Jos and Stewart’s Franschhoek Weekend Wedding

This was my last wedding of the season and it was one for the books! Jos and Stewart flew down to South Africa from London with their family and friends to celebrate their wedding at the stunning Mont Rochelle Wine Estate in Franschhoek. They chose the Easter Weekend for the special occasion.

I helped Jos and Stewart plan their wedding from the start. They knew they wanted Mont Rochelle, so we started planning from there. I loved their ideas and thoughts surrounding their special day.

The first thing I must mention is that Jos wanted an outdoor wedding. We opted for a marquee tent incase there was some wind, or if it was to hot for the guests. However, the weather decided that it was not keen to play along and it became a freezing cold winters day on the last weekend in March! One cannot predict the weather here in Cape Town, so it is vital that you have a back up plan. It was heart breaking for me to make the dreaded call and move the entire wedding setup inside the day before. We were literally almost done with the setup, but the wind picked up and the rain came down, and unfortunately, we had to move it inside.

So…. with the help of Dan from Stretch Inc and Rowenna from Botanica, we packed up everything and moved the entire setup into the restaurant area of Mont Rochelle. It took hours, we were all soaking wet and exhausted and I am not entirely sure how liked I was right then by the staff, BUT… The venue transformed into an amazing midsummer nights dream inspired reception area. Naked bulbs hung from the roof, trees filled with fairy lights lined the walls, long greenery runners filled the tables and touches of gold were brought in to add the elegant touch of class. I was blown away by the overall look and I was overwhelmed by the amount of help we received.

I cannot push the fact enough on how incredibly important it is to hire suppliers that go over and above for you. Regardless of the whether or not you hire a wedding planner, hiring trust worthy suppliers who will stay on longer than necessary, who will move 80 chairs up and down stairs, who will do anything they can to make sure the day goes smoothly, are the type of suppliers you want to hire.

Once the actual day rolled around, I was anxious to make sure their day went 100% smoothly. It is always a bit disheartening when your Plan A doesn’t work out, but Jos and Stewart knew that the weather God’s had made up their minds and it was not going to be a gloriously hot Summer’s day on their wedding day. They were surprisingly calm, but this just goes to show that you don’t get married because it’s sunny and warm, you get married because you love your partner – come rain or shine. They were married at the lovely Country Kitchen and the African Band, the Red Dazzlers, sang to the guests as Jos made her way down the aisle towards Stewart. The ceremony was sweet and loving and intimate. The band burst into song once they were married and they even got Jos to dance with them. It was such a lovely site.

Monica Dart from Monica Dart Photography and Wynand from White Lines are a dream team to work with. They captured the day perfectly and weren’t fazed by the weather at all. Indoors or outdoors, they know what they are doing and they do it well! I love the photos from Monica and I love the video – you can watch it here: http://whitelines.co.za/#cbp=http://whitelines.co.za/portfolio-view/jos-stewart/

Chloe and Rowenna pulled out all the stops for this wedding, they went over and above what they were required to do and Rowenna’s husband even helped out when we needed some extra muscle. The venue looked absolutely incredible that day and Jos, Stewart and their guests could not stop smiling.

Jeremy Olivier and his band kept the crowd up on their feet all night. They had such a great party! Another tip, spend a portion of your budget on good music! This can make or break a party and it is so important to hire a professional. Whether it is a DJ or a live band, you won’t regret hiring people who have a passion for what they do – this always, no matter what, shines through and allows you to enjoy your day.

To the wonderful couple… Thank you for being such great sports about the weather. You are both such special people and have such wonderful families. I felt so welcomed by everyone and so appreciate you hiring me to help plan your big day. I wish you all the love and happiness that this world has to offer and wish you everything of the best for your future together.

Ok, this blog post turned into quite the story! Thanks for reading it all the way to the end. One last thanks must go to my amazing providers below, Thank You for the amazing work you did on this wedding.

Photography	Monica Dart
Videography	White Lines
Stationary	Lara’s Designs
Décor and flowers	Botanica
Marriage Officer	Kyle Woodrow
Venue and accommodation	Mont Rochelle
Live music	Red Dazzlers
Live music	Jeremy Olivier
Cake & cake stand	Billy Boos
Photobooth	Booth Nation
Dance floor, fairy lights & stage	Stretch Inc
Hair and make up	Sarah Hoberman – sarahchasteau@gmail.com
Furntiure and bar	Urbantonic
Babysitters	Sitters4U