Real Weddings 2020

So while weddings came to a complete standstill in 2020, there were some magical memories made, whether by a rushed wedding before Lockdown started, or one of the lucky couples who were able to say I do before or after the major Lockdown in South Africa.

To all the brides whose days were filled with stress, tears, wine, phonecalls and hiding under blankets… our hearts were with you this whole time. Every single wedding vendor sat at their home yearning for days of celebrations again, while brides to be mourned there would-be wedding day celebrations.

We are all ready to kickstart the wedding industry again, and although weddings are going to look a little different and have some new rules and regulations, I am sure we are all excited to start celebrating love again!

For now, let’s look back on the love stories we shared with you in 2020. 

1. Andrew and Mante
   Oh, this wedding! What a beautiful day filled with so much love and celebrations, it was the best way to kick off our Real Weddings for the year.
   Mante & Andrew, our first real wedding feature for 2020.
   Engaged in Fiji, living in New Zealand and coming home to South Africa to promise forever together.
   What an adventure.
   We chatted to them about their big day, the hurdles planning from abroad and their perfect, peachy, Winelands wedding day, all captured perfectly by Duane Smith Photography.
   Click here to read the full blog post.
2. Jenna and Mariska
   A wedding that ends with everyone in the swimming pool… now that, is my type of wedding! Jenna and Mariska got married in the heat of February, surrounded by their loved ones and the magical outdoors.
   There is something so magical about South African weddings. We have a vibrancy and uniqueness about our country that lends itself to the magic of every wedding day.
   Jenna and Mariska’s wedding certainly had this magic.
   Pre-wedding safaris, midnight pool sessions and magnums for dessert, Jenna and Mariska’s wedding day seemed to be a party of note and we just loved all the special details they put into it!
   If you are considering a “safari wedding”, read on for some major inspiration!
   Click here to read the full blog post.
3. Chelsea and Louw
   I LOVED this wedding… there were so many unique aspects that stole the show and Chelsea and Louw’s love for each other just radiated through the pictures. Also, there were BRAAI BROODJIES – I mean, how can you not love it!
   “It’s always been you, it’s always been yes.”
   Were the words Chelsea said to Louw when he got down on one knee and asked her to be his forever.
   Gosh! Stick a fork in us ‘cuz we are done!
   We are thrilled to bring you this beautiful day, filled with neutral tones and special moments.
   Dance floor ice-creams and “Braai Broodtjies” and a klein “sokkie” brought such a South African flavour to this incredibly special day and we are so excited to share it with you.
   Click here to read the full blog post.
4. Monique and Darryn
   Another beautiful wedding day that I just absolutely loved! Monique and Darryn got hitched in Thailand and jetted off to the Maldives for their honeymoon, all before Rona reared her ugly head in SA – they definitely were one of the “lucky couples!”
   Destination wedding alert!
   Monique and Darryn’s gorgeous Thailand wedding gave us all the feels when we first saw it on Maresha’s Instagram feed! Yay social media!
   12 pm sea swims which ended at 3 am walks on the beach made this wedding one for the books and one we are obviously so excited to share with our readers, especially the brides who are planning a destination wedding.
   Monique and Darryn knew they wanted an intimate, overseas event, and they pulled off the most beautiful day!
   Make yourself a cup of coffee and get swept away to Thailand for a beautiful seaside wedding day!
   Click here to read the full blog post.
5. Ashleigh and Dylan
   Can you imagine planning your wedding in TWO days? Nope, neither could I, but that is exactly what Ashleigh and Dylan did when they realised Rona would put a screeching halt to their wedding plans. I still don’t know how they pulled it off but their day was magical in every way.
   When Cyril Ramaphosa announced the lockdown in South Africa, Ashleigh + Dylan decided to act quickly and organized their wedding in just TWO days! No, that is not a typo, TWO days!
   Pulling off a “corona-miracle”, their family + vendors assisted them in creating a beautiful wedding day, with Hanrie sewing until the early hours of the morning + Ro from Oh Happy Day creating beautiful floral creations for them. Although it was not their original date or all the original plans, they were going to get married, and they did it in style, in our opinion!
   A beautiful celebration with close family + friends, it certainly will be a day to tell the grandkids about!
   Click here to read the full blog post.
6. Dani and Ross
   There is no lie that I love pink… so it was a no brainer that I fell in love with Dani and Ross’s pretty pink wedding day. The girls from Oh Happy Day flew out to Cape Town to add their magic to this day, and it really was perfect in every way!
   I fell in love with this wedding day the first time I saw a Sneak Peek on Oh Happy Day’s Instagram page… a lover of all things pink, I just knew that I wanted Hooray to share it!
   Dani and Ross said their I do’s on a summer day in Franschoek, and to say their day seemed perfect in every way is an understatement.
   Planning a wedding from afar can be difficult, but with the OHD team on their side, Dani and Ross really pulled off the most amazing day – a Morris Minor “just married” car, a floral arch straight out of every bride’s dreams, oyster shucking and the beautiful mountain backdrop… absolutely heavenly!
   Okay, enough from me, let’s hand it over to Dani and Ross.
   Click here to read the full blog post.
7. Tanya and Stuart
   I still have all the heart eyes for Tanya and Stuart’s wedding day, but most importantly, their flower dog – isn’t she just the cutest girl EVER?! A ceremony on the beach, and a silent disco to end the night, these two know how to party and they certainly had a fun-filled wedding day!
   We have two words for you:
   FLOWER DOG.
   And if that doesn’t grab your attention, then we don’t know what will.
   Tanya and Stuart got married on a sunny day in Durbs. They dipped their toes in the ocean, had the cutest flower dog, danced the night away at a silent disco and had a cake that was made of cheese… no, not a cheesecake, a CHEESE cake.
   Their wedding day has us dreaming of summer days, so if you are wanting to get married in the summertime and you are looking for a bit of inspiration, read on. 
   Click here to read the full blog post.
8. Carmen and Fourie
   So Carmen and Fourie actually got married at the end of 2019, but while I was scrolling through insta on one of the long days in lockdown, I spotted their wedding decor and fell in love. Once I saw more photos, I knew it was one that I needed to share! The perfect ending to our Real Wedding features for 2020.
   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.
   Click here to read the full blog post.

And that’s a wrap on all our real wedding features for 2020.
Although 2020 was filled with so much heartbreak, it is beautiful weddings and celebrations like these that help us get through the days! I cannot wait to see what the weddings of 2021 will have in store for us!

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