31 OCTOBER 2020
ABOUT YOU, AS A COUPLE
How did you first meet?
We used to see each other around while socialising, but officially met at a dance in Pietermaritzburg.
Tell is a little about yourselves as a couple?
We are both very stubborn but love a lot. We both have very good hearts and are very outgoing. We love the outdoors, food fests, gin fests, farmers’ markets, and doing things as a family with our two boys.
What qualities do you admire about each other?
Tim: Shelly is vary caring and always put us first. She does her best to make sure we are all cared for daily.
Shelly: Tim always does his utmost to make sure we are all seen to and that everyone is happy.
THE PROPOSAL
Tell us about the proposal…
Tim proposed to me on Christmas Eve – or was it actually Christmas Day as it was after midnight?! We were at home with friends and family having a Christmas Eve get-together when he got down on one knee and proposed! He was crying a lot! lol
PLANNING YOU WEDDING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
We were three months away from our wedding when the lockdown started in March. All our wedding vendors were already booked and paid, so it was a huge stress for us. However, they all assured us when we decided on our new date they would be there with us and that kinda settled the nerves!
How did you inform guests of the postponement? How did they react?
All our guests were very worried for us. In fact, they actually kept tabs on the news and would call us every time the lockdown was extended. After our new date was decided on, we sent them all a digital card giving them the new wedding date and explained the change being due to lockdown.
How were your vendors at helping you throughout the decision-making and postponement process?
Closer to our new wedding date, we started getting excited again! Our wedding was everything we dreamed and more. From the day we walked into Lythwood to look at the venue, Leon gave us 500% and he never ever short-changed us. With Leon’s personality and character he is one of the best people we ever met. Jodie was also such a darling. In fact, all the staff at Lythwood went out their way for us.
Did it have any effect on your overall wedding budget?
Yes, it did have an effect on our wedding budget as things like invatations, which are so expensive, had to be done again. We also had to pay extra for a courier service to bring my dress down from the UK in time for the wedding.
How was it finding it new date that worked for everyone? Were your vendors flexible?
The new date worked for everyone as, by then, we all just wanted to get out of our homes to mingle and socialise with friends and family.
How were you feeling throughout this entire process? We know it must have been so stressful and frustrating… did anything good come out of this experience that you can share with couples who might now be going through the same thing?
We both felt the stress of the lockdown and all the wedding changes. Prices went up and a few guests that wanted to come celebrate with us had lost their jobs. But we stood by each other and we knew that one day we would have our dream wedding… and it gave us more time to plan and more time to work to get other things that we wanted but hadn’t because of budget.
So yes, it was nerve-racking and stressful but, in the end, it was all worth it – worth the wait! Everything just fell into place.
What was the best piece of advice you received that helped you?
To stay calm and pray.
THE VENUE
What made you decide on Lythwood as your wedding venue?
We actually met Leon a year before at a bridal show and when we saw Lythwood we fell in love with it.
Finding Lythwood was such a pleasure… from the day we walked in, Leon (who is a total gentleman and who’s hospitality was over and above, was so charming we went home and couldn’t stop talking about Lythwood!
All the staff gave 200% on our wedding day – always smiling and always going the extra mile.
Describe Lythwood in 3 words…
Simply the best!
YOUR VISION
What was your vision for your Big Day?
Flowers, flowers, and more flowers! Rustic with a bit of elegance and that is what we got.
Did you have any special details and décor? Tell us…
I loved planning my décor and tables and how it would all to look. And my wedding programmes! I just wanted everything to be different.
PLANNING YOUR WEDDING
What did you find most surprising about planning a wedding?
Nobody tells you how stressful it is and how really expensive it really is! All the running around that comes with planning a wedding can really take its toll on you. You just need to remain calm and stay positive.
What was the most fun detail of your wedding to plan?
I loved planning my décor and tables and how it’s going to look. Then my wedding programmes. I just wanted everything to be different!
What’s your number one piece of advice for couples just starting to plan their wedding?
Just enjoy the journey! We put so much into all the planning and get so stressed out ,but when the day arrives… wow, it goes so fast!
What would be the one thing you would recommend that a couple spends good money on for their wedding?
The food and the venue.
YOUR WEDDING DRESS
Tell us about your dress, from buying it to how you felt in it on the day…
Well I went to look for a wedding dress the weekend before lockdown began. I visited five different wedding boutiques and they all asked when my wedding was taking place. When I told them it would be June 13, they all laughed and said that is not enough time and that dresses take up to 20 weeks. I laughed with shock.
I then saw a beautiful dress at Bella Bride. The magnificent Yolandi from Bella bride set up a zoom meeting with me one weekend and she showed me dresses in line with what I told her I had in mind. One of them was from designer Maggie Sottero and I told Yolandi that is the one I want. She said it would only be available in South Africa towards the end of November so it’s not enough time. I insisted that the dress was the one I wanted. Yolandi went the extra mile (or two) and contacted me the next week telling me that she had found the dress in the UK and that it was the only one and in my your size. Of course I said I would take it!
My dress arrived in the middle of September (which was also stressful as I thought it would not come in time) and wow, was that dress beautiful! Everything I ever dreamt of.
ON THE BIG DAY
Give a brief description of the morning of your wedding – how did you feel, who were you with, what did you do?
The morning of my wedding my bridesmaids and I, along with my flower girls, had breakfast at the restaurant before other guests arrived. We then went to our rooms and I went to the bridal suite as I said I needed a little time to myself. By the time we started with our hair and makeup I started to feel less stressed.
Tell us a little bit about your ceremony… for example, did you write your own vows and, if so, what made you decide to do that?
A highlight for us and a lot of our guests, was our marriage officer! AJ from Dream Ceremonies was so bubbly and full of jokes. He made the ceremony such a lovely one.
And your reception?
It poured and poured with rain the entire weekend but as they say “It’s showers of blessings!” and it definitely didn’t dampen our spirits!
LOOKING BACK
In hindsight, is there anything you wish you had done differently – an aspect you would have left out, something you wish you’d done or perhaps something that didn’t turn out the way you had planned?
Everything went as planned and was perfect. Whatever you felt you could actually change was not worth the stressing about on the day, so just relax and enjoy as your wedding day is about you and your husband and no-one else.
What things were a ‘must have’ for your wedding – that were worth spending your money on…
A beautiful wedding dress, no matter the cost. Comfortable wedding shoes.
Did you go on honeymoon and, if so, for how long?
We didn’t have a honeymoon as we wanted to go to Zanzibar but they were only opening in March 2021.
A favourite quote?
When two become one flesh… therefore, what God has put together, let no man separate.
Wedding Suppliers
Photographer & Videographer: KZN Wedding Video
Wedding Dress: Bella Bride
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Emerikay
Suits: Sauvity
Hair & Makeup: Mobile Beauty with Sam
Nails: Polished by Chan
Décor & Flowers: Magic Thyme
Wedding Stationery Design: Fuchsia Fine Event Stationery
Wedding Cake: Lorraine from Divine Wedding Cakes
Live Music: Reality (6 piece band from Kokstad)
Marriage Officer: AJ from Dream Ceremonies
Wedding Favours: Chevone Naidoo