Ruby + Swallow: Real Wedding: Marisa and Alessandro

WOW where do I begin. We met when we were 13 and 14 years old respectively, at school. Alessandro was 2 years above me and I was the ‘new girl’ in Grade 8. We had an instant spark (even at that age) and would spend lots of time flirting at school and sending SMSes and Mxit chats (no Whatsapp/Facebook/iMessage in those days. Alessandro was one of the popular boys, very involved in school sport and I was a little bit in awe of him ;) We both always had other boyfriends/girlfriends at school (he actually dated one of my best friends and bridesmaids) and only ended up getting together after I had finished matric. We saw each other in Ballito (my Matric rage) and the spark reignited. A few days later I received a text saying: “I don’t know where you live, but I know that I am close by, so given the fact that I would love to see your beautiful face, can I take you out to the movies?”. Swoon!! He is such a sweet-talker! He picked me up and we went to see one of my favourite rom-com’s “The Holiday”. From that point onwards, we were inseparable and here we are more than 7.5 years later!

How did he propose?

Wow this story could take forever to tell!

Alessandro started planning the whole thing a few months prior. I was living in Eshowe at the time (during the week) and so he had loads of time to hide things from me. He recruited help from his/our close friends and planned the proposal of a lifetime.

Firstly he knew I would want something low key and not in a public place so he had originally planned to pop the question at our new house that we recently bought, once I was home for good in December. Unfortunately the house wasn’t going to be ours yet by that stage so plan B was a friend’s beach cottage down the coast.

It took place on the 15^th of December 2013. We were heading down for the day (they managed to make it seem like my idea as they suggested Saturday and I changed it to Sunday) and we decided to take our fur baby Frank with us as he loves the beach. Alessandro knew I needed to be distracted (he also needed time to get everything set up) so he pretended that Frank had gone missing out on the beach while we were watching TV! Our best friend, Nick and I raced down onto the beach and searched for what felt like forever (meanwhile other friends had actually snuck Frank out of the house without me noticing) to no avail.

I ended up heading back to the house to continue the search on the road and when I arrived (sweating profusely and crying like a fool), I found Alessandro dressed in a tuxedo AND our beloved Frank next to him – get this, ALSO dressed in a tux (bowtie and cuffs)! I instantly knew what was happening but couldn’t believe it. I was also just really relieved that Frank was safe!! He dropped to one knee, popped the question and of course I said YES! He had set up a beautiful picnic area where we had some champagne and snacks. Alessandro thought of everything – down to new white and black umbrellas in case it rained! Just when I thought that my day was perfect, I saw my Mom, Alessandro’s parents and all of our close friends and family coming out of the house. He had arranged a surprise engagement party for right then and there! He also managed to video (see it here) and photograph the entire experience. It was honestly the perfect proposal!

What was the best lesson you learnt through planning your wedding?

It was a quote that I read: “Remember: As long as by the end of the day, you have married your soulmate, the wedding was a success!” None of the other little things really matter!

Any tips for brides to be?

Relax and enjoy your day. I was warned by so many people that the day goes by so quickly and you don’t remember any of it. I took it all in, I remember every moment and even some of the speeches. It’s not worth getting worked up or stressed about anything on the day. Just enjoy the love and happiness that will be filling your heart to the brim!

How did you decide on the colour or theme of your wedding?

I have looked at wedding ideas for a while (he kept me waiting for a few years ;) so I had a pretty good idea of what I liked. I prefer simple styles with lots of glass. Sort of minimalist I guess? So I just went with what I liked and it all seemed to fall into place!

How involved was your husband or family in the wedding planning?

Very!! To both. Alessandro is super involved in these sorts of things, which I love about him. He is very creative and has great taste so I always value his opinion. He was actually a dream groom, really supportive and also knew when to leave things up to me. We are both total foodies so he was really involved in the cake and menu, which was a lot of fun! My family was also really involved, none of it would have been possible without my Mom – she really gave me my dream wedding! My sisters are creative geniuses so had heaps of help from them too! SO thankful! My in-laws were also really great - my Mum-in-law was always sending me links to great websites and ideas and even my father-in-law would call and tell me about something he saw online or share an idea with us!

What would you change about your wedding day if you could?

Nothing. The little things that went wrong didn’t matter! Oh wait, maybe the weather. It was easily the coldest day of the year! And I got sick the day before!

Were there any elements of your wedding that you did yourself?

Too many to mention!

Did anything unexpected or extra special happen on your wedding day that surprised you and your husband? (Or just you!)

It wasn’t too much of a surprise as we always knew our wedding would be full of emotion, but I was kind of surprised at just how much Alessandro cried ;) It was really special.

What was your wedding song?

All of Me – John Legend

What was the flavour of your cake?

Carrot / Coffee / Chocolate

Did you go on Honeymoon? And if so, where did you go?

SERVICE PROVIDERS:

Venue: Netherwood, Nottingham Rd – beautiful place! info@netherwood.co.za

Photographer: Thea Cogill of Tink Photography

Decor: Myself and Midland’s Style Events esterd@mweb.co.za

Stationery: Myself and my sister, Daniela Laret

Dress (including bridesmaids dresses): Casey Jeanne Designs – I am obsessed with my dress. It is the most beautiful thing I have EVER worn. Casey is just a dream too, she was so organised throughout which is so important when you’re planning a wedding and she was just a pleasure to work with. studio@caseyjeanne.com Bridesmaids and flowergirl dresses: the lovely Sue de Witt 084 500 6919