Alison and Gerard are another couple who ditched the big affair, turned down the pressure and opted for a celebration that was a little more intimate. By having their ceremony at home, and hosting their reception at a local restaurant (as opposed to wedding venue) they were able to cut costs and focus their budget on other things of higher importance. We love these images by local Durban talent Dean Maber and especially love the photos of the guys at the barber…proof that it’s not just the ladies who enjoy a little pampering.
Hooray: Gerard looks very dashing and it looks like they had all kinds of fun at the barber?
Alison: The guys all went to Sweeney the Barber for the morning of the wedding where they all got shaved, trimmed, and even waxed before the ceremony. They loved it – they had some whiskeys and got pampered and they all looked great.
Gerard got his suit from T.M Lewin at the Pavilion. He wanted something tailored for him so went all out.
Hooray: How would you describe the style of your wedding? Did you have a theme, or colour scheme? What was your inspiration in planning?
Alison: We had already planned another wedding which we postponed a few years ago and it taught us so much. We realised how much we didn’t want the traditional sit down dinner wedding, but instead wanted to focus on just having a good time. I wasn’t fussy about the decor and theme, I just knew I wanted the set up to be fairly casual. I was just lucky to have an amazing group of bridesmaids that included an interior designer and a wedding planner. With their help we settled on metallic copper and gold, white and lots of green foliage.
Hooray: Where did your wedding take place and why did you choose that venue?
Alison: We initially had trouble finding a venue. Keeping it affordable was a big goal for us so all the regular wedding venues were not an option. We looked at a few obscure venues that could have worked but then got the opportunity to use The Boiler Room Cafe at the Lion Match Factory. We are locals there for the delicious breakfasts so we knew straight away it was the right place. The size was a huge plus because our guest list was 120 people. I loved the double volume space and the fact that there was a big outdoor/garden space for a great lounge area. The decor there was quite minimal and had a bit of an industrial look which we loved.
Hooray: Your wedding dress is a real show stopper. Tell us all about it.
Alison: This was my favourite part of the planning process. I did go to some of the bridal shops around Durban but I already knew that I wanted to have one made. I would advise that every bride go try on as many different styles as possible.
I wanted to go with a top and skirt and when I tried one on it didn’t suit me at all. I went to the most amazing place called Toujours – Tracey was amazing, she convinced me to try on a kind of hourglass silhouette, which I would never usually pick, and I fell in love with the shape. If you are getting married and want to really feel like a bride – go there, she has an amazing selection of dresses.
Once I had an idea of what suited me, I went to see the extraordinarily talented Kathrin Kidger. I didn’t have to do much except for pick out my fabric, which took 15 minutes with Kath and she did all the rest. From my first fitting, I was obsessed. I let Kath do what she does best and I am so happy I didn’t get too involved because I felt amazing on the day and absolutely loved my dress. Kath also made my bridesmaids’ dresses which were incredible. We went with all different jewel colours and let the girls have different styles, they all looked so beautiful!
Kathrin was there the whole morning of the wedding with us, got us all dressed, helped pick out lip colours – Nicky, my sister-in-law and lovely bridesmaid had an unfortunate tanning incident the weekend before so had some crazy tan lines on her back which she wasn’t thrilled about, Kath managed to change the straps on her dress so they were perfectly covered. If your dress designer offers to come help you out on the day – say yes! You never know what could happen. Kath was even ready with needle and thread when one of my straps came loose.
Hooray: If you think back to that magical day, is there a moment that stands out for either of you?
Alison: I think the standout moment for me was the ceremony. We had the ceremony in my mom’s garden which was so special and to top it off, my brother Derek performed the ceremony – not officially, we had already done the paperwork 
– so that was amazing.
Something a little more anecdotal: I also always think of one thing that happened on the day, maybe not the best thing to happen, but it was memorable and actually quite funny… as I started my walk down the aisle (which consisted of two flights of stairs) Gus, our bulldog, decided to start having a go with Molly, our little SPCA special on the aisle carpet, in front of everyone, so as I started walking, everyone started laughing. Of course I couldn’t see what they were laughing at so I was so confused – it helped with the nerves a little actually.
Gerard: I know this is probably a cliche, but it has to be Al walking down that incredibly long aisle, the moment just seemed to last forever, she looked absolutely stunning, and it was the best moment for me, it was awesome.
Just look at that cheeky little face. Gotta Love ’em.
Hooray: Was there anything that you were particularly worried about on or leading up to the day?
Alison: Not really, We had so much help from friends and family that I wasn’t worried at all. I had a moment of worry at the reception because I was worried about people having fun but you can’t really worry too much about that. You just have to focus on enjoying your day and remembering everything. I think my mother did all the worrying for me. She and my dad worked non-stop on making everything perfect for the day – painting, gardening, fixing and fussing so everything looked amazing. My mother even raided a friends garden so we had masses of delicious monsters and palm leaves which I loved.
There was one concern for me – we had planned the entire day around it being sunny – we had no backup plan for if it rained, we were just going to play it by ear. I checked the weather just about every hour on the days leading up to the wedding and all week it said it was raining. Then we woke up on the day to the most incredible weather. Instead of worrying about the rain, we should have made a plan for more shade, it was an unseasonably hot day!
Hooray: Did you have children at your wedding? Any regrets? Any thoughts on the matter?
Alison: We didn’t say anything about kids, we figured we would let our friends decide if they wanted to bring their kids or not. We had one couple with a very new little baby who was so well behaved so it was so lovely to have him there. He just added some extra cuteness to the proceedings.
Hooray: What did you find most challenging about planning your wedding?
Alison: Saving money is hard! Everything is so expensive. If I didn’t have friends like Robyn and Lindy from Labola Decor and the lovely Jackie Sullivan from Weddings and Functions by Jackie – it would have been impossible to do what we did. We were amazed at the generosity of the people around us.
Hooray: “We could have done without…”
Alison: We have thought about it and honestly can’t think of anything. I think a lot of people get caught up in the small things that at the end of the day, don’t really matter – the most important thing for us was to enjoy the wedding for what it is – having all the people you love, in one place, drinking, eating and dancing all in celebration of your love for each other.
Hooray: “We could NOT have done it without…”
Alison: I tried to make a list but it was getting ridiculous. My final answer is EVERYONE! The incredible wedding party, our amazing families as well as friends, who were so generous with their time and help. My brother Mark had a big role to play and is owed special thanks – as the owner of Barserve and RoastCo. I relied on him quite heavily for his expertise. He did the food, bar, sound, found the venue, recommended the DJ and generally just coordinated the whole affair. He did a great job too!
Hooray: “Best spent money was on…”
Alison: Definitely the venue and food! (and my dress)
Hooray: What was your biggest priority when planning your wedding?
Alison: The Venue
Hooray: If you had an unlimited budget, would you have done anything differently?
Alison: Not at all! We had an incredible day and wouldn’t change a thing. I would go back and do it all again though!
Hooray: Were there any DIY elements to your day?
Alison: We stole or rather foraged for a lot of the foliage. Gerard and I spent the day before making foliage wreaths (With help from Robyn) to hang over the dance floor with cable ties which was fun and he was very proud of. My parents did most of the DIY at home to get the place wedding ready, otherwise it was pretty simple and we didn’t have much to do. A piece of advice though, if you don’t have a coordinator and you are doing a DIY wedding, hire someone who on the day can do the setup and break down so that you don’t have to worry about it.
Hooray: What were your song choices?
Aisle song – Wait by M83
First dance – The Work Song by Hozier
Father-Daughter song, my dad chose – Stand by you by Rachel Platten. He loves it!
Hooray: Were you the first or last to leave your wedding?
Alison: We were the last – we spent the last hour dancing to silly old music like The Spice Girls – it was amazing.
Hooray: “We are so grateful to…”
* Our families!
* Labola Decor
* Weddings and Functions by Jackie
* RoastCo.
* Barserve
* Laura and Wadene from Nixon Make-up and Hair – They were incredible and made the morning so much fun.
* Kathrin Kidger
* Dean Maber – I mean, those pictures are amazing!!
* Robyn Lubbe, Lisa Kidger, Sally Button, Nicky Brunskill and Kirsty Lindley – Best bridesmaids EVER!
* Russel Smith, Mally Lubbe, Shaun Colin, Arno Jackson and David Brunskill – The Groomsmen
Hooray: Now that it’s all over and you have had time to reflect, what advice would you give your bestie?
Alsion: Don’t stress about small things – you won’t even notice if the one vase is different to the others or if the table runners are a little skew.
On the day – take a moment with your husband, go to the back of the venue or to a quiet place outside and take it all in. We grabbed our food, went right to the back of the garden and watched our guests mingling, having fun, eating and dancing. It was one of my favourite moments.
Gerard and Alison’s special day from Adventure Films on Vimeo.