Michael & Ranay came to South Africa to celebrate their wedding with family and friends at the beautiful Green Leaves Country Lodge and Venue in Hartbeespoort, North West. They met at a work function. Ranay joined the company just as Michael was making his exit from the company. Their friendship blossomed into something more just as Michael was leaving to Australia for a few weeks of work. Their first official date was via Skype; they each had a glass of wine and pretended they were sitting across each other at a table in a restaurant. Even though there was a six hour time difference, Michael stayed up just for her, 3 years later they moved to Australia together.
How did you propose?
About four months before I proposed I called up Ranay’s father to ask for his blessing to marry his daughter. In July I surprised Ranay with a weekend away to the coastal town of Mandurah. She thought the weekend away was for her birthday, which was a week later, so she had no idea I was going to propose. We stayed in a hotel next to the Quay right by the ocean and my plan was to propose on the beach at sunset. Unfortunately we only managed to get there after sunset and I thought ‘well if you can’t have sunset the next best thing would be to have sunrise’. So the next morning we went for a stroll along the shore line. I was very nervous, and words just came rambling out of my mouth before I asked her the big question. After I told her how much she means to me and how she has changed my life for the better I got down on one knee and asked Ranay to be my wife.
How long did the planning take?
The planning started right after we got engaged – so 18 months give or take. Planning a wedding from Australia was not easy, but with help from family and friends in South Africa, we managed to do a great job. Choosing vendors while in Australia was the hardest part, as you could only base your decision by what’s posted on their websites. We only went to view the venue and meet other vendors two weeks before the wedding. That was very nerve wrecking for the Bride.
Was the groom involved in the planning at all?
The groom was indeed involved in the planning. He helped with addressing all the invitations in calligraphy, he had a small hand in the table decorations, we decided on the venue, photographer, DJ, Cake and Officiate together and he helped where he could with everything else.
How did you decide on the colours/theme of the day?
Theme/Colour was a difficult decision, we started looking at a black and white colour scheme, and as we looked for ideas from magazines and websites the black and white colour scheme felt overdone. We also realised that black and white would not fit in well with our venue choice. We then decided on a classic romantic theme with champagne as the main colour and soft touches of cream and white to fit in with Green Leaves Tuscan venue.
Where there any DIY project on the day?
Because of the distance we did not do much DIY items for the wedding but we were hands on with all the details, especially the miniature cakes and boxes for the miniature cakes. We also addressed the invitations in calligraphy ourselves.
Do you have any advice for brides-to-be?
- Use Rianka’s Wedding Photography as your photographer – they are amazing!
- Decide on a date and venue ASAP, especially if you are set on getting married on a specific date, as venues gets booked our months in advance. As long as a venue is set then the rest will fall in place, because the venue does play a part in your Theme/Color scheme.
- Remember this is You and your Partners day, so plan a wedding to your style and not what you think other people would want.
- Don’t do it all by yourself, friends and family’s help is a big part of arranging your big day.
Lovilees that made the day possible included:
Dress: Collezione Bridal Couture {Australia} | Suit: Hugo Boss {Australia} | Hair + Make-up: Mari Bridal | Brides rings: Creations Jewellery {Australia} | Grooms Rings: Ecali {Australia} | Cake: Purple Pussy Cat Cakes and Creations | Flowers, Venue and Church Décor: Cafe Fleur | Stationary: Menu’s: Felicitations {Australia} + Invites: La La Designs {Australia} | Music: Soundworx | Officiant: Weddings Galore | Harpist: Gaylen Rose
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