I'll tell you why today's wedding really has my heart, you guys. I mean, we all love some classic South African country vintage decor - proteas, and succulents and lace. Add in bold navy stripes and a sense of bringing the outdoor in with woodsy details like moss and raw wood, and you have a gorgeous wedding design. But what I really love (and this won't come as news to any of you who have been reading SBB for more than five minutes) is that the conception of this pretty, pretty colour scheme and set of details was based entirely on the couple's personalities and tastes. Which in my book, is pretty much everything a wedding ever needs to be. That attention to detail reaches right on down to the choice of wine, and includes a SUPER romantic gesture by the groom during his speech - a song written just for his bride. Swoon. So there you go. Navy, sage and blush and love all over. Captured to perfection by GingerAle Photography!

The Proposal
Ask any woman at any time what she would want her wedding gown to look like and she will tell you in more detail than you bargained for. My wish was simple: I wanted lace, and a lot of it. When my sister got married she wore an Enzoani gown, she looked absolutely breathtaking and I knew that when I got married I wanted to do so in an Enzoani gown too. I took some pictures with me on my first visit to Bridal Wardrobe and Edette was helpful and really efficient. She actually told me that some of the dresses I wanted to fit were not the best options because of my small figure. She made me fit some of the dresses that she thought would look good and she was absolutely right! I ended up choosing one of the dresses she suggested. She made one of the most difficult choices much easier than I anticipated and for that I am truly thankful. Renardo took me to a private game reserve for my birthday. That morning, I woke up early to the sound of someone walking into the bed in the pitch darkness. Turned out it was Renardo trying to get my 'birthday' gift from his suitcase without waking me up. I was frustrated that he'd broken his promise of not buying me a birthday present that year, but he'd painted me a beautiful card himself with the most beautiful poem inside. Knowing that his poems usually give me a hint of what's in the gift bag, I noticed he had used words like 'forever' and 'encircled with rose gold'. I broke out in a cold sweat because it seemed that after seven years the time had finally come for him to propose to me... and opened my gift to find a beautiful rose gold Fossil watch inside. I was disappointed but didn't want to show it, and forced an excited smile. He said I should get dressed as the game ranger would be there in a few minutes to wake us for an early morning game drive, but as he stood up he made a funny circle movement and when I looked up, he was on one knee. I have never stared at my hand during a game drive - but that day, I did!

You can see more from this wedding on the GingerAle Photography blog.

SERVICE PROVIDERS
Venue & catering: The Nutcracker Country Retreat | Photography: GingerAle Photography | Videography: Bravo & Thatcher | Cake: Levia Weddings | Flowers & décor: Dine Devine | Stationery: Rozanne Samouris | Bride's dress: Fiji by Enzoani from Bridal Wardrobe | Bride's accessories: Marion Rehwinkel | Hair & makeup: Helen Basson | Bridesmaids' dresses: Forever New | Groom's attire: Hilton Weiner | Hiring: The Linen Box | DJ: MSM Productions