Be inspired by Nicci and Vaughn’s boho-chic big day

RUSTIC CHARM | BOHO-CHIC | GOLD ACCENTS | CHALKBOARD CAKE | SOUTH AFRICA
GRECIAN STYLE FLORALS – WHITE ROSES, SUCCULENTS + OLIVE LEAVES

How did you first meet?

I met him on a day when I was completely not expecting to meet a nice guy, never mind my future husband! I was having a phase of trying new things and decided to give rock climbing a go. I went along with an old work friend and their friends for the day, where I met Vaughn. When we were driving home I looked at him and thought he was cute.

How did he propose?

Vaughn had taken me away to this amazing game lodge in Madikwe Game Reserve for a romantic weekend. Every time we went on game drives just the two of us or at random times like when he was kneeling to tie his shoe, I was thinking ‘is he going to ask me?’ and he didn’t. By Sunday I had messaged my sister to say I didn’t think it was going to happen, then that night he called me out to our porch, which was covered in little lanterns. He had a bottle of bubbly and… he popped the question!

Describe your wedding gown

I designed the dress and collaborated with my mum who then made my dress. She sewed on the soft tulle and reformed it, she beaded the top and bottom. We bought beautiful Ellie-Saab fabric which had gorgeous flowers on and my mum cut, appliquéd and hand-sewed them on to the dress. It was a labour of love and I felt like an Elfin Princess.

Tell us about your accessories

I bought little flower pins as well as my shoes which were an off gold. I wore vintage drop earrings that looked elegant as they caught the light and when the confetti was thrown it actually stuck to my hair but looked really cute alongside the little fynbos flowers I wore.

The Groom

He wore a suit and waistcoat made from grey Valentino fabric by Naked Ape, a South African designer, who made it especially for the wedding. I cheated because I could see him out of the window walking to the chapel while I was waiting for the guests to arrive – he looked really dashing.

The Bridesmaids

I had two bridesmaids, my sister Carla and my cousin Jardene. They had dresses from Bride and Co in the same colour but different styles to accentuate their different figures. I bought them hair clips to match the details on my dress from Accessorise, and they wore sparkly silver shoes.

The Ceremony

It was a civil ceremony with some prayers added in. Holding his hands, looking at him, feeling all the love around us and seeing all the beautiful mountains in the background – the actual ceremony was my favourite memory.

Who walked you down the aisle?

My father passed away three years ago, so I asked my cousin to walk me down the aisle.

The Reception

We held our reception in a farm we had rented for the weekend. We chose a boho-chic theme with a contemporary edge, adding glitter to the rustic touches to make them more opulent.

How did you decorate?

My sister hires out props for weddings so I used a lot of her planters, tea lights and old suitcases from Moi Décor Hiring. We hung lanterns filled with candles and also added flowers to them for centrepieces. I cut rectangular doilies into flags to make bunting and strung ribbon up to complement the boho-chic theme.

The Flowers

I used Ribbon Creative Studio for my flowers. We used a combination of air plants, O’Hara roses, cushion bush, eucalyptus, lotus pods and dusty miller.

The Cake

Our cake by Inge from The Cake Cartel was absolutely delicious! It looked like a chalkboard and had chocolate ganache inside.

The Stationery

I designed and made all my own stationery. The invitations were 16-page passport books which had maps and information inside for our destination wedding.

The Favours

I had cookies that looked like chalkboards with love written on them.

The Honeymoon

We rented an apartment in Paris and then went to Croatia for our three-week honeymoon. While in Croatia we visited Plitvice where the lakes and waterfalls were breath-taking.

What is your top budgeting tip?

Think creatively in terms of decorating. Flowers are very expensive but you can use different items as centrepieces like lanterns.

 

Suppliers