There’s something magical about tented receptions, but the loose, billowy structures that shielded Estelle + Pieter’s guests from the hot South African sun have an especially dark and mysterious quality about them that just screams desert chic.  Not exactly like the crisp canopies covering sprawling Southern plantations, but what I would give to see these bazaar-inspired tents at an Alabama socialite’s shindig!  And I can’t tell if it’s the near lunch hour (or just Christine Meintjes’ stellar photography) that’s making the spread prepared by Dish Food and Social look like heaven on a plate, but I’d like one of everything, please!  Also, we HAVE to note that Aleit is the genius behind so many of these fabulous details, more of which we’ll have in just a few!

Three words that describe the day are: Love, laughter and excitement.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The venue. We got married on my family farm outside a small farmer’s town, called Swellendam.  The setting is what really made the wedding what it was.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I didn’t find a wedding dress… I believe the Lord sent me a dressmaker for my wedding dress to find me! I had ideas in my head on what I wanted: I wanted something gold, vintage, lace and layered with silk and frills, but not over the top. The dress was more than I could have hoped for!
Describe your wedding flowers:  Our farm is next to the mountains and we have an indigenous vegetation there called “Fynbos.”  The whole look and feel of the wedding decor was centered around the flowers, plants and natural beauty of the surroundings. We used Fynbos from our own farm for the centerpieces and the florists brought the rest. The arrangements ranged from wild mushrooms, thorn branches, proteas to yellow orchids and malva leaves in all sorts of antique vases.  My bouquet was not a bouquet; rather, I had our family dog Mila leading me to my dad and all the way to the aisle, before I gave her to my brother. She was there throughout the entire wedding, checking on us every now and then to make sure I was okay.

Friends, there’s a reason why we have a “Details” feature here on Southern Weddings, and I’m pretty sure that reason looks a HECK of a lot like Estelle + Pieter’s wedding.  I’ve got three posts devoted to their soiree today, and each one is chock. full. of details.  Seriously.  Not a filler portrait to be seen (though the ones we did include are stunning, thanks to talented photographer Christine Meintjes!).  So though this wedding comes to us from the South of Africa instead of the South of the United States, there are SO many ideas to inspire in this wedding.  More soon!

P.S. Estelle’s dress + her bridesmaids’ dresses (both designed by Teresa Joubert)!  The bride’s Queen Victoria-inspired riding boots!  The ceremony seating + fans + umbrellas!  I DIE.

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  We met the first time at church in September of 2007, but the real meeting took place in December.
On the Thursday before my summer holiday to visit a friend in Pringlebay, I impulsively decided to visit a friend of mine at Pringlebay, a small Cape coastal village. That Saturday morning, I found out that three friends from Johannesburg would be joining us for the weekend.

I remember walking down the stairs and seeing this blue-eyed, “bushy-tailed” guy standing in the living room. We were once again introduced and the rest is history.  The planned weekend getaway turned out into an unplanned five day road trip along the coast. We swam in the sea, played beach bats, danced, laughed, went wakeboarding and stargazing, and, in the process, fell hopelessly in love with each other!

After five days, we returned to our families at their respective holiday houses along the coast, but the friendship and fun didn’t stop there. Pieter visited me almost everyday of the holidays and we both knew that life was never going to be the same again!

Describe the proposal:  For the next year, Pieter and I lived apart from one another, but the distance couldn’t kill the love.  After a year of flying between the two cities, hours of telephone conversations and countless emails, he asked me to marry him at my family’s beach house.  I knew he wanted to ask me to marry him since we already had the ring designed and made, but the time he took to pop the question was something!  He first needed to ask my father’s blessing, but he didn’t realize what a mission it would be to get my dad alone over a family holiday! He tried everything to make an “unofficial appointment” with him, but it never worked. In the end, he decided to ask my dad in our kitchen after dinner the one night while the rest of us were watching television! (He had a very hard time, because both my brothers and their wives expected something, so they kept interrupting his conversation!) The whole appointment with my dad stressed him so much that he actually forgot to plan something for the proposal! Luckily, my sister-in-law was there to help. She got him the number of a place where we could go horse riding (my favorite thing in the world!) and they organized to pack a picnic breakfast for us and to hide it somewhere along our road. The appointed morning came and everything went according plan.  We celebrated the engagement with family dinner’s and cocktail parties for three consecutive days!

The SW girls love Spencer Brodsky.  (We’re also a little tiny bit star-struck whenever we talk to him or read about his exploits, but that is neither here nor there.)  I mean, the guy’s personally launched three international charities (Stoves for Darfur, Stoves for Rwanda and Tents in Haiti) and raised over $160,000 in the process, produced his own documentary (Never Again: Not On Our Watch), spearheaded a segment for CNN International and even interviewed Senator Hillary Clinton, so forgive us if we’re a little intimidated – I mean, impressed.

Did I mention that the social activist/interviewer to the stars is an eighteen-year-old senior in Potomac, Maryland?  (Yes, you read that right: high school senior, as in more-accomplished-than-we’ll-ever-be.)

Once we got over our collective shock that someone so young could do so much, we focused on the work Spencer was doing.  This kid’s launched one worldwide movement after another, folks.  His most recent undertaking, Tents in Haiti, seeks to provide temporary shelter to the displaced victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti.  While shelter, as Spencer points out, is a basic necessity for everyone, strong, sturdy tents are even more important to the Haitian population now that torrential rains have plagued the country.

To support Spencer’s cause and, most importantly, to help the people of Haiti, I’m going to give you the chance to win something (err, someone) very special.  Yes, ladies (and gentleman!) of Southern Weddings: I am auctioning off a date with my boss!  (Hi, Lara!)  Okay, so maybe it’s not a date-date, but I am giving you the chance to win an hour with her to spend however you’d like. 

Some options?  A candlelit dinner at her favorite place in the world, Whole Foods.  A rigorous morning workout at the gym, complete with a five mile run and personalized playlist.  A one-on-one conversation about why Emily, Whitney and I are so amazing – and trust me, we are.

None of these sound good?  How about an hour of free wedding planning and personalized event consultation by the Editor-in-Chief of Southern Weddings for all you brides-to-be?  (Didn’t know Lara planned weddings?  Well, she does in her non-existent free time… and they’re kind of ridiculously awesome.)  And for all you creative types (artists, photographers, wedding planners, you name it), Lara will spend an hour reviewing your branding material, going over your goals for 2010 and helping you come up with a kick-butt business plan that will make things happen for you this year.

Now that I’ve (hopefully) got your attention, the auction for Ms. Lara A. Casey ends at 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, February 27, so place your bids now!  Of course, all proceeds will benefit Tents in Haiti and CHF Interational, the organization providing the tents.

Let the auction for Lara Casey begin!  Going once, going twice…

Love,
Katharine

P.S.  To give you a little background about our friend, Spencer, read his motivating interview later this afternoon!

Welcome back to another spectacular Wanwisa Wednesday!

Spring is just around the corner – let the Season inspire a flight of fancy spirit by incorporating feathers, nests and bird motifs to your wedding day! Have a look at some of my favorite reception accessories and bridal fashion pieces!

Gown: Ostrich-feather trim georgette gown by Lanvin via Net-a-porter.com

Peonies in nest centerpieces via Martha Stewart Weddings

Nest Pendant (hang strands of ribbons and attach escort cards for a unique way to display seating assignments), nest votive holder, egg vase fillers (make lovely place cards), nest place card/table sign holders, bird cages, and candles all via Potterybarn.com

Feature hair piece by Alice Hart

Until next Wednesday! xoxo, Wanwisa

David + Linda Murray of David Murray Weddings certainly had a dream setting when it came to photographing Meredith + Ben’s soiree at the Montaluce Winery & Estates.  The bridesmaids’ rich plum-colored gowns from Melissa Sweet perfectly accented the dark + romantic hues of the Georgia-based vineyard, and we love the subtle wine-themed accents (cork place card holders, anyone?!) the couple wove into their celebration.  I’ve been on the lookout for subtle and sophisticated wedding cakes for my upcoming wedding (any suggestions, friends?) and have to give two thumbs up for Meredith + Ben’s simple four-tiered swiss-dot cake from The Frosted Pumpkin, complete with a strand of lilac and cream roses from Bold American Events & Catering.  The bride’s embellished drop-waist gown is a Judd Waddell masterpiece from Bridals by Lori. 

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  In June of 2005, I joined a mixed doubles tennis team for some socializing and exercise.  Little did I know that I would meet my future husband!  I didn’t make it easy for Ben, though.  Sitting on the sidelines watching our teammates play, Ben and I would talk and, every once and a while, he would ask me to hang out with him and some of our teammates.  I would like to say that I was playing hard to get, but really I was just oblivious to what I’ve come to find were Ben’s attempts to “woo” me.  After months of disappointment (according to Ben), I finally agreed to hang out with him after a tennis match.  After an evening of NFL playoff football and Trivial Pursuit, I realized this guy would be fun to hang out with outside of tennis.  Fortunately, I guess Ben felt the same way because it wasn’t too long before he asked me if I would like to play tennis with him one Friday evening.  Always the ultimate competitors, Ben and I battled it out at the Chastain Park tennis courts on a chilly February evening.  Before the first serve, Ben suggested that we place a bet to make the evening a little more interesting: the loser had to pay for dinner.  Little did I know that this was part of a much-debated plan with Ben’s sister (and my future bridesmaid!), Sarah.  Should Ben let me win?  Anyone that knows me knows O am one of the most competitive people you will ever meet.  No way was I going to let Ben “let” me win.  I talked a big game, but Ben destroyed me… I think I won maybe 3 games.  Love must have been blooming, though, because I still agreed to join Ben at a romantic, post-tennis meal on the patio of a local Mexican restaurant.  After a few margaritas and chips and salsa, I was hooked. 
Describe the proposal. The first week of February 2009, Ben and I went to the Bahamas on an incentive trip with Ben’s company.  We spent four great days enjoying fabulous meals, swimming with dolphins and getting pampered at the spa at the Cove Atlantis.  Many months before, Ben and I had decided to spend an extra night on the island, after the “work stuff” was over.  On the last night of our trip, we went to a beautiful beachside restaurant (where they filmed part of Casino Royale) and enjoyed some champagne and island fare.  It was pretty cold that night, so Ben suggested we just head back to our room and watch a movie.  Sounded good to me!  Back at the room, I opened the door to a room covered with roses.  Rose petals on the floor, rose petals on the bed, ose petals on the desk.   I spotted a card addressed to me on the bed alongside a long stem red rose.  I opened it and started reading some of the sweetest words Ben had ever written to me.  As I turned around to give him a hug and thank him, he got down on one knee.  I immediately put my hands to my face and started crying.  (Ben says this is exactly what my mom did when he asked her permission to marry me.)  When he asked if I would marry him, I was crying so hard that I couldn’t say anything, just nod.  I wanted to make it perfect, so I made him ask me again so that I could give him a proper “yes.”  Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  We popped the bottle of Dom Perignon that we had been saving for a special occasion (and Ben had lugged all the way to the Bahamas), and I stared at the most beautiful ring I have ever seen.
Three adjectives that describe the day are:

Meredith: Romantic, exciting and perfect.

Ben: STD – Solid, tight and dominant.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: My mom and matron of honor went with me to Bridals by Lori a few weeks after Ben and I got engaged, and I was on a mission.  With less than 6 months before the wedding, I knew I had to make quick work of finding a dress.  We looked through rows and rows of dresses… all beautiful but nothing jumped out at me.  Then my matron of honor spotted one on a mannequin.  It was a stunning strapless Cinderella-like ball gown with lace and Swarovski crystal embellishments on the sweetheart neck line and waist.  I hesitated because I felt badly about asking them to take it off of the display.  My matron of honor was not going to let that stand in the way of me trying on that dress.  Thank goodness for her insistence.  The stunning dress from the mannequin was the first dress I tried on, the 10^th dress that I tried on, and the last dress that I tried on.  It was “the dress” and I loved it!
Describe your wedding flowers: Simple but unique, and exactly what I had envisioned.  It was as if our event designer (Steve Bales…a genius) peered into my mind and created exactly what I imagined.  I love purple, so there was lots of it.  My bouquet was primarily Sterling roses accented with stephanotis, chocolate cosmos and chocolate fern curls.
Describe your wedding cake: Delicious and elegant.  Our cake was “death by chocolate:” our-tiers of chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache.  The white butter cream icing was accented with platinum ribbon, Swiss dots and a cascade of Sterling roses and Picasso calla lilies.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? When Ben took my hand and said his vows with complete sincerity and love.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? We are currently looking to sell our condos and buy a home in Atlanta.  In the long term, we are looking forward to starting a family, playing a little tennis and enjoying our life together.

Congratulations, Meredith + Ben!  We wish you a lifetime of tennis… and happiness, of course.