This Northcliff Wedding was nothing short of a celebration of people, friends and family. Sunell & DelaRey planned the whole weekend to the T. Family and friends came from all over South Africa and gathered together for a hearty dinner on the Friday evening.
The next morning we all woke up bright and early to start the day.
Service Providers:
Photography: ORGANICTALES
Assistant: Warren Melnick
Make-up: Karlé Potgieter Mud Studio
Venue: Aan-die-berg NG Kerk
Many people are unaware of the beauty which lies within the Free State. This small and intimate Zastron wedding, with only the closest family members, took place on a farm close to Lesotho border. Read their story below.
We met at crossfit. Being a guy, the first thing that attracted me to Nelda was how beautiful she is. My friend and I were sitting in the gym, my back was to the door, and he said I might like what just walked in. It then took me about three weeks to build up the courage to ask her on, what I thought was a first date. To Nelda it was merely: going to support our friends. As time passed, I became more attracted to her driven nature as well as the way that she could be very gentle and caring.
It was a complete failure. I had planned a weekend away to propose. Nelda, being Nelda, quickly figured out what the weekend was for. Then, the ring wasn’t completed in time and I had to manage expectations. The ring was ready the day after we got back. I told her I had to work late and went to pick up the ring. I got home with Nelda in her pajamas on the couch. After all, I am getting married to a human being with normal flaws, so why not propose to the REAL version of Nelda? The version that I love most.
Lizel Voigt, my sister in law made sure I looked beautiful on our special day. She knows my style – I wanted to look like myself with just a touch of make-up and a plain, natural hairstyle. She did an amazing job!
Joss from Joss Couture made my sister in law’s dress which was beautiful and I decided to ask her to make mine as well. Joss Couture is absolutely amazing. She immediately understood the type of dress I wanted; plain but elegant. We made changes from the original design as the dress progressed. For example, initially I didn’t want long sleeves, but during one of the fittings we were playing around with some sleeve ideas and I loved how the lace looked on me. We changed the design to long sleeves – it was an autumn wedding after all…
For us it was meant to be as simple and elegant as possible. We wanted our closest family members and dearest friends to enjoy the day with us
Hanri Goosen from Onder die Akker’was in charge of the food. Hanri is famous in the area for her culinary skills. The highlight of the lunch was definitely the ice-cream with little surprises in it.
Let the experts do their thing. We have asked Claudia van Niekerk to help out with the flowers and decorations. I only gave her a vague description of what the tables should look like; minimalistic but classy. She then showed me a couple of options and I made a few basic decisions – the rest I left up to her. One of the memories I have is seeing the table for the first time and how impressed I was.
The Photography Experience.
To get all the photographs taken, Landi Groenewald had to travel between five farms: one where the bride got dressed, one where the groom got dressed, one where the ceremony was held, one where the lunch took place and finally the farm where I grew up for the couple’s photos. Landi went the extra mile (literally) with a smile. We are so lucky that Landi was available that weekend and would recommend her professional services to anyone.
Riaan – It was the most amazing, love lived day of my entire life.
Nelda – A beautiful autumn afternoon under the shades of a big oak tree in the company of loved ones
Service Providers:
Photographer: Organictales
Dress: Joss Couture
Venue: Onder die Akker. – 079 515 7638
Flowers: Claudia van Niekerk – 082 378 4397
Make-up & Hair: Lizel Voigt
~A Riverside Chapter
We met each other on the 29th of August 2015 while out with friends. Wiehann introduced himself in a very convincing Irish accent which I loved!! He was leaving for the USA a month later and we had to make the most of our time together. It wasn’t difficult to feel comfortable together as we had an instant connection. I loved the fact that I could totally be myself with him. He has a sense of humour and is easy to talk to and he knows what he wants out of life.
We went to Onrus for my birthday and Wiehann told me that we should go for wine tasting, without giving too much details. He took me to Domaine Des Dieux in the Hemel and Aarde Valley which has the most amazing view of the mountains. As we were sipping on our champagne he suggested we take one last photo. As we finished he started telling me how much he loved me and went on one knee… it was so special and the best birthday surprise and present I could have wished for. The lady at the tasting room was in on the whole thing and captured everything on camera. Wiehann arranged everything for months to make sure it was perfect.
We never had a specific style in mind but we wanted a relaxed/simplistic style with a pop of colour. We added some personal touches and DIY items. We found inspiration in a few Wedding magazines, Pinterest, suggestions from family/friends and most of all guidance from our decor and flower provider.
We had a few venues in the area that we wanted to visit and it was actually Wiehann’s sister that suggested Delsma Farm Wedding Venue. The one thing that stood out to me was the fact that Delsma Farm had so much accommodation on site for our guests, which was very important. The space where we would have the ceremony was by the river under big trees and we both just knew this was the one!
My dress was designed and made by Annelie Designs in Saldanha. She has made wedding dresses for many of my family members so I knew her work was impeccable. I gave Annelie a few pictures of different styles and focus points that I liked. I wanted a simple ‘A’ line dress with some lace detail and a low cut back. She took all of those elements and created something out of a fairytale.
Deline Engelbrecht from Anuk in Ceres was in charge of making us all look fabulous and she did an amazing job!! She made us feel comfortable and relaxed during the whole process and her work speaks for itself. All of the Mothers, Bridesmaids and myself looked and felt beautiful on the day.
All I can remember is the nerves, no one can ever try to even explain how nervous it is asking a mother and farther if you can marry their daughter, asking the love of your life to marry you and finally what it is like on your wedding day when you stand in front of all of your friends and family and seeing her come down the aisle. I still get tears in my eyes when I see videos of Lara walking down the aisle, I think that would be something I would not forget for the rest of my life.
Alwyn Carstens from Welgelegen NG Church officiated the wedding. Alwyn also officiated Wiehann’s cousin’s wedding, did the funeral of Wiehann’s grandmother and also baptised Wiehann’s cousin’s first son, so it was a no brainer when we had to approach someone to officiate the wedding. Alwyn was absolutely great, it was a real pleasure sharing this experience with him and he made us feel so calm the day of the wedding.
Lara had previously shown me photos of rings that she really liked which were on her Pinterest profile. At that point we had not even discussed the possibility of getting engaged even though we both knew it was inevitable. Trying to keep it a secret I took a screen shot off of her phone, sms’d it to myself (not Whatsapp as I was afraid that she might notice it), contacted Zuyda van Dyk and crossed my fingers that she would fall in love with the ring.
Landi Groenewald from Organictatles really out did herself as our photographer and made us feel completely comfortable in front of the camera. She is very professional at all times and knows how to have fun while on the job. Landi was proactive in looking for places to capture the perfect moment prior to the photo shoot. The photographs you have of the day are the precious memories you get to cherish forever and that is why photography played a big role on our special day.
This was purely team work. Lara enjoys more modern music while I enjoy more of the old school classics. I remember sitting one evening working through playlists until 1am in the morning trying the find the perfect wedding songs, when the list was complete I let Lara also have a listen to the song selections to see what she thought. Of course my knowledge of modern music is very limited so she was able to add the final touches for the “after 10pm” music. Our DJ, Justin from Pie in the sky handled the rest.
Delsma Farm Wedding venue did the catering for the day and the food was beautifully prepared and very delicious.
Canapes:
Mini boerewors rolls, mini tacos, spring rolls and bruschetta with caramelised onion and camembert.
Starters:
Rooster koeke with preserves
Mains:
Deboned leg of lamb, stuffed pork neck, blanched green beans and mushrooms and roasted vegetable couscous salad.
Desserts:
Lamingtons, melktert spring rolls and chocolate éclairs
Our stunning wedding cake was made by my brother in law, Terrence as a wedding gift. The most delicious carrot cake with naked icing and beautifully decorated with fresh flowers.
I would say take your time to figure out what you want from the day and what it means to you. Once you have an idea everything will flow. Communication is also very important, not only between you and your fiancé but your service providers as well to make sure everyone is on the same page. The best thing we did was firstly set up a budget and then we divided the responsibilities, so that we both had a part in the planning. Believe me two heads are better than one and you have fun while planning your special day together. We also had an amazing team that helped us and knowing your wedding day is in good hands takes away a lot of the stress.
Best day of our lives and the perfect start to our future together.
Please DO NOT download, copy or screenshot images from this webpage. A downloadable link with the full wedding will be made available soon.
Venue: Delsma Farm Wedding Venue
Photography: Organictales
Dress: Annelie Designs
Bridesmaids Dresses: Daisy Island
Rings: Zuyda van Dyk
Hair and Make-up: ANUK
