Today’s stunning wedding is also from one of our readers. Claudia sent us her wedding pictures even before we launched the blog! I won’t say much about this wedding, because Claudia describes it so beautifully and passionately. However, I will say that Claudia had done a great job planning this gorgeous wedding, with 260 guests, without a planner.

All Ricardo and Claudia’s pictures, taken by the amazing Jean Pierre Uys, were breathtakingly beautiful, so it was really hard to select which ones to use. We could have done three posts on this wedding! Thank you Claudia for sharing your wedding with us.

We love these Great Gatsby inspired bridesmaids dresses by Kobus Dippenaar!

Tell us you love story…

God’s greatest gift is LOVE, and through love, our lives are formed. Our life together as husband and wife was formed on the 6th March 2010. It was exactly 6 years before, that Ricardo came into my life. I flourish on inspiration and passion, as this allows me to be creative and also helps me grow. When Ricardo entered my life, we became each other’s inspiration and passion. Learning from each other, understanding, loving and supporting each other. Best friends. We even started working together and over 3 years, we opened two businesses together. We both enjoy being creative and both have a love for photography, design, art and décor. Having good morals and values in life are very important to me, and I feel very blessed to have Ricardo, who feels the same way that I do. Marrying my true love, my darling angel, someone who completes me in every way, is the most amazing feeling in the world! Now as we start on our journey as husband and wife, as we grow older together, as we continue to change with age, there is one thing that will never change – we will always keep on falling in love with each other…

How did Ricardo propose?

It has always been a dream of mine to visit the Greek Islands. So for my 21st Birthday, we decided to celebrate in style by spending a few weeks in Greece, exploring Athens, Mykonos and Santorini Island.
Santorini is known for having the best sunset in the whole world, so we decided on a sunset cruise one day before my 21st birthday, 10th June 2007. Towards the end of the cruise, the Captain announced that he would take us to a spot where we would be able to enjoy Santorini’s famous sunset. Ricardo suggested we should stand at the front of the boat, where we would be able have the best view of the sunset. This was a beautiful sailing boat, something out of the 18th century. A musician playing the saxophone was setting the mood with his beautiful melodies. I was so happy just standing there with him, feeling so much love and happiness in my heart, what could be better than this I told myself… Wow was I in for a surprise!

We were romantically watching the beautiful sunset… as the sun was setting Ricardo looked at me and said “tha me padreftis” I looked at him confused and he said it again, I still did not understand his Greek phrasing, so he said it a third time, but this time he said it in English… WILL YOU MARRY ME… Out of nowhere came the most beautiful engagement ring I had ever seen!
Being the most amazing man he is, he caught our special moment on video! The next day was my 21st birthday and it could not have been anymore special that it was. Engaged and so madly in love!

Ricardo explains the hours preceding the proposal perfectly: “I was a nervous wreck. Always on high-alert for that perfect moment. One hand in my pocket safe-guarding the ring at all times..”

Tell us more about the big day…

Our wedding day symbolised the day we stood before God and proclaimed our love and lives to each other.
The love, the laughter, the lives of two people becoming one. I looked around the room and saw the many faces of all those dear to us, they could see through us, they could see the power of love.

Every part of our wedding represented who we were as a couple; from the colour scheme which was a combination of different shades of grey, charcoal, silver, white, and a hint of black with elements of pearls, crystals, bold stripes and damask pattern. Even our wedding theme, VINTAGE GLAMOUR, illustrated our personal style and character. Nothing can ever replace the beautiful memories we now cherish so dearly!
The very essence of our love was portrayed infront of our 260 guests, a day filled with love, happiness, peace, and joy! So from the proposal to the wedding and now happily ever after… Love never ends!

What was the most memorable part of your wedding day?

When my husband said his speech and read a poem he wrote for me: “Claudia, you are the music in my life, the melody in my head and the rhythm in my step. Let’s dance together till the end of time.”

Any advice for brides-to-be? / Any time saving or organising tips?

Lists, lists and lists!
Make plenty of them and make sure you set goals for yourself.
Make sure you have a wedding file with all your wedding admin.
Keep a diary to schedule your appointments.
Allow your groom to be part of the wedding planning, by giving him his own list of tasks to complete, make sure you give it to him ahead of time.
Look out for wedding inspiration through your daily lifestyle, what you enjoy, what your favourite colours are, what type of person your husband-to-be is…
Use this and you will realise that sometimes not all the answers are in bridal magazines, but sometimes the answers are in your heart.

Where did you get most of your ideas and inspiration from?

I combined all of the things I treasure and admire together in one beautiful box. I had pearls, crystals, a vintage silver jewellery box, a mosaic mirrored vase, a paper art vintage rose, damask patterned material, bold stripes and all of these things put together symbolised our wedding theme, VINTAGE GLAMOUR! I took a variety of photos of all of these items put together and created an “Inspiration Portfolio” for my service providers.

This Inspirational Box and Portfolio gave all my service providers the inspiration they needed to create a beautiful vintage glamour themed wedding with different colour shades of grey, charcoal, silver, white, and a hint of black with elements of pearls, crystals, bold stripes and damask pattern.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?

The biggest challenge I faced was trying to get enough sleep!
I worked until all hours of the morning – planning, creating, designing, emailing!

Were any of your family members or friends involved in the wedding and what were their contributions?

I could not have planned this wedding without the help of my amazing mother and mother-in-law! We were like the three musketeers! My mother was a great source of support and love during the wedding planning, mothers always know best, and she knew what to say and when to say it. My mother-in-law made all the beautiful fresh-water pearl bracelets, which were given to all the ladies as our thank you gift. I am very fortunate to have these two special ladies in my life!