When an email landed in my inbox from bride Ines titled 'DIY Feminist Wedding', I was intrigued. As you know, I'm a huge fan of making your wedding a reflection of you as a couple, and I'm a feminist myself, so I wondered how Fergus and Ines had incorporated their values into their big day (I'll admit, there was a part of me imagining bridesmaids dressed as Rosie the Riveter!) What I found was the kind of sweet, handmade celebration where the couple had really thought about the details of how and when and who - especially at the ceremony. Things like wording can often be overlooked, but after all, the vows you make and the words said are the cornerstone of your new marriage, and I loved that this special couple took the time to craft a day that was completely their own in look and philosophy. Hopefully it'll inspire more of you for your own wedding days. I know you'll be inspired by the gorgeous pics by GingerAle Photography, who captured every lovely vintagey detail, and every happy moment!

Love Story The Proposal Wedding Details
DIY Elements
My mom and I went to a few wedding dress shops, eager to find the perfect dress. Wherever we went, I was told that they didn't have any gowns in my size. They squeezed me into tiny sizes, wanting me to imagine what it would be like once they ordered the correct size for me. I was really disheartened with the process. Then, I came across White Lilly Bridal - I drove past it every day on my way to work. From the very first appointment, I felt incredibly comfortable with Jacelyn. After sending her a few inspiration pics, she designed the perfect dress for me. The whole process was just a dream. She made me feel sexy and confident. I don't know what I would have done without her. She also designed my shoes and a cute sequin jacket for me. Plus, when I realised in a panic just a few days before the wedding that I didn't have a veil, she made the beautiful birdcage for me. Advice for Future Brides & Grooms
Don't make it about the wedding, make it about your marriage. Be kind to each other. Don't plan the wedding for your family, plan it for yourselves. Most of all, take a marriage preparation course! We took a short course through Famsa, who ask for a small donation in return, and it was life changing and made us appreciate each other all over again. Remember, it's about you at the end of the day and your lives together. Never lose sight of that. Everyone thought I was a little nuts, but I had such a great time making all the elements. It helps that I used to be a designer, so everything printed was made by us. We made our own invitations - including cutting out pocketfolds, sticking in our invitation and tying it all up with lace and string. One of the favourite elements I made was the nail art - the heart that hung at the front of the chapel, plus the table numbers. It was great fun. We spent a Saturday staining the wood, and Fergus nailing the pattern (because I'm about the clumsiest person you've ever met) and me looping the string. We also spent a day thrifting and found an old gold frame we repurposed into a chalkboard thanking our family and friends, plus two old crates that we sanded down, varnished and nailed together as our seating chart. Other elements include some embroidery hoop and ribbon dreamcatchers we hung in the trees outside, the jewellery the bridesmaids wore and about 200 or so origami cranes that my maid of honour, my mom and I folded and strung up in the venue. All totally worth it! Above all, we tried to have a feminist wedding. Nothing is perfect and it could be argued that weddings are in and of themselves patriarchal. But I believe that weddings should reflect a couple and this one reflected us and our values. One of the things we did to make it feminist was for me to walk myself down the aisle - something that didn't go down well with my dad! When I got to the front of the aisle, Fergus and I both hugged our families, to symbolise the joining of the two. Our officiant made sure to say that we gave ourselves to each other with our families' blessing. He also put a spin on an old line and made it more equal, "You may now kiss each other!" We had an equal number of male and female voices in the ceremony and speeches, and we both gave a thank you speech together - even though we both hate public speaking! The throwing of the bouquet and the garter was done to single, married, male and female - whoever wanted a shot! Also, we were announced as Ms (not Mrs) Ines Schumacher and Mr Fergus Brogan when we entered the reception venue. It's still surprising to me how some people react so instinctively and thoughtlessly when they hear that I didn't change my surname. "Does your husband know?" is probably the most careless one I've heard.
We're both not religious. Fergus is agnostic and I'm atheist. It was really important to us to have a ceremony that reflected this and we found a great officiant to do just that. His words really spoke to us and our lives together and it was incredibly special.
It sounds incredibly lame, but we knew right from the beginning of our relationship that this was going to be for life. The engagement happened about four years into our relationship. We had just bought a house together and the moment felt right. I knew that the proposal was coming, but I didn't know the details. We drove out to Magaliesberg and Fergus took me to a cheese farm where he'd ordered a picnic. We found a secluded spot and he got down on one knee almost immediately. We were both incredibly giggly and excited, and surprised our family and friends with the news the following day at a(nother) picnic.
Our love story starts like any good love story should: with a glass of champagne. Fergus and I both found ourselves at a 21st for a mutual friend. A good-natured shove from one of Fergus's best friends was all it took for him to walk over and introduce himself. After finishing said bottle of champagne, the sparks were flying and it didn't take long before we found ourselves on our first official date.

You can see more from this wedding on the GingerAle Photography blog.

SERVICE PROVIDERS
Venue & catering: The Nutcracker Country Retreat | Photography: GingerAle Photography | Cake: Kelly Jayne's Cake Boutique | Flowers & décor: Wedding Flowers and Décor | Bride's dress & accessories: White Lilly Bridal | Hair & makeup: Tris Alves | Groom's attire: Eurosuit | Lawn games: Planning to Perfection | DJ: MSM Productions | Wedding officiant: Nigel Levings | Favours: Succulent Oasis | Fynbos confetti: Scatterlings | Marriage preparation: Angela Frankel for Famsa