Gawie & Leandra is a special couple, they go out of their way to make you feel welcome, almost as if you were a guest at the wedding and not the photographer. Thanks Gawie & Leandra, you are very special people and your wedding was equally special.
They got married at Gecko Ridge, a beautiful place for a photographer to do the wedding shoot.
The day was not without it’s incidents. Everything went well at Leandra’s side…until a whole glass of Coke was spilt on her wedding dress just after she’s put it on. I nearly had a heart attack but Leandra took it in her stride. I thought they will never be able to get it clean, but, 5 minutes later there was not a trace of the coke stain.
The men’s side had their funny moment too. Leandra’s dad was polishing his shoes when he accidentally dropped the shoe polish from the balcony into the river below (he was the first person to start polishing his shoes) No problem, the one guy just went down, got into the river, and retrieved the shoe polish.
Another mention was definitely Pastor Cobus Siebrits of the Bomb Shelter Bikers church in Pretoria. It wa sthe 2nd wedding I did with him in two months, unpretentious, and he delivers a powerful message.
If Leandra puts her mind unto someting she does it. Have alook at some of the photos i took at the photo session, she got two groomsmen to carry a very heavy couch into the veld for the photo session. I think it made for some very nice photos
All and all a day never to be forgotten. Thanks for having me Gawie and Leandra.
I asked the couple some questions:
How did you meet?
It was a normal Sunday. We both went to church without knowing that it would change life as we knew it. With tears rolling down my face, I opened my eyes to see the most beautiful woman staring back at me asking me if I’m ok. Before I could answer her, we heard the pastor say that everyone should take the hand of the person next to them, give them a hug and tell them you love them. So officially, Leandra said “I love you” first.
Tell us about the proposal
During a holiday we planned to Namibia, we were spoilt by family who gave us the best christmas present ever. We went to a game lodge where the only thing between you and the hippo’s, crocodiles and elephants is a couple of electric wires for your “safety” against these animals. Walking down a path, lit with moonlight and a couple of other lights, I went down on a knee in front of Leandra, and asked for her hand in marriage. With the sounds of the hippos calling and playing, Leandra said yes.
Describe your wedding day, anything specific that you will always remember
With everyone dressed up and ready to go, 20 minutes before the bride has to walk down the aisle, Leandra did not see the cup, full of coke, that was left on the table which she accidentally bumped over. When she looked down, the snow white pretty dress was pitch black full of coke. Thank you to sisters, bridesmaids and wet wipes, they managed to clean up the dress with no stain left. (JC, sorry for the heart attack Leandra almost gave you)
Our happily ever after started AFTER this moment
The dress
After seeing a dress on the back of the wedding magazine, Leandra immediately knew what kind of dress she wanted. Thanks to her dearest friend, Thabsile, the dress was made to perfection.
While walking, dancing and having loads of fun, you could almost follow in her footsteps by following the trail of dress she left behind.
The Flowers
Each table had 3 vases containing a red rose which represented the past, present and the future.
Highlight of the wedding
While waiting for JC to get all of his equipment ready for action during the night shoot, the only thing you could hear around us, was the beautiful sounds of bullfrogs singing a song in harmony.
The one thing we would never have imagined to see again, was a firefly on our wedding day
Was there any drama
The cake stand was never delivered, so we had to improvise in order to get the sweetie pies displayed. During the ceremony, Leandra’s maid of honour (Karla) fell off of the round platform that she had to stand on. AJ (Karla’s 18month old boy) who had the responsibility of being ring security, wet himself moments before he had to bring us the rings down the aisle, but being a strong and confident boy he walked down the aisle with pride.
The Honeymoon
Leandra had no idea as to where we were going on honeymoon. Everything was planned 3 months in advance, so it was the biggest secret I had to keep (TORTURE!!). When the pilot said how nice the weather was in Mauritius, it was the first time hearing where we were going.
Tell us about your photographer.
The first time we met, wet sat and had a conversation about what we can expect in the next 21 months leading up to the wedding over a glass of wine. Or 2… I remember something JC said that stayed with us through all our preparations. His words, “I Love Love”, were very reassuring every time we told a story about our photographer. On the day, JC was professional but also exactly the friend I needed to make my day that bit more special, even though I almost gave him a heart attack when I spilt the coke. 🙂
Who did your make-up and hair?
Karin Roode
Liza Swanepoel
Any other suppliers that you want to mention?
Marie Forgét
(Décor)
Angelique van den Berg
(Gecko Ridge Venue)
Where was your honeymoon?
Mauritius
Do you have any advice for other brides/grooms-to-be?
Start planning early. Whatever the books say, add 3 months to it. A lot can go wrong.
There are 2 things you have to book early. Firstly the venue and secondly your photographer. Do not try and save money on these 2.
Have as much fun as you possibly can. Make it a day to remember. It’s all about whatever makes the bride and groom happy.
What was your inspiration behind your overall wedding decor and colour choices?
The original idea was a romantic feeling of candle and fairy lights. Looking at the venue, we had to choose colours that fit with the colours of the venue
Photographer: JC Crafford
