Cronje & Carika - Bon Cap - 22 March 2014

The dress:

                Carika: "I went for the fairytale feeling. I really felt like a princess in my non traditional (As in not white) dress. It is a champagne colour covered in lace. It had a vintage feel to it. When I went for my first fitting I was in love. But  there was something missing… a belt detail… I have a thing for a ribbon around the middle - with the ribbon, it was perfect."

Bouquets:

                Carika: "Our wedding feel or theme was a relaxed vintage in the woods… If that makes sense. I didn’t want a bouquet that looks as if it was manufactured in a factory. I am more a, flowers picked for the garden type of girl. The same with my bridesmaids’ bouquet."

Their story (How you met):

                Cronje: "A mutual friend of ours gave me Carika's name and number after, so I'm told, telling Carika that she wants to introduce the two of us. I phoned her and we went for drinks the following evening. After that, we didn't have contact for a good few weeks. When we started started chatting again, however, we became the best of friends. It was by the time that she was the first person I talked to in the morning, and the last one in the evening, that I knew I was in love. I was promptly given the classic “I really need a good friend right now” speech, but I persevered and slowly but surely made my escape from the friendzone and into her heart."

                Carika: "Like Cronje said, a mutual friend introduced us. We went for drinks. It went well and we didn’t have to force any conversation. There was a gap where we did not talk. After some time we became best friends. I did however place him in the “friendzone”.. :) Lucky for me he was not the type to give up so easily. :) Time passed and one fine day I realized he was the first person I talk to in the morning and the last one I talk to before falling asleep. I told him how I felt and he felt the same and the rest is history."

How did he propose?

                Carika: "Best of all… I had no idea. On the 18th of January we went to Table Mountain to go do the Sunset ride. But the wind was way too strong. So we decided to come back the next day for an early visit to the mountain. I couldn’t understand why he was so disappointed. Little did I know why he wanted to go to the mountain so badly. The next day came and we packed a picnic with coffee, sandwiches, bubbly and a blanket.  It was a crisp beautiful day. We made our way up the mountain (via Cable car :) )We had a magnificent view all the way up. We really have a beautiful country. We then decided to find a comfortable spot to have our picnic. We opened up the blanket and had our sandwiches and coffee. :) It was so quiet and beautiful. After having eaten we just stared out at the beautiful mountain and view. Cronje then asked me if this was a perfect moment for me? I answered “yes, I am with my favourite person, on top of Table Mountain, with the most beautiful view on a beautiful day in nature” At that moment I turned my back on him, because my cell phone made a noise. When I turned back he was on his knee and he asked me to be his wife. I said yes, he then put the most beautiful ring on my finger. I kissed him and started crying."

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?:

                Carika: "Something old: My wedding shoes ( I had bought them a previous year and they went perfectly with my dress). Something new: My mom gave me a bracelet she had bought and my dress :) Something borrowed: The flowers in my hair, borrowed from the garden.  Something blue: My there was a blue ribbon under the netting of my dress. (The designer had a thought ) "

Wedding decor:

Carika: "Everything we could have wanted or dreamed of Bon Cap supplied. We had bottles of different sizes, candles wood platters. The flowers had also been done by Bon Cap, the have an inhouse florist. It looked as if the flowers had been picked from a garden and placed on the table. Not one table looked the same. We didn’t want the copy and paste feel. "

Special touches:(DIY projects)

                Cronje: "Our wedding had a recurring theme of a tree. We, therefore, decided to make little tree seedlings as guest favours. We specifically wanted to use Spekboom seedlings, which turned out more difficult than anticipated. Luckily, days before the ceremony, we were able to have 65 Spekboom seedlings couriered from Patensie in the Eastern Cape. This also made for a fun activity with bride- and groom-to-be, mother of the bride and sister of the bride planting them in their pots 3 days before the wedding."

How did the wedding reflect your personality as a couple?:

                Carika: "It was a very relaxed and it was not pretentious at all. I think it really reflected our personalities. It was down to earth, just like us. We love nature and our decor reflected it. The natural tones and textures."

Your favourite moment of the wedding:

                Cronje: "Right after the wedding ceremony concluded, as the guests were clearing out, the song “Kiss me” by Ed Sheeran started playing. Even though we specified which song to be played weeks beforehand, I totally forgot and the song, combined by the flurry of emotions overwhelmed me completely. It was like I was in a Nicholas Sparks movie. I glanced over at my beautiful bride, who was already in tears and I quickly followed suit. Those intimate moments between us are forever engraved into my memory and I can't listen to that song without getting goosebumps and a lump in my throat."

                Carika: "Ummmmm the whole wedding? :) When my father was leading me down the aisle, all I could see was Cronje. I didn’t notice anyone else. It was just Cronje and me.  During the ceremony we glanced at each other and held hands. It was so surreal, I am marrying my best friend. When it was time for us to kiss, that was magic. When “kiss me” started playing, wow so many emotions. That song still moves us to tears. "

 Did anything unexpected happen on your wedding day?

                Cronje: "Moments before the ceremony was scheduled to start, I casually turned to my best man and jokingly asked if he had remembered the rings. His face turned ashen as he rushed back to his chalet (on the premises, luckily) to retrieve them. He made it back in time, though, and it   made for a good story to tell."

Any hints for other brides on how to keep your wedding budget friendly?

                Carika: "Don’t make cards, do the website and save trees."

 Service providers:

-Wedding dress: Lauche Fourie

-Photographer: Tertius Gous Photography

-Make-up: Narike van Rooyen 

-DJ: Mark Canaris - Play4U

-Rings: Alan Ward

Cronje: I collaborated with a private jeweller, working from home, to get what he had in his mind’s eye onto paper. He is truly an unsung hero in the whole process - his work is impeccable .

-Stationery: We made a website as an invitation.

-Venue: Bon Cap Winery, Guestfarm and Wedding Venue, Robertson

-Bridesmaid dresses: Tailor made by the mother of the bride.

-Car: 1957 Chevrolet Red & White from Helpmekaar motors, Robertson