I witnessed their engagement. And
I was lucky enough to witness their wedding, and what a beautiful affair it was. Roxy and William are the epitome
of beautiful love, and I was so privileged to see that for myself on their
special day. Most weddings are special because of all the pretty details. Then
there was this one; because even if you took all of that away, you would find a
girl standing in front of a boy declaring their unconditional love for each
other.
Good morning everyone, it’s Kim
here today. I’m so proud to present to you today's Love Story: William & Roxy..
Full names of the bride and groom: Roxanne Antel &
William Anderson
Venue: St Mary’s Church, Richmond & Straven Court,
Baynesfield
Colour and/or Theme: Country Autumn
So what’s your love story?
Will and I met through mutual friends from church when I
was in need of a matric dance partner. I am so thankful that I plucked up the
courage to ask him to the dance as we had the most wonderful time together,
despite barely knowing each other. We remained friends and slowly got to know
each other over the next year, even though I went to study in Cape Town while
he was studying in KwaZulu-Natal. About a year after my dance he asked me out
at sunrise on the top of a mountain overlooking his farm in the Midlands. A few
months later I moved back to KZN (long-distance sucks!) and we had the most
wonderful, fun and adventurous (working a ski season in America in particular)
three years of dating before getting married.
Will was very brave and chose to propose in front of all
my friends and family at my 21st birthday party. He and my friend
Rachel had organised a slide show to be shown at the party, which I didn’t
think was unusual. However, I started getting suspicious when at the end of the
slide show it was just one picture after the next of the two of us, highlighting
the fun we’d had together while dating. The slide show ended with a video clip
Will had taken from the top of his farm (the same place he’d asked me out),
where he described his feelings for me. He then dropped to his knee, in front
of a gasping crowd, presented the most beautiful ring and asked me to marry
him. It was perfect as we could then celebrate the engagement with everyone at
the party.
What was the best lesson you learnt through planning your
wedding?
Relax and enjoy the engagement and planning stages, don’t
just wish for the wedding to come, as you’ll only be in that stage of your life
and relationship once.
Any tips for brides-to-be?
Listen to people who may be more experienced than you in
certain parts of wedding planning, but if you don’t agree or like their ideas
then be assertive enough to say so to avoid having regrets later on.
Think carefully when doing your guest list; it’s more
important to invite the people who you’ll be spending future time with, even if
you may not be close yet, than the people who you are unlikely to remain your
close friends in the future.
Make sure you give your photographer a list of exactly
what photos you want and who should be in them so you don’t end up lacking
professional photos with people who are important to you (such as
grandparents).
How did you decide on the colour or theme of your
wedding?
I saw a picture of bridesmaids’ dresses in a magazine
which I loved and tried to replicate as much as possible. The colours in their
dresses became the same ones used throughout the wedding decor and stationary.
The same colours lent themselves to an Autumn theme and the wedding had a
country feel to it as a result of both myself and William being farmers and getting
married on a farm.
How involved was your husband or family in the wedding
planning?
William was a great support throughout the planning of
the wedding and was always ready to discuss aspects of the wedding and give his
input. Being very practical and good with his hands, he was excellent when it
came to building things required for the wedding, such as arches and
flower-arranging equipment.
The family involvement in our wedding was substantial. As
a result of getting married on my home farm there was a lot that needed to be
done to get the venue ready. A tennis court was converted into the reception
using enormous wooden poles, a beautiful tent and a lovely wooden deck. My
father oversaw all the building and had a lot of help from his friends and my
brothers. My mother was amazing in getting the garden beautifully transformed
in only a few months. William’s cousin designed all our wedding stationary and
my auntie made the flower girl dresses. On the big day my sister, sister-in-law
and brother-in-law lead the worship, my auntie did the catering, my grannies
made tea eats, the wedding cake and did the church flowers and my mother-in-law
did the flowers in the reception venue.
What would you change about your wedding day if you
could?
I think the only regret I have was leaving people off the
guest list. Although we had a really big wedding there are still people who I
wish I could’ve somehow made a plan to invite.
Were there any elements of your wedding that you did
yourself?
Almost all the elements of the wedding had my involvement
and decision-making but I had a lot of help from friends and family when it
came to the actual practical putting together of things.
Did anything unexpected or extra special happen on your
wedding day that surprised you and your husband? (Or just you!)
The whole day was super special and beautiful but the
most unexpected event was when my husband handed a calf (a real live one) over
to my dad as ‘labola’ during his speech.
What was your wedding song?
Life in Technicolor II by Coldplay (who we were lucky
enough to watch live last year). {Click on the link to watch the video}
What was the flavour of your cake?
Where did you go on honeymoon?
William planned the honeymoon as a surprise and we had
the most amazing time. We spent our first night at Tala Game Reserve, four
nights at Umngazi River Bungalows and four nights in the Kruger National Park.
I think the highlight for me was Umngazi; it is so beautiful and the food and
service is amazing.
Venue: Straven Court, Baynesfield (Evan Antel: 082 448
6072)
Coordinator: I didn’t have one.
Decor: The draping was done by Muirheads in Pietermaritzburg, but all
the other decor was put together with the help of friends and family.
Stationery: Will’s cousin, Struan Anderson, was in the design and
advertising field at the time so he designed all our stationary and it was
printed by Arrow Print in Pietermaritzburg.
Dress (including bridesmaids dresses): I was lucky to find a dress that I loved at the first
shop I visited, Belle’s of Hilton. The
mother of one of my bridesmaids, Annie Fincham, made the bridesmaids dresses.
Hair: Amanda at Chilli Peppers, Pietermaritzburg (033 342-0911).
Make-up: Michelle Stegen (0845140283)
Flowers:
Church: My grannies and their friends
Reception: My mother-in-law,
Luan Anderson, and a team of her friends
Catering: My auntie, Bridgette English (0827504274)
Cake: My granny, Rae English
We would love to see your wedding! If you would like to feature it on our blog, email us at rubyandtheswallow@gmail.com
Labels: Arrow Print, Baynesfield, Belle's of Hilton, Chili Peppers, country autumn, labola, photography, realweddings, Straven Court, Tala Game Reserve, Wedding
