The highlight of my wedding day was being able to share it with friends and family who flew in just to be apart of our day.
I hold onto precious memorable moments such as my father walking me down the aisle, seeing my husband as I walk down the aisle, our first dance and the father and daughter dance.
My husband planned everything regarding the honeymoon and surprised me by taking me to Botlierskop Private Game Reserve in Mossel Bay. Absolutely stunning place!
I always imagined myself in a mermaid style dress but everything changed when I fell in love with a simple tight fitting, elegant Beautiful by Enzoani dress. The style of the dress is timeless, so comfortable and soft. The veil was soft and had beautiful pearls placed over it, custom made by the The Wedding Boutique. My Jewelry provided the extra sparkle which beautifully accompanied the dress. Both Earrings and Bracelet was from Swarovski. My hair clips were from Zara, as well as my shoes which were white kitten heels. Finally, I purchased my lingerie from Inner Secrets and from La Senza.
Our studios based in Cape Town and Johannesburg are fresh, vibrant and above all modern.
Our special day took place at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West. Years ago we visited the estate for a coffee date and I fell in love with the entire estate. We opted to marry in the lane leading up to the main wedding venue, it’s surrounded by larger trees, the vineyards and a poll field. Since we were marrying in February, this provided the most natural shade and created and enchanted atmosphere as well. We had guest from Cape Town and Somerset West, most guests from Cape Town chose not to sleep over in Somerset West, whereas a few made use of Airbnb’s in the area.
My skin regime consisted of doing a easy morning routine and a night routine everyday. Main skincare product I made sure I never went without was sunscreen. So vital to protect your face from the sun’s rays. A week before my wedding I did an LED facial at Deluxe Laser and Spa in Claremont - excellent place with great service! Leading up to the wedding I regularly did hair removal laser for my underarms, upper lip and hollywood, so painless and I loved the results. I also had a wonderful spa day with my maid of honor at Life Day Spa in Waterfront. With regards to dental work, I didn’t do any teeth whitening but instead opted for a routine check and clean. Lastly, I kept myself fit by attending Bodytec sessions once a week and exercised at gym twice a week.
I wanted everything to be simple but elegant went it came to decor because the venue was breathtaking in its natural state. My dad oversaw all of the decor with my input. We only needed to hire outside chairs for the ceremony, an arch and flower stands, we made use of Grandstyle Hiring. I only wanted to use Proteas for my wedding flowers, specially the King Protea (which was difficult to find in February), the Madiba Protea and one white Protea for my bouquet. The King Proteas were sourced through Functions Flowers in Somerset West, as well as through a flower seller at Route 44 market. The Madiba Proteas were sourced through a lady I met at Lourensford market one day, she usually sells in Stellenbosch on the side of the road by a school and opposite the Spar. Her prices were so reasonable and her flowers are stunning.
My dad and I are bargain hunters so we purchased a lot of decor for the wedding by different places. We bought lights from Typo in Access Park and a hidden gem in Athlone which sells everything you can find from big stores at a fraction of the price. We bought motives and some glassware from Biggie Best Warehouse Sale. So many items were bought from factory shops in and around Cape Town.
The groom’s suit and shoes was from Tiger of Sweden, located at V&A Waterfront. The groomsmen did not need to purchase new suits as they already had suits to match the groom. The ties of the groomsmen were purchased from Twill in Canal Walk.
The bridesmaids wore soft pink dresses which complimented their bouquet, the Pink Protea. The dresses were ankle length. The top part of the dress had lace design which gave the dress character but it lacked sparkle. I purchased some detailed ribbon which had jewels on it from Elegance, and was easily applied.
Our Marriage officer was my sister-in-law’s father, Wesley Van Graan. He provided us with marriage counseling, which we utterly enjoyed and he knew us both well so we felt at ease with him. His sermon was profound but at the same time light-hearted which kept everyone engaged.
Our formal wedding pictures were taken by the wonderfully talented Kaylin Petersen Photography. We opted for a videographer who could work alongside our photographer. We made used of Forbes Visuals (Jamie Forbes). He is extremely talented and so punctual! So impressed with both of their work!
I opted not to have a planner, mainly due to the fact that I knew what I wanted and it was easier for me to plan it with my parents and in-laws.
We didn’t have a large bridal party so we made use of offers from family members to transport us. We also were only 10 mins away from the wedding venue so there was no need for extra expenses in that department.
Our wedding venue provided the food. We were able to have a taste test of the menu and the accompanying wine before the wedding date. The food was delicious and the venue had a wide variety of food including dietary restrictions. The wedding venue allowed us to bring in our own dessert which we wanted to be different and unique, we opted for Yummicakes sold by Yummilisicous. You can find them at Route 44 market and at Willowbridge market. Absolutely delicious!
Our wedding cake was done by Inke Cake Designs. We opted for a semi-naked cake with proteas added to it for decor. Inke has amazing different flavors and she is so easy to work with!
I chose not to use a service for stationery to cut costs. Instead I made use of Canva design, a free design website to create the invites and programs for the wedding. I purchased special paper from Deckle Edge Stationery store in Salt River, and printed the programs and seating list at Roz prints located in Howard Center Pinelands.
Our reception took place in the main area of the wedding venue. Guests had the perfect view of the mountains, polo field and vineyards along with the sunset. My husband and I opted to create our own playlist and enlisted the help of family members to control the music. This was easy for us because the venue had an easy sound system setup, which was compatible with most laptops. However for our pre-reception we opted for live music from Seth Grey and his band, they were a hit! Highly recommend them. There was no need for extra lighting because the what the venue had fitted into our vision.
Our studios based in Cape Town and Johannesburg are fresh, vibrant and above all modern.
