It’s been a busy two weeks and I feel
like we have a lot to catch up on. Firstly, we're legally married! We’re
getting married in Italy but because we cannot legally get married there as
foreigners (well we could have if we jumped through a few hurdles, got to know
the town’s mayor and basically became catholic), we needed to sign our marriage
certificate in South Africa. So, we decided to do this on Saturday the 28th
April, the day before my 30th birthday. Brett asked me what I wanted for my
birthday, but I truly couldn’t think of anything I wanted more than to marry my
best friend. So, with only our parents and Benji present we said our legal “I
Dos” at his family home then friends and family joined us for cocktails and
canapes after. Below are the vendors we used who help create the most perfect
afternoon.
I
didn’t want this day to feel like our wedding since we are saying our vows,
exchanging rings and have our wedding ceremony in Italy but I also wanted it to
feel special and have this as a time to celebrate with our friends and family
who weren’t able to come to the wedding. I also knew I wanted to wear something
special, but I didn’t want it to be a dress as I didn’t want to feel too much
like a bride. It is tricky when you want to look like a modern-day bride but
not really a bride and have a legal wedding but not make it too wedding-y.
I was
inspired by Olivia Palermo’s wedding dress and although I wanted to be more
traditional for the ceremony itself, this was the perfect excuse to do
something a little different. My
outfit was made by Hamilton Clothing (instagram Hamilton_clothing) and I chose
the fabric from Mintys (who have some gorgeous fabric at the moment). Taylor is
the mastermind and creative genius behind Hamilton Clothing. She is currently
based in Morningside, Durban and is an absolute dream to work with. I came to
her with my initial ideas and she helped build on them and bring my concept to
life. I cannot recommend her enough if you are looking to get something special made at
a reasonable price. I completed the
look with a pair of nude heels from Woolworths which were a bargain at R350!
Thank
goodness for Instagram as I found Amber-Lea Horne's account (instagram
amberleahorne) and immediately loved her style. She is based in Durban North
and did my makeup for the day. I cannot recommend her enough. Because we were on a teeny tiny budget and still had
our wedding ceremony and honeymoon to pay for I wasn't originally going to get
a photographer but at the last minute panicked that I would regret it and
contacted Maresha Lee from Maresha Lee Photography (instagram mareshaleephoto).
And I am so glad I did! She captured these moments beautifully. She is
currently based in Pretoria but travels to Durban frequently.
xoxo