Delsma Farm Wedding
~A Chapter about family and friends.
How a cow brought two people together.
Riaan grew up in Mpumalanga and I grew up in Cape Town. In 2011 I went on a Christmas family holiday to a farm in Mpumalanga where my uncle worked. During the same time Riaan stayed with his uncle on the neighbouring farm. During the second week of our holiday, a cow went into labor on the farm and with all the commotion, Riaan came from across the river to find out what was going on. This is where we ‘formally’ met for the first time.
This was followed by a new year’s dance, ‘first date’ at the movies, myself surprising him on Valentines and Riaan coming to Cape Town for the first time to ask me out. Riaan is a real gentleman from the farm; and this was always the image that I had for a dream husband. This tall guy with a soft heart.
Riaan says that Mardené’s smile stole his heart and he simply could not resist her long blond hare.
The Proposal.
It was a busy week leading up to the proposal that Saturday. I was overseeing all the preparations for a voyage the following week. A voyage that would take me to the southern oceans and at sea for 3 weeks. In addition I was also working at an event that Saturday. During the week Riaan asked that we go out the Saturday afternoon before I was set to depart. This was nothing new and more a tradition.
Riaan picked me up from the event and we went home. After the crazy week, I asked him if we could not rather stay home as I was exhausted. He explained that everything was already booked and paid for so off we went. We left home driving into the opposite direction that he told me we were going to and ended up at Majik forest. I was a little bit suspicious, as we climbed out of the car and took nothing with on the supposed “picnic” he had planned. He led me to one of the trails where there were black boards hanging out of the tree and roses on the ground. He asked that I read the boards and pick up the roses. By the time I turned around he was on his knee. I can’t remember a word he said as everything was spinning! I realized, when he stopped talking, what was going on and that I probably need to respond! With a huge smile I said “Yes!”
Why did you choose Delsma Farm Venue?
With most of our family travelling from far we wanted to find a venue with enough accommodation. Also, we are family & friends type of people and wanted to have a weekend wedding. Braai for the Friday evening, Wedding the Saturday and Sunday morning breakfast. We were sold when we saw the outside venue for the ceremony at Delsma FarmVenue which is on the river. Delsma Farm Venue also has a modern reception venue and enough beautiful accommodation for our guests.
Riaan and I both love the farm life, so going with a rustic vibe was a default. We also wanted to keep to a formal, modern wedding. Most of the ideas came from Facebook and Pinterest.
The Dress – Something Old.
The dress is a story. The tradition ‘something new, something old, something borrowed, something blue’ was used.
Something new: My shoes and bracelet
Something old: The diamonds from my mother’s wedding band was used in my earrings.
Something borrowed: The dress. My mother’s cousin offered her wedding dress, which happened to be the type and style of dress that I love. I tried it on and it fit perfectly. I knew this was it. Her dress also had a netting underneath which spilled some of the main colours of her wedding. The idea of doing the same and changing it to burgundy was ideal and fit in so nicely with what I wanted.
Something blue: The garter
Is there any special story behind your rings? Where did you find them?
With the help of my Maid of Honour and best friend, Riaan got some pictures of what I like when it came to the engagement ring. He then went to a designer and together they designed a ring.
Riaan’s ring was also designed. In my mother’s wedding band there were 3 diamonds, the 1 were used for Riaan’s ring and the other 2 for my earrings.
Who officiated the ceremony? How did you find him and what made you choose him?
Gerhard de Jager, is an old friend of ours. We have known Gerhard for the whole duration of our 6 year relationship. He was the Youth Pastor at our church and even though he moved away from Cape Town we knew we wanted to ask him. Gerhard and his wife, Elricka de Jager, are mentors in our life and play a huge role in our Christian life.
What was the most memorable moment of the day?
Walking down the aisle. For both of us. Nothing beats the point where we saw each other for the first time.
How did you experience your Photographer’s service and where did the importance of photography fall in your day?
Everybody’s advice to us was: Get a Photographer who knows what they do, it will be the only thing that you have after the wedding, your partner and the photos. We were in love when we saw Landi Groenewald from Organictales’ photos! We wanted photos of our wedding day that will remind us of how special our day was and Landi just knows how! After the venue, Landi was the second booking that we made for our special day. It was important to us to get the best!
Who was your videographer and how was the experience of having them present on the day?
After months of backwards and forwards in deciding whether or not to have a videographer for the special day, Riaan and I decided 2 weeks before the wedding that, Yes we should just do it.
We wanted the opportunity to relive our wedding afterwards. We were lucky to have Blue Owl Media videographers. Having videographers at our wedding gave us the opportunity to catch all aspects of our wedding. It was an honor to have them there to catch the special moments.
Did you have a wedding/event planner and how did this service benefit you before and on the day?
Not officially. Family friends, Estelle Pretorius and Minette Nel jumped straight in and assisted with the planning of the wedding. Estelle ran with wedding in and outs and Minette worked with the accommodation on the venue. They saved us from so much work and stress that no words can express how grateful we were for them.
What was on the menu for the evening?
Our wedding venue, Delsma Farm Venue did the catering. We only heard positive remarks about the food and knew our guests would be treated to the best. Our menu consisted of:
Canapes:
Biltong sticks, slap chips, beef samosas and chicken kebabs.
Main meal:
Roast Chicken Pieces done with a Creamy Sage Sauce, Springbok Pie covered with Puff Pastry, Long Grain Rice, Roast Baby Potatoes, Pumpkin fritters (It was a MUST at our wedding) served with Cinnamon Sugar, Rocket & Roast Vegetable Salad topped with Feta.
Dessert:
Koeksisters, Melktertjies & Chocolate Eclairs and of course the wedding cake!
We had a cash bar. We made sure of wine and champagne on the tables for a starter and formalities. The reason for this is that the guests could control their own use of the bar.
Who made sure there was good music and sound on the day? How did you and your guests enjoy them?
Our DJ is a family friend, DJ Feerless. He knows Riaan and myself well and the type of music we love. We also had a family friend, Mariette play the violin for us during the ceremony. This gave a special unique touch to the wedding that we were looking for.
If there was anything about the day you wish you could change what would it be?
Nothing really, maybe the time. To rather start at 15:00 and not 16:00 to have a little more time with guests before photo hour.
The wedding was perfect. Will do it again any day.
Any advice to other couples still in the planning process? What was the most difficult and what really helped?
It is not easy to arrange a wedding on your own. Get help. Either wedding planner or family/friends that know what they do and are more than willing to assist. Take all the advice you can get! Have an open mind about everything and I mean everything. Prepare yourself for a day that will fly! Enjoy every moment and take it in. It only happens once.
Tell us about the Honeymoon!!
Going overseas was a definite! After some time we decided to go the Phuket, Thailand. It was worth all the hours spent on an airplane to get there. We are both adventurers and wanted to experience everything. We did 2 boat trips which included snorkeling, visiting the famous James Bond Island, having lunch on the boat and also at a village that is built on stilts. We bought too much but it was fun! It was a well deserved break, but we were glad to get back home to our dogs and cat.
Describe your wedding day in ONE sentence.
As perfect as it could be!
Service Providers on the day:
Venue: Delsma Farm Venue
Photography: ORGANICTALES
Videography: Blue Owl Media
Decor: Function Hiring 4 You
Design: Happy Trees
Flowers: Bunches for Africa
Flowers: Joel Farm
Cake: Tihmily Cakes
Photobooth: All About Photography
Lawn Games: Mr & Mrs M