Jonkershuis Groot Constantia Wedding
~A Tinder Tale.
Nicola and Tiaan jumped in to my heart with a bang! Every year I choose one couple and do their wedding photography at no cost. Every year I meet the most amazing, beautiful individuals through this process and they always turn in to life long friends. This year was no different and our initial meeting turned in to a two hour spree of laughter and milkshake. I knew I chose the correct couple this year and the process was so rewarding. But wait – Nicola and Tiaan did not only get their photography for free, they also won their videographer! Talk about the stars aligning and the universe putting everything together for two beautiful individuals to be together.
Read their story here:
Swipe Right, and let the Tinder sparks fly!
Tiaan: We met on Tinder and from the first moment I saw Nicola I knew she was the one for me.
Nicola: What drew me to Tiaan on his Tinder profile was his eyes. I knew I just had to meet him! I still have that profile picture he used – it’s a firm favourite of mine. We spoke for hours on the phone before we met, and it was definitely love at first sight when we did eventually meet, two months later. He arrived to pick me up on our first date with the biggest bunch of roses I’ve ever seen! Now every month on the 8th I get a bunch of flowers ( 3 years running).
A Paternoster Proposal.
He had taken me away to Paternoster for the weekend – it was our 2 year anniversary. I was hoping he would pop the question, but he gave no hint that it was going to happen. The day of our anniversary we went for breakfast, then did a bit of sight-seeing, had lunch, went shopping, then went back to the cottage to start up the fire. I was in the kitchen prepping to make potato bake when he walked into the kitchen and took my hands. To be honest I can’t remember what he said because once he dropped down on one knee I went speechless! When he asked me to marry him, I jumped into his arms and said yes!
A personal wedding with our own personal style.
We wanted to make our day very personal, so I did all the decor and flowers on the day! I loved the colours navy blue and rose gold, so I started from there. Collected jars and candles for over a year. We made our own save the dates, invites, stationery etc.
I wanted a bit of a vintage/rustic style vibe, and we definitely pulled it off. At first Pinterest was my go-to, but then we started coming up with our own ideas! I’m so glad we did, because it really was so much fun planning the wedding. All the detail that went into it was so special to us. Tiaan and I sat for days and days punching out our heart confetti from vintage love novels, poetry books and church hymns. I adored the table names we used for our guests… I got a thick branch from my sister’s garden and had slices cut out. Guests’ names were added to their own slice as their places names for the table.
Say “Yes” to the Dress!
I thought I had an idea in mind, but then it completely changed when I saw my dress. Myself, my sister and my mum were at Canal Walk one afternoon, doing a spot of shopping when we saw that Bride and Co was having a winter sale! We thought we’d pop in and see what they had (not intending to buy anything!!) We all then decided to have a bit of fun and I tried on a few dresses. Then there it was, my dream dress… exactly what I wanted. Soft, flowing, elegant, just perfect. We walked out with the dress that day!
Wearing her Grandmother’s ring every day.
Tiaan: I designed Nicola’s engagement ring myself with some help from one of Nicola’s friends who was the jeweler who made it. Nicola loves rose gold, so that had to be the main element.
Nicola: My wedding band was extremely special, too. It was my Nan’s ring. I had asked my mum if she didn’t have a ring of my nan’s lying around that I could use as my wedding band instead of just buying one. My mum and I were so excited to start looking through what she had. We ended up finding one of her mum’s rings that was just perfect. It’s such an honour to wear it everyday.
My engagement ring from Tiaan… WOW… I still can’t stop staring at it! It’s absolutely beautiful – he knows me so well!
The Best Make-Up Artist in Cape Town.
Nicola: I had the BEST make-up and hair artist for the day, Candice Leigh Arnott. Apart from being an award winning artist, she’s a family friend and all round amazing woman. I had a vision of what I wanted for my hair and make-up, and she nailed it first time round. I felt amazing, and looked amazing thanks to Candice.
Jonkershuis Venue to fit the Jonker Name.
Tiaan: We had a look at numerous venues, with Jonkershuis being one of them. We told ourselves that this venue is way out of our league. But still, Nicola went to go and have a look and chat to the manager due to the fact that the Jonkershuis had my Surname in it, we sealed the deal and knew we had to have a Jonkershuis Groot Constantia Wedding!
Nicola: The location was breathtaking! My dream was to have a winter wedding and Jonkershuis in the winter is gorgeous. What sold me was the reception area and courtyard. Fairy lights, lanterns, wooden tables and chairs – exactly the look we were going for.
Arriving at the chapel in style.
A huge thank you to Maynard from The Kombi Company for being absolutely amazing and getting me to the chapel on time! The ride there was one to remember – 80’s hits all the way! And then for driving us all to the venue after the ceremony – such a legend.
The best wedding moments to remember.
Tiaan’s best memory of the day was by far that moment he saw Nicola walk down the aisle. And oh! What a moment it was!
Nicola has quite a few favourite moments!
She remembers arriving at the church, and for the first time that day feeling nervous and excited at the same time – she just couldn’t wait to be his wife! Another favourite moment for Nicola was the VW Hippie Vat that Tiaan rented for her to arrive in! That was an absolute dream to have on the day! And of course – Saying their vows to one another.
Our favourite Pastor and friend officiated us!
It was such an honour to have our Pastor from our church marry us. Tiaan and I strongly believe that God sent us to one another, and it’s such a blessing to have a man in my life with the same outlook on faith as I do. Our Pastor is a fantastic guy and we wouldn’t have asked anyone else.
Sister Clair to the rescue and planning!
My sister Clair helped me plan this wedding from start to finish. She was fantastic! She took on the role as sister, friend, Maid of Honour, MC and the go-to for any queries on the night from the venue. An absolute blessing to us both.
A Photographer full of love and laughs.
Landi’s service was FANTASTIC!! Firstly, we adored Landi from the minute we met her at Tigers Milk at our meeting. We both felt so comfortable throughout the day with all the poses we needed to do. It was brilliant. Our couple shoot was so beautiful and Landi took us to so many stunning spots for the shots she needed. When you have a photographer like Landi at your wedding, it just makes your day even better! Her vision, professionalism, loads of fun and loads of laughs made our day one to remember for sure.
A Videographer full of creative ideas and friendly smiles.
Our wonderful videographer was Jesse from Barefeet Videography. Our experience with having Jesse there with us capturing all our memories on film was phenomenal! Such a fantastic guy, so friendly, professional, easy going and loads of fun.
A menu you won’t easily forget.
Menu:
Starters:
Panned Panko Fishcake with house tartar, pickled cucumber salad OR Bobotie Roll with apricot chutney, coriander and cucumber salad.
Main:
Parmesan & Herb Crumbed Chicken Breast with sweet potato puree, lemon cream & greens OR Sliced Sirloin with potato puree, exotic mushroom sauce & green beans.
Dessert:
Vanilla Creme Brulee, rooibos & cardamon infused ORFarm Apple Cake with butterscotch sauce, cinnamon swirl ice cream.
Nicola & Tiaan’s Wedding Planning Advise!
Don’t start with the planning too late! I started not long after Tiaan asked me to marry him ( a year ahead) and I can honeslty say that that year helped me immensely. I wasn’t stressed months, weeks, days before the big day, and everything was done and dusted well ahead of time. I had so many ideas and they changed constantly, so always leave room for change!
Service Providers:
Photography: ORGANICTALES PHOTOGRAPHY
Assistant: DEREK WHITTON
Videography: BAREFEET VIDEOGRAPHY
Venue: GROOT CONSTANTIA – JONKERSHUIS
Make-up and Hair: CANDICE LEIGH ARNOTT
Dress: BRIDE AND CO
Transport: THE KOMBI COMPANY
DJ: The Party Technician
Was your wedding affected by Covid-19 and how?
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If you could change anything from the day, what would it be?
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