Charming Forest Wedding at Florence Farm by Carolien & Ben
Charming Forest Wedding at Florence Farm by Carolien & Ben
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This couple, you guys! They are just too cute for words. Exhibit A: Chris' absolutely awesome surprise proposal on top of a mountain in the Drakensberg (just try watching the video without smiling!). Exhibit B: A forest ceremony with thousands of paper cranes dancing in the breeze above, and so many happy tears from the groom and bride, and father of the bride, and basically everyone who was there, when Ursula made her entrance. Or how about the romantic signage - the quote about forests at the altar, or the banner that declared they'd decided on forever? Or the farm-style rustic reception with country vintage details and pastel flowers, and lovely little wooden crates stencilled with the wedding date? There's so much to love in this forest-meets-farm chic wedding, but the love between the couple are at the centre of it all, and Carolien & Ben did a fabulous job in capturing that in their beautiful, light-filled way.
The Proposal
Wedding Style
Best Decisions The vision we had for our wedding was a place where everyone could enjoy themselves as much as we would, with a relaxing vibe. We also decided to change the normal proceedings of some of the traditional aspects to keep the momentum of the day going and to make our wedding unique. I wanted our wedding to represent who we are: natural, authentic, down to earth and unique. Pastel colours have always been my favourite so we used that as our main colour scheme. The venue complemented our theme as it pulled all the elements together.
Advice for Future Brides & Grooms From Chris: When Ursula and I visited Cathedral Peak, I knew this would be the spot where I asked her to marry me. I started planning The Surprise Proposal and came up with a story (with the help of Westline Aviation and Mighty Fine Productions) - to Ursula we were going away for my birthday and doing a helicopter ride because it was a bucket list item. When she asked if she could give me the helicopter ride as a birthday present I knew she was clueless! Little did she know what was happening in the background - a secret coffee with her parents to get their blessing, in which I received a heartwarming welcome that almost made me break down in tears, and a hunt to find a ring she would like as well as figure out her ring size (the ideas other men offered on how to do this were hilarious!). The helicopter crew were to pretend Lourens from Mighty Fine was some weird hobbyist photographer who wanted to get pictures of the Drakensberg with his new camera and occasionally of a few people. Elsa, his wife, who would be on the mountain before us, was said to be taking pictures of insects for her portfolio. I discretely sneaked the ring into the GoPro casing and the pants pocket I was going to wear on the day, and the crew and videographers executed everything with charm. Ursula believed every word and of course I played along. So many times I wanted to burst out laughing, especially when Ursula gave me a look that said: "why is this guy taking so many pictures of us?" My answer to her was that he was clearly very passionate about his hobby! Once I cracked the question, everything was revealed - and a few tears were shed for sure! You can see the video here.
- To get married as soon as we could after our engagement. We were engaged for exactly five months. You don't need a year or more to plan a wedding.
- Have a band during the canapes while the bridal party were off taking photos between the ceremony and reception. We have had endless compliments saying this was one of the best things they had experienced at a wedding and they didn't feel like they were waiting long.
- Taking a video of the day. We have watched our wedding video countless times and the same feelings come up as they did on the day. We also saw things on the video that we didn't see on the day.
- Have back up - two pairs of cheap shoes for the me was a blessing. After the ceremony and photos in the forest/on the farm my feet were very dirty. My bridesmaids washed my feet just before the reception and I could wear the new pair of clean shoes. Same for my husband - we had a back up shirt for him, after all the nerves and running around in the suit, he could be fresh for the reception.
- Do what is important for you and not anyone else. You will get a lot of advice from EVERYONE. Just 'smile and wave' and still do what you want to do.
- Expect to go over budget by at least 10%, as the little things closer to the day add up and are unexpected.
- Planning a wedding can be stressful, so give each other space to process your experience. Take the time to hear where your new partner is coming from and find workable solutions for both of you (win win). Planning a wedding is a nice way of seeing how you will do planning in your marriage.
I love that Mighty Fine were so much a part of this couple's wedding story - be sure to check out their video:
You can see more from this wedding on Carolien & Ben's blog.
SERVICE PROVIDERS
Venue & catering: Florence Guest Farm, Chrissiesmeer | Photography: Carolien & Ben | Flowers & décor: Secunda Bloemiste | Stationery: Chantelle Hallett from Print Gap (bride's friend) | Video: Mighty Fine Productions | Cake: Bride's mother ( Symphony's Cafe) | Bride's dress: Bridal Wardrobe | Hair & makeup: Lilly Wolmarans Professional Hair & Make-up | Groom's attire: Tiger of Sweden | Entertainment: Georgetown Band
