Southern Weddings

One last peek at the South African goodness (and general matrimonial awesomeness) that was Estelle + Pieter’s wedding.  We would be remiss to close this feature without mentioning a few more of the beyond-fabulous vendors: Flowers in the Foyer did the florals, Teresa Joubert designed the bride’s and bridesmaids’ dresses, the accessories were from Boezaart Bauermeister, the food was catered by Dish Food and Social, and the stunning, stunning details were the mastermind of Aleit.  And, of course, one final shout-out to photographer Christine Meintijes for making Emily – and the rest of the SW team, but especially Emily – so happy with this wedding.  And by happy, I definitely mean a little bit embarrassingly ecstatic. 

Describe your wedding cake: We’re not traditional people so didn’t have a wedding cake.   Instead, we decided to do something good for nature and planted an endemic tree. The tree symbolized our new beginning together; just as a tree grow, so will our love and relationship grow and bear good fruit.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? When Pieter and I entered the reception area, Jack Johnson’s “Better Together” was playing.  Everyone stood up, applauded, whistled and went wild. Pieter made me twirl around on the dance floor and I wanted to shout “IT’S TRUE!! IT’S ALWAYS BETTER WHEN WE’RE TOGETHER!”
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?  We are both currently focusing on finishing up our respective studies.  I’m busy with my Master’s degree in Human Nutrition, focusing on pediatric HIV nutrition, and Pieter is completing his actuarial science exams.  Other than studying, we’re hoping to see as much of Africa as possible and to travel to the rest of the world as often as we can!

There’s something magical about tented receptions, but the loose, billowy structures that shielded Estelle + Pieter’s guests from the hot South African sun have an especially dark and mysterious quality about them that just screams desert chic.  Not exactly like the crisp canopies covering sprawling Southern plantations, but what I would give to see these bazaar-inspired tents at an Alabama socialite’s shindig!  And I can’t tell if it’s the near lunch hour (or just Christine Meintjes’ stellar photography) that’s making the spread prepared by Dish Food and Social look like heaven on a plate, but I’d like one of everything, please!  Also, we HAVE to note that Aleit is the genius behind so many of these fabulous details, more of which we’ll have in just a few!

Three words that describe the day are: Love, laughter and excitement.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The venue. We got married on my family farm outside a small farmer’s town, called Swellendam.  The setting is what really made the wedding what it was.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I didn’t find a wedding dress… I believe the Lord sent me a dressmaker for my wedding dress to find me! I had ideas in my head on what I wanted: I wanted something gold, vintage, lace and layered with silk and frills, but not over the top. The dress was more than I could have hoped for!
Describe your wedding flowers:  Our farm is next to the mountains and we have an indigenous vegetation there called “Fynbos.”  The whole look and feel of the wedding decor was centered around the flowers, plants and natural beauty of the surroundings. We used Fynbos from our own farm for the centerpieces and the florists brought the rest. The arrangements ranged from wild mushrooms, thorn branches, proteas to yellow orchids and malva leaves in all sorts of antique vases.  My bouquet was not a bouquet; rather, I had our family dog Mila leading me to my dad and all the way to the aisle, before I gave her to my brother. She was there throughout the entire wedding, checking on us every now and then to make sure I was okay.