Sarah and Jay's wedding

Date: 27 November 2009
Venue: Broadacres, Buitengeluk

How did you meet?

Although we went to the same school, we met in 2007 when we were asked to play music together at a wedding – Jay on the guitar, and me on the violin. After a few practices and the wedding, we became good friends and saw each other just about every day. Gradually our friendship turned into something more...

How did he propose?

Jay, who does wedding photography himself, told me that he had a wedding coming up. A few weeks later he said I was invited to join him as his partner at the reception. He organised a lift for me to Toadbury Hall (a wedding venue) as he ‘would be there earlier to photograph the ceremony’. When I arrived (alone so that he could take me home later, and dressed up for the ‘wedding’), I was shown to where he was, only to find that there was no reception. There was just Jay, dressed in a suit, holding a rose, standing beside a table decorated with candles. We were on a deck, covered with rose petals, over the water. He got down on his knee and proposed. I got down on my knees too and just hugged him.

How did you decide on your venue?

We wanted an outside venue where we could have a night time picnic. Many venues were willing to set up tables outside at night, or to have a day-time picnic. Buitengeluk caught our attention with its stunning gardens and sense of intimacy. The venue is fairly small, and as such, the whole venue was booked for us, allowing us to move inside should it rain. The events coordinators of Buitengeluk were very accommodating, and allowed us to be very creative and different. They went out of their usual style to allow us to have our wedding just the way we wanted it, and they went out of their way to make it work.

What was the style or theme?

We wanted a fairly garden atmosphere, surrounded by lights. All the décor was a deep wine red, including the stained glass decorations. The wedding dress was flowing and had pale hints of peach and pink, lending itself to the fantasy atmosphere. The reception glowed with gold and red lights under the open night sky. We wanted a relaxed and informal feel to the wedding – simplistic beauty.

The flowers

The wedding reception was outside in a rose garden, and therefore needed few, if any flower decorations. We decided to decorate with lights instead, and create a sort of fairy garden effect. The ceremony, which took place beneath a tree in the garden, was also simply decorated. Flowers and greenery were spiraled around the branches of the tree. There were two large flower arrangements on either side of the ceremony area, and there were small arrangements of lilies and roses on the chairs beside the red carpet aisle.

Favourite moments/highlights

Groom: Seeing Sarah for the first time as she walked down the aisle. Otherwise it is too difficult to choose – everything was just perfect.

Bride: As I walked down the aisle, the beautiful scene in front of me was breathtaking. I loved the flowers on the tree, the green garden with splashes of red, the happy looks on the faces of my friends and family, and my beautiful bridesmaids – all leading to my Jay.  Another highlight was returning after the photographs just as the sun had gone down. The sky was a brilliant deep blue, and the lights around the reception area were beginning to glow gold and red. The colours were fantastic.  (The clear blue sky was a blessing indeed, as we had grey clouds, thunder, and even a few drops of rain just as the ceremony was starting. The rain held off, and amazingly, just as it came time for the photos, the sun came out, and the sky cleared, until hardly a cloud remained. With amazingly perfect timing, the rain poured down only a few minutes after the last formal event – the cutting of the cake – after which we continued the party inside.

My advice to bride-to-be

Weddings do not have to be stressful. Create a vision in your mind of what you want your wedding to look like, and then put the puzzle together one piece at a time. And be creative! Style doesn’t need extravagant money or stress or even time, just simplicity and creativity.

Bride’s little black book

Caterers: Buitengeluk; 011 540 1556; Buitengeluk001@telkomsa.net
Fashion / dress maker: Bride designed the wedding dresses and were were made by Joss Bridal 073 264 1611 joss@jossbridal.co.za
Photographer / videographer:  Andrea Carlyle (Photographer) 083 212 3430; andrea@andreacarlylephotography.co.za
Musicians / band / DJ: Ute Liebenberg (Bride’s violin teacher for 11 years) played violin before ceremony and on exit from ceremony. 083 673 7927.   Bronwyn Williams (Bride’s sister) performed a song she wrote specifically for the occasion – singing and piano. Rossi (Spanish acoustic guitarist and singer) played during the reception. 083 356 2363 rossi@rossimusic.co.za
Cake makers: Heather Brown; 083 379 8587.
Décor people: Bride and groom, together with Bride’s mom (Marina Herold) planned, found and organized all décor.
Flowers: Jill Mason of Electric Butterfly 011 467 0018; jillflowers@vodamail.co.za.
Lighting: Brandon Williams and Freddie 082 411 8010
Stationery: Groom designed, photographed and put together all thank-you cards, the menu, the order of service, and the invitation
Hair and make up: Bronwyn Herold (Bride’s sister) did the make-up. Hair was done by Sharon 011 327 1771.
Nails: Janine Dearlove of Skin Zone 084 250 0556