Wedding Stories

Whitney & Steven Lythwood Wedding

Posted admin

24 September 2022 - KZN Midlands

About you, as a couple

What quality do you most admire about each other?

{Whitney} Steven is honest and kind.

{Steven} Whitney is smart and nurturing.

The Proposal

Tell us about the proposal

Steven asked me to marry him in 2018. We had been living in different provinces for a few months. He flew to Durban and surprised me, taking me out to dinner. He told me that he’d like to send his uncles to negotiate lobola for me and I said YES!

How long was your engagement?

Four years.

The Venue

Did you find it challenging to find your perfect venue?

No, we knew almost immediately where we wanted to have our wedding. What made you decide on Lythwood as your wedding venue? We visited Lythwood in June of 2016, and we always vowed we would come back again because our stay felt so magical. Having our wedding there just seemed the obvious choice.

Review Lythwood as a wedding venue

Lythwood makes it all so much easier. The service and hospitality is unmatched. We received so much guidance and advice which played a huge role in ensuring that we stuck to our budget. It’s such a beautiful and peaceful place. The food is always delicious, and our wedding day was no exception.

Your Vision

What was your vision for your big day?

Elegant.

Did you have any special details and décor? Tell us...

We really love nature and outdoors so we wanted our décor to complement that beautiful and natural greenery surrounding the property.

Planning your wedding

What did you find most surprising about planning a wedding?

The cost of everything. Weddings are expensive because there are a lot of role players involved, i.e., flowers, wedding dress, hair, make-up,photography, videography, decor, shoes, suits, all the traveling required. The costs can climb quite quickly.

What did you find the most challenging part of planning your wedding?

The guest list. It was very frustrating.

What was the most fun detail of your wedding to plan?

Wedding dress and suit shopping.

What did you learn about your husband/wife during the planning?

We both wanted to have a beautiful wedding but we definitely weren’t willing to spend more than we felt we had to for it.

What did you learn about yourself?

That I am very resilient.

What’s your number one piece of advice for couples just starting to plan their wedding?

If your service provider recommends less expensive alternatives to what you want, consider those options. Try to save as much as you can towards your wedding. Taking out a loan for your wedding will add an unnecessary stress you don’t need in your new life together.

What would be the one thing you would recommend that a couple spends good money on for their wedding?

There isn’t any one thing but a combination of things — venue, photography, wedding outfits, and RINGS!

Your Wedding Dress

Tell us about your dress, from finding it to how you felt in it on the day...

I bought my wedding dress from David’s Bridal in New Jersey, USA. It is a textured, organza ball gown by Vera Wang. It was a special gift from my aunt, who is really like my second mom. It was the third dress that I tried on and I loved it. I felt like royalty in it.

Wearing my dress on my wedding day felt full circle, it was really my fairytale moment.

On the Big Day

Give a brief description of the morning of your wedding – how did you feel?

On the morning of our wedding, we were both excited but tired. There were a lot of preparations that had to be done beforehand and on the day of the wedding.

Tell us a little bit about your ceremony… for example, did you write your own vows?

We both wrote our own vows in His and Hers vow books. We were both emotional but content.

And your reception?

Our reception was beautiful, everything looked better than we expected. The programme was short and fun and the food was delicious. We were both so tired though after the day.

Looking Back

What was the most memorable moment of your wedding for you?

Our bride and groom grand entrance. It was the first time seeing my husband dance the way he did, he NEVER dances!

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?

In hindsight, everything good or bad happened as it should. We are just grateful to have reached such a milestone and to have had such an experience. God blessed us with a day filled with love and family.

Name one to three things that were a ‘must have’ for your wedding – that were worth spending your money on...

My hair and make-up, tequila shots, and flat shoes!

Where did you go on honeymoon and for how long?

We left for our honeymoon a day after our wedding. We went to Stellenbosch in the Western Cape and stayed at Molenvliet Vineyard for four days

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