Every love story is special, we know this. Every chance meeting, every barrier crossed. But sometimes I get a bride’s wedding story and I get swept up in the enthusiasm she has for her wedding and her marriage, and the love she and her new husband share. Because this is why we’re here, people. The details, the dresses, all the prettiness? They’re awesome, but they’re accessories to the main event. They’re really just ways of a couple expressing their personalities and for all the people who love them to share in their joy. And today’s wedding is full of that joy and exuberance – I know you are going to LOVE it! Plus, these are some of the most gorgeous pictures it’s been my pleasure to work with. Ian Mitchinson always has such a unique and dramatic take on wedding photography, and it works perfectly with this beautiful bride and groom and their city cross beach chic wedding. It’s everything a Cape Town city wedding should be.

From the awesome bride, Liezl:
My story begins with a book (‘He’s Just Not That Into You’), a pub in Blouberg and a good looking man and all the things your mom told you not to do on a first date! I was his “exception to the rule”. Shy and unwilling, I went for a few drinks with my brother. A few cocktails later, the shyness disappeared…. At the bar counter awaits the inevitable bachelor celebrating yet another Blue Bulls victory in the Super 14 (my husband’s only flaw…). Me happily single and not really looking for “The One” and Dan focusing on the Blue Bulls winning and the beer in front of him, certainly not ready for what happened next…. For the next three months nothing but us mattered! The stars could have disappeared and we wouldn’t even have noticed. Another three months later, a very romantic weekend and my parents making sure Dan knew what he was letting himself in for marring this wild at heart girl.

Dan and my mom planned the proposal to a tee. A Christmas treat at a spa, a note on the windshield to follow the roses led to Dan proposing to the girl who never saw it coming! Tears of joy and there was only one thing left to do… planning a ‘feastival’ of love with those closest to us!

Our dream was for the unconventional… We had looked at quite a few venues when Dan suggested as we drove past the Lagoon Beach Hotel to pop in and look at it. This was the first time Dan’s face lit up and it suited the concept of the wedding perfectly. As a chef who has worked for By Word of Mouth I have seen so many unbelievable weddings and I knew right from the start what I wanted. This was no easy task convincing my mother who had her own idea of the big day! I wanted a to celebrate the occasion in a very relaxed, informal atmosphere (my Dad’s fantasy of dressing up like Jack Sparrow became a reality!)

I think out of the box because I live out of the box and it takes a special man to marry into our crazy creative family. I loved planning it all (fowers, food, music …) to the finest detail and with the help of family and friends making my dream a reality. Finding a similarly creative dress designer, photographer, florist, DJ and even a chef all added to the magic of the day.

Aeroplanes filled to the brim with our friends and family all dressed up in white, varying from formal wear to flip flops and shorts, welcomed us with spontaneous applause as I entered the church. White balloons filled the air, sangria and the sounds of classical guitar kept the atmosphere alive with  the “Cape Doctor” at rest for the day. A short trip to Lagoon Beach and we were welcomed by the sweet sounds of a saxophonist, white lounge areas and no seating arrangements to keep family comfortable for the feast of love to begin… Chef refined food was passed around in small bowls: lamb shank with caramelized mash, duck springrolls with crispy ginger salad, slow roasted pork belly with pear chutney and fresh honeycomb… all served with the Mother City lights glittering as the backdrop.

Some of my favourite moments…
I was so relaxed on the day knowing that the two of us were going to last and finally it was our turn to walk down the aisle and say the most important two words of the day: “I DO!”, and then kissing him for the first time as his wife… Taking photos with Ian who is just so awesome at what he does, making us all feel like supermodels. And the photobooth we had instead of having formal family portraits taken… Our private moment we took for ourselves just to take a breath and reflect on our amazing day looking in from the outside to our guests partying the night away.

My advice to future brides… Don’t let anyone tell you what you should or can’t do on your day. This is your day and if anything does go wrong don’t let it spoil the rest of it. Soak up every moment as you are creating a memory for life. Work with suppliers who understand you and who compliment you, making your dream a reality.

Thank you so much, Liezl and Dan! I’m sure you’ll agree Liezl did an amazing job co-ordinating her big day (including stationery and decor!) and the good news is she’s available for catering and co-ordination now too (Tel: 082 780 9287). Thanks also to the fab Ian Mitchinson – you can see more of these gorgeous pictures on his blog.

Service providers:

Venue & catering: Lagoon Beach Hotel
Photography: Ian Mitchinson
Flowers: Carin Botha
Cake: Wade’s Cakes
Bride’s dress: Cindy Bam
Hair & makeup: Lori Mauerberger
Hiring: Theme Creations
DJ: Riaan Geldenhuys