I first spotted Carmen and Fourie’s magical day at the beginning of South Africa’s lockdown on Wildeflower’s Instagram page. I had only seen parts of the decor, but I immediately knew it was a magical day and one which we needed to share!
It’s safe to say, I was ecstatic when Carmen and Fourie agreed!
Carmen and Fourie’s love story is something out of a fairytale. Their journey started when they were only 14 years old, and once you hear the rest, you will know that they were destined to meet and fall in love… a true love story!
They said their vows in a Church, had a little red “just married” car and floral installations to die for… this wedding really was an absolute dream!
Grab yourself a cuppa, and get ready to enjoy the love story of Carmen and Fourie.
Hey guys, please can you introduce yourselves to the Hooray readers.
Hey! We are Carmen & Fourie. I was born with a genetic illness called Cystic Fibrosis. I met a friend, Linda, who had it too and we became very close. I started spending time with her family and fell in love with her cousin who is now my husband, Fourie.
Hooray: Your love story, we need to know more!
Carmen: So we were both 14 when we first met. As we were still young, I wasn’t really interested in him at first (boys, eew! LOL) But then, when we were 17, we went on a school tour to Europe… without knowing that both of us would be on the tour together! This is where we reconnected and afterward, we stayed closely connected, communicating over WhatsApp. Finally, in Grade 12, we started dating… and have been together ever since. I think from the moment we first met, we knew we would end up together.
Hooray: So tell us, how did Fourie propose?
Carmen: I was feeling very ill that day and actually did not even shower that morning! Haha. So since I was already looking “my best”, we decided to go for a hike. We did a short route up Kleinmond mountain and when we got to the top he asked me to marry him. It was super unexpected (by the way I looked) but also because it was something I only anticipated would happen in the next 2 years.
Hooray: Your dress design is so elegant and beautiful. How did you go about choosing it?
Carmen: I actually had a Pinterest board where I pinned TONS of dresses and they were all “off the shoulder” style. I am not too keen on lots of beads and intricate details as I went all out with my Matric Farewell dress and wanted something more classic for my wedding.
I pinned this one picture of a dress I loved and my friend told me “Oh, but that is that Australian brand, and they actually have a store in Cape Town!”
I mailed Vagabond Bridal immediately to ask if they had that style in store and they did! I went into the store to try the dress on, paid that same day and that was that. It was the first and only dress I tried on!
Hooray: I love your bridal clutch! Where is it from?
Carmen: It is from a shop in Canal Walk – I bought it not realising that I was going to use it for my wedding day, but it just worked out so perfectly and matched with my earrings.. plus it was very affordable!
Hooray: How did you choose your photographer?
C + F: She is a close friend and we just love her photos.
Hooray: I love that you got married in a Church, is this something you both wanted?
Carmen: Yes, we are both Christian and our relationship is really centered around God. Our relationship would not be what it is if we both didn’t have our own relationships with God. We are so blessed and our relationship took such a perfect route because we trust in Jesus.
We both wanted to get married in a Church or a Chapel, so first looked at venues with a chapel. We then decided we really wanted to get married in the Church in Stellenbosch, and once we had booked the church for the 13th of December, we chose our venue accordingly.
Hooray: Be honest, how many hours did you spend on Pinterest?
Carmen: Possibly a few years worth of hours haha
Hooray: What role did your parents play in your wedding?
C + F: We were very blessed to have both our parents split the wedding 50/50. They didn’t have any contribution into what we wanted, they only had a budget we had to keep to so the whole wedding was actually a surprise for them too, they had no idea how it was going to look on the day.
Hooray: Tell us more about the theme behind your wedding day.
C: Both of our styles are classic and minimalistic and this is what we wanted to portray on our wedding day. I actually worked in the wedding industry for a year, doing flowers, and I always just loved working with dried foliage. So when deciding on our wedding flowers, I knew I wanted to do lots of dried foliage and I wanted a neutral palette… creams and blushes and nudes. Nothing too out there. It represented our personalities together perfectly.
Hooray: I have no words when it comes to your decor… everything was just perfect! How involved were you in the decor process?
Carmen: I did most of the wedding planning myself, so I was very involved in all decisions made. I had on-the-day co-ordination, but other than that I sourced everything myself because I knew amazing service providers from working in the industry previously. I absolutely loved planning my wedding day.
Hooray: Your cake is gorgeous, what flavour was it?
Carmen: So our cake was Dark Chocolate flavoured with a coconut buttercream filling… it was a no brainer cause we both love these flavours!
Hooray: LOVE your signature cocktails! Whose idea was this?
Carmen: This is so funny, cause these cocktails are something that we actually made at home one night and I just thought “These are so delicious, I want them on my wedding day!”. We actually don’t drink at all, so it is quite ironic that we had these signature cocktails. I made them up myself, by thinking things I would like, something fruity and summery, and what Fourie would like, something spicier.
Hooray: Tell us about your bridesmaids and groomsmen?
Carmen: My bridesmaids were, Linda (friend with Cystic Fibrosis and Fourie’s cousin); my sister in law Sharon, my two sisters Melissa and Azél, and my best friend Micaela. Fourie had his two brothers Hendrik & Daneel. His best friends Carl, Charles & Armand. We genuinely had only good times and no bad experiences
Hooray: What was the one non-negotiable at your wedding?
Fourie: GREAT FOOD
Carmen: BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS
Hooray: The one thing you would change about your wedding if you could travel back in time?
C + F: Literally NOTHING. But possibly, get married earlier in the day so we could have had more time with our guests at the canapé hour.
Hooray: Were you able to go on a honeymoon? Where did you go?
Carmen: Yes! We have been very blessed over our 6-year relationship to travel far and wide, so when it came to our honeymoon we decided that we did not want to do an overseas trip. We took a road trip through Franschoek, Tulbagh, and Swellendam. It was 9 days long with the most amazing stops along the way. We did so many activities and we opted to stay in Air BNB’s along the way, instead of hotels. It was so nice to have a local holiday, and we found that we had way more money to spend on activities and yummy food! 
Hooray: The biggest hurdle you faced planning your wedding?
Carmen: Sticking to the budget haha. We really had a smooth time planning the wedding because Fourie let me have whatever my heart desired and do whatever I wanted.
Hooray: And finally, the best moment of your wedding day?
C + F: Definitely the exchanging of the rings!
Carmen and Fourie, thank you so much for sharing your love story and wedding day with us today. It really was such a beautiful day! Wishing you many more years ahead filled with love, adventures, and chocolate and coconut cake!
MAGIC MAKERS
Photographer: Lilac Photography
Videographer: Secondluke Films
Furniture: N Concepts
Florals: Wildeflower Studio
Coordination: Just Jack Weddings & Events
Stationery: Elicit Stationery Design
Venue: Lourensford Venue
MUAH: Marnel Toerien
Dress: Vagabond Bridal via The Wedding Boutique
Bridesmaids Dresses: Lena-Lisa Designer
Coffee Cart: Savour Coffee Cart
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