In some ways, this is one of my favourite posts of the year, but in another, it’s always one of the hardest to narrow down. I swear, ever year the dresses get prettier! 2015 has been no exception, and after last year’s explosion of colour, it has definitely been the year of lace, with gorgeous portrait backs and illusion necklines, long lace sleeves, nude lace underlays, and plenty of soft, sheer contrasting fabrics. SO romantic. Not that colour didn’t get a look in – I think my absolute favourite gown this year was gold and glam and gorgeous all over, and there was also some seriously pretty ombre going on, as well as soft blush, peach and champagne. What will 2016 bring? I can’t wait to find out.

from JEAN & BRETT’S BOHEMIAN GLAMOUR WEDDING
Designer: Hilary Murray | Photography: Fiona Clair Photography

Jean says: “I didn’t want a gown off a rack; I wanted something very personal and unique but cost effective. I had my dress made by family friend, Hillary and it was just PERFECT! The detail in the dress was one of my favourite details of the day overall.”

from KERRY & MARINUS’ FLORAL ROMANCE WEDDING
Designer: Francois Vedemme | Photography: Vivid Blue Photography

Kerry says: “I approached a Durban designer, Francois Vedemme, with a request that he create a dress that made me feel regal, like a fairy queen; it had to be unique, classic and literally flow over my body. Oh, and it had to be lace! With endless fittings, insight and patience, Francois and his team handmade every stitch of the magnificent gown. Right down to the intricate flowers that embellished the dress. I can’t thank them enough!”

from YOLANDI & BENJAMIN’S ORGANIC JEWEL TONE WEDDING
Dress: Vintage (bride’s grandmother’s) | Alterations: Nina Christine | Photography: Heather Steyn Photography

Yolandi says: “My dress was my grandmother’s vintage 1959 wedding dress. She had kept it all these years and said that I could use it if I wanted to, which was very special. I loved the idea of using her dress’s material in making something new and beautiful that would incorporate my personality and style. A friend, the wonderful Nina Christine, made my dress. I knew that I wanted long sleeves, a low back and for it to be really flowy and ‘dream-like’ and she helped bring this to life.”

from JOYLE & JP’S ELEGANT FLORAL MARQUEE WEDDING
Designer: Kobus Dippenaar | Photography: Moira West Photography | Coordinatorr: Zoon Jacobs

Joyle says: “I always knew I wanted the fabric of my dress to be the main focus. I wanted my wedding dress to be the most beautiful dress I will ever have. I went to Kobus Dippenaar and saw a sample of lace and I immediately knew this was what I was looking for. Kobus helped me to put my ideas together and in the end I could not have been happier!”

from CLAIRE & DAVID’S TROPICAL ELEGANCE WEDDING
Designer: Vera Wang at David’s Bridal | Photography: Just Judy

Claire says: “I had always set my sights on a Vera Wang wedding dress but had thought it would be completely out of reach for little ol’ me. Despite that fact, I was definitely going to indulge my dream by at least trying on a few. I set off with my close friend Julie for a store in London Westfield called David’s Bridal – it was obviously meant to be, considering my future husband’s name was the name of the shop! I knew exactly which designs I wanted to try on and as soon as I tried the dress, I knew in my heart that this was the one for me. They have a tradition whereby they ring a little bell once you’ve made your decision and that seals the deal – it’s quite daunting as it feels very final on such a big decision. I then found out the dress was on sale – my day went from great to amazing. Once the dress was bought, I went for one fitting thereafter and that was that – my dress was ready. It was by far the easiest part of the wedding organisation.”

from STEPH & DYLAN’S ROMANTIC MINT & GOLD WEDDING
Designer: Olivelli | Photography: Piteira Photography

Steph says: “I knew exactly what I wanted and considered getting it made, but thought it would be a good idea to try on gowns first. I found a beautiful Maggie Sottero dress at Olivelli which was the perfect shape and style. The sleeve details were not exactly what I’d had in mind so I altered it slightly. Loved my capped sleeves!”

from SIMONE & MATT’S ROMANTIC ROSE & BLUSH WEDDING
Designer: Dorothea Smit  | Photography: Fiona Clair Photography

Simone says: “My mother, who is a fashion designer, made my wedding dress and bridesmaids’ dresses. She helped me get dressed and assisted with the final touches. It was perfect spending those last few moments with her before the ceremony.”

from NATALIE & JOHAN’S BOLD MONOCHROME COUTURE WEDDING
Designer: Arina Cilliers and Mariki Terblanche | Photography: Vivid Blue | Coordinator: W.Collaboration

Natalie says: “My wedding gown was not bought nor was it “made,” it was CREATED and boy, was it a process. Creating my dream dress took a solid year and a half. I had the best team in the world to create my dress, which consisted of Johan’s mom and his aunt – it gave us an opportunity to dream, draw, cut, stitch and just have fun as a family. As the dress came to life, we starting making things complicated! We decided to make something completely unique and different to anything else that we had ever seen. We decided to create a lace “top piece.” This involved making a mold of my upper body. We used plaster of Paris to do this, which really hurt! (But the pain was worth it!) Then Johan’s mother cut the lace into tiny pieces and we started to design the top piece by fitting these pieces of lace together, as if we were building a puzzle. She then covered the entire top piece with Swarovski crystal beads and real pearls. My vision for the skirt of the dress was to have a ghost-like appearance, where the top layer of fabric is transparent but I needed a fabric that was “sturdier” than chiffon. For this to happen, we needed cured silk from Paris. My dress eventually came to life. I had to be sewn into it on the day! It was completely customised just for me and fits me like a glove – it made me feel like a princess.”

from CARIEN & HANNES’ HANDMADE FOREST WEDDING
Designer: Silver Swallow | Photography: Stella Sassen

Carien says: “This is a story and a half. I looked through magazines and there were quite a lot of dresses I liked, but I had no peace about a single one. One day I was in Metro, looking for material for a friend. I saw this one material I really liked. I went home, but it kept nagging at me. In the end, I drew my own dress, inspired by the Holy Spirit, with a cross on the back and grey at the back symbolising walking out of sin. Jana Robertson from Silver Swallow made the dress for me, much better than I could have ever dreamed. She is absolutely amazing.”

from NITA & NOËL’S VINEYARD GLAMOUR WEDDING
Designer: Stefania Morland | Photography: Fiona Clair Photography

Nita says: “My mom stumbled across Stefania Morland’s Johannesburg Mercedes Benz fashion show. The grand finale was a wedding dress. She emailed me a copy of the photo with a link. Subject: TROUROK! And indeed, after we got engaged my mother and I went to Stefania’s shop, and there was the dress from the show! I couldn’t believe it. I tried it on, and that was it! “

from PIETRO & ADRIAAN’S ELEGANT WINTER WEDDING
Designer: Janita Toerien | Photography: Dearheart Photos

Pietro says: “It is very difficult finding a winter wedding dress in South Africa, and Robertson is not exactly the warmest place during winter… I had a particular skirt in mind and also knew that I needed a dressmaker who was not scared to do something a bit out-of-the-ordinary. When I came upon Janita Toerien I was immediately impressed! From there it was a combined process of brainstorming and constantly evolving ideas. I wanted a “sexy dress” for later in the evening and something to wear over it to stay warm. I decided on beads and told Janita that I wanted it to look like sugar crystals – I think she and her team got it spot-on!”

from TANYA & TREVOR’S MARKET WEDDING
Designer: Elbeth Gillis | Photography: Bianca Asher | Coordinator: Simply Style Sorted

Tanya says: “Most girls dream about their wedding day. I dreamed about my wedding dress. I knew I was always going to have something made and it wasn’t going to be traditional. My first inspiration came from my favourite singer, Gwen Stefani. She wore an ombre pink dress on her wedding day. My second inspiration was a picture I found on Pinterest of a beautifully beaded back of a wedding dress. The pink and white opal stones that we used on the beadwork, were an inspiration from a dress I saw in Forever New. These weren’t available in South Africa, so I used my connections with the East to source them. The rest I left to my dressmaker, Elbeth Gillis. I was sold on using her the first time I met her. She is so professional and her attention to detail of her dresses is immaculate. I knew she was going to create the dress I had always dreamed about.”

from MICHANE & NIC’S MISTY BOHEMIAN WEDDING
Retailer: Ali Express | Photography: Duane Smith

Michane says: “I am actually quite sad to say that my gown is not proudly South African, but I just couldn’t justify spending such a big portion of our wedding budget on my dress. I ordered my dress online and it fit like a glove. After sending my measurements, I did not have to make as much as one alteration on it. I wore ribbon instead of shoes, which cost me about R8 and twenty minutes of my mother’s precious time to make. My mother-in-law made my incredible flower crown, which just added so much!”

from RIEKE & JURGEN’S VINTAGE FLORAL FARM WEDDING
Designer: Kobus Dippenaar | Photography: Cari Photography

Rieke says: “I didn’t know what I wanted and what would fit my body type, but I knew I wanted flowers on my dress. I had heard about Kobus Dippenaar, so I made an appointment, and when I sat there with him he asked me, “What do you want?” and I said I didn’t know. Then he asked: “Then why are you here?” and I said because of the flowers. And he said, “Okay now we have a start.” And we started designing the dress right there and then.”

from ESTÉ & LOURENS’ MUSICAL WINTER WEDDING
Designer: Elizabeth Stockenstrom | Photography: Vivid Blue | Coordinator: Kraak

Esté says: “I knew what worked for my body and I acknowledged that this is a special day – I wanted to look the part. At the same time I didn’t want to make the day revolve around me. I decided to hire a dress from Elizabeth Stockenstrom, because of my love for lace and her beautiful designs. I wanted something that could have different looks during the course of the evening, without me having to change. I wore an A-line, lace dress with removable sleeves (which I removed by 8pm) and a boa for over the shoulders.”

from ALEXIA & ALBERT’S URBAN LUXE WEDDING
Designer: Abigail Betz | Photography: Lad & Lass

from ANA & DYLAN’S CHIC VINEYARD WEDDING
Designer: Galia Lahav | Photography: DNA Photographers | Coordinator: Evention

Ana says: “I found it with Melissa, one of my bridesmaids, at Bridal Reflections in NYC. The dress had just arrived from the runway show, and it fit me like a glove – the craftsmanship is just absolutely stunning. I knew then I had found something special.”

from SUZANNE & SIMON’S TULIPS & TWINKLE LIGHTS WEDDING
Designer: Kobus Dippenaar Atelier | Photography: Claire Thomson

Suzanne says: “My wedding gown…. I still get goosebumps. I just absolutely loved it. Initially I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. Upon arrival at the first designer, I told him that I wanted a strapless dress. I took one of my bridesmaids, Leigh, along with me and she and the designer, Kobus Dippenaar, looked at me and frowned. The process had begun! I tried on the first dress they handed me and I knew that wasn’t it. Kobus brought out the most magnificent dress shortly after he figured I wasn’t settling for number one. It took me about five minutes with the help of my bridesmaid, mom and Kobus, to figure it all out. I decided on a custom designed, tight fitting, low back, detailed lace dress. And it turned out to be quite a simple process!”

from ANNI & CHRIS’ ROMANTIC FARM WEDDING
Designer: Watters | Photography: Jani B

Anni says: “I started with a Pinterest board for inspiration. I knew I wanted something boheme/ethereal. I ended up going to a few different wedding gown boutiques and found a designer whose dresses I seemed to really like so went online to look at the entire range and found ‘the dress’. One of the boutiques was receiving that dress for the showroom in the next few weeks and as soon as it arrived I tried it on and was sold immediately. It wasn’t too heavy, had unique lace detail and the nude undergarment had an amazing effect.”

from SIEGLINDA & KOBUS’ SHIMMERING PASTELS WEDDING
Designer: Verona Dove | Photography: Linda Fourie Photography

Sieglinda says: “I am quite specific, and couldn’t find something that had all the elements I wanted in one dress. My aunt has a friend who is friends with Verona Dove and that’s how we got to creating my dream dress. Verona was a great guide and so full of knowledge when it came to creating the perfect dress. I wanted long sleeves, without looking like a grandma, an open back and a train.”

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