Real Farm Wedding {Marietjie & Andre}

Back to the grindstone this week! But I can’t complain too much since it’s only a couple of months now until I’ve worked out my notice and become my own boss. My new little office is coming along nicely (thanks to a helping hand from my amazing housemates, who painted the base coats while I was away – how nice are they?) and soon Cap Classique will have a brand new command centre. And that’s not the only reason I’m so chirpy this morning – just wait until you have a look at this wedding I have been bursting to share with you! I dare you not to get a big grin on your face as you look at Cari Eksteen’s scrumptious pictures and read Andre and Marietjie’s super cute his ‘n hers commentary! They are so adorable. I love love love their grey and red colour scheme (how amazing are the red pincushion proteas with the brunia?), and the amazing attention to detail they put into the accessories for their pictures – those little pops of red that keep showing up and making me smile. And let’s not forget the shoes! Those little beauties first caught my attention and I still heart them madly. Not to mention the cake… Oh, everything! This is one example of a farm wedding done just right – enjoy! PS Fun fact: Andre’s parents are also called Andre and Marietjie – talk about meant to be!

It’s a joint effort from bride and groom on this one – loving it!
Marietjie: I grew up on a table grape farm and went to high school in Stellenbosch, which led to becoming a Matie. He on the other hand was (luckily) born in Cape Town and also went to high school in Stellenbosch and studied at the university. We both work in the wine industry. We met in high school – he actually asked me to a dance in Grade 9 – but we caught each other’s eye at university. Although we already knew each other, it was kind of love at first sight – the day I realised I really liked him, I just knew he was the man I was going to marry. We are best friends and LOVE each other – we love to laugh together, drink wine together, and enjoy good food and great company together.
Andre: I originally liked Marietjie during high school and asked her to one of our formal dances – I guess she didn’t like my moves on the dancefloor as much as she does now, and it pretty much ended with me sad and her not even knowing how I felt at that stage. In a sense she was my high school sweetheart. We always had a bit of contact, even though I didn’t think it would ever end up going anywhere. It took one afternoon during our varsity careers, with the help of some of the Boland’s best exports, to basically start our journey together and very soon I realised that she was the One.

{Don’t you just love how the farm kids came out to wave the bride off to church?}

Marietjie: Andre had been away to Europe on business for a few weeks and I decided to book us a weekend away on his return (note that I booked the trip!). We were in Greyton (two hours from Cape Town) for two nights – I must say, he was a bit strange (probably nerves). On the last night, very late, after lots of wine, he got down on one knee… and then there was more champagne! We drove out to my parents the next morning (they of course knew already because YES he did ask my dad for my hand in marriage!).
Andre: I’m not sure when I decided to propose as I actually knew pretty early that I wanted to marry her. I only knew that I needed to figure out what type of ring, and it was very important to me to get the perfect one (she reassures me she loves it, like most brides, but I actually trust that she does!). I still wasn’t sure exactly when and where over that specific weekend I would propose – I was always thinking that there would probably be a better time during the course of the weekend, which then started running out! I eventually asked her late on the last evening, and the rest is history!

Marietjie: My colours were tones of grey with a touch of red. I love neutral colours with a bit of a gentle twist. Our main theme for the day was a Farm PARTY! With lots of fairy lights and open fires. We wanted the guests to have a blast and the party to never end. I always wanted to get married on the farm where I grew up so that was decided from the start. We set up a Bedouin tent on the tennis court in the garden. The pre-drinks/starters were also served on another side of the garden where we had fire stations with starters prepared fresh all the time while we did our photo session. Since it was a farm wedding we had a braai (BBQ) for our main course and for pudding we had a dessert table with old favourites (my Grandmom’s right hand Aletta flew down with them and baked for a whole week) as well as a station set up where they made fresh waffles with cream or ice cream.
Andre: The food for both reception and pre-drinks was such a huge success, with the guests not having to stand around and wait for the bride and groom as we were lucky to have a huge garden where people could enjoy themselves eating and drinking before the actual reception. I’ll be honest – the thousands of fairy lights and the fires outside were pretty amazing. Everything felt alive! It was also special to us that our dogs were able to run around during the evening – they were meant to be locked away, but in the end we felt they needed to be part of the festivities!

Marietjie: I arrived back home two weeks before my wedding after being in the US for two months, so planning the wedding became a family affair. The most amazing of all was my now husband – he took every word I said to heart and while I was having a ball of a time confirming everything by email and Skype, he had all the stress a normal bride has calming everyone down on this side. Both sets of parents, grandparents, siblings, bridesmaids, groomsmen and even some of our moms’ friends helped. My mom and sister were machines – if I had an idea it took them less than 24 hours to make it a reality! My mother-in-law made napkins for 215 guests because we couldn’t find them in the colour I wanted. My dad was amazing, preparing the venue in every way you can imagine. I loved how we all worked, shouted and laughed so well together! My mom said I was a great bride because I knew exactly what I wanted and said no to everything else. We loved how the picture all came together and in the end, I think we achieved what we aimed for with the last guests leaving after we did at 3.30am!

Marietjie: My advice to other couples is to just enjoy every moment of planning as well as every moment of your wedding day. Don’t let small details and mishaps spoil it for you. I loved my whole wedding, even though one of the guests spilled red wine all over the back of my dress in the first five minutes of the reception and the electricity went out during our first dance! Looking on the bright side, I had to buy my dress which I’m now able to do a Trash the Dress shoot with, and since neither of us are great dancers together (even if my husband thinks he is great when he does his famous moves on his own!) we were spared this one! On the practical side, we waited in front of the tent as everyone walked over from the pre-party, and greeted everyone before they took their seats, giving them the chance to share their wishes and blessings. This was great in the sense that the party started right afterwards, and we didn’t spend the whole evening greeting people. In terms of planning, social media, especially wedding blogs, is great for references etc., and if you are on a budget, decide what’s important to you and spend your money on that.
Andre: For the groom’s speech, be prepared and natural and people will always enjoy it; you’ll get the girls crying and the men laughing. Be unprepared and it can become the longest night of your life. Proud of myself!

And so you both should be! (Seriously, how lovely do Andre and Marietjie sound? Not to mention their helpful, happy families!) Thank you both so much for sharing your memories with us! And a big thank you to the fab Cari, who I’m thrilled to have here and hope to be seeing much more of on Cap Classique. (You can see more from this lovely wedding on her blog.)

Service providers:

Venue: Private farm
Catering & hiring: Antoinette Events
Photography: Cari Eksteen
Cake: Nelle Cakes
Bride’s dress: Susan Ellis
Hair & makeup: Carla of Anuk
DJ: Play for U

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