I have been so eager to share this deliciously dreamy wedding with you. All it took was a little peek at the pictures Gabby sent over, and I was hooked. And I am sure after browsing these gorgeous pictures you will be hooked too. There’s so many pretty details.

Gabby and her longtime love Arno celebrated their wedding  in a lush forest, close to Plettenberg Bay. Gabby’s family farm, Forest’s Edge Farm, served as the perfect venue, which meant that Gabby’s beloved donkey and horse could also share in the festivities. How wonderful!

If I had a forest wedding board on Pinterest it would look like this {that is my way of saying how much I love this wedding and that I think it’s perfect!}. Complete with green ferns, fairy lights and flowy dresses. Every detail had a touch of romance, dreaminess and magic to it, from Gabby’s gown to the flowergirls’ flower wreaths and the gorgeous swing. Don’t even get me started on the beautiful decor with all the textures, natural touches and splashes of colour. Enjoy

Tell us your love story? How did you meet and fall in love?

Arno and I met in Plett on Varsity holiday 10 years ago. Plett is my hometown, and Arno’s family had a holiday house nearby. We dated long distance for 6 years, while we studied. So this day was long awaited for a lot of people!

So how did he pop the question?

Arno swept me away for a surprise weekend. The next thing I knew we were on a plane to Balito, staying in a lovely hotel where we had a joint massage and relaxed in cocoon like dropped linen over looking the sea. Arno had thought of every detail, he had even booked me a manicure and spa session for the next day- ridiculous!

What was the highlight of your wedding day?

My horse and donkey coming down to where we were having the group photo to see what was going on!

Any advice for brides-to-be?

It’s a cliché, but taking time out to acknowledge the moment.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

I didn’t get to spend time with everyone, it went soo fast! I would have made a playlist for the DJ…

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

Blogs like Once Wed, The Pretty Blog, Style Me Pretty and The décor of The Grand Hotel, and various other wedding blogs.

Any time saving or organising tips?

Find your dress first. It was one of the last things I found, and I didn’t realise how much it was stressing me out until I found it!

Any hints for other brides on how to keep your wedding budget friendly?

We sent e-vites instead of printed invitations. This allowed us to be more creative and was also more green. We also used a lot of our own furniture as props and seating for the wedding. It added a personal touch and also saved us on renting.

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

Our wedding was a real labour of love, from friends and family. My Mom flattened the field in a digger loader, made the main table from wood we had on the farm, she also made all the gifts which were wooden hearts for the girls and wooden biltong cutting boards for the boys. Our family friends catering company (Dish Food & Social) made the food. I had also worked for her for a while so the chefs were friends too! The wine was from my cousin’s vineyard, (Springfield) and the flowers from one of my bridesmaid’s family farm (Bosky Dell)- she even got sunburnt picking my flowers the day before! The décor and flower arranging was done by an old family friend, Pippa. The whole family helped the few days before the wedding, stringing up fairy lights, shovelling woodchips etc. One of my best friends did my make up, and one of my bridesmaids all the design for invites and the website. My amazing aunt coordinated the whole wedding ;)

How does your wedding reflect your personalities?

It was relaxed and real, hopefully this reflects us!