Minette (and Hendri) had the following to say about her wedding day:
A truly South African winelands wedding in the prettiest month, October with a little bit of winelands from Franschhoek, combined with a little bit of a French affair at the 5 star Le Franschhoek Hotel and Spa. The ceremony was held on the premises in an old wine house with the reception in a glass conservatory in the middle of a working fruit orchid. We combined white with hues of grey, added a splash of purple and used lots of glass and mirror in the decorations. Flowers were mainly white and green.
Our wedding was a true celebration of us, on the exact day we celebrated our 8 year anniversary, 30 October 2010 – no tears, pure joy and happiness. We had a superb team of the very best wedding service providers (refer to list of service providers on the photographers blog). For any bride getting married in the Western Cape, I can recommend these service providers again and again.
What was different? Everything. Each aspect of the wedding was coordinated to represent the bride and groom. We had no bridesmaids or ushers, we didn’t do the bouquet and garter thing, we had a morning wedding, with a reception and thereafter an ‘after-party’ until 3h00 am the next morning. Very none traditional, but oh so very much us! For once the bride and groom cannot complaint that the day flew by (everyone warned us about that upfront). We didn’t do the typical wedding-favour-for-each-guest’s thing, but rather provided guests with many souvenirs throughout the day. From customised pens and a wish-ring (write a wish and hang it on our wish ring then keep the pen), to custom printed napkins with the menu in French. Dessert was a cake-and-chocolate bar where guests could pick their own selection of cake and chocolate truffles and eat there or take a box to go.
An enormous amount of detail was brought into the wedding with the décor and stationary on the day. As a final souvenir to guests, each couple received a young lime tree with planting instructions. The purpose of this was for our guests not just to enjoy the day, but to plant a tree for the newlyweds. A tree that will grow, change with each season, will carry fruit and each year, with our wedding anniversary in spring, the tree will be in full bloom which should forever remind our guests about our wedding day.
The dessert table was brimming with sweet treats. We printed a "sweet" poem on an oversize banner and had beautiful silver lettering made to mark this station.
The favours that the guests could take home, was lime trees adorned with white paper butterflies with the guest name and planting instructions.
The guest book was something different! We created a post card station with a wish ring floating above the table, where guests could pin their wishes to the newly wed couple.
The happy couple: Hendri and Minnette.
Just for fun, we made slate coloured wooden signage for these fun pics. Also with calligraphy silver lettering.
Slate grey signage indicating the reception.
Beautiful photographs, taken by http://www.zara-zoo.com/, and the wedding was planned to perfection by Karla Oetler from, http://www.absolutewe.co.za/.
Dear Elsje Designs team
Thank you for not just designing my wedding stationary from the Save-the-date's all the way to the thank you cards, but for creating mini souvenirs out of stationary that my guests can nurture for years to come. Thank you for being more than just graphic designers but even being translators from English to French at times! Thank you for always welcoming me to the studio with a smile, thank you for allowing brides like me to do some of it myself (DIY). Thank you for gentle guidance and advice, thank you for saying it like it is, every now and then, when my ideas really weren’t going to work! Thank you for creating stationary that represents the bride and groom, stationery that have my guests still talking!
Always keep doing what you do, with the dedication and perfection that you do it. You inspired me, and I am sure you inspire many other brides-to-be!
What amazed me and always will from the Elsje Designs team
- Your commitment to continually improve
- Your prompt response to e-mails
- Always meeting the deadlines
- Friendliness from the team
- Your creativity
- Your passion for your work
- I have come to believe that all weddings are almost similar and after planning a wedding and designing stationery, some things will start repeating themselves. I have noticed that even for brides who pick something from the existing stationery collection, you still strive to personalize the stationery for each person. And you succeed each and every time. Keep it up!
A bride's advise to brides-to-be:
- Visit the Elsje Designs studio in Durbanville. Whether you are planning a wedding or not, planning on having someone design your wedding stationery or doing it yourself. Their studio is a must see, a hive of creativity, a place where anyone can spend hours and hours just looking at all the pretty things, a place where you are sure to be left in awe.
- Elsje Designs does not just do wedding stationery. They do stationery and a million other things, even Absa Currie Cup Final (replicated) tickets that will have guests wondering. Visit them for general inspiration on any celebration and not just stationery.
- Print enough, and keep aside some of the stationery before the wedding. Guests like to take home souvenirs such as menu’s and order of service cards or confetti boxes. In the end, you will be left with no stationery of your own wedding day. Either have extras printed, or keep some aside upfront. I now need to get more printed to keep as a souvenir for myself!
Minette
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