The Extravagant Wedding of Girda & Pierre Vivacious Weddings

The Extravagant Wedding of Girda & Pierre. With no color scheme, no specific style and no strict pattern, Girda and Piere’s only specification in terms of the decor was that everything should be different. With this theme came heaps of uniqueness and extravagance! Girda made use of exotic floral, inspired by modern Ikebana arrangements. This unique theme can further be seen in the guests’ dress-code, Girda’s extravagant style and also in her bouquet. They made use of beautiful ostrich feathers, which is sentimental to Girda as she grew up on an ostrich farm. Luckily for Girda and Pierre, exotic flowers were in season at that time of the year, so they were able to lighten up NEO Venue in Wellington with their unique floral arrangements and extravagant decor.

Scroll down to see more about Girda and Pierre’s extravagant wedding in Wellington, Western-Cape.

Engagement Story:

We have been in a long-distance relationship ever since we met. Pierre moved to London for an amazing opportunity. After my studies, I wanted to move to London to be closer to Pierre. Sadly, my Visa got denied so I decided to au pair in Belgium. During that year, Pierre and I had amazing trips together while we visited different cities and countries. Our favorite city was Ghent, in Belgium. On the weekend of the 6th of October 2018, Pierre and I did a trip to Ghent again. During the crisp morning, as the church bells started ringing, Pierre said a prayer for us. As I opened my eyes, Pierre was on one knee with the most beautiful ring in his hand. The answer was a big exciting YES!

Wedding Dress:

I had a totally different style in mind than the one I have chosen. My mother and I went to The Wedding Boutique in Cape Town to try on some dresses. This one beautiful dress, named The Mandala, designed by Vagabond Bridal, stole our hearts before it was even zipped up properly. It is absolutely gorgeous!

Honeymoon in the planning:

We did not have a honeymoon yet, but it is in the making. I first had to move to London and start my life here before taking that glorious trip. I honestly did not want to go on Honeymoon with my whole life in two suitcases. All I want to pack for my honeymoon is a really small hand luggage bag with my swimsuits and flip-flops.

Tips to other couples:

Enjoy every moment. If something doesn’t go according to plan, that is fin! Start planning early on. It makes the stress a lot less and the end. Although it is a bit impossible, try not to stress. Be yourself. Do what you want. Do not care what other people think. This is your day, your wedding!

The wedding venue:

I chose NEO Venue, because it has a beautiful clean, white and calm look. The people working at Neo and the suppliers, Slippery Spoon Kitchen and Baie Goeters, are amazing people to work with. Everything was arranged super quickly and the whole day turned out to be more than amazing!

Color and Decor:

There was no color theme for my wedding. It turned out beautifully, just as I knew it would.

I just wanted everything to be different. I wanted the flowers to be different. The guests had to dress differently, in a formal way but with a lot of extravagance. We made use of the exotic flowers that was luckily in season during that time of the year. Every flower arrangement was different and was inspired by a modern Ikebana look.

Different colors were used and there was no strict pattern or style that I specifically wanted. We incorporated a lot of beautiful ostrich feathers in some of the arrangements as well as in my bridal bouquet. I grew up on a farm where we partly farmed with ostriches and I really wanted to make that special time of my life part of the wedding.

No Wedding Cake:

We did not have a wedding cake, but a delicious dessert display. The next morning after the wedding, when we went to collect some of the things at the venue. I could not help myself and sneaked into the Freezer and took every single type of dessert: Melktert, Peppermint crisp tart and Malva pudding with chocolate sauce. Definitely the best decision I made as a newly married woman!

Musical Choices:

The song that played while my dad was walking me down the aisle was ‘Tomorrow” – Duck Fate. It is a totally different song and has a lot of drama to it! My dad and I danced on the song “You are my sunshine” – Jasmine Thompson. It was such an emotional moment and the tears were rolling down everyone’s cheeks. Pierre and I danced on, ‘ A kiss to build a dream on” – Louis Armstrong. It was the song his mom and dad danced on on their wedding night.

Favorite Wedding Memory:

My favorite memory of the wedding was dancing with my friends and spending time with my family, because that was the last time I saw all of them before I emigrated to London with my gorgeous, funny, brand new husband.