I never cease to be amazed by how beautiful my home country is. Despite having seen some truly awe-inspiring places on my travels, nowhere quite makes my heart soar the way that South Africa does. The big sky, the variety of flora and fauna, the African-ness of it. When photographer Jacques Lloyd of Real Simple Photography kindly sent over Ilanie and Johan’s wedding at Galgeberg Resort in McGregor, it reminded me of that. The scenic backdrop of the ceremony is just… beyond. It reminds me of a line from one of our national anthems, which roughly translates as: “over our eternal mountain ranges/where the cliffs give answer”. It is without doubt a very special place for two people to promise to spend their lives together, and what makes this wedding even more special is that it was the first one that Galgeberg has hosted. I’m super excited to be able to share it with you today.

From the lovely bride, Ilanie:
Johan and I met at a small campsite on the West Coast, while I was on holiday and he was on an outreach ministry. We kept contact after the holiday and eventually we fell in love.

We had a very special encounter at Galgeberg resort at the beginning of 2010 and when we decided to get married it was both my husband and my heart’s desire to get married there. It is a very special place up in the mountains between McGregor and Greyton. You can almost feel the Lord’s presence there, because of the majestic view and beauty around you. We also wanted a wedding where everybody felt like they had a special part in it. We wanted to create a feeling of closeness and friendship, so we asked the owners of the venue if our guests could sleep over at the venue on the Saturday night and they agreed.

Once the colour of the wedding dress was finalised, the rest came more easily. We always had the colour purple in mind and chocolate brown just came naturally with the venue and stone colour of the dress. The meaning of these two colours also spoke to us in a special way, brown being humility and purple meaning authority and royalty.

My advice to other brides is to follow your heart and not someone else’s ideas of what it should be like. Something will probably go wrong, but it will still be you and your husband’s special day and everything will be fine in the end. Try on as many dresses as you possibly can before you make up your mind. Try and do things yourself, not because it is cheaper, but because it is fun and that way you build relationships with whoever helps you, be it your bridesmaids or your husband-to-be. Be considerate about your friends and families’ feelings, but be firm on what you and your husband want. Enjoy it! Experience every moment! It only happens once!

Big thank you to Ilanie and Johan, and to Jacques, for sharing this wedding with us! You can see more of Jacques’ fab photos on the Real Simple Photography blog as well.

Service providers:

Venue & catering: Galgeberg Resort – +27834432833; [email protected]/[email protected]
Photography: Real Simple Photography
Flowers: Bunches for Africa
Hiring: The Tablecloth Hiring Company; Multi Styl Decor Hire; Cater Quip Hire