A gorgeous sunset, a wedding cake made of cheese and a dance off… this wedding on a Cape fruit farm is an absolute dream!
“Dan and I were both students at Rhodes University, where we met and occasionally flirted. A few years later when I moved to Cape Town, I was “the girl who came to stay”, crashing on the spare bed in the lounge of their digs. Our romance started then, but it was not the right time and space to launch into a full-time relationship,” says Lauren. After a two year ‘sabbatical’, thanks to a Rhodes University reunion, the romance was reignited and this time with far more intention and commitment. “We both knew that this time around we weren’t messing around,” says Lauren.
When it came to the wedding planning Lauren and Dan tried to steer clear of any DIY, or heavily involved, superfluous add-ons.”Dan proposed while we were travelling around Vietnam, and we both agreed, vehemently, that we would have an ‘undemanding’ wedding,” says Lauren. But choosing the beautiful Olive Rock in Ceres, to which every single guest would have to travel – more than half of which were joining us from Zimbabwe – presented its fair share of complexities for the couple. “Fortunately Simone and Nick at Olive Rock have the wedding thing absolutely waxed and take on board so much of the execution on the day, that the wedding weekend itself was relatively pain and stress free,” reveals Lauren.
“The colour palette evolved organically, from a love of crockery, Delft China, trees and the outdoors. Our wedding was on May Day, which is associated (in the northern hemisphere of course!) with the celebration of the start of spring. This inspired the many ribbons and flowers that were incorporated into the dance floor and altar installation,” explains Lauren. Much of the reception inspiration came from French and Italian al fresco dining and festivals, with a focus on the company and of course the food. “We prioritise hosting and feeding friends and family in our home and we wanted the wedding to feel like one big dinner party in the Uppink Calderwood household. So the décor was low key, providing space for lots (and lots) of flowers, and platters of food served right to the tables,” says Lauren. The couple sourced almost 100 brass candlesticks from family, friends and the Milnerton market, which made it feel less like an orchestrated mega-event and more like a special candlelit evening with those people most special to them.
“Originally I really wanted to buy a dress, but I could not find anything I feel suited me appropriately. It doesn’t help that I never wear anything without sleeves and a majority of dresses off the rack are strapless,” says Lauren. After trying on two Janita Toerien dresses during the hunt, Lauren decided her style was far more ‘her’ than many of the other gowns she had tried on. “After meeting with her and receiving two drawings of personalised custom made designs according to what I had in mind, I was completely sold.” Many women live in fear of the badly made wedding gown, and the nightmarish process it can be. “The process was not without hiccup, (how can it be?) but I had complete and utter faith in Janita’s experience and skill, and that she would make me something remarkable. The dress was perfect, I loved wearing it from the minute I put it on until after the bar had closed, and even put it back on again in the morning for tea with my new husband and in-laws,” says Lauren.
“For most of the process, I felt completely overwhelmed and not cut out for this wedding business. Fortunately I have a superhero husband whose expertise lie in production, and he was phenomenal at keeping all the pieces together while I threatened melt-down.
There were many times we regretted not having chosen to elope, but after a week of celebrating with our most favourite humans, feeling completely and utterly loved and supported by them all, and being able to commit to each other in public with them as our witness, we were reminded why it had been so important to us to have a grand old wedding celebration.”
To see more of Lauren and Dan’s big-day snaps, check out the gallery below.
Service providers: Venue: Olive Rock; Photography: Modern Hearts
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