Arts on Main, Joburg

♥ ♥ ♥

Natalie and Dave's urban botanical wedding is a sight to behold! The couple wanted something simple, relaxed and something true to who they are. Everything just seemed to flow from that. The venue was the perfect starting point for the inspiration behind their wedding and after time spent searching, they eventually realised that what they really wanted was right under their noses in Joburg itself.

Dave went to school in town and has big ties to the city, while Natalie is a nature baby. The couple decided to combine their loves and their artistic talents to have an old school botanical wedding theme in the heart of industrial Joburg at The Canteen at Arts On Main, featured as part of these 10 Lovely Johannesburg Wedding Venues . In the end, Natalie got her grass aisle and string lights and Dave got his city energy. It was a beautiful juxtaposition, perfectly preserved by Lad and Lass Photography.

Urban Botanical Wedding Look

Urban Botanical Wedding Bouquet and Corsages: Her bouquet had a relaxed indigenous feel with a Cape Fynbos influence, as that is where Natalie grew up. The corsages mirrored the bouquet. Heather Thompson from Botany SA did the most incredible job making her vision come to life.

(Above Left) Urban Botanical Wedding Dress: Natalie wanted something that would mirror her personality. "I'm certainly not a meringue dress kinda girl," she says. So she decided on something with a low back, simple lines with a hint of vintage and very talented designer, Rozanne Whyte created the magic after that.

Urban Botanical Wedding Boutonnières: Natalie's friend who owns a wood cut business created these wooden Cape Fynbos boutonnière pins for the men to wear.

Urban Botanical Wedding Ceremony, Arts on Main

The entire day was a magical experience, but the couple's personal vows were certainly the most special and almost a bit surreal. "We heard afterwards that there wasn't a dry eye around by the end of them," says Natalie.

The Tale Of Their Proposal

Natalie shares the tale of Dave's two proposals: Dave proposed on a beautiful sunset beach at Paternoster (very romantic), only thing was, the ring box was empty! Turns out he left the ring in his pocket to get through the airport and forgot (in his nervous state) to put it back in the box. After a small panic attack, he found the ring and re-proposed. I said YES, again.

Urban Botanical Wedding Reception, Arts on Main

Urban Botanical Wedding Arts on Main, Joburg Wedding Venue: Natalie and Dave wanted the venue to be right before they planned anything else, as it would describe the mood and theme of their wedding. It took a while of searching through horse-and-carriage-cookie-cutter wedding venues before they found The Canteen at Arts on Main.

Urban Botanical Wedding Decor: Natalie's parents are both scientists so they used a lot of glassware from their work to suspend orchids in them like scientific specimens. They found the rest of the décor in secondhand shops. They also created unique pieces of decor from items found in Natalie's parents garage.

Founding Editor: Storm Buckingham