If you can’t imagine yourself in a white dress then how about getting hitched in a coloured one? That is exactly what fashion designer, Mari Vosloo, did when she married husband Francois at the end of last year. What’s more is, she made the dress herself! Mari’s vintage inspired dress made from mocha embossed lace is simply gorgeous.

Francois and Mari said their i-do’s on a sunny summer’s day in Stellenbosch. The couple danced the night away under the stars with their closest family and friends. Charlene Schreuder was there to capture Mari & Francois’ big day.

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

Francois was interested in one of my friends initially, so I tried to get them together. Next thing I knew he was asking me out!

So how did he pop the question?

I was very specific about the engagement ring I wanted, so I knew he was going to ask me. I did not know when or where, so on the 7th of May he took me out on a picnic at the beautiful botanical gardens in Stellenbosh and asked me to marry him.

What was the highlight of your wedding day?

Having all our friends and family together celebrating with us

Any advice for brides-to-be?

Family and friends want to help! So ask them and make sure everyone knows exactly what you want. Decide what’s most important to you, and do not let anyone change or influence that. Make a collage and moodboards of everything that inspire you, ideas you want to use, flowers you like, everything that you want the wedding to feel and look like. That way you can show it to florists, décor houses, and even your mom to help them understand what style and ideas you have for the wedding.

Did anything unexpected happen?

I discovered paper with herb seeds in them, that we wanted to use for the thank you cards for the guest wedding favours. We gave the guests little flower pots where they were suppose to plant the thank you cards in for the herbs to grow. The paper only arrived two weeks after the wedding! So we had to improvise.

What was the biggest obstacle/you had to overcome while organising your dream wedding?

It was so difficult to try and explain to people what exact ideas I had in mind. I made a collage of everything I liked and could show that to people to make them understand better. A few weeks before the wedding I was so stressed and it was difficult to cope with.

Any time saving or organising tips?

If you decide to do the organising, décor, invitations etc. yourself, get help from family and friends. It helps a lot! I was very stubborn and tried to do everything on my own, because I felt others will not understand what I want.

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

We saved a lot of money by doing the décor and invitations ourselves. Friends and family love to help, so ask them! A friend did both mine and my bridesmaid’s make-up as a wedding gift and our wedding cake was made by a family friend. We saved a lot of money by making my own wedding dress and also the bridesmaid dress. We also saved by not having a DJ, but just a playlist on a laptop.

What song did you choose for your opening dance and why?

You had me at hello – A day to remember A day to remember is one of our favourite bands. When I heard the song for the first time (a long time before the wedding) I thought it was the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard. It’s not a typical slow dance song as the band is a metalcore punk band. The song is one of their acoustic songs

How does your wedding reflect your personalities?

Our wedding had an informal, laid – back feel, and the fact that we had the wedding in nature under the trees. Francois wedding suit and my dress were also a reflection of our personalities. Francois is in the band Autumn of August, so music is a pretty big part of both our lives, and our playlist confirmed that.