Joachim, famously known as one of the 10 men who entered a reality show “Boer soek ‘n vrou” on Kyknet, actually knew his wife, Riza, even before he got involved in the programme.
They tied the knot at the Winkler Hotel in White River on 12 March 2011 while 126 of their closest family and friends watched on.
When asked about her most memorable moment, Riza had the following to say: “I guess this is a very stereotype question and everyone will say the ceremony. And yes so is my answer, when I walked down the aisle with my Farther Hans Swart, it was like I was in a little bubble, I tried looking at everyone and see their faces but I just couldn’t take my eyes off of my hubby-to-be. He had this look in his eyes which I’ll remember and live to tell our kids one day. When my dad handed me over to him, he grabbed me and held me so tight and said “I’ll never let you go, you look amazing”. At that very moment it felt like my heart was beating in my toes, I was flabbergasted by the moment and the emotions running through me like a lightning bolt! That very feeling I had there, standing there with him, him rubbing my hand. That was it… KNOWING, is the right word. Knowing that there cant be anything better than this.”
ATTIRE
Riza designed her own wedding dress while Mitzi Heunis was responsible for making the sketch come to life. She decided on a fitted mermaid style gown made of duchess satin and adorned with beaded detailing on the bodice. Spanish lace was incorporated on the skirt. The shoulders of the dress also had lace with beaded detail. “I wanted to feel comfortable and for the dress to stay up the whole time. I absolutely love my wedding dress and it does really personify who I am too, I have even hung it out to look at it everyday!” says Riza.
Riza bought her shoes from Middestad Fabrics, and her “something borrowed” was a pair of earrings from her best friend.
Her hair was done by Remano from Michael Angelo Hair studio and Mignonne did her make-up.
DETAILS
Joachim’s dog, Ice, was part of the couple’s ceremony. Very dear to him, she has been his “best friend” for almost 10 years.
With Joachim being a banana, macadamia and avo farmer, it was only fitting that they incorporated the relaxed farm feel. They both love earthy colours, such as truffle brown, green and ivory, and settled on this as a colour scheme. Riza added a touch of vintage to make it a little more feminine. To fit their natural theme, their choice for wedding flowers was the Protea, paired with white, and vintage pink roses.
The actual ceremony was held underneath a big tree, which was draped with white material. A large cross was hung inside the tree’s trunk. Metal hearts were wedged into the ground with ivy and white roses to add some detail. Brown tiffany chairs with white seat pads were used for the ceremony and every second chair had a little umbrella to provide the guests with shade.
At the entrance to the reception big wooden hearts adorned with roses were hung. The venue was so beautiful the couple really didn’t have to do too much. The centre pieces featured square wooden boxes with brown lanterns combined with proteas, roses and brown calla lillies. They had a large dance floor with fairy-lights to create a romantic mood.
All their décor was hired from a company called DH online and Mercia Smith did a beautiful job on the exquisite flowers.
The guests were entertained by a DJ from Audio Visual Sound Hire.
DIY BRIDE
Riza made her own confetti cones (with help from friends). “I took my sister in law’s music sheets and made confetti cones from them. It looked stunning, gave a bit of vintage feel to it because the book was old and the paper started going brown,” says Riza. She also printed her own seating cards. Joachim made the metal hearts for them and a friend from MI-HI furniture was responsible for the wooden boxes.
THE CAKE
The couple decided to move away from the traditional wedding cake. Instead, they had a dessert table where they served cheesecake, black forest cake and crème brulee’s as well as little jelly sweets and nuts. It was such a hit that the guests devoured it all.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Ingrid Marais was flown to White River for this special occasion and took the most gorgeous photos of the couple’s special day.
HONEYMOON
After their wedding the couple enjoyed a relaxing weekend in Mauritius.
ADVICE
Riza’s advice to future brides: “I guess it’ll be to HAVE FUN!!! It’s such a memorable day, and goes past in a flash. Dance, laugh, live and dream! That day is yours, so make the best of it. “
Thanks for sharing your wedding with us!
WEDDING SUPPLIERS
- Catering: The Winkler Hotel
- Ceremony and Cocktail Music: Audio Visual Sound Hire
- Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Winkler Hotel
- Decor: DH Online
- Dress Designer: Mitzi Heunis
- Favours: Fortune Cookies
- Florist: Mercia Smith
- Hair: Remano from Michael Angelo Hair studio
- Make-up: Mignonne De Klerk
- Music: Audio Visual Sound Hire
- Photographer: Ingrid Marais
Interested in submitting your wedding to us? E-mail megan@perfectday.co.za for more information.
Posted by
Megan Moller
for Perfect Day - The South African Wedding Directory