The most memorable moment for me was our first kiss as husband and wife! Hubby and I have been together for quite a number of years and the love I felt from this man at that exact moment is unlike anything I ever imagined! It was like our souls were finally dancing at the fact that we are now intertwined to each other by a high and most ultimate force!
Other highlights was the energy of the entire event... amidst very heavy rains and flooding in the weeks and days leading up to our wedding; our day was more than perfect; with the most brilliant sunshine and the breathtaking beauty of nature surrounding us (we had a garden ceremony)... from the majestic; age old trees that surrounded the garden and shielded our guests from the strong rays of the sun, to the brilliant green lawn and colorful roses that were all around us... it was as if God himself had been preparing and perfecting everything for our special day!
Our guests!!! Oh; what beautiful people that took time out of their lives to come share in such a special milestone in our life... Everybody looked stunning; they brought beautiful energy and we are really grateful to have friends and family that share in our joy!
We opted not go on honeymoon immediately; given the cost of the wedding and so we hope to go to an exotic holiday destination soon. For this we will have to do some planning and upfront saving up.
WEDDING GOWN:
I opted for a classic and elegant look; with my wedding gown being the focal point!!!
I wore a custom made gown; which my designer (Vonani Designs) and I came up with together!!! We had great rapport with one another and so a very good relationship! She superbly executed my dream wedding gown and brought it to life for me.
The gown was off-white; with a beaded and diamante clad bodice that is off the shoulder for a bit of strategic and tasteful showing of some skin! *wink*...
The dress effortlessly transformed into a reception dress and although it was a 2-in-1 dress that served for both the matrimonial and the reception; one could hardly tell that it was the same dress. I also wore a long and flowing veil that she custom made for me.
MAKE-UP:
Make-up was done by Kenosis Beauty Institute! I went for a regal look that would last long without requiring too many touch ups and also did not look too heavy! I was extremely satisfied with the stunning make-up look and effect and the fact that it had been a very hot and sunny day (we had a garden ceremony); my make up was still in tact and looked stunning at midnight when the festivities ended.
HAIR:
Hair was done by TK Afro Hair Salon; which falls under the Ruutos Brides stable. I went for a style that was both Afrocentric and elegant... I looked up a lot of styles leading up to the wedding and when I finally found this style; I was in love. I was a bit anxious as to whom could execute the style exactly as I wanted but then I remembered my daughters' hair dresser; Thandeka from TK Afro Hair and I new without a doubt that she was the lady for me. She did a superb job and I wore the hair style for another full week after the wedding.
SHOES:
After much stressing and not finding the right shoe; I found the perfect shoe at a small boutique EY-MER in Dainfern Square and the owner Lorraine was an absolute darling!
LINGERIE:
I got a piece from the Distraction Bridal Collection at Woolworths.
JEWELLERY:
Because my dress was the pièce la résistance... I opted for minimal jewellery and for this I got rose gold crystal stud earrings from Swarovski.
I also got a very dainty mother of pearl and diamante headpiece from La Princessa bridal in Sandton.
Our entire wedding was at Summer Place in Hyde Park. The staff and event manager were superb!!! They really impressed me with their professionalism and cordial demeanor of the waiters and waitresses.
The bulk of our guests were from in and around Johannesburg and although the venue does not offer accommodation; there wasn't much of a need!
Hubby and I did book weekend accommodation for our entire bridal and grooms party at Villa Deeb in Sandhurst! The Villa was exquisite and fully serviced... we couldn't have chosen a better place!
I honestly didn't have a special beauty regime apart from diligent intake of vitamin C tablets mainly for my skin which I've continued with to this day; as well as I changed to activated charcoal toothpaste for my teeth. The rest is the usual stuff which I try to do regularly... more water intake; minimal refined carbs; etc!
One of my absolute favorite parts of the wedding!!!
The flowers and decor were all done by Thapelo Mahlabane of Ditsala Events together with her superb team!
I went for blush pink; gold and creams for my colour theme! Understated elegance was my vision for the decor and needless to say that the flowers (types) and arrangements were one of the most important elements that I was not willing to compromise on!
The matrimonial was held in the Rose garden and oh what a breathtaking sight it was!!! The pinks; creams and burgundies of the floral arrangements fit perfectly with nature's best gift to me and hubby... age-old majestic trees that canopied the entire garden from the strong sun rays... the brilliant green of the well manicured lawns... and oh! The actual natural Rose's of the garden... we truly and honestly couldn't have asked for more!
Thapelo and the Ditsala Events team went above and beyond... they were so vested in the success of our wedding and they absolutely outdid themselves!!! Their workmanship was superb!
The groomsmen wore custom made suits from Oriental Plaza while my husband wore a custom made suit by Dekok Bespoke.
The bridesmaids dresses; including the maiden of honor and the flower girl dresses were designed and custom made by Vonani Designs! We came up with the base designs together; but the designer added beautiful beading that really made the dresses pop... she is that good!
I must add that what I appreciated the most about Vonani Designs is their ability to connect with a client and perfectly articulate what the client themselves is not able to describe in words!
Our marriage officer was one of the pastors from our church; whom is also a registered marriage officer; Mr J. Aphane.
I remember praying to God for a beautiful and blessed wedding and this man of God; Mr Aphane was truly led by the Holy Ghost. It was such a blessed and beautiful ceremony. We had a number of compliments about the ceremony from some of our guests afterwards.
Gift Photography and Video captured all our special moments! I was especially impressed with the professionalism and humility of the owner; Gift! I came across his work on one of the social media platforms during the planning days of the wedding and I was absolutely blown away after our first meeting at his home studio... I immediately knew that all the reviews I'd seen about his work were genuine and authentic!
He has a quite and professional demeanor and he was one of the people that absolutely made me feel calm on my special day; not by saying anything but by how him and his team conducted themselves... being somewhat of a perfectionist and what some would dare say is a mild case of OCD I have... even I had absolutely nothing to fault him on... I was assured that he knew his job!!!
I didn't have a wedding planner... I did most of the planning myself with help from my bridal party.
N/A! My maiden of honor drove me from our villa to the venue which was all of 5 minutes away.
Summerplace made the food and it was all absolutely scrumptious and to die for! From the welcome drinks when guests arrived; to the canapés after the ceremony and the 3 course meal at reception... each course with a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option... and my absolute favorite being the dessert!
When the dessert was served... the lights were turned off and as the waiters filed in with plates literally on fire... on cue the DJ blasted the song: 'This girl is on fire' by Alicia Keys... oh!!! It was breathtaking... especially when the guests started singing along as the flaming plates of dessert were placed before them! I loved every moment of it...
The wedding cake was done by cakesbyally... it was absolutely decadent; with three tiers... red velvet; chocolate and lemon butter cream! Ally usually bakes cakes for me whenever I have a special occasion and I already knew what to expect.
We had a digital wedding invite that was made by Gift Photography & Video.
The menus were a DIY project of mine.
DJ TshepoJnr of Jozi FM was my professional DJ for both the matrimonial and reception and he provided all the equipment. All the guests absolutely enjoyed themselves! Music and entertainment were also one of the most important things for me!
He helped me plan the music programme; arranged the music accordingly upfront and even shared a link with me prior to the wedding for my review and approval. He was absolutely professional and it showed on the day.
