Kirsten & Jason

You were a fan before you were a girlfriend?

Jason was a musician in a band that I really admired. We became very good friends and after a while he asked me out. I am still his biggest fan!

Surprise proposal?

Yes it was! Jason surprised me by proposed in my birthday.

Did you send out a Save the Date?

We were going to send one out but by the time we had decided on our date, everyone already knew so it seemed a bit pointless. We sent our wedding invitations out via email three months in advance.

Who helped you put it all together?

We chose our date in January and had just over 7 months to plan. I had a lot of help from my mom, my maid of honour, Kim and from Jason. The Plantation and Lynley from Floral Creations and the Hire Warehouse made our wedding planning a breeze.

Kitchen tea, hen’s night or bachelorette party?

My maid if honour surprised me with a kitchen tea at a beautiful restaurant with family and friends.

Why The Plantation?

We looked at three venues but I knew from the beginning that The Plantation would be the perfect venue for us. We had previously attended a wedding there and it was breathtaking and their food was to die for. The Plantation has flexible wedding packages that make wedding planning a lot less stressful. The staff are so friendly and professional and their after-sales service is outstanding. But, what I think completely sold me was when I found out that I would be arriving at the chapel in a horse-drawn carriage!

You had your wedding dress made?

My dress was made by Hoiden. They make the most beautiful bridesmaids dresses and I knew they could make my dream dress too. I didn’t want my dress to be flashy or over the top and Hoiden has this simplistic yet classic, rustic style that I love.

No veil?

I had a gorgeous hair clip made and had pictured it with a fishtail braid and though a veil would just hide the beauty and craftsmanship put into making the clip. I also think that so much time and effort is put into doing a bride’s hair, and to have a veil, for me, defeats the whole purpose of all that hard work?

How many guests?

65

Simple but effective table decor?

We didn’t want to overcrowd the tables with unnecessary things. We found a whole bunch of great ideas on Pinterest and with the help of Lynley (The Plantation’s in-house florist) from Floral Creations and The Hire Warehouse, we managed to take some of the ideas and make them our own.

Music?

Since we had all the equipment, we decided to make a list of our favourite songs and have them play though the reception. We had someone who could control the music from their table, it worked out perfectly and cut costs.

Your opinion on wedding favours?

I personally don’t think they are a must. We only decided to have wedding favours after everything else was paid for and they fitted within our budget. They do however add a nice touch to the tables.

Aisle and first dance songs?

The popular A Thousand Years by Christine Perri was the aisle song chosen by Jason and performed live by Classic Entertainment. Our first dance song was Eyelids by Pvris.

Any tips for sticking to the wedding budget?

Firstly, set a budget to stick to. Most venues have really good package deals so do some proper research and weigh up your options to see what would be the best value for money. We over-budgeted for a few things and so gained extra money to use elsewhere which was a bonus.

What did you do about wedding gifts?

We asked for money instead of gifts. We have everything we need and wanted to make the most of our honeymoon by doing things we wouldnt normally experience on a day-to-day basis.

Honeymoon?

We went for an all inclusive honeymoon package. We stayed in Knysna for a few days and then went through to Wilderness. It was lovely to experience some of the most beautiful parts of our country.