The Picturesque Matjiesfontein Wedding of Thys & Johan at the Lord Milner Hotel

We are so super excited to share the picturesque Matjiesfontein wedding of Thys & Johan at the Lord Milner Hotel with our readers. When we saw this wedding, we immediately fell in love with the vibe of this couple’s wedding day. A bonus point is that this was a lovely outdoor wedding in the Karoo. We love Matjiesfontein and visited the town when we were travelling onboard the Rovos Rail and did a quick stop over in town. Click here to read more about our experience onboard this luxurious train.

The grooms, Johan and Thys looked very stylish in their all-black suits designed by fashion designer, Ruan Goosen. We love that their bridal party wore white outfits and the grooms wore all black. It just worked so well together and added that touch of elegance to their wedding style.

Wedding Photographer, Shavaune Photography did such great work in capturing every detail of this couples wedding day in the most vivid and beautiful imagery. Every moment can be relived when browsing through the images.

Their floral designs are just breathtaking. Bespoke floral designer, Okasie from Stellenbosch in the Cape Winelands did these gorgeous floral designs for Thys and Johan’s wedding. They are bold, colourful, classical and just absolutely stunning. The colours popped on the more earthy colour palette of the building and landscapes in the backdrop. Absolute perfect contrast.

Oh and last but not least, that gorgeous black wedding cake with the gold touches is pure perfection and works perfectly with their wedding feel. Scroll down to be inspired by the picturesque Matjiesfontein Wedding of Thys & Johan at the Lord Milner Hotel.

Engagement Story:

With myself (Johan) working in the hospitality industry, we do not have the privilege to spend Christmas with family. This has resulted in an annual Christmas dinner among friends that can’t be with their family either.

With the ring placed in a cracker (not the best decision thinking back on it), I asked Thys to pop it with me. Out popped the ring, bouncing on the table and landing on a friend’s lap. She quickly realised what’s happing and held out her closed hand towards Thys. When the ring landed in his hand the tears started flowing along with the joyish cheering of friends.

The Venue:

From the beginning, we wanted a weekend wedding where everyone could stay over. Matjiesfontein was an easy decision, as we always made a pit stop at The Laird’s Arms (pub) on our way to Sutherland, which we visit often.

Matjiesfontein has that old-world charm that makes the world stop for a while and allows you to savour every moment. A more perfect destination did not exist for us.

Our amount of guests allowed us the exclusivity of the Lord Milner Hotel, transporting us all to another time.

Advice to couples planning their wedding:

Plan so that you do not have to do anything the day prior and the day of the wedding, this is time you should be spending with family & friends.

Relax and do not stress over the small things let it be and enjoy the day.

Do a rehearsal with everyone involved walking down the aisle.

Stop and take it all in, do this throughout as it really goes by so fast. Make a weekend of it, it made a world of a difference. One of our most special memories is having breakfast with everyone the morning of the wedding.

Wedding Outfits:

I have always liked a bit of drama and true to myself fell in love with a suit I saw on Instagram and Thys wanted something timeless.

We decided to put our bridesmaids in white and groomsmen in black and white, with this in mind we decided to go all-black for our outfits.

Honeymoon:

A trip to Kruger National Park was the decision in the end and one we both are very happy we made. We had an amazing time, just the two of us, away from everyone and enjoying each other’s company. From river rafting, night drives, relaxing next to our private pool, and defending our room from a warthog every moment was enjoyed to the fullest.

The inspiration behind the wedding decor:

A sit-down dinner and formal ceremony was not what we wanted, we did not want people to move around a lot either. We decided on making use of the courtyard in front of the hotel and use lounge pockets as seating.

We wanted a beautiful setup with a relaxed feeling and to do away with unnecessary formalities. The end result provided by Okasie exceeded our wildest expectations.

Wedding Colours and Inspiration behind them:

We wanted a timeless feeling and decided on black and white for the bridal party and stationery. We choose a royal pallet that would tie in with autumn for the flowers and furniture.

Musical choices:

With a very cosmopolitan friendship group, we wanted music enjoyed by everyone to keep the dancefloor full.

We had a mix of old classics, latest hits and singalongs, even WAP ( That had Thys twerking) was in the mix.

A touch of something cool:

We made the decision to use my version of events as the story of how we met is on occasion disputed by Thys, but I very clearly remember Thys walking over the dance floor towards me and uttering the words “I have been watching you the entire evening”.

We danced for a bit until he realised I was Afrikaans and with this information, he abruptly left me on the dancefloor. Next minute (may I add for the first time in Beaulah’s history) an Afrikaans “sokkie treffer” blasts through the speakers, Thys convinced the DJ to play the song ‘Jessica‘ by Ray Dylan. He rushed back over towards me and asked me to dance.

As the night slowly comes to an end I invited him over to my place, and after some admin, we arrived at my place. I got ready for bed and upon my return to the bedroom, I find Thys fast asleep in my bed. The next morning I woke up to the realisation that I have no clue what the boy in my bed’s name is . . . After we exchanged numbers I kicked him out as I needed to get to work.

Two days later we met for coffee, which obviously turned into wine and he basically never left.