With 100 of their closest friends and family, Leah & Ashley exchanged vows at the Rhodes Chapel, Grahamstown on 5 January 2013. Their reception followed at The Highlander.

ATTIRE

Leah’s dress was hand made by her mom who managed to create exactly what she had envisaged. The result was a stunning white taffeta, sweetheart neckline dress pulled – up over a black netting petti-coat, with black lace and handmade flowers for detail. The Bride wore a delicate pearl necklace and earrings that were a gift from her parents which accentuated her dress.

The Bridesmaids looked stunning in simple but elegant black strapless gowns with diamante detail around the waist and jewellery made by the Bride and Maid of Honour.

Rika from the Cutting Lounge in Grahamstown did an amazing job with both Leah and all her bridesmaids’ hair and Judy-Leigh Elliott, a private make up artist completed their look with gorgeous make-up.

The Groom wore a custom suit purchased in Johannesburg, with a black shirt and white cravat, while the best men wore simple black suits hired from Best Man Suit Hire in East London with black shirts and red cravats to match the red bouquets carried by the Bridesmaids.

DETAILS

The Bride and Groom had envisioned an elegant and formal black and white theme with a hint of red. To give the venue the elegant look wanted by the Bride the tables were dressed with black table cloths, silver overlays and eccentric centre pieces comprising of a black flower stand with a ball of red roses. Leah decided on a subtle musical theme to include her husband’s passion in their wedding day, which was achieved on the tables by having a mirrored music stand holding a CD containing the menu. To allow guests to capture their own spur-of-the-moment pictures white and silver cameras were placed on each table. A black & crystal champagne flute was given to each guest by the Bride and Groom and used on the tables as name cards. To give a soft and romantic feel, the wall behind the main table was draped and fairy light and up-lighting were used to provide soft lighting.

The bride and groom had their guests set off 50 Chinese Sky Lanterns, which was a perfect way to distract guests from the power failure and allow Lester from EC DJ’s to connect his system to a vehicle on the field adjacent to the reception venue

The First dance was an unforgettable moment for not only the Bride and Groom but for the guests as well. The Bridal party quickly arranged for all the guests to form a circle around the patio of the venue with candles in hand, where the Bride and Groom danced to a song specially recorded for Leah, by Ashley which song he also sung after his speech as a surprise to his Bride.

THE CAKE

A three tiered chocolate swirl cake was baked and decorated by Lynn McAllister in East London and delicately transported and set up by the Brides parents. The cake was iced in chocolate ganache and finished with solid chocolate sides, which were decorated with the words of the song that Ashley wrote and proposed to Leah with on Christmas day 2011. The topper was white roses and a sugar replica of Leah, Ashley and their dogs Stanley & Chino sat on the glass ledge of the bottom layer, specially organised by the Bride’s mother as a surprise for the Bride and Groom.

DIY BRIDE

Leah was adamant that she wanted the personal touches of their wedding to be hand made in order to ensure that each guest felt special. The wedding invites were printed by Goshawk PE and hand crafted by the Bride, Groom and a few family and friends. The table numbering was a simple black frame with a large wooden number painted white and glued to the front. The champagne flutes indicated seating at the table with a beaded name tag and music note on each, were meticulously made by Leah. The Bride and Groom wanted a unique table plan and opted for Black shooter glasses with their guests’ names and table numbers pinned onto them with mini red pegs. A guitar served as their guest book and messages were written in white permanent marker giving them a novel keepsake.

The Bride’s mom not only created the Bride’s dream dress but also made many of the decor items, such as the draping and bows for the church and table overlays.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Andrew Elliott and his wife, Judy-Leigh Elliott as assistant, took the incredible photos for the couple and managed to capture some beautiful intimate moments..

Thanks for sharing your wedding with us!

WEDDING SUPPLIERS

• Baker: Lynn McAllister
• Catering: The Highlander
• Decor: Cheryl Moss, The Highlander, Bride & her Parents
• Dress: Deborah Waters
• Florist: Marumbi Roses
• Hair: Rika
• Make-up: Judy-Leigh Elliott
• Photographer: Andrew Elliott
• Reception Music: DJ Lester – EC DJ’s
• Reception Venue: The Highlander
• Videographer: No Show
• Wedding Planner: Leah & Deborah Waters

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

With over 170 of their closest friends, Josh and Tina tied the knot at the Greek Orthodox Church in Port Elizabeth on 29 December 2011. Their reception followed at the then newly built Ukuphupha Venue in Kragga Kamma Road.

ATTIRE

Tina's beautiful fitted grecian style wedding gown, which flaired out at the bottom, with a soft organza single shoulder piece was made by Michelle Dodds. It was finished off with similar brooches on both the front and the back of the dress and also showcased a beautiful long train.

Jeans Hair Dressing Team did an amazing job with both Tina and all her bridesmaids hair and Juanelle from Rare Beauti finished off her look with gorgeous make-up.

The guys hired their suits from Peri's and opted for a simple classic black suit with white shirts and purple ties.

DETAILS

From the beginning Josh and Tina wanted the country feel of hessian paired with purple and lime green and finished off with touches of white. Ukuphupha has beautiful exposed beams, and Tina chose to have her florist, Cathy, hang wreaths made from natural twine with clusters of peach, green and purple flowers from them. Hessian was bought and specially made into round tablecloths which was used for overlays on all the guest tables. Roses, Lisianthus, Succulents and Col Col were all incorporated into the centerpieces and the beautiful favours which was all handmade was placed on the tables for the guests.

Instead of draping the entire hall, sections of drapes were hung from the ceiling and tied with twine, this created a beautiful curtain drop effect. Lots of candelight and fairylights in the roof were used to give artificial lighting, which all added to the romantic feel of the wedding.

Hay Bales partially covered with green and purple fabric were brought in for additional outside seating and complemented the beautiful stoep at the venue which was adorned with wreath hearts and country lanterns.

Duncan Crisp entertained the guest with some great music choices and added some traditional greek music which was loved by all.

THE CAKE

A four tiered carrot cake was baked and decorated by Androula Polemitis. She covered the cake in cream cheese icing and finished it off with purple flowers. The topper, the couples initials made from wire was made by the florist Cathy

DIY BRIDE

Josh and Tina bough droewors in bulk, and wrapped two pieces with brown paper and finished it off with purple twine as a gift for the men. They had personalised labels printed for this as well as the jam jars that they filled with jams and covered with different coloured fabrics for the ladies. The other thing the couple did was they asked the florist Cathy to take an old ladder and cover it with moss. They then tied the seating plan to this. Wooden clipboards, on which they stuck the printed numbers and menu's with wooden pegs were used for the table numbers and to indicate the meals.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Rick Moller took some incredible photo's for the couple and managed to capture some beautiful intimate moments. Craig from my World Creations captured it all on film.

Thanks for sharing your wedding with us!

WEDDING SUPPLIERS

• Catering: Fat Cats
• Cake: Androula Polemitis
• Decor: Cathy De Villiers
• Dress: Michelle Dodds
• Florist: Cathy De Villiers
• Hair: Jeans Hair Studio
• Make-up: Juanelle from Rare Beauti
• Photographer: Rick Moller
• Reception Music: DJ Duncan Crisp
• Reception Venue: Ukuphupha
• Videographer: Craig from my World Creations
• Wedding Planner: Megan Moller from Confetti Events

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

This beautiful 1940's inspired wedding theme would be the perfect accompiment to a morning or tea time wedding. With subtle hues and pastel colours nothing is overpowered yet compliments each other.

With so many simple ideas that can be used, you can definitely save on the budget too and try and do some of the things yourself. I love how an ordinary wooden peg, a coca cola glass bottle as well as a wooden dart board can be used and adds to the wonderful simplistic overall feel.

Serve snacks that are easy to manage with a small sideplate, or even picked up by hand. Snacks that are already packaged will also work well. Stick to soft colours if you want the "tea time" feel and use flowers that are feminine and soft.

By using watering cans, old tin cans and even glass bottles you'll have many choices to use when it comes to finding containers to put your flowers in. Find old wooden frames and even and old weathered ladder could all be used in your decor. I love how this couple also incorporated a type-writer to add to the vintage feel.