N a t a s h a & J a c o

{all images Hendrik Steytler Photography}

Natasha and Jaco got married in December last year. They had a beautiful reception at Vrede en Lust, an exquisite wine estate in South Africa's historic Franschhoek region. The Meeting...

While Natasha was studying chartered accountancy at The University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, she met Jaco quite by chance.

"I met Jaco in October 2007 in front of my university residence while I was chatting to a friend. Jaco and I instantly got along," said Natasha. Shortly after their initial meeting, Natasha and Jaco embarked on a weekend away with friends and it wasn't long before they started dating.

The Proposal...

Jaco, an engineer from the Cape Town region, proposed to Natasha on their five-year anniversary. "On our anniversary we went for a picnic at a secluded beach in the stunning Cape Nature Reserve, where Jaco proposed," Natasha elaborated. "Our lifelong fairy tale had started!"

The ring was also a complete surprise to Natasha, "I had no involvement in the design or style, but as soon as I saw it I immediately fell in love with my ring!"

The Dress...

Natasha admits that before she got engaged, she didn't give her dress much thought. "I had no idea what style I wanted or where to even start looking. One of my friends suggested I go to Lady Marmalade. I went for a consultation and their dresses totally won me over," she explained. At Lady Marmalade, Natasha found her perfect dress. "I chose my dress because it was elegant, yet different and it fit perfectly with our vintage theme for our wedding," Natasha said.

The Venue...

Despite Natasha's family living in Pretoria, the couple decided to have their wedding in the picturesque Cape Winelands region. Particularly, the wine estate, Vrede en Lust in Franschhoek caught their attention. "During our first visit to Vrede en Lust we both fell in love with the history of the farm, the spectacular view and the unique wedding reception area," said Natasha. "This venue is very special to us as a couple and we both loved the fact that every guest will feel like they were in paradise for one day."

Since Jaco and Natasha had a December wedding, they wanted to enjoy the warm Cape summer weather. "We decided to have our dance floor under the stars next to the vineyards. This also ensured that our guests could enjoy the spectacular view while enjoying themselves," said Natasha.

Wedding details...

Secret Diary and Bunches for Africa took care of the décor and flowers and Natasha and Jaco were thrilled with their work. "Both these companies really understood our wedding concepts and ideas," Natasha said. Their wedding theme ended up being soft and romantic with a vintage element.

The wedding cake was also a gorgeous feature-particularly because a close friend designed and made the cake. "We have a friend who bakes cakes for weddings and birthdays as a hobby. For our wedding, she baked the most exquisite three-tiered cake with two red velvet tiers and one carrot cake tier. The cake was also beautifully hand-piped," Natasha added.

For their wedding favours, they gave each guest a personalised engraved champagne glass as a reminder of their wedding celebration.

Memorable Moments...

The couple had a spectacular wedding with a beautiful setting, stunning décor and very memorable moments. Natasha shared a particularly special moment with Jaco when they read their personalised vows to each other. "During our ceremony when we said our vows, I sang, I won't give up, by Jason Miraz to Jaco," said Natasha. "The day was unforgettable and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Looking back, we can truly say our wedding was a celebration of our first six years of dating as well as of the many wonderful years that lie ahead."

Natasha and Jaco travelled around Asia for their honeymoon. Upon their return, they moved to Johannesburg where they now both work.

Photography Hendrik Steytler Photography Bride's gown Lady Marmalade Reception Venue Vrede en Lust Styling Secret Diary Flowers Bunches for Africa

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