Christine & Pierre's Tres Jolie Affair

Written by: louise

Hello lovely readers! If you're thinking about hosting your wedding outdoors, but are worried about the unpredictable weather {who isn't?} then today's gorgeous wedding might just inspire you to think again. Christine & Pierre beat the December weather by bringing their outdoor wedding indoors - with potted trees creating an 'indoor terrace', a pale sage green & blush pink palette, and clouds of baby's breath completing the light & fresh look. Geneviève Fundaro's clean & contemporary photography is the perfect match!

Pierre and I met at a braai {BBQ} at a mutual friend's house which led to a whirlwind courtship. However the courtship was postponed a year because we were studying in two different parts of the country. Needless to say, Pierre wasted no time in asking me out on a date when we were finally living in the same city and within 3 weeks of courting we were dating. Pierre's proposal was absolutely perfect! I didn't expect a thing. He had this whole back story that I fell hook line and sinker for! He told me that he had won a prize at work, a dinner for two at this gorgeous guesthouse that looks over the entire of Pretoria. This was totally acceptable for me because his workplace really does have prize giving where you would receive such a prize. So we arrived at the guesthouse, all dressed and ready for a lovely dinner. At sunset, we went up to the balcony to admire the beautiful view and the next thing I know, Pierre gets down on one knee. It was a beautiful moment and one I will never forget. Neither of us can actually remember his big speech, the moment was just too big, but we both remember the "yes" part which is the most important! My dress was made by Dennis Lloyd, a South African designer. I brought him a picture of the dress that I wanted and within 10 weeks, my dress was made to perfection. I wanted to look and feel like someone you would expect to see in a 1920's movie and my makeup artist, Cicilia Kaufmann, did just that. My lips were a bright read and my eyes were beautifully done. I truly felt gorgeous. My hair was done in a similar beautifully vintage fashion by Cicillia's assistant, Cheugnette Dadford. My favourite details about the entire day were my shoes and my veil! I bought white satin ballet shoes from Ballet Barre which my dressmaker then covered in lace which he used in my dress. My veil was handmade, the rose on the veil was removable so after the ceremony, I could remove the veil and keep the rose in my hair. The rose was also made from material from my dress. My bridesmaids all wore the same material and colour but different dress designs, I wanted their personalities to come through. My very trendy hubby wore a zink blue suit with a matching charcoal waistcoat and light brown shoes. (I know it sounds weird but it works). The grooms men where grey waistcoats and pants to compliment the groom.

We chose Trés Jolie, situated in Johannesburg, as our wedding venue. We wanted a romantic laid back feeling, but this was not the only criteria! We also wanted beautiful gardens, a reception hall that will let my indoor-outdoor dream come true and it must be reasonably priced. Quite a tall order, but did it all and more!

I desperately wanted an outdoor reception but my very practical hubby was nervous about the notoriously unpredictable December weather. So what's a girl to do? You bring the outside, inside. We decided on a venue with full floor glass windows for walls, so you can get the nature feelings and from the high ceiling, we draped fairy lights to create a kind of magical feel. The main décor for the reception were 10 trees strategically placed between the tables. Each stood about three meters tall and was covered in fairy lights of their own. The table décor was kept simple, to accentuate the trees as the true décor. The overall theme was romantic and laid back; we chose this as we wanted to remain true to our personalities. I chose light olive green to go with the tree theme and dusty pink as a complimentary colour.

did my arrangements for me. I knew I wanted roses for my bouquet and Baby's Breath for the bridesmaid's bouquets. As for the table arrangements, we chose an array of white arrangements, all containing Baby's Breath and white roses and some succulence to capture the rustic natural feel. We had a lot of candles in the table arrangements as well.

We had a cheese cake. The entire cake was made up of cheese wheels which my bridesmaids and I got directly from a cheese producer. then arranged the cheese wheels and made it look very delicious with fruits, biscuits and roses.

Our photographer was the extremely talented Geneviève Fundaro. She captured our special day in a way that literally brings tears to your eyes! We chose her because we loved her romantic and warm style. Every shot is a happy and beautiful one, a shot that captures the emotion of the moment perfectly.

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Categories: real weddings · Tags: baby's breath, birdcage veil, cheese cake, pink, romantic, rose bouquet, sage green, south africa, vintage