Photo: Love Made Visible1/39The selection of beads worn by Dennis and his groomsmen on the day. He specifically wanted to wear blue and white beads like he had seen my father and uncles wear in previous Xhosa ceremonies we attended together. His shirt was made by the exceptionally talented Bara of Touba Broidery in Cape Town. He has been making all my custom African dresses for years, so it was obvious to include him in our special day. The shweshwe fabric is the same as the one that was used in my dress.
Photo: Love Made Visible2/39With my dearest friend and bridesmaid Sibongile, taking a moment to thank her and the fact that the big day had finally arrived. Joy and gratitude is what I remember feeling. Our expressions reflect all we have seen, shared, and experienced together over the past 12 years of our friendship. I love this lady.
Photo: Love Made Visible3/39Here I am trying on my stunning Pichulik custom-made earrings. I love the brand’s African contemporary designs. “Bold yet simple pieces for the brave woman.” I love this ethos and these earrings. I was so relaxed here laughing with my girls.
Photo: Love Made Visible4/39My amazing makeup artist, Noziqhamo, and Sibongile, doing what Xhosa girls do best, tying a head wrap or dook firmly onto a head. Traditionally, a Xhosa bride must cover up her head on the day she marries and then continue to wear a head wrap whenever she is in the presence of her husband’s family. We used a very long piece of white duchess silk and shweshwe fabric like my dress.
Photo: Love Made Visible5/39A lot of pins and tight knots kept it together. Sibongile holding my head firmly while Nozi fixes the Knot. I am always the one helping make up someone else’s dook so it was surreal to now be the bride in the chair.
Photo: Love Made Visible6/39We nailed it! Getting the dress on over the dook without messing up my face. In order to do this, the girls covered my face with my robe. Bara of Touba Broidery in Cape Town made their dresses as well. They chose their own dress pattern. It was important to me that they wear something that they were comfortable in and happy to own. They were so beautiful.
Photo: Love Made Visible7/39These ladies are my chosen sisters so this is me in my element. The dress was custom-made by Tamara Chérie. She is an incredibly talented designer. The detail applied here, the black lace on the side, the waist band that ties in with the symbolic black stripes found on a traditional Xhosa bride’s dress. This dress is simply a piece of art and took on a life of its own.
Photo: Love Made Visible8/39The silhouette of an African queen—at least, that’s how I felt. Taking in the view and calming my mind, nerves, and heart for what’s to come.
Photo: Love Made Visible9/39Karina helping me with my underskirt and Jessica helping me up the stairs. It took a bit to get used to moving around in heels and the big underskirt. Where would I be without my bridesmaids? This dress, though: Wow! It gets me every time.
Photo: Love Made Visible10/39Rebecca, my photographer from Love Made Visible, doing what she does best: take shots that capture a unique angle and highlight something really beautiful and ordinary. In this case, a happy bride-to-be.
Photo: Love Made Visible11/39I love looking at the pictures as they showed me things I missed throughout the day. What a shot. These were the Xhosa dancers who welcomed the guests. So bold, so proud, so beautiful. The black stripes on their outfits are specific to the Xhosa culture. You will note Tamara Chérie brought elements of it on the bottom of my dress and waistline.
Photo: Love Made Visible12/39Elders are highly respected in my culture. This is my great grandfather and his wife. He is 84 years old. He has one blue eye and tells the most amazing stories of our family history and his childhood. His wife wears a typical Xhosa outfit and, being a married woman, has her head covered accordingly.
Photo: Love Made Visible13/39Our family priest, Rev. Zola Nana, taking a pause and gathering his thoughts under a tree before the ceremony starts. It was a really hot day . . . most likely around 90 degrees at this time.
Photo: Love Made Visible14/39My now Swedish family: Bianca (Dennis’s cousin’s daughter), Linda (Dennis’s cousin), Elana (a cousin), and Kerstin (Dennis’s aunt). This picture perfectly captures how everyone embraced traditional attire. Linda and Bianca came in their Austrian outfits in honor of her husband’s culture. Elana and Kerstin embraced Africa in their choices.
Photo: Love Made Visible15/39The drummer and dance leader coordinating the group while the guests eagerly await my arrival. So much vigor in African dance, great to watch and experience.
Photo: Love Made Visible16/39Our choir singing pre my arrival. They sang a repertoire of African church songs, and Xhosa wedding songs. They sang Beyoncé’s version of “Ave Maria” as I walked down the aisle, which was perfect.
Photo: Love Made Visible17/39Choir singing and dancing. I love their expressions.
Photo: Love Made Visible18/39My viking seeing me for the first time. That smile still makes me melt. He really wanted to keep his beard for the traditional wedding. At this stage, it was a third wheel in our relationship. I was happy we had another wedding the following weekend where I would get to do this again, but this time with the face I met five years ago. Johnny (his brother) stands next to him looking onward as well.
Photo: Love Made Visible19/39This was a hard moment for me. I struggled to let go of my father’s hand. In this moment, I was overwhelmed by absolutely everything! That I was walking away from home and to Dennis, this day was finally here (we made it, we survived it, baby)—everyone we love was in one place.
Photo: Love Made Visible20/39We laughed a lot during the ceremony. The priest was just perfect in his interpretation of the Bible and real life. Once I was holding Dennis’s hands and looking into his eyes as the priest recited from the scripture, I was calm and composed again.
Photo: Love Made Visible21/39How beautiful is that arch? Made by my fantastic wedding planner, Hayley, of the Wedding Belles. The brief was a lot of indigenous plants and proteas, which are my favorite. No one deserves a bigger award than this team of dynamite girls who created a full-on African experience out of nothing and nowhere for 350 people.
Photo: Love Made Visible22/39My husband guiding me through the bush to get to the lake. At this stage, I had taken off the heels and put on my white converse sneakers. Back of the dress is equally as beautiful as the front.
Photo: Love Made Visible23/39Husband and wife hand in hand. Only love and gratitude to have this man now finally my forever person.
Photo: Love Made Visible24/39The table decor paid homage to Sophiatown. A legendary black cultural hub that was destroyed under apartheid. It was the epicenter of politics, jazz, and blues during the 1940s and ’50s. It produced some of South Africa’s most famous writers, musicians, politicians, and artists. Natural wood pieces, flowers, shweshwe table runners, and enamel mugs all add to the African authenticity that I wanted throughout the day.
Photo: Love Made Visible25/39I purposefully wanted the seating to be as natural as possible. We accommodated more than 350 people, so we alternated between long and round tables. Close to 80 meters of shweshwe bunting was used to decorate the tent.
Photo: Love Made Visible26/39A snapshot of the crowd during cocktail hour. Our Swedish, U.K., and South African friends all are getting to know each other and sharing beers and bubbly. Some family members and parents’ friends in the periphery. I remember looking at the crowd, and seeing all the colors, and thinking how beautiful and happy everyone looked.
Photo: Love Made Visible27/39My mother’s friend is dressed like she is off to an African-style beach party. Beads and a head wrap are the quintessential accessories to check off when embracing African dress. The brighter or bolder the pattern, the better.
Photo: Love Made Visible28/39Our beautiful cake wrapped with shweshwe fabric and topped with a protea bouquet. With three layers of chocolate, vanilla, and carrot, this cake was delicious. We ate all of it the following day with friends and family at my parents’ home.
Photo: Love Made Visible29/39Shortly after we returned from taking pictures, the heavens opened, and it poured buckets for a good 20 minutes. There had been threats of rain for two weeks prior that came to nothing so we decided not to make a plan B in terms of additional covering. It’s a blessing from our ancestors to have rain on your wedding day so my family was incredibly happy. After the rains, there was the most beautiful sunset and purple skies, which cooled down all the guests after such a hot afternoon. When I saw this picture, I, too, felt the blessing bestowed on us.
Photo: Love Made Visible30/39As guests entered the reception, we had a Sophiatown-themed dance welcoming everyone to their tables. What a vibe.
Photo: Love Made Visible31/39A close-up shot of the main table and guests in the periphery. I loved the pampas grass with the decor detail of the protea coming out of the glass bottle.
Photo: Love Made Visible32/39The sunlight shining through while our guests mingle. At traditional African weddings, you always get more guests than you actually invite so no one ever bothers with doing a seating plan. Guests could just sit wherever they wanted. Great to see our Swedish friends seated with my cousins from KwaZulu-Natal who traveled equally far distances to get to our wedding.
Photo: Love Made Visible33/39I love this picture of Aunty Sheila and Uncle Boycee. Their faces perfectly capture the warmth, love, and joy that filled the air of our reception and the speeches.
Photo: Love Made Visible34/39Dennis and I, along with our bridal party, entered the reception with a dance-along. Our faces say it all! Dennis looks like a majestic prince with his beads, shirt, and that amazing smile.
Photo: Love Made Visible35/39Our mini solo during our entry dance. The motion of the dress when turning, its beautiful back, the fitted lace on the sides, and the black Xhosa stripes speak to the meticulous detail applied by Tamara Chérie.
Photo: Love Made Visible36/39The quintessential Xhosa woman with her proud dook for a crown and beads as jewels.
Photo: Love Made Visible37/39Nothing more comforting than this hand on my back. I love seeing Dennis’s ring on his finger.
Photo: Love Made Visible38/39The fairy lights illuminating the tent with that dramatic sky above. What a magical day and evening. I love this perspective of the setup.
Photo: Love Made Visible39/39Our first dance was something special. I remember looking into Dennis’s eyes and feeling like it was just us two, in our living room, when the music started. We danced to “I’d Like” by Freshly Ground. When the song’s crescendo kicked in, Dennis spun me around. This twirl made me feel like an African princess about to take flight. The best, best, best night of our lives!
