Roses, Romance and … The Harlem Shake! ♥
I just love it when a couple bucks tradition and adds a few crazy-cool touches to their wedding day. And if having all of your guests bust out into the Harlem Shake during your ceremony (complete with animal masks, I might add) isn’t all kinds of crazy fun, then I don’t know what is! Daniella & Rafael, from Johannesburg, South Africa, were married in a beautiful ceremony at the lovely Red Ivory Lodge which has an amazing pond right in the middle of the reception venue! The striking couple’s special day was sprinkled with pretty touches of dusty pink, violet, green, and lots, and LOTS of really romantic roses. Lightburst Photography joined in the fun to capture every last dreamy detail. Sigh.
From the Bride:
Our big day was beautiful, romantic and fun! So after the groom kissed the bride, the entire bridal party surprised our guests with the Harlem Shake. Definitely a way to break the ice after all the formalities. Soon, after refreshments and photos, guests were led into the reception area which boasts one of the most breathtaking and panoramic views of the Hartbeespoort Dam and adjacent landscape.
The iconic pond separating the dance floor and the tables also made the headlines when two of our guests accidentally fell in… On two separate occasions! Shortly after the dance floor was opened, guests discovered the table filled with photo props, which led to lots of funny selfies and groupies! At the end of the night, we said goodbye to our guests and left through their sparkler-lit tunnel and set off to begin our new lives together.
Love Story & Proposal:
We met in high school but only years later, when our paths crossed again, half way across the world, did we fall in love! After being happily in love for a few years, Rafeal surprised me with not one, but TWO proposals! The 1st one happened on our 5th year anniversary. He took me on a sunset cruise along the Vaal River and popped the question going down on one knee, at the end. It was very special, but even more so was our engagement renewal, 4 years later, when he slipped the ring onto my finger whilst I was asleep early on a Sunday morning. Seven months later we tied the knot!
Hair and Make Up:
For my make-up, I decided to go with the classic red lip, and soft smoky eye. As for my hair, I wanted large romantic curls. Being a hairstylist myself, I taught my sister (whose chic black and white wedding was featured on Confetti Daydreams last week) how to do my hair, and what a fantastic job she did!
Wedding Dress:
Ah! My dress! It seemed as if had magical powers, making me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world! I LOVED my dress! I went for the the ivory gown by Essense of Australia. This empire waist gown can be worn with or without it’s detachable vintage-inspired lace overlay skirt. Without, the dress fits and flairs in all the right places. The sweetheart bodice is made from Dolce Satin and features scalloped lace trim.
Bouquets:
I just love roses! So I chose to have a mix of dusty color roses and some neutral ones, carrying the same color palate throughout the wedding.
Bridesmaids & Groomsmen Attire:
My bridesmaids wore a blush nude silk dress from Forever New, their make up was very soft, and they had French braided hair. They carried baby’s breath bouquets. The groomsmen wore a greyish blue suit, white shirt and slim grey tie with fun color clashing socks.
Groom’s Attire:
The groom wore a dark grey slim fit suit from Zara, a white shirt and the same tie and socks as his groomsmen.
Wedding Ceremony Details:
Our ceremony was set on a wooden deck in the mountain side overlooking the Hartbeespoort Dam. I walked in to the beautiful venue to the sounds of Sleeping at Last by Turning Page. As for the chapel decor, I kept it simple, using my main table flower arrangement for the registry table and a mini bouquet of baby’s breath tied to every second chair along the isle, with a cream ribbon and small heart charm.
Wedding Playlist:
We walked into the reception to Happy by Pharrell Williams. What better song to describe how we felt that moment? Our first dance song was A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. One of our all time favourites!
Wedding Reception Details:
We had a fairly small wedding, with 56 people. We were the only ones at the main, sweetheart table with three round tables on each side. Each table had a tall five arm candelabra with four flower arrangements in small silver urns at the bottom (two with babys breath and 2 with mixed roses). Small tea light candles were also scattered around the centre pieces for a more romantic look.
DIY Projects:
We did a lot ourselves. Starting from invites all the way through to the thank you gifts. Each serviette was tied with a cream ribbon bow and a heart charm (we carried this throughout the wedding) with the guests name tag. We filled small jars with LOVE sweets as our thank you gifts. The menus and table numbers were also designed and printed by us.
Stand Out Vendors:
Lightburst Photography was fantastic. Apart from the amazing work they do, they are an extreme pleasure to work with!
Advice for future brides:
- Planning the “perfect” wedding can be overwhelmingly stressful and often it doesn’t need to be. Take in every single moment as it’s over in the blink of an eye…
- You keep costs down designing and printing your own invites and stationary, and making your own thank you gifts. You can also save by using the decor on your main table for the registry table in the chapel. Just be sure to arrange with your venue to move it back as soon as your ceremony is done.
♥ ♥ ♥ CREDITS ♥ ♥ ♥
Photographer: Lightburst Photography | Dress: Olivelli | Brides Make-up: Melissa Teige | Venue Flowers: The Bloom Room | DJ: Bluemoon DJ’s | Decor: Trendy Settings | Shoes: Christian Michael, Pink | Suits: Zara | Venue: Red Ivory Lodge
So absolutely stunning!
I love how the couple kept their wedding intimate and the colors of the flowers are beautiful!
Simply stunning – I never would have guessed a red lip would look so lovely with lavender, but it does!
Pink and mint are really great colors for wedding!
I totally fell in love with the amazing lace wedding gown,such empire and beautiful!Best wishes for them!