Radiant Midlands Wedding by Bright Girl Photography

Just when I think I’ve seen my share of elegant Midlands weddings, I get to share this gem with you and my heart does its little happy dance once more. Not only is Anthea and Brendan’s wedding full of pretty- hanging greenery, garlands on the table (with blues and burnt oranges making for the most gorgeous bright combo with that green), amazing bridesmaid dresses in signature navy blue, touches of rustic wood (right down to the adorbs wood ring ‘pillow’), and beautiful stationery – but it also has one of my fave photographers working her magic behind the lens. Eileen of BrightGirl Photography always seems to capture that newlywed glow, the radiance behind the pretty, and this stylish soiree is no exception. So let’s sink our little teeth into it, shall we?

Love Story
Brendan and I met for the very first time at his 21st, when I was the date to a friend of his. I could not hold the tears back after watching his fathers speech at his 21st and already felt an emotional connection with Brendan. He is a true golden boy and exudes an amazing character about him. I almost loved him at that moment.

The Proposal
Brendan phoned my boss at the time and asked her for a day off to take me to Cape Town. We left early that morning and stayed at this beautiful wine farm next to Delaire Graaf in Stellenbosch, Clouds Estate, which has the most magnificent views of the mountains. The next morning we were off to Cape Town, and in the car the whole way to the city, I kept turning the music in the car louder and Brendan kept turning it down – looking back, he was nervous! We then landed up at the helicopter pad at the Waterfront where he told me we were off for lunch at the Twelve Apostles. We landed there and a lovely gentleman took us on a tour of the estate. Nearing the end of the tour, we walked outside, over a small bridge, with the view of the ocean to my left and the back of Table Mountain on my right, and found a gentleman holding two glasses of champagne. I then realised what was going on. As I came over the bridge, a beautiful picnic had been set up and I put my handbag down, shaking a little. Brendan then asked me to hold up the champagne so he could take a photo of me. He walked away to “take the photo” and as I turned around, he was on his knee with the ring and I just burst into tears. I remember just saying yes, yes, yes. It was magical. We then spent the evening at the Twelve Apostles.

The Venue
We were on the hunt for the perfect venue and wanted to go and have a look at the Midlands. We went along but didn’t expect to find the most perfect venue. The Orchards is like a little piece of England nestled in the trees and hills. What a perfect setting. Everything is of a natural look, depicting Brendan’s and my style.

Wedding Style
I knew that navy blue had to be incorporated in the wedding. Brendan is a blue boy and everything about him is blue. He has the most gorgeous blue eyes that are enhanced when he wears blue. The burnt orange was just a little added extra that I loved at the time. I think I had known what I wanted since I was 18 years old, so this wedding had been planned for ten years already…

Wedding Details
I loved that I was as personal to my guests as possible. The table settings were little name meanings in a small pot plant. It was incredibly special as the names were something I researched for at least the whole year prior.

DIY Elements
I made my Save the Dates at the beginning of the adventure, but couldn’t do much else when I realized how much work went into everything. However, we really did spend two days before the wedding putting everything together for the big day so there was a lot of DIY involved.

The Dress
Joss Bridal in Rivonia is a unique bespoke designer and put my dress together. It’s very tough getting a dress made; my emotions were all over the place as we were stitching the dress together a few days before we were to leave for the Midlands. But it ended up being beautiful.

The Bridesmaids
I had six bridesmaid and my maid of honour was my sister. They were very set on a navy blue colour. I would have preferred a beautiful gold or cream, but the navy and silver worked out beautifully. The girls were amazing in their dresses, they were skin tight and the silver piece over the shoulders was so delicate.

The Flowers
My flowers were orange and blue… Amazingly beautiful.

Memorable Moment
I think it would have to be waking up in the morning, knowing that the day had arrived.

Proudly South African Details
Well we created our own tradition. We did our first dance as we walked into the venue before the speeches, which was pretty unique. I also used my Dad’s wedding tie on my bouquet of flowers with a photo of him attached to remember him on my special day as I had lost him nine years before.

Best Decision
That Ester from Midlands Style Events took the reins with quite a bit of my wedding. That was the most important thing, having someone to get all the parts of the wedding together for me.

You can see more from this wedding on the BrightGirl blog.

Radiant Midlands Wedding at Orchards by Bright Girl Photography

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