So earlier this year I was lucky enough to marry the man of my dreams in what could be considered a "small-ish" intimate wedding. It would be completely impossible for me to sum up the day or to describe it in just a few sentences. So instead I have chosen to do the opposite!I am going to write an essay! (there will be at least be pictures too!)
Wen we got engaged last year, we took six months to "celebrate" and enjoy being in our newly engaged bubble before we got into the planning of our big day. When we started our planning it became obvious that little miss fashion designer / project manager wanted to come out. I had PowerPoint presentations and mood-boards with notes and a swatch here and there. Conceptualizing is my thing, I love doing it! I think my poor vendors got a fright at first, but ALL of them said it made their work much easier as it gave them a clear visual for our wedding day. Now, more than ever I'm am sold on conceptualization for weddings! The over all theme of our wedding was deep rich colouring with a slight boho feel.
The Veneu:
Oh I had this one almost picked out years before my husband and I even started dating... With a lot of consideration and viewing other venues it became clear that Simondiums Country Lodge is a magnificent little hidden gem. The location was ideal, sometimes couples choose a location and then it becomes a logistical nightmare with their vendors. Simondium is in the heart of "die Boland" and Stellenboch is also the place where our relationship changed from friendship into romance and it will forever have so many memories that we keep near.
Hanneke and her staff are exceptional, they made us feel welcome and at ease from day one! They were so accommodating, helpful, caring and the best of all they were so friendly that they felt like friends! Their food is "amaze-balls" (this is a direct quote to one of our guests) and looked so appealing. I would recommend Simondium over and over not only because I am obsessed with their little chapel, the peacocks, the gardens and the decor, but because of my experience with them!
The Makeup Artist:
With a little nudge from our Photographer, I went with Estelle Pretorius. Where do I begin with this woman!? Not only is she drop dead gorgeous herself, her work is AMAZING!!! With the makeup trail it became obvious that she is down to earth, funny, and instantly lovable. She is so knowledgeable in her art-form and she gives great advice! Starting our big day with her laughing at me and my bridesmaids' lame jokes set the perfect tone. I'm in love with all of her work. Pure art I will tell you! I mean I love the way I looked for our wedding, isn't that the point!? She also hosts workshops during the year for us, "normal people", and I can not wait to join in on one of them in the future!
The Floral Artist:
Antoinette from Blomakiti exceeded all of my floral expectations! This girl can work fast and the results are magical! I first got introduced to Blomakiti at the Winelands Bridal Fair in 2017. They had a gorgeous exhibition and after sourcing various quotes from various vendors, I kept coming back to Antoinette. So future brides, listen to that gut feeling of yours!!! I am so glad I chose her for our wedding, I have great expectations for the future of Blomakiti, talent like that can not be kept secret for long! Go have a look at her work, it is gorgeous!
Hiring:
Some candles we had to hire in as it made no sense to buy hundreds of candles that we might not get to use. Don't get me wrong, I have an obsession with candles, but even I would not be able to go trough all of them in two years!
We went to Candles 4 U for the hiring of the candles, Esme was so helpful and easy to work with!
The raw wooden tables, little bit of fairy lighting and chairs we hired from Goeters. The team helped us with set up and the take down, they were so friendly and energetic it made us exited! Nicola was extremely patient en helpful with me in our email conversations. They do amazingly creative weddings if you want to go have a look on their social media!
The on the day Coordinator:
I have known Ronell for years and saw her start Something Blue by Ronell, an event planning business that birthed out of her pure passion for organizing and her heart for caring. I do not know if I would have been as calm as I was or even have enjoyed our wedding day as much as I had if were not for her. She is extremely resourceful and I would highly recommend her to any and every couple! Really consider using an event planner like her if you know that you are someone who will worry about a few things being perfect or if you need help finding the right people for the right job at the right price, it will definitely save time, stress, hassle, money and even help your relationship in the build up to the big day.
The Stationary:
We are very lucky that we have my husbands business which did all of the stationary for us. From designing of the save the dates to the printing of the table seating and everything in between. As we have a love for books (I'm obsessed with Francine Rivers novels) we chose personalized bookmarks for each guest as our wedding favors, also done through his business, 3@1 Whale Coast. It was easy, fast, and the quality perfect! We had some lazer cutting done trough Made with Love - Empangeni for our cupcake toppers and wedding cake topper and extra decor.
The Grooms Outfit:
I have heard about grooms being picky when it comes to suits, but boy! We went to so many places that I could not keep count. And finally, wen we got to the perfect suit I fully understood. It was amazing, it clearly showed on his face, and I love the way it fits him. Hendrik wore a dark navy suit from Marco Bonetti that we got from De Jagers. His tie was also a man hunt as it had to be burgundy, and we found one in the perfect shade at H&M. He is so handsome, oh I love him so much!
The Bridesmaids outfits:
Our two bridesmaids wore stretch velvet wrap dress in two different shades, plum and burgundy. I chose to make then individually for each of them as a gift along with all the other goodies. Luckily I have previously done a colour analysis on each of them and myself so I knew the photos together will look amazing and it did! We were so happy with the results. I really recommend brides rather choosing colours for their entourage based on colour analysis's, wedding photographs place the colour they are wearing close to your face and no matter the amount of makeup or styling you do, the wrong colours will have an effect on you appearance. All of the wedding photos out there on social media will be a testament to that fact. Luckily we are all Summers so we can wear each others clothes if we wish to ;)
The Wedding dress:
Being a fashion designer I naturally wanted to push myself when it came to the making of my own wedding dress, so i wend the complete opposite with the traditional wedding dress fabric choice. I chose stretch fabrics, a circle lace that had a crochet feel to it and crochet lace trimmings for details and shaping. A detachable tule skirt to give a romantic feel with a ribbon tie at the front. Originally I did not opt for an open back, however during the construction of my dress, we were out one knight with friends and my then fiance was asked what he expects in my dress, and he answered that he would like to be able to touch my back (interesting right?) and voila, changed my dress design over night. So technically my husband had helped with the design of my dress for our wedding day! Special!!!
Lastly The Photographer:
Anyone who knows me or spends enough time with me, knows that wedding photography is one of my secret sins! I have been in loooooove and crazy obsessed with Aglow Photography for years now and with a lot of luck Celeste became our wedding photographer!!! Celeste is a pure photography artist and on so many occasions I even fall in love with other peoples weddings through her lens! And as if her insane talent is not enough, she is the most incredible person and I feel so blessed that our paths have crossed. I have already learned so much through her that I will cherish forever. Our creative souls will forever be linked! I always look forward to each and every post on facebook with a cup of coffee in hand (another diction of mine) but when it came to my own wedding photos I was so mesmerized and teary eyed I forgot about my delicious cup of coffee!
To all our vendors, we will forever be grateful for your input to our most special day! Words can honestly not describe how thankful we are! We wish you all the best of luck in your future projects and may your businesses be blessed!
Love,
C