Maretha & Allan had a lovely intimate farm style wedding in Pretoria, South-Africa. This intimate wedding with only 36 guests had a lovely farm feel to it. With chickens and ducks running around and surrounded by nature. This s the perfect location to tie the knot. What’s more amazing than being surrounded by nature, the sounds of birds chirping and the calmness of the animals.
Allan & Martha are both relaxed people and wanted their wedding to reflect that. They wanted to bring in their local suppliers and most of the products were proudly South-African. Like the concrete posts that are handcrafted in South Africa. We love concrete and really feel it fit in well with today’s wedding theme.
Their wedding was photographed by the talented wedding photographer, Alexis Muntz. As their wedding cake, they had delicious Croquembouche! Send us some now. We love this delicious French dessert. We love sharing special memories like today’s wedding with Vivacious Weddings‘s readers.
Engagement Story:
We got engaged on Christmas day 2018 in Hoedspruit. Being middle of the summer in Hoedspruit, it was boiling hot that day and I was busy preparing Christmas lunch with the family. Allan came to me to ask if I would like to go for a walk, which was not unusual as we like to go when we are on holiday, but as it was almost 40 degrees outside and I was knee-deep in Christmas lunch preparations, I obviously said no. He did look a bit nervous but thought nothing of it.
After lunch and having recovered from a food-induced coma (long afternoon nap) he asked me again. Seeing that I probably gained 5 kilograms during that lunch, walking seemed like a wonderful idea. Being the loudmouth that I was, I invited the whole family to come with us. How was I supposed to know he wanted it to be just the two of us. He went with it. As we walked, I just heard him from the behind me, say the words. “This is good as time as any”. When I turned around he was on his knees and had a ring in his hand. The rest was a blur: tears and somewhere in between I think I said yes. I was casual and intimate, just what I wanted.
Wedding Colours:
Green. The inspiration was “In the garden”. We are obsessed with plants and greenery. We got married in the garden, the décor was concrete pots with a variety of plants in them, the confetti was packets of green leaves, etc.
Wedding Decor:
To support local suppliers, I wanted to go local (and also be as sustainable as possible. The concrete posts are handcrafted in South Africa. A skills development program focused on creating sustainable job opportunities for previously unemployed individuals and contain up to 60% recycled materials. The pots, with a variety of plants and succulents, were also the wedding gifts to our guests, making sure that we did not waste. The décor was simplistic, with variances of green, charcoal, white and grey. We are very informal people and wanted the wedding to reflect that.
Wedding Dress:
Again, I wanted to support local (local is lekker!) and chose the Wedding Collective. They offer exclusive South African wedding dresses made by South African designers. I wanted something that was playful and suited my body type. Initially, I wanted a fitted dress, but as soon as I put on this dress, I knew that this style would suit me the best. Marie from the Wedding Collective has an eye for these things. She can give you one look and tell you what will suit you. I bought the first dress I put on! Even my shoes were local (leather petite pups made by Blu Betty)
Favorite Wedding Memory:
It was a small wedding (36 guests in total) which made it intimate and we got to spend quality time with everyone there. The highlight was definitely the food made by Mynderd from Essen Eatery. She is a food genius (you must try the pulled short rib Bao buns and the Lindt chocolate brownies!) We did not want the guests to go home hungry and trust me, they did not. People are still talking about those Bao buns!
Advice to couples planning their wedding:
Stay calm and stop worrying. Everything works out exactly how it should. And if it doesn’t, who cares! You should focus on it is a day that you and your husband/wife can share together, and time spent with close friends and family. If you need to show off and make it the most expensive occasion, stop and think who you are really doing it for and who are you trying to impress.
The Wedding Venue:
It suited our own design style; the venue is beautiful, and the gardens are absolutely amazing. It doesn’t feel like you are in Pretoria. We fell in love at first sight!
Wedding Cake:
We had a croquembouche. Mostly because it looks cool and very tasty! Profiteroles are our favorite sweet!
Wedding Service Providers:
Photographer: Alexis Muntz
Venue: Mooikrans Venue and Garden
Catering: Essen Eatery
Wedding dress: Wedding Collective
Shoes: Blu Betty
Décor: Swagger Collective
