I’m somewhat embarrassed by how long this amazing DIY vintage beach wedding complete with DIY bouquets and centerpieces, a handmade wedding dress (all done by the bride’s mother!), and 500 folded origami birds, has been sitting in my inbox. Simply shameful. I know you’ll agree once you see the gorgeousness I’ve been holding back from you- please forgive me! It really is just so beautiful how this entire beach wedding came together all at the hands of the bride and her loving family and friends. This laid back “hippie” wedding was shot by none other than the fabulously talented Travis & Maike from WeLovePictures and I’m so happy they agreed to let me share it here with you….
A little more from our pretty little Oceanside Bride, Ingrid: Pieter was my uhm… “rebound”! =) Hehe!.. I moved into a commune with 4 of my best friends in our final year of studying art at the University of Pretoria. Pieter was the 6th housemate, the man of the house, the actuarial science guy between all the arty girls, the very tall, very handsome, very blonde dude! When he walked into that house 4 years ago, I thought: “NICE!” I can still remember my best friend’s confused concern, “why are you so smiley and giggly?!” (I had just gone through a nasty break-up, and my sudden mood-change was very suspicious. Crying for two weeks, and then deliriously happy all of a sudden: very very weird). Pieter and I sneaked around, stealing kisses in the midnight hours, holding hands when nobody was looking. It was so much fun! We didn’t want to tell any of our housemates about us, so that if it didn’t work out, no damage and no awkwardness. The plan was to give it at least 3 months. Needless to say, our secret didn’t even last 3 weeks!
The relationship was very unexpected, but the more time we spent together the more we fell in love. Everyday he surprises me. He makes me laugh uncontrollably. And his curiosity will amuse me for ever. On our 3 year anniversary Pieter asked me to marry him. A beautiful memory of candle-light, yellow roses… and Pieter just blurting out: “marry me?”
We just wanted a beach wedding, complete with hippie ‘plakkies’ and Bob Marley music. We did a bit of internet research, and went to the Cape for a friend’s wedding right after we got engaged. There we fell in love with the white beaches of the Western Cape, and our mind was set.
The flowers and centerpieces were also very random. My mother and I just collected bunches of different flowers and fynbos and Proteas all over Cape Town and Stellenbosch. My bridesmaids and I made our bouquets the night before, just choosing a different combination for each from our “flower collection” and tying it with a ribbon. The rest was randomly placed in glass bottles, either hanging from the ceiling or on the tables. I wanted it to look very relaxed and interesting.
I did my own hair and make-up, and my mother made my dress! It was so special!
I am an artist, painting for a living, I was determined to do practically EVERYTHING myself. Wanting the whole thing to be very personal and unique and unforgettable. We made the invitations ourselves, it took months, making a pop-up lily in the centre, cutting up a huge artwork I made and painting a little swallow and fish on the cover of each of the 79 invites.
Most of the décor was also a huge DIY project. Folding more than 500 origami birds (using ACETATE and scrapbooking paper!) was certainly a big team effort, and the family all helped that day to hang the hundreds of strings of origami and bottles. It was amazing! I collected different fabrics for each of the tables, and my grandmother did a neat seam for each of them.
Even the music was DIY! We didn’t hire a DJ, instead we spent days selecting music and compiling playlists for every occasion of the wedding.
What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your wedding?
Trying to do it all myself! =)
Please tell us about your favorite wedding moment!
When I think back , the one moment that pops up first is walking down the aisle. The feeling when Florence and the Machine’s ‘Cosmic Love’ started to play, the butterflies in my stomach, the rush of emotions… The light ocean breeze blowing through the many layers of french silk and net of my wedding dress. I remember the soft sand between my toes when my father and I stepped onto the white beach. And walking between the rows of Proteas towards Pieter, I felt so overwhelmed, so happy, so excited, a feeling of indescribable joy came over me.
Pieter and I didn’t see each other for 2 weeks prior to the wedding, so seeing him for the first time, looking into those huge smiling blue eyes, that moment was perfection. That moment was love.
What is your best advice for other couples planning a wedding right now?
ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY! It is such a special time. Enjoy the preparations, enjoy the daydreaming and finding ideas. You will feel stressed at some point, it is inevitable. But don’t let it ruin the fun. Making lists and delegating to wonderful bridesmaids and mothers help to ease the pressure and get things done in time. Keep the wedding’s style personal to you and your fiancé (don’t forget: it is his wedding as well!) You can do whatever you want!
You are allowed a Diva Moment! Mine came when I decided I wanted more than 500 origami birds! And I wanted to do practically EVERYTHING myself, the flowers, the décor, the music. I became so consumed, I was obsessed. But once the madness passed (I gave the origami folding to my bridesmaids and family to finish) I could move on and actually enjoy the rest. You are a queen and deserve a few slaves!
It is normal to get annoyed with your groom. The pressure of planning a wedding is undeniable. You feel like you’re doing more than your fiancé (and which is the case most of the time!). But don’t talk about the wedding 24/7, dedicate time in the week to do and talk wedding things. We had “Wedding-Wednesdays”! I tended to push for “Wedding-Saturdays” and “Wedding-Sundays” and “wedding-Mondays” as well, but that didn’t work every time!
Last, but not the least, take time to take it all in. You are allowed to take a few minutes just to be with your husband. Ignore the guests for a little while, and just be with the love of your life. It is YOUR day, so have YOUR moment!
This is one of my all time favorites! I love how casual elegance is perfectly paired with the vintage feel and the details- oh my! The “cloud-like” white umbrellas, the hanging flowers, her flower head piece! Okay I love everything!
There are a TON more amazing details from Ingrid and Pieter’s wedding over at WeLovePictures so it’d be a serious shame if you didn’t go check them out!
Bride and Groom: Ingrid & Pieter Uys
Wedding Date: July, 1, 2010
Location (City, State, Country): Western Cape, Republic of South Africa (RSA)
Approximate Guest Size: 90
Ceremony and Reception Venue/Catering: Strandkombuis, Yzerfontein
The incredible South African wedding photographer, Annemari Ruthven, totally made my day when she agreed to let me share this gorgeous wedding with you! You’re in for some fun wedding decor delights…coral roses, succulents, and cactus centerpieces, big plush pillows used as guest seating, hanging paper lanterns, tea cups and medicine bottles used as vases, and a yummy mix of butterfly petit fours, cupcakes, and cookies! This wedding sent the most amazing casual-elegance vibe my way.
The adorable couple, Debbie and Keith, were married at Rockhaven Farm, a luxury guesthouse found perfectly nestled among orchards, groves of olive trees and lavender in Elgin Valley, located only an hours drive from Cape Town. Breathtaking views of nature, a private dam and surrounding mountains?
Umm…sounds like a prefect wedding venue to me! What do you think?
To see plenty more of this wedding and all the amazing details, go here to see more from Annemari!
Creative Team Behind the Scenes:
Venue: Rockhaven Farm (Elgin Valley) / Photographer: Annemari Ruthven / Wedding Planners: Event Interiors (Cape Town) / Music: Silent Revolution (Cape Town)
I recently came across We Love Pictures, a fabulous Cape Town based, South African photography team and fell in love with their work! So you can imagine how ecstatic I was when the We Love Pictures team responded to an email I sent them asking if I could feature a few of their weddings on The Oceanside Bride. I about screamed when I got their reply “yes!” So ladies that is my subtle warning to you that there will be other Real Wedding features from WLP. =) But you won’t be disappointed because they have captured some of the most beautiful and unique seaside weddings!
So now up is a beautiful yellow themed wedding from Neil and Holly!
From the lovely bride: I am originally from England but I went to high school in South Africa at Pietermaritzburg Girls High, Neil went to Maritzburg College right across the road! We never actually met then and it wasn’t until 7 years later in 2007 when we met in New York while we were both working on a yacht. After an amazing couple of weeks exploring and enjoying the incredible city, we sailed out of the Hudson and realized we had started something special.
Our friends and family being able to make it to our wedding was our most important factor. As we have been living abroad for nearly 5 years we wanted to make it as easy as possible for the people we hadn’t seen in the longest time, we chose South Africa. Our next challenge was choosing from the numerous attractions that the country has to offer! We both have a love of the ocean as well as the winelands. Hermanus seemed a good fit for both and with Cape Town just down the road, the decision was made.
We were unbelievably lucky as so many people traveled from just about every continent around the world, as well as all corners of South Africa to share our special weekend with us. Those that were visiting South Africa for the first time took advantage of the safaris, vineyards, coastline and everything else that the country has to offer. And all of them are STILL raving about their wonderful holiday!
We were lucky enough to have a family friend who lives locally and owns a fabulous cream-colored Rolls Royce, with a registration plate – White Cloud. We loved the car and incorporated it into a lot of our pictures.
Everyone told us how quickly the day goes, so we tried to draw it out as long as we could. We went for an afternoon ceremony, chose a dinner venue with a late curfew, sensational views for sundowner cocktails and an excellent DJ to party the night away.
We chose yellow as a theme color as it is Neil’s favorite and plays a big part in his history. Lemons and yellow objects were used as accents in place of floral decorations.
Finally we decided to have our wedding on a Friday. We felt that this worked perfectly as so many people flew in for the weekend and this way we could maximize our time with them and draw out the celebrations! We had a spit bbq the following day with a few kegs of beer on a big open garden over looking the ocean. This enabled us to spend a lot more time with everyone and speak to the ones we didn’t get the chance to on the wedding day. Most people flew out on Sunday with sore heads and full cameras!
What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your wedding?
We were fortunate enough to have an unbelievable wedding planner with extra ordinary skills! Any challenges that she may have encountered, we certainly didn’t get to hear about!
Things that she couldn’t help us with were deciding who sits where. This was a little tricky as we had a very diverse group. But I have a feeling this may be a slight pain in the lead up to any wedding. Looking back on it now, every one was so happy to be there, regardless of where they sat. So the less you worry about this the better ;)
Please tell us about your favorite wedding moment!
Robert Steiner pronouncing us husband and wife. Walking out of the church through the crowd of all our friends and family. The car ride up to our reception. Walking into the venue. Listening to all of the incredible speeches. Looking around the room and seeing so many loved ones all together – overwhelming! Sitting here with Neil now, we are finding it impossible to think of a solitary moment that stands out above the rest. The whole day from start to finish was more special than we could have ever imagined!
What is your best advice for other couples planning a wedding right now?
Wedding planner! It’s the one decision I would never change and the one piece of advice I will pass on to any friend. Kim was unbelievable throughout the whole process. We worked with her for 10 months while we were in America and she was based in Cape town. Coming from over seas we only had 2 weeks in SA with our wedding in the middle. It was such a short time and we really wanted to enjoy that time with family and friends – not plan a wedding! Kim took care of everything and the out come was a day that surpassed any dream we might have had! If you’re not the one that’s worked and stressed over all the little details, then its so much easier to truly enjoy it all on the day!
Try your best to take the day in one moment at a time. Its flies by very quickly!
Doesn’t this wedding look like so much fun? I love all the splashes of yellow and the fun use of lemons! You know I’m a big fan of fruit being used in centerpieces and place settings. Another big thanks to We Love Pictures for sharing their amazing work with us and to Holly and Neil for sharing all the fun wedding details! Congratulations you two!
Couple: Neil and Holly
Wedding Date: November 26, 2010
Wedding Location: Hermanus, Western Cape, South Africa
Approximate Guest Size: 120
Ceremony Location: St Peters Anglican Church, Hermanus, South Africa
Reception Location: La Vierge Winery, Western Cape, South Africa
Vendors: Wedding Planner: Kim Werner, Wedding Concepts / Cake: Roxy Floquet / Hair & Make-up: Nicky Lonte / Flowers: Okasie (wedding concepts) / Wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses: Victorias Bridal Coture / Photography: We Love Pictures / Videography: Vision on Fire
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