De Oudekraal Wedding.
~The Harvesting Chapter
Tell us about how you met and the attributes that drew you to each other?
We met 8 years ago in Stellenbosch on a night out. For me it was love at first sight, when I saw Jacques and his big smile I knew I had to meet him and obviously I fell in love. What drew me to him was his intelligence and liveliness. From that night onward our life together had started. We have had such an amazing adventure together so far.
How did the proposal go down?
In 2017 we took a backpacking trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. We have traveled for one week and a half when we arrived in Siem Riep and explored the famous Ankor Wat. We wanted to see the sunrise from Ankor Wat the next day but we were unfortunately very sick with a bad tummy bug so we could not make it, which effected Jacques’s decision on when to ask me and if it was going to happen on our trip or not. He then booked a sunset trip on Tonle Sap River just outside Siem Riep.
We took a private canoe type boat on the river and explored a bit until it was time for sunset.
Jacques asked our guide to separate us from a very loud group of tourists. We were then on our own with only the sunset, when Jacques suddenly (trying to balance on one knee on a small canoe) started telling me how much he loves me and reminiscing. My heart immediately skipped a beat and I knew! He then continued and asked me to marry him. And I obviously said yes!!
What was the style of your wedding and where did you find your inspiration?
We wanted a rustic wedding with a touch of elegance. We wanted to feel comfortable and relaxed at our wedding and did not want a stiff affair where I would be too scared to get a bit of dust on my shoes.
We got our inspiration on some wedding sights and following trends.
For me the most important part was, I wanted to be outside, even when getting married. It all accompanied our personalities very well.
Why did you choose De Oudekraal Wedding Venue?
The first time we saw De Oudekraal WeddingA Venue we got Goosebumps, especially when we stepped outside under the Eucalyptus trees.
I just then imagined everything in its place for our day. We did not want it to be somewhere where everybody has been before.
How did you decide on your dress and where did you find it?
I had a lot of inspiration when I looked for dresses. I had one idea, and my dress wouldn’t have been completely white. I tried on numerous dresses, but my mother and myself went dress fitting at Bride & Co. I tried my dress on, and it fit perfectly. I only made very small alterations here and there but otherwise the dress was perfect. I absolutely loved the style and also the pockets it had, which made it perfect for the tissues.
Is there a special story behind your rings, and where did you find them?
With my ring, Jacques knows I love orchids and he wanted to incorporate it in the ring he designed for me.
He added Green Amethyst stones which brought in some colour to the ring and it came out stunning.
He got it made at Afriq Jewel Tygervalley.
I took some inspiration for Jacques’ ring when we sat together and he chose the style he liked. It was quite difficult choosing a ring for him. I found his ring at Sterns Canal Walk.
Who made sure your make-up and hair looked beautiful?
Leoume Vos had done such an amazing job. I was so happy with the way I looked. She made me feel so beautiful and comfortable on our day. I feel we had such a great morning with Leoume Vos and Michelle, full of laughs and some tears and she made sure to have us done and ready on time for some bridal portraits. They also made our Mother’s and Sisters look absolutely breath taking. I am so grateful for her.
What was the most memorable moment of the day?
When we were done taking pictures and all our guests were seated, we stood outside on a wooden bridge and just spent some time together without anyone around us, just the two of us.
Another moment was when we saw each other down the aisle, the moment when our eyes locked and the tears started to roll!
Lastly, when we had our wedding party with us in the grain field walking up a small hill in our heels ready to take some pictures. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. While we were on our own with the photographer, we almost got ran over by a harvest combine machine! That was definitely a very memorable moment in our wedding experience.
How did you experience your Photographers service and where did the importance of photography fall in your day?
We enjoyed it very much. We had never been photographed before!, But Landi Groenewald from Organictales made us feel so at ease with ourselves and our surroundings. She brought the best out of us both in every way.
It is such an important aspect to have a good photographer! For me it is to capture and see the moments which people shared when we were not around. I never felt that someone was in anyone’s way, which I also feel is important. It really felt as if they were part of our wedding guests. I cannot wait to look back at the photos and reminisce on this special day we shared and also the unique memories we made.
How was the experience of having a Videographer present on your day?
We really enjoyed it! It was such a great surprise from Organictales and a great addition to the wedding! Rory was very professional and did a great job. Again, Rory made us feel so comfortable and worked very well together with Landi as a team. It felt like it suited our personalities perfectly.
Who made sure there was good music and sound on the day?
– Any special bands? How did your guests enjoy them?
We had Dj Jean as our Dj. He did a great job in playing music that we liked and setting the perfect mood when we were not there. He knew we were busy and chose some great music for us. What I loved was that he played the correct music at the correct time.
Some of our friends are in a band The Pelicans, they played music at our pre drinks when we were away for photo’s. The guests enjoyed it so much. From what we heard was that they all gathered around them like it was a mini concert.
They then, later in the evening surprised us with two very special songs, Karen Zoid & Francois Van Coke, Toe vind ek jou & Chris Isacks Wicked games . Jacques and myself were so surprised, they made our day 10 times more special by adding that touch to the evening.
Who were the caterers who made sure your guests were happy and fed? What was on the menu for the evening?
De Oudekraal Wedding Venue has a best kept secret and her name is Nonnie. She made the most delicious food with so much flavour and love.
Our Menu:
Canapés:
Rooster Koeke with assorted cheeses and condiments
Starters:
Thai fish cakes ( Absolutely delicious, our guests loved it)
Mains:
Moroccan Lamb Tagine
Moroccan Lamb Tagine
Stuffed rolled chicken with Bacon and Mushrooms
Grain Salad
Pumpkin Tart
Ceasar Salad
Roasted Pototoes
Desserts:
Assorted Tarts
Peppermint crisp
Lemon Meringue
Cheese Cake
Carrot Cake
(Nothing was left, that’s how good it was)
If there is anything about the day you wish you could change what would it be?
I feel everything fell into place the way it should have been. I did not want to change a single thing.
We really enjoyed our day to the fullest. When someone said take it in, we stopped and took it all in. We danced, spent time with each other, our guests and family.
I think we would’ve wanted the day to have carried on a bit longer, but if we changed that, things might have been different and we wouldn’t want to change a thing.
Any advise to other couples still in the planning process? What was the most difficult and what really helped?
Take everything one step at a time. When trying to do too much you lose track of what you wanted to do in the first place.
Make a list and tick it off. Use a timeline as a checklist as well, I found I missed a few stuff . You do not have to follow it to the last week but use it as a guideline.
Enjoy the planning. There is no need to stress yourself out. It is supposed to be the best time of your lives.
The most difficult thing was time. Finding time between working and planning. I work weekends so I had to try and see people during the weeks, which was actually perfect as they always had other events on over the weekends.
What helped me was my little tick list and time management.
Service Providers:
(Please do not copy, lift or screenshot images from this site. A downloadable link will be made available soon)
Venue: De Oudekraal Wedding Venue
Make-up & Hair: Leoume Vos
Dress: Bride & Co.
Music: The Pelicans
Decor & Flowers: FAB Events
Baie geluk Jacques en Melissa. Julle is een stunning couple. Ons was so gelukkig dat julle ons venue gekies het. En wow, Landi, dit is die mooiste fotos! Jy het ons venue en die couple so mooi vasgevang.
perfeck couple,venue,fotos alles so mooi n pratig,bet vir julle lekker lewe n gesende lewe