Charl and Jeane's 120 guest wedding on 23 July 2011 at the beautiful St Francis Links featured lovely beach elements combined with stunning protea flowers in various shades of pink. DNS Strings provided the ceremony as well as cocktail music.

ATTIRE

Jeane was absolutely in love with her dress! It was a strapless diamond white taffeta dress with a lot of swarowski crystal detail on the bodice. The Chicago dress from the Blue by Enzoani range was her favourite out of the range and she decided to have it ordered from America. The bodice had to be taken in 6cm and seeing that I was unable to fit my dress until 5 days before the weddiing when we arrived in South Africa, it was a very risky decision, said Jeane. It was a huge sigh of relief for her when she managed to get all the buttons closed the first time she tried it on.

Samuel Beck Hair Dressing did an amazing job with Jeane's hair and Marike De Groot finished off her look with beautiful make-up. Her stunning shoes were bought in Las Vegas from the shop Aldo.

Charl decided to buy an Alexandre London suit in Bermuda.

DETAILS

Wilma and Reneé from Patensie did all the decorations as well as all of the flower decorations. They did the most amazing job and managed to get hold of all the flowers the bride needed for her bouquet. It was so beautiful and full of colour, she did not want to put it down. They went above and beyond the expectations we had for the flowers and the venue, said Jeane.

The couple decided on a classic beach themed wedding with plenty sea shells and star fish as part of the decorations. The colours were dusty pink along with all the colours of the natural Eastern Cape field flowers. They had King Proteas in all the flower arrangements. The table centrepieces were large glass vases with sand and shells in them with large white branches sticking out of the vases. The branches had small candle lanterns hanging from them which provided the romantic light in the hall. The Blushing Bride is her favourite flower and it featured in all the arrangements. There were lite pink roses everywhere and she wanted the flowers to be a prominent feature at the wedding to create a friendly loving environment. Nikki Bolton from Cards by Design made all their stationery.

There were two special things that Jeane and Charl wanted to share with us. The first thing was their couples introduction song which was Kokomo by the Beach Boys - Bermuda, Bahamas, come on pretty mamas.... The second things was during Jeane's university years in Potchefstroom, one of her friends bought a blue hair pin. That pin has travelled from wedding to wedding through the years and has featured in every bride’s hair. It's a very special gesture that the previous bride hands to the new bride as a sign of support and it also represents your ’something old’ your ‘something borrowed’ and ‘something blue’

THE CAKE

The couple had a beautiful chocolate ganache cake that was decorated with pink roses. It was served as dessert to the guests.

DIY BRIDE

The couple had an engagement photo shoot on the beach and surroundings in Bermuda. The grooms mother managed to get 10 large antique photo frames for them. Charl made a large easel for on which they displayed the photos at the reception area. Jeane put the ribbons through the pansy shells and attached the ‘thank you’ notes. She also put the engagement shoot photos in the frames and mounted them on the easel.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Cherie Theron never ceases to amaze us. She once again took some incredible photographs of the couple, as well as some beautiful decor pics.

ADVICE

Jeane keeps it short and sweet with her words of wisdom: "You plan for months to make that ONE DAY perfect, but if something out of your control goes wrong, just go with it!! Do not let something trivial spoil the whole day, because you do not get a do-over. :) In the end, the main reason everyone travelled so far to be there with you, is because they love you and want to share the day with you."

Thanks for sharing your wedding with us!

WEDDING SUPPLIERS

• Catering: St Francis Links
• Ceremony Music: DNS Strings
• Decor: Wilma & Renee from Patensie
• Dress: Enzoani
• Florist: Wilma & Renee from Patensie
• Hair: Samuel Beck Hairdressing
• Make-up: Marike De Groot
• Photographer: Cherie Theron
• Reception Music: DJ Mike Marshall
• Reception Venue: St Francis Links
• Stationery: Nikki Bolton from Cards by Design
• Wedding Planner: Liezl from the Links

Would you like us to feature your wedding? E-mail megan@perfectday.co.za for more information.

Nothing is more romantic that walking down the petal-scattered sand aisle with unlimited views of the ocean and white sand. With beach weddings gaining popularity, we thought it appropriate to share some wonderful pictures with ideas to make your sea-side ceremony an unforgettable one.

It's pretty easy to incorporate your beach theme without going over the top. Adding small details such as starfish is almost all you need.

If you are having a small group of guests and would like to make it super intimate, then have your guests sit on scattered cushions on the sand instead of chairs. Don't forget that when you do have a beach ceremony to think about the time of day you are wanting to have the ceremony. No guest would be pleased to sit in the sun on a hot summers day. Instead, move your ceremony time to late afternoon or have large white parasols to provide some shade to the guests.

Nifty ideas to incorporate with this theme

• I haven't seen a novel idea like the first picture in this collage in a long time! How adorable is it. Provide normal paint brushes with a cute tag to the guests after the ceremony to wipe their feet from the sand.
• While you and your new hubby get pictures taken, provide some refreshments to the guests. Don't only have alcholic drinks. Do cater for those guests that will be thirsty and would prevent something non-alcoholic.
• Jazzing up a place setting is simple by wrapping a plate with a broad ribbon and finishing it off with a starfish.
• Another lovely idea is to have a sign indicating the ceremony site to the guests. You can also have a sign made like in our first collage saying "shoes optional".
   

With summer just around the corner, many brides are considering having a beach wedding. This mood board will give you some great inspiration. I love the use of neutral colours with a hint of blue and silver accent. This type of reception would be perfect if you have a small guest list and the weather holds. Alternatives such as stretch tents can be brought in should the weather turn bad and seating can be provided in the form of large cushions and wooden benches.

Don’t forget to mention to your guests that the wedding will take place on the beach, so they know to dress appropriately and bring something warm to wear in the evening.

Read our article on Planning a Beach Wedding for information on how to plan a successful beach wedding.
Did you get married on the beach? Then send us your pics!