Getting married a few minutes outside of the bride's home town, Wolseley, was the perfect opportunity for the Mozambican family of the groom to see her little part of the world. Comfortability was key and guests were asked to wear smart/formal clothes with sneakers, to ensure a packed dance floor and no aching feet! The Biltong soup was a hit and the main meal incorporated both mozambican and south african classics. The impromptu speeches were beautiful and topped by the bridesmaids surprising everyone by being the live entertainment for the evening. The laughter continued with a disco boogy of a father-daughter dance, and the stage was set for the rest of the night. Everyone was surprised when the bride gifted the groom a wedding present in the form of an original song sung and performed on electric guitar. A small temporary Tattoo Station and detailed "wedding guest guide book" brochure (designed by the bride herself) filled with activities and games, kept the guests taking a breather from the dance floor busy! All in all this very family centered and DIY inspired wedding blew away all expectations of everyone
We went on a lovely breakaway in the trees of Knysna, but our dream honeymoon and goal is to go to Japan, Tokyo as we love the culture, natural beauty and cuisine.
My wedding look was inspired by moody pallettes, jewel tones and forest fairy aesthetic. I wanted to break away from tradition in all ways: my wedding shoes were limited edition Women's Month Converse Chuck Taylor's, off-white with a massive platform sole, which cortaste the choice of the groom who opted for a black-on-black suede pair of Van's. I topped it off with gifted blue socks as my something blue. For the dress I chose a two piece, so as to be able to wear both pieces again in the future, my focus was on texture and colour and I incorporated the jewel tones (emerald, burgundy, navy, etc.) in embroidered appliqué and 3d flowers that floayed on my body with soft mesh drapery. Illse Roux did a great job of bringing my design ideas to life. The flowers were hand placed so that some of my tattoos would also be visible and form part of the dress design. For my hair I decided to keep it simple with curls and hints of pearls as a backdrop for a slightly dramatic choice of make-up: burgundy and copper eyes and a dark burgundy lip. I continued the pearl theme in my jewellery, with my bracelet being borrows and my earrings containing the pearls of a dear family member. My mother made my veil the night before, hand stitching the trimming and adding a beautiful garter in the process. My godmother had a beautiful deep burgundy shawl croteched to protect me from the winter cold and when I needed more warmth, I threw on my teal Coat. The groom brought his own flavor in a deep forest green suit with red lining, pork pie hat and Chinese collar shirt. The colours of his suit matched beautifully with the leaves and vines of the dress. Ultimately we both wanted to show our individuality and creativity, whilst being as comfortable as possible so that we could enjoy our night to the fullest.
We got married at Waverley Hills, Wolseley. Guests stayed in the surrounding area of Ceres, Tulbagh and Wolseley.
I tried to drink as much water as possible and get enough sleep. Other than that I ate what I wanted and didn't alter my level of activity in any way, I'm a firm advocate that weight loss isn't necessarily for brides. The man loves you enoughy to marry you, he doesn't care about your weight, why should you?
The theme for the decor was a continuation of the moody pallettes mixed with a boho, witchiness feel to it. For the ceremony, dried rose petals strewn on the bare-bricked chapel floor reflected the deep colours of the bouquets at the altar. Upon entering the chapel, guests found old wooden trunks filled with warm jewel tones blankets, a keepsake to help keep warm during the festivities. Candles and fried flowers stems reflectes in mirrors added to the warmth of the room. We used dried flowers on the tables in the reception area, delicate stems of various colours in mismatched vases. The colour continued in the crystal goblets and champagne glasses, all of which were scattered colours, no two glasses or colour combination was the same. Gold cutlery mimicked the glint of grandma's brass vases and trinkets. Candlesticks with various coloured candles added to the magical glow of the reception area. Stacked vintage books (bride is a bookworm) displayed table numbers and deep teal velvet table runners connected the whole look. The seating chart was made by the bride the night before, mismatched frames spray painted gold and glued together. The layout of the tables provided a central dance floor and did away with the traditional head table, giving the bride and groom chance to move up and down the table and mingle
The groom had a custom deep forest green suit made, with a deep maroon lining. He paired this with a black pork pie hat, black on black suede Van's, a white Chinese collar shirt, his vintage gold Casio watch (which still has a calculator) and an old blessed wooden cross he's had since childhood. The groomsmen were given a basic colour, khaki, and they were allowed to get their own suits. This made their individuality more prominent and added to the comfortability of everyone: different shades of the same colour, different styled suits, different sneakers and some in beanies and some in shades. The only matching thing was their forest green ties which the groom gifted and tied the boys together.
My bridesmaids all had the opportunity to wear what made them feel comfortable and beautiful. From the start I didn't want matching dresses or colours, so I assigned each a jewel colour : emerald, burgundy, sapphire and gold. I also wanted variety in textures and chose the pieces accordingly, like lace, mesh, velvet, sequins, glitter, etc. My maid of honor wore a glow burgundy gown with a tapestry style corset, sister of the bride and bridesmaid no 2 wore a velvet pant suit with dramatic frilly mesh cami (mother made) and corset belt, cousin and bridesmaid no 3 wore very flattering golden pelatso pants and a golden lace blouse and lastly, aunt and bridesmaid number 4 wore a long-sleeved, floor length glittery navy mesh gown. All the ladies wore different sneakers and had individually styled makeup. All the looks were inspired by designs that the bride had originally made for the bridesmaids, she had made 4 for each and let them decide which they liked best. They then perused SHEIN online shop and managed to style the looks with pieces found on the website.
We didn't have a marriage officer as we had done our legal papers for marriage in Mozambique, this was the ceremony and reception part on South Africa.
I was the planner and I had my mother and a few aunts that helped here and there, mostly I planned everything myself.
The food was prepared by the restaurant at Waverley Hills, customized to our specifications they really did a great job! They went above and beyond to make us happy. The cakes were sponsored by my godmother
I designed, printed, folded and cut the wedding stationary, I had some hands to help me finish off the folding the day before the wedding
Bruno and I practiced our dance in the morning hours of the wedding day, no lessons were paid for and it actually went really smoothly. The father-daughter dance was done to an Earth, Wind and Fire classic, which had the guests really excited. The DJ was great at reading the crowd and rarely did I see the dance floor empty, Dj AKH really did a good job. Live entertainment came in the form of surprise performances by the bridesmaids and bride.
