The Proposal
Glen and I began talking about getting married about four months before he actually proposed. We chose the ring together and he secretly bought it soon after. The week before he proposed, Glen suggested that we have a beach picnic with some friends and he chose a private beach in Cape Town that is particularly special to us. On our way to the beach, I was sending messages to our friends to let them know how to find the beach, so I was unaware that Glen’s parents were in the parking lot (where they were not supposed to be). I later found out that they had set up a beautiful spot for us on the beach. In coming across this spot, I wasn’t sure if it was for me or if we had awkwardly walked into someone else’s proposal. I turned around and Glen was on one knee with the gorgeous ring. He said some beautiful words to me and asked me to marry him! I said YES and what followed was the most special day full of celebrations. Glen arranged a picnic for us, walks in our favourite places, various games along the way, a surprise supper with family and to end off the night, we had drinks with friends. I am usually the planner and he took my breath away by pulling off a flawlessly planned surprise proposal!
The Planning
I am a wedding planner so naturally I took the lead with the wedding planning admin. However, Glen was as involved as I was. I did all the paperwork but he made every decision with me and he was very much involved. Our team work enabled us to do all our own planning and DIY projects and we had an incredible (and massive) bridal party to help too! Our wedding invitations involved CDs with songs we had written for each other, and we made the rest of our wedding stationary as well. We had no flowers at our wedding and we arranged little trees to line the tables. Our theme was “pink and gold woodlands” and since we got married in Autumn it fit perfectly. We had lots of gold leaves (also a DIY project) and we really wanted the atmosphere to be relaxed and about our love and our guests, and less about the decor.
Looking Back
I have so many wonderful memories from our wedding day. The day began at my house with my nine bridesmaids. We all sat around, painting our nails and eating together, with my favourite TV show on in the background. I got nervous and jittery just as I was about to walk down the aisle and meet my groom, and he showed all our guests a music video he had put together for me with a song he wrote just for me. It was perfect. I have so many bits of wedding tips to give to brides. Things I have learnt as a wedding coordinator and as a bride:
- Be organised. Keep checklists and folders, have a wedding email address, and do your best to keep up with the wedding admin. Don’t allow this to become unnecessarily stressful.
- Get help where you can. If you aren’t naturally organised, get a planner or an organised bridesmaid to help you. Have the best wedding suppliers who can bring your wedding dreams to life.
- Don’t splurge just because it’s your wedding day. I found my dream dress in a regular clothing store and it was really inexpensive. It was perfect and I bought it and I’m happy I did.
- Food is everything. If your venue is known for producing amazing food, your guests will be happy.
- Be personal. Don’t treat your guests as just another person attending your wedding. Message them personally to check in and clarify details if need be. Let them know how excited you are to have them involved in your day. If someone is offended by a decision you have made, engage in conversation and repair friendships if you can.
