Wow, check out these elephants! Yup this is truly an African adventure all rolled up in a wedding. Vivian and Jeroen are a dutch couple who spend a lot of time in South Africa and wanted their wedding to reflect their love of Africa. Their guests were treated to a wonderful sunny day with a braai dinner served under boma’s (for those non-South African’s out there a braai is a BBQ and a boma is like an open hut) and the surprise of seeing the bride arrive at the ceremony on the back of the elephant! Although there were lots of natural elements, this wedding was every bit as elegant as you imagine a wedding to be. Don’t you love the cheese cake, animal print bridesmaid dresses, super lovely protea bouquet, oh and did I say…elephants!
This beautiful day was captured by the talented Laura Jane from Laura Jane Photography. If you’re a South African couple looking for a photographer do check out Laura Jane’s site.
How would you describe your wedding day?
Our wedding day was an absolute fairytale dream wedding that had come true after 2 years of planning! 20 of our friends and family flew in from Holland (where we also live), and for most of them it was their first time in Africa so they were just as excited as us! Along with 20 South African guests we enjoyed a weekend wedding at the exquisite Waterberg Lodge, in the Zebula county Estate near Bela Bela Warmbaths. Our wedding day was relaxed yet emotional, especially as I arrived with 6 elephants as a surprise! The ceremony took place with all our guests in a circle around us under an acacia tree with the elephants in the background. After the ceremony everyone had their photos taken with the elephants & enjoyed a bit of Dutch cheese & biscuits.
Dinner was amazing, all South African style food even a spit braai! The dance floor was outside, and with all the lights & candles was so romantic! At the end of the evening it rained and everyone ended up in the pool – all in all a day we and all our guests will cherish in our hearts forever!
What was your favorite part of the day?
Definitely seeing everyone’s faces as the elephants arrived at the altar, and seeing my husbands face when he saw me in my dress for the first time!
Do you have any words of wisdom for couples planning their wedding?
Enjoy every second of the planning, it’s just as exciting as your wedding day! Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not possible to live your wildest dreams on your special day. Less is more with an African style wedding. It doesn’t mean that it has to cost a fortune, by making your own stationary & being clever with decor you can save a lot.
The best advice you received on your big day?
To enjoy every moment with your man as it goes by too quickly! Also to make sure everything is done ahead of time so all you need to do on your big day is ENJOY!
Anything you would change?
I wish I had taken more time to take photos by the professional photographer and also by family & friends! It was so incredibly hot when we were taking pictures we couldn’t wait for the session to be over!
What were the DIY details that you worked on for the wedding?
Making the stationery, table decor & venue decor was one of my favourite tasks. The wedding invites were made out of elephant dung paper with hearts out of grass & guinea fowl feathers, for the menu cards & name tags I used the same paper along with porcupine quills, guinea fowl feathers and stones, seeds, pods found in the bush and tied with simple string.
A lady from Zimbabwe hand made the thank you gifts, which doubled up as table placements with names of our guests – she made different kinds of African animals – elephants, rhinos, zebras, warthogs, lions – out of wire & beads.
The table decor was complete with white tablecloths & serviettes, reed mat runners and oil lamps. I bought hearts out of woven grass & battery operated fairy lights to hang in the trees.
Simple and cheap yet stunning. Out in the bush we didn’t need any more decor!
The Detail
Venue: Waterberg Lodge at Zebula Country Club with the most amazing
Wedding co-ordinator: Ilse Henderson
Photographer: Laura Jane Photography
DJ: Shawn Holten from Wedding Crashers
Priest: the passionate Dennis Lloyd
Wedding Dress: Co Oleg Cassini from Bride and Co
Rings: Arthur Caplin
Elephants: from Elephant Experience at Zebula
Cheese Tower (wedding cake): from local cheese farmer in Alphen aan den Rijn in Holland – designed by Head Chef Abongile at Waterberg Lodge
Flowers: designed by Irene at Pick & Pay Lifestyle Centre Centurion
Stationery: from Paper Shop The Mall @ Reds. This was a DIY Project.
Leave a Reply