended a matric farewell there years before I met my husband. It was always my number one choice. Some guests from far did stay over at Goodnight Accommodation, Running Waters gorgeous on site accommodation.
Leading up to the wedding I had my hair highlighted and my nails manicured at Plush Hair and Nail Studio. I used AP24 toothpaste which actually whitens your teeth with no chemicals like bleach or the horrible taste of charcoal in your mouth. (I am very particular about my teeth, they need to shine!) I eat quite healthy in general, so leading up to the wedding my eating habits did not change. I also had my last dress fitting in Johannesburg a month before the wedding so losing or picking up weight was not an option.
I insisted on a black and white checkered dance floor. I wanted the black and white to be prominent. There were no flowers at our wedding. Not even the bouquets. The "bouquets" were all handmaid by Lindie Roux who did an amazing job at creating the perfect "blinged out" element that I wanted. The groom and groomsmen wore matching boutonnières.
All of the decor was diamanté,glass, crystal and candles to add to the romantic feel of the night. The venue has 4 gorgeous chandeliers and I wanted to emphasize the elegance of the venue.
The groom was dressed in a classic black suit with a black bow tie by Birch's Man in Port Elizabeth. The groomsmen wore classic black suits with black bow ties from Heinz in Style, also in PE. I had a few custom items made with our wedding logo that the boys also donned. Their boutonnières matched our "bling" bouquets.
My bridesmaids wore black Infinity dresses, as their styles are all so different. I wanted them to express themselves and their styles and look and feel comfortable. They all looked gorgeous, and kept in line with my "elegant" and "timeless" black and white theme.
The Original Infinity Dress can be worn 27 different ways, making it the perfect bridesmaid dress for all figures!
Ds Danie Nel. He was our childhood priest and also confirmed my sister and I. We have come a long way with Ds Nel, and as it turned out he knew Jan as well, his son was Jan's roomate at Kovsies. Small world. It was just fitting that he marry us.
Astrid Cordier captured every moment of the day. She is unbelievably talented and she makes you feel at ease with her bright and bubbly personality.
We did have a photo booth, as we love capturing memories and wanted to capture our guests having fun!
The venue we were married at was incredible. We had an on the day wedding coordinator, we planned the decor with Running Waters Decor, who also has a branch in Bloemfontein called Hartslief Decor Hire. When I walked into our venue the first time I had goosebumps. Everything looked exactly as I wanted it.
Running Waters has an awesome chef that prepared our four course meal. I still have pleasant dreams about the Oreo Chocolate Mousse dessert.
Bernadette Saunders made our wedding cake, simple and elegant; black and white 3 tier cake.
I actually designed and printed all of our stationery. I loved creating the elegant black and white stationary, with a wedding logo to tie everything together.
I also created wine glasses with our logo on, beer with "Momberg Bru" branding and many other interesting personalised items.
Dancing:
Jan and I have always loved to dance with each other, and we can "sokkie" quite well, but we decided to not make our first dance about the guests but for us. Best decision as the first dance was one of the top favourite moments of the day. I don't think there was a dry eye when we were dancing. It was very emotional.
Our DJ and lighting:
My mom has a colleague who started his own DJ business with his son in law when he was diagnosed with cancer. Music Rocks Production. They were responsible for lighting and sound, they were also so kind as to create a video of some of the dancing and moments during the night. Our wedding was the last event he played as he passed a few months later. I'll always be grateful for all of the events, weddings and birthdays, he dj'd for our family.
Diaan Daniels is an accomplished wedding gown designer who has been flourishing in the industry for 25 years.
The Original Infinity Dress can be worn 27 different ways, making it the perfect bridesmaid dress for all figures!
