Laetita + Alexis

Wedding date: September 24, 2022
Dress: Sevanna from the Boho Luxe collection

How did you and your Husband meet?

Alexis and I met on social media, Facebook to be specific, he was on an island for a year at this point called Gough Island doing seabird ecology he stayed there for 9 more months after we met. I was here in Cape Town starting out my career. Let me just say we still argue to this day about who added who on Facebook first, although I think he added me. I would like to say that true love can start on Facebook. That was how our relationship started and the rest is history.

Tell me about your proposal story?

We got engaged on my birthday 20 December 2021 it was on a Monday. He told me to get up at 4 in the morning and I did just that, we went to Paarl area where we waited for a little taxi that picked us up and took us to a beautiful hot air balloon. I thought it was the perfect birthday gift probably the most extravagant one that I have ever had. I was telling him that it’s really too much for a birthday. I noticed him get a bit jittery when a guy from another couple came to us to ask us to assist him with his proposal. Few minutes later one of the staff members asked us to take photos inside the balloon while it was still grounded and that’s where he popped the question in the hot air balloon. I think it’s best that he actually did it on the ground so that I didn’t completely faint while in mid-air. On the same trip two other couples got engaged. The weather was perfect, the people was amazing, the pilot was amazing everything was absolutely perfect. The day was finished off with breakfast with the other people on the hot-air balloon. Later in the afternoon on the same day of our proposal, I was lucky enough to win a birthday photoshoot and this was done on the beautiful Blouberg beach with the backdrop of Table Mountain. How fitting because Table Mountain was the backdrop to our wedding pictures as well.

What was most important to you when planning your wedding?

1. My dress was absolutely my top priority. I’m not a girly girl at all but I wanted to feel absolutely beautiful. The two key things I wanted for my dress was an open back or low V and a very long train (I got both!).

2. I wanted a small and very intimate wedding and this was something we wanted to ensure in order to not only save on costs but also have only people there that really contributed to our lives and the people that we are today.

3. I wanted to have my boho themed wedding with a lots of pennigum and flowers. This was one thing I was not willing to compromise on and that’s one thing that we honestly did splurge on the most.

4. I definitely wanted an amazing photographer in order to capture my day perfectly. Someone that was professional, had open communication and would deliver the aesthetic that I was looking for.

How did you feel when you first stepped into your wedding dress?

I felt exactly how I wanted to feel. I felt beautiful, I felt that it was really just made for me. Alot of emotions came up at that moment, although my mom couldn’t be there for that first moment but it was special nonetheless because I just saw myself walking down the aisle in the dress. I saw myself for the first time through my husband’s eyes.

How did you know it was ‘the One’/ what did you love most about it?

It was love at first sight with this dress. Jo really understood my brief. She handed me this dress, yes it was the first dress that I put it on, and the moment I stepped on the podium I knew “I found it”. I was a bit in disbelief and decided to try a few other dresses, Jo put me in about five other dresses. Before I was about to leave I told her let me just put on that first dress again. This got me really emotional, as well as my grandmother who was with me, because we both said “It’s this ONE”. I was comparing the other dresses to that dress while I was fitting the others on. Although, I already knew it was the one I just wanted to see if any of the others would wow me as much as that one did.

It had amazing lace detail in the front, a beautiful beaded thin strap, it had the beautiful open and low v-back that I wanted going into a long train. It sucked in my waist just the way that I wanted it to. It complimented my skin tone very well and most importantly it was comfortable and lightweight.

Did you have a specific theme for your wedding? If so, please tell me about it.

My team was boho chic with rustic touches lots of greenery and dusty pink. My amazing decor stylist and florist captured my theme to the absolute finest detail. I would highly recommend that a bride does not compromise on her florist and decor stylist because that captures your vision.

Where was your wedding and who was your photographer? Why did you choose them?

My wedding was at McPherson’s Wedding Venue in Table View. I must say from the moment I interacted with the staff at this venue it has been an absolutely amazing experience! They have beautiful venues, amazing food, patient and kind staff. On the day of my wedding, they were so helpful and always served us with a smile!

My photographer was Kelly from Small One Photography. The reason we chose her was because of her boho aesthetic and the her style of photography. I was following her for quite a while before I actually decided to contact her with this very important request. I got some quotes from other photographers as well but she really stood out to me because she was so professional, she was always open to communicate, keep us up to date on any and everything we needed to know. Our first meeting with her was online, unfortunately, but her personality just shon through the screen and her, myself and my partner just connected instantly.

The photos as you can see, is of great quality! We felt so comfortable with her on the day. She was there on time at every point of the schedule that I set up on the day. She was also very professional, very friendly, very kind. She was open to us giving her suggestions on what we wanted to do in terms of photos that we have collected online to recreate on the day

Describe the essence of your wedding day, and what you experienced?

I might be one of very few brides that would say this but everything was absolutely perfect. Everything went according to plan, although I didn’t meet my florist in person or go to the venue a second time after making my first booking or seeing the venue the day before the wedding while all the decor was set up, when I walked into my venue on the day of my wedding everything was just the way I wanted it to be. It was really a fairytale dream come true, I had my rustic boho chic themed wedding with tons the greenery, roses! Everything was perfect, my florist was amazing, she made me a beautiful bouquet. There’s really nothing I can fault, besides my cars being late, but as they say every bride has the right to be late on her wedding day (lol).

What really stood out to me was the sound of birds chirping on an Acacia tree in the middle of the venue, we had an outdoor wedding and the birds were just chirping and singing throughout our ceremony. It really added a beautiful accent to our wedding because we are both nature conservationists and love nature.

Having the small wedding we did have was just like we needed it to be, and it was just an absolutely special day. The speeches were a bit long-winded that’s where all the fun was. Having our families talk about our lives before we met each other was just so beautiful and funny at the same time! We danced, we laughed, we cried (of course) but it was really an amazing start to our life together where two families came together.

Do you have any words of wisdom for newly engaged couples planning their wedding?

One piece of advice that I can give to any new couples is to plan your wedding well in advance. Start making those bookings, and placing those orders as soon as possible so that you can pay off your wedding leading up to the day. We can say, with so much gratefulness, that we don’t owe anything on our wedding because I made sure that we had a budget for our wedding and we stuck to it and we paid everything off leading up to the day of our wedding. That is one key piece of advice I can give to a new bride. Doing this would really just make you stress less and you wouldn’t go into a new chapter of your life with debt. On the day you’ll be able to enjoy it knowing that everything is paid for and there’s no outstanding balances that still needs to be settled while you should be enjoying your honeymoon.

+ Anything else about you rexperience at Sheer Bride you would like to share?

From the moment I first engaged with Jo, she has been so understanding, friendly, and welcoming. She listened attentively to my needs and gave great recommendations from her collection – if I could I would have worn all of them. Her collection is bespoke and she has a dress for everyone! Her office space is beautiful and she gives you that customer-centric service that every bride wants and deserves!