“You know I’m such a fool for you…”
-The Cranberries
The Groom wore a green suit, the bride had burgundy lips. This wedding is proof that what is meant to be will always find its way! From family friends to a whirlwind romance, these star-crossed lovers first met when they were just 6 years old!
The jewel tones, sophisticated stationery, The Glades Farm and of course, Kelly Daniels photography made us fall in LOVE, but what we loved the most, is the way Corbin & Lisa created so many little personal touches throughout their wedding, making this day incredibly unique and special to them!.
So before we hog all the limelight, over to Lisa to tell us more!
Hooray: Hi Lisa! Tell us about you and Corbin.
Lisa: Well, we met for the first time when we were about 6; I remember it, he doesn’t – feel the love!
The second time we met was at his mom’s hair salon in Hillcrest. Our moms are friends and we (Corbin + I) were just 15 at the time. I was having my hair done and he walked in. He came and sat behind me and started putting curlers in his hair and that was that… I just had to have him! A few hours after leaving the salon my mom gave me his number for Mxit (haha) and we started chatting. A few days later and BAM, we were Facebook official!
Since then, it has been just over 11 years – and now we are married.
Hooray: Tell us about your proposal
Lisa: It was the perfect day. He did such a good job, I’m so proud.
The whole year I had been warning him that he better organize something special for my birthday, because he never does! All I said was that I wanted to spend it with family and friends.
That morning I woke up and his sister gave her present early….it was a beautiful dress and she told me I had to wear it. The rest of his family were also up early and dressed which was abit out of the ordinary but they told me a little lie and said they also had plans. Anyway, in the car we get and headed towards the Midlands which is my favourite place on earth.
We did our usual stops and just when I thought we were headed towards Blueberry Hill for some breakfast, he turned left not right, straight into Fourdoun! Whaatt?
We walked into the reception and they handed us a beautiful basket full of goodies, flowers and champagne. I was so confused…. I still had no clue what was in store! They instructed us to head out the door, towards the pond and our spot is all set up under the tree. Crochet blankets and big pillows were all laid out for us to picnic on, it was so beautiful that I just burst into tears. He looked at me and started laughing very nervously – I think he thought that I had figured it out but I hadn’t. After I settled down I heard a weird buzzing sound and looked up to see a drone. I thought this was super weird that someone was flying above us. Corbin then said to me “Stand up and say hello to the camera.” and in that moment, I clicked!! He knelt down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. After a few minutes alone I turned around and saw all my friends and family jump out of their cars and run towards us! It was just perfect. Everyone unpacked their own picnic baskets and we all ate and drank under the trees until the sun went down. Another surprise, was that my dad had booked us in to stay at Fordoun that night… could my day get any better?! We went for dinner, drank more champagne and spent the next day (my birthday) at the spa…. And that’s how it went down.
Hooray: Tell us more about your table numbers and what was the number on your table?
Lisa: Well this was my mom’s idea actually, so thanks mom!
Instead of doing numerical table numbers or having personal names for the tables, I did numbers that meant something to the both of us. For example there was 55 because both our houses have the same address – 55 Old Main Road (which has always been a bit of a family joke – we get each other’s post all the time!) There was also 15 which was the age we were when we started dating and 5,4 which will be our new apartments address number. Then at the back of each table number I had written up a little paragraph explaining what that number meant to us. It was a great table talker.
So for our main table which was just the two of us, we had the number three which is how many children we would like to have. On the back of that card we had said that we would love three children, but two will do if we can’t afford it, ha-ha!
Hooray: What was the inspo behind your décor?
Lisa: I’d hate to say it but, Pinterest! I knew I wanted a winter wedding so I went with the whole darker and deeper colour palette. I love mustard, dark green and black so I started off there and then added the Burgundy, Fusia and Duck Egg Blue. Everyone thought I was crazy but I knew it would work. I had a vision and went with it. I wanted it to be jewel toned but with a hint of black and white. A fair amount of my decor was vintage. Lots of florals, wood and crystal. I am happy I went with lots of colour at the end of the day because there were so many times when I was so tempted to do black and white with greenery. (Damn you Pinterest for confusing me all the time!)
Hooray: What was the one non-negotiable of your wedding?
Lisa: The amount of guests invited and who we invited. We had said from the beginning that we wanted it to be a small and intimate wedding were we would actually get to speak to each person. Everyone that was there really meant something to us and I don’t regret being strict about that at all. It ended up being a small wedding of about 75 guests. There were so many people we wish we could have invited but in the end it was probably for the best. It also helped with keeping our budget under control.
Hooray: The green suit – we LOVE! Tell us more
Lisa: Well originally it was meant to be pink but then we battled to find a pink suit in the stores and went to a tailor for some help. We were taken to a waiting room at the tailors where we saw a mannequin with a dark green suit on and Corbin changed his mind…. I am glad we went with the green, it added to the more dramatic winter look that I was trying to go for I guess. It also helped carry our theme through and it complimented my burgundy lips, nails and bouquet. 
Hooray: Your ring is incredible! Well they both are! Please give us a back story.
Lisa: Ooh thank you!! I am super proud of Corbin – he did good! The fact that it has pink diamonds in it just makes my day every time I look at it!
I love vintage with a touch of modern and he nailed it! It was designed by Corbin and Vernon White (Corbin had strict instructions that he was only to go to Vernon – he’s the best) For a few months my Wedding Board on Pinterest had been swamped with pins of wedding rings with the whole halo/crown design and clearly Corbin got the hint so he made sure that the ring would work with the crown band that I wanted. Talia (Corbin’s sister and my best friend) helped him throughout the whole process)
For Corbin’s, he wanted something with a slight mythical/fantasy design to it. (He’s a nerd of note!) He fell in love with the idea of mixing metals and so he chose Gold and White Gold with that Celtic knot design. Sorted!!
Hooray: Be honest, how many hours did you spend on Pinterest?
Lisa: Do I have to tell? I started years ago so I lost count. I feel like I am still doing it, I can’t help myself. I’ve become addicted to weddings.
Hooray: The biggest hurdle you faced planning your wedding?
Lisa: Finding Pinterest worthy items. Whether it was my shoes, the wedding ring boxes or jewellery etc. I honestly battled to find so many things that I had seen on social media. You see exactly what you want on Pinterest and then that’s where it ended. I wish there was more variety for brides not only in Durban but SA. So many things I looked at were from overseas, I ended up buying my shoes overseas.
Hooray: What role did your parents play in your wedding? Did they contribute financially?
Lisa: Without them we wouldn’t of had the wedding that we did! All was much appreciated. Both our parents were so supportive. My parents gave me a budget and I tried to stick to that as hard as I could. (my parents probably won’t agree! Ha-ha)
My mom was with me every step of the way. Every dress fitting, shoe hunt, catering meetings and fabric shopping sprees. I chewed her ear off with constant wedding talk and she took it like a pro! My dad was my mediator and financial advisor. He always made sure I was keeping track of the budget and all the logistical bores but at the end of the day he always just smiled and waved
Hooray: We love how your bridesmaids dressed each to their own, where did they get their dresses?
Lisa: They got them from different places. The black one was made, the red one was from Asos and the blue one was from an American site.
Hooray: Tell us about your bridesmaids and groomsmen?
Lisa: Our bridal party was made up of our siblings and our best friends who basically are family and they all know each other quite well. We loved having a small bridal party. It was much easier to manage and of course it was much cheaper. Any more than three each and we would not have been able to really appreciate what each person did I think. Dynamite came in small packages with this group and it was easy to spend time with each of them and make each person feel special. The hardest part though was that only my brother Devon, Nathan and Corbin’s sister Talia actually live in Durbs so the rest of the bridal party weren’t always here for everything. The others only arrived the week before the wedding.
Hooray: How did you choose your photographer?
Lisa: I chose Kelly based on the feeling that I got when I looked at her work (she captures all the feels!) and how she responded to me in her email. I loved her sense of humor and how easy she was to talk to. Her style is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a photographer that was good at showing off colour so that it pops but at the same time keeping the overall images deep and moody and WOW did she do just that! My wedding theme was mainly moody and wintery but I had pops of colour everywhere so Kelly was perfect for what I wanted.
Hooray: The best moment of your wedding day?
Lisa: Both Michelle and Kelly suggested that we have a little time out after the styled shoot. We went back to our room for about 30mins and the two of us opened up a bottle of champagne and we sat on the bed and just took in the fact that we were now married. It was so special. It sounds so silly and boring but honestly it was the best advice we had gotten from anyone. I recommend future love birds doing this as well.
Hooray: Tell us more about your song choices
Walking down the aisle – Iris – Goo Goo Dolls. We couldn’t decide on a song for this moment but thanks to the Best man, we found the perfect one! – thanks Gaz!
Entering your reception – Chunda Munki – Dark Rooms (Mogey Remix) – what can I say, it’s a party starter!
First Dance – Linger by The Cranberries. We both wanted an old school song. We both love that song and it’s from one of our favorite movies, Click. Doesn’t sound very romantic but we didn’t really have “a song” to be honest but now we do… Then to top it off with some fun and to open up the dance floor for the rest of the night we got Steven to taper off Linger and to play Lollipop by Lil Wayne. No one knew we were going to do that so it made for a good laugh and everyone started rapping and dancing with us.
Hooray: So your parents are friends! How did they feel about your relationship and now marriage?
Lisa: Yes, my mom and Corbin’s mom were the first to meet out of all of us and they hit it off! Over the years our families have all become close and get on really well. It was actually both our mothers’ idea to get us to go out in the first place so I guess you could say they were thrilled (they still are!) From the moment that Corbin popped the question and right up until the wedding it was all very exciting and memorable for both families. It had been a long time coming and it made us all even closer.
Hooray: What made you fall in love with The Glades?
Lisa: I just had this feeling when we got out the car and I stood there by the chapel for the first time. I just knew it was the one. I didn’t even want to go look at any more venues. I thought that the view from the chapel looking over the midlands was just so beautiful. I loved all the wood in the chapel and the reception area. It was also the perfect size for a smaller wedding. Another big tick for me were all the Persian carpets and the big fire place area.
The main house and the cottage were also perfect. I could easily steal a few couches and décor pieces from there. It was “Lisa heaven” with all the floral fabrics, Persian carpets and vintage furniture. I could vision my bridal party and I on the day in that setting and it actually helped me with my decor and fabric options for everything else.
Hooray: The one thing you would change about your wedding, if you could travel back in time?
Lisa: Mmh this is a hard one. I wouldn’t really change anything, it’s more of a moment that I didn’t act on that I wish I could change. I was so silly, I forgot to ask my mom to help me with putting my dress and accessories on. I don’t know why but it slipped mine and my mom’s mind on the day and I regret that the most.
Thank you so much for sharing your special day with us Lisa, we absolutely loved hearing your story.
Wishing you and Corbin many happy years ahead, with three lovely children (or two, finance depending!) and all the happiness in the world!
Venue: The Glades
Photographer: Kelly Daniels Photography
Videographer: Michelle Rabe
DJ: Steven Heyns from The Wedding DJ
Caterer: Relish Fresh
Flowers & Décor: Wedding and Functions by Jackie
Stationery: By Bride
Make Up: Kiss The Bride
Hair: Catia’s Hair Design
Dress: Brit and Bride
Groom’s attire: Dickson Tailors
Cake: Relish Fresh
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