From the bride...
I totally started planning my wedding before I was even engaged.
My husband and I dated long distance for a year and a half before we
were finally in the same city. I am Canadian and he is South African; we
decided to get married in South Africa because that’s where we met. My
family was so supportive throughout that process. They didn’t bat an eye
to come thousands of kilometers to be there for me on my day. Even
though we didn’t have a very big budget, they overwhelmed me with their
support through the entire process. I have always wanted to have a
“fabulous DIY wedding with an eclectic, whimsical and a little bit
hippie theme.” I’m so happy with what I got. My wedding dress was $100
from a one day closeout sale that I stumbled upon completely by accident
with my mom one day. It was magical. Maureen Patricia of Queen Couture
in Victoria made some alterations so that the dress fit my vision and my
body like a glove! I also decided to make a second dress to wear at the
reception. My dream dress has been the Vera Wang from Bride Wars but in
case anyone hadn’t noticed, Vera is a bit steep for my pocket, so
instead, she was my inspiration and I started sewing. I bought $10 shoes
from Costa Blanca and made a killer necklace from a 1920′s vintage belt
buckle and some ’60s costume pearls. Double score. Two outfits: $400.
The flowers were an amazing score as well, we picked arum lilies
from a farm two days before the wedding through a friend, free of
charge. I also asked a few other friends and family members if they
could donate some white flowers, greenery and lavender for the reception
decor and my bouquet. I kept a crocheted doily that my
great-grandmother made for me when I was eight and used it to wrap my
bouquet — it was my little piece of home that I took with me when I got
married. My bridesmaids and I also spent hours scraping labels off of
wine bottles to put flowers and candles in at the reception. My parents,
grandparents, fiance, my aunt and some dear friends made it a group
effort to cut and sew the long table runners for the reception. This
wedding was truly a community effort!
I designed and sewed my junior bridesmaids’ dresses (one was
repurposed; it was originally my own dress), and they looked completely
fabulous. My bridesmaids wore whatever they wanted (within a color
palette — my inspiration was the colors of a peacock feather) so I could
rest assured they would be comfortable in whatever they wore. Our
wedding cake was a Rice Krispie cake. I love the stuff and am not really
such a fan of cake. Plus, it was cheap. My mom made it the day before
the wedding. The cake toppers were a favor from another wedding that I
reused. Because some people could only make the ceremony, we split up
the speeches into two parts. Reece said his speech to me directly
following the ceremony along with Mitch, his brother and best man. My
dad and I, as well as my maid of honor, made speeches after dinner. I
loved it because I knew Reece was so relieved to have his speech out of
the way for the rest of the wedding! Our wedding was a continuous affair
throughout the day. There wasn’t really a lull where people didn’t know
what to do between the ceremony and reception. By the time the tea and
treats had wrapped up at the chapel, the guests were invited to have
drinks, cheese and hors d’oeuvres at our reception venue. We had some
amazing friends who also provided live music and even wrote us a song
that everyone joined in singing. By the time we arrived, everyone was
already completely wound up, excited and ready to party.
