A Stunning Wedding Nestled in Cape Town’s Beautiful Mountains

“Nothing can prepare you for the overwhelming feeling of love that you will feel on your wedding day…”

The couple: Colin Wilson & Shaye Ueckermann
Length of engagement: 10 months | Wedding date: 13th February 2016
Wedding location: 
Webersburg Wine Estate, Cape Town, South Africa
Photographer
Ryan Graham

Shaye's bridal shoes

 We met… at Barasti in the Dubai Marina of all places! My flatmate was meeting one of his longtime friends for drinks at Barasti one Thursday night and invited me to join. It had been a long week and I could have done with a night in, but I decided to tag along anyway. Thank goodness I did as the longtime friend was Colin and after spending all night chatting away we decided we quite fancied each other and arranged our first date the following week. And, as they say, the rest is history!

Bride Shaye

Bridesmaid dresses

Bride Shaye

The Groomsmen

Our proposal… My best friend was getting married in Cape Town and as I was a bridesmaid, I flew to Cape Town a few days earlier than Colin, expecting him to arrive just the day before their wedding. He surprised me by arriving a day earlier and I actually didn’t think anything of it. The next day I went to a bridesmaid’s dress fitting and then Colin and I had the afternoon to ourselves, so decided to head to a nearby wine farm for lunch. It was raining and we had a delicious lunch in one of the cosy restaurants before deciding to walk around the gorgeous gardens just chatting and enjoying the afternoon. We were completely alone in the gardens because of the rain and before I realised what was happening he’d pulled the most beautiful ring out of his pocket and proposed. It was so intimate and special and exactly what I didn’t even know I wanted!

The venue

The wedding venue

RGP_0418

Our wedding theme/colors… Colin and I both like clean, fresh and modern lines – with not too much fuss! We decided to incorporate blush hues and luxurious accents of metallic gold and bronze into a mostly white and cream color scheme. It’s elegant and timeless and reflected our personalities well. We do both however, have very silly personalities at times and this was reflected in the Lego wedding cake that we had created, as well as the quirky menu that pulled together Colin’s English heritage and my South African heritage, as well as both of our distinct foodie tastes.

The wedding theme

Wedding flowers

The bridesmaids

My dress… My dress was from Maggie Sottero which I bought, on a whim, in South Africa. I wanted to give my mum and sister the experience of trying on dresses with me and didn’t for a second think I’d buy it in South Africa, but when I tried this particular dress on at Ever After Bridal Boutique in Durbanville, Cape Town, everyone ooohhed and aaahhed and when the consultant put the veil on I was sold! For my shoes, as I’m quite practical and wanted to buy a pair of shoes that I knew I’d wear again and that would always remind me of our wedding I chose a pair of blush Valentino Rockstuds that I have worn plenty of times since the wedding. They always put a little smile on my face with the reminder of our big day. My veil was custom made by Ever After Bridal Boutique.

Bridal gown

Bride Shaye

The bridal gown

My hair and makeup… My hair was by an incredible stylist called Cecilia Fourie, based in Cape Town while my makeup was done by a Rustenburg makeup artist called Chantel van Staden Hattingh who had previously done the makeup for one of my best friend’s weddings, which I was a bridesmaid at. I adored her technique and knew that when you live far away and have found someone you love and trust you need to hold onto them, which is why we flew her from Johannesburg to Cape Town specifically for the wedding.

The Bride

Bridal hair and makeup

His suit… Colin’s suit was custom-tailored from Sacoor Brothers. He, being quite simple, wanted a simple, slim fit navy suit which matched his groomsman while his tie, which was a little bit fun, was navy with little white polka dots on it. This was from Harvey Nichols. On his feet he wore a pair of pretty swanky, two-tone shoes from British brand, Barker England.

The Groom

The groomsmen

The groom and his groomsmen

What our bridal party wore… I had four bridesmaids and none of them were in the same city which made dress fittings very difficult! This is why together, we all opted for a simple, easy to wear, multi-way dress from the brand Two Birds. It was a great decision and each bridesmaid was able to style the dress into a style that they liked and felt comfortable in. The dress was in the hue, Ginger Lily and was absolutely beautiful and so flattering.

The bride and her maids

Groomsmen

Bridesmaids

Bridal party

Our ceremony and/or celebrant… Something we really wanted for our wedding day was for guests to not have to drive from place to place, which is why Webersburg was perfect. We got married outside, in the shade of the old oak trees overlooking the vineyard’s lake. We had oversized vases filled with a combination of blush and white cabbage roses, carnations and long stemmed roses while our guests all sat on simple white, wimbledon chairs. Just behind the area we got married on is a cellar which is hundreds of years old. This is where my bridesmaids and my dad and I walked out of, onto the grass, to one of my favourite songs, 1000 years by Christina Perri. It was absolutely beautiful and so romantic.

The bride and her father

Bridal march

The ceremony

exchanging of the rings

We chose our photographer because… Our photographer is a very well-known South African photographer who travels the world capturing people’s weddings. With just a 10-month engagement period we weren’t sure if he would be available but when we checked with him, the weekend of the 13th February was his only weekend available for a couple of months! We obviously booked him right away! Our pictures are phenomenal and I’d recommend him to anyone!

the bride and groom

Happy couple

Shaye and Colin

We chose our wedding coordinator because…When I was at my best friend’s wedding in April, I’d just gotten engaged the day before and was chatting to Lindy of Event Affairs who was my friend’s planner. Right from the get-go she was helpful without being pushy and I knew she would help to make our day special. She recommended Webersburg after I explained what kind of wedding we were hoping to have and from then, she helped to plan every aspect of the wedding. We would have regular Skype sessions and she even Skype me from the florist and decorators to ensure that I was completely happy with everything. The organisation between Lindy and her partner, Megan was flawless and they helped to create the most spectacular wedding for us – it was everything we cold have dreamed of and more – without the stress of planning a wedding while you’re not in the country.

The venue

Shaye and Colin

Bridal party

Bridal party

The guests

We chose our venue because… After we explained to our wedding planner, Lindy, what kind of wedding we were hoping to have, she recommended Webersburg Wine Estate which is nestled in the Helderburg Mountains in Stellenbosch. We had a couple of days to spare in Cape Town before heading back to Dubai so popped into Webersburg. We were shown around the gorgeous estate and chatted to the managers and decided then and there that that was where we wanted our wedding to be. The wedding was a three-day affair with the venue managing to accommodate about 40 of our closest friends and family (including our wedding party). We got married under the beautiful oak trees and then, once our bridal party had finished getting pictures taken on the stunning vineyard grounds, we joined our guests who were at the venue overlooking the lake (right next to where we had the ceremony) and mingled over a few canapes and drinks before going downstairs for the dinner and party!

The venue

Bride and Groom

Just married

Shaye and Colin

The wedding venue

The wedding venue

Our menu…  Being from different parts of the world and having guests from the UK, South Africa and Dubai (which in itself had a variety of nationalities represented!) we wanted to create a menu that pulled together Colin’s English heritage and my South African heritage as well as both of our distinct foodie tastes. The starter was our favourite, Buratta served with homemade breads and tips, heirloom tomatoes and olives and then had a ‘Her Choice, His Choice and Their Choice’ main meal option. Colin is renowned for being extremely fussy so ‘His Choice’ was Grilled Chicken Breast with rich gravy served on the side, with roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables while it’s a well-known fact amongst our friends and family that a Thai Green Chicken Curry is probably my favourite meal on earth which is why that was the ‘Her Choice’ option. The ‘Their Choice’ option was a Fillet Steak served with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. Dessert was both of our favourites, Crème Brulee.

menu

wedding cake

Our honeymoon… As we had so many guests fly into Cape Town for our wedding we felt as though we couldn’t leave and go on honeymoon straight away so we enjoyed a holiday with our closest friends and family in Cape Town, renting a stunning villa in Camps Bay and filling our days with trips to the beach, eating at fabulous restaurants and doing the various fun touristy things that Cape Town has to offer. So, for our honeymoon, we waited 7 months and in September 2016 we flew to Santorini in Greece, where we spent 5 days celebrating another friend’s wedding on the island before flying to Rome for a couple of days and then driving to the Amalfi Coast where we spent a week exploring the beautifully quaint little towns along the coast including Positano, Capri, Ravello and Sorrento. It was so romantic and a dream come true for us – it had been on my bucket list for years and to enjoy it with the love of your life is so special! #takemeback

The Bride and Groom

The first dance

My favourite part of the wedding day… Everything! Nothing can prepare you for the overwhelming feeling of love that you will feel on your wedding day. You have all of your favourite people in the world celebrating the love between you and your new husband and there is so much joy and happiness and love. It’s amazing. Enjoy it as it will go so quickly!

The bride and groom

Shaye and Colin

Bride Shaye

The venue

Bride and Groom

My piece of advice for other brides… Firstly, the night before your wedding just come to peace with your wedding day knowing that whatever happens now is out of your control. As long as you have your partner, important guests, food and wine you are guaranteed to have the best night of your life. At the end of the day, no one is going to even remember what flowers you had so don’t stress too much if the décor/flowers/order of events don’t happen exactly as planned. No one will realise besides you anyway. Secondly, make sure that during the night you grab your new husband and sit in a corner somewhere together and just look out at your wedding guests and enjoy the moment! It will go so quickly so remember to spend just a couple of minutes together on your own.

Suppliers

Photographer: Ryan Graham Photography | Wedding Coordinator: Lindy & Megan from Event Affairs | Hair: Cecilia Fourie | Makeup: Chantel van Staaden Hattingh | Venue: Webersburg Wine Estate | Wedding Dress: Ever After Bridal Boutique | Bridesmaid dresses: Two Birds | Groomsman’s socks: Happy Socks, Harvey Nichols Dubai

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