Rentia and Wielligh

About the Bride

I got married two weeks before I turned 26. I stayed in Stellenbosch and worked at Alexander Forbes as an assistant actuary.

Even having never been kissed or having a boyfriend at the age of 24, I knew I was being kept safe for a special person, my husband.  So that I could give myself completely, all of me, in tact, to him. It was the best gift I could ever give him.  And then when I felt in my heart one of my best friends of four years was my husband, I couldn't imagine wanting to spend my life with anyone else.

About the Groom

I was born and raised in Paarl and I am currently working as an IT specialist in Stellenbosch. I always wanted a wife that was a great friend and have the same heart for people. And the friendship that started off as just a friendship stood through 4 years. When we realised that this is a friendship that could stand the test of time, the rest was history…

How did you meet?

We met through friends in our church in Stellenbosch.

How long were you together before the wedding proposal?

We dated for exactly a year before we got engaged.

About the Proposal

Wielligh rushed me to Paarl the evening before our one year dating anniversary. The sun was setting quickly. We turned into Diemersfontein Wine Farm where we took a stroll through the garden, taking photos of the beautiful sunset, and then Wielligh led me to a picnic blanket, covered in rose petals.  We had a lovely picnic with champagne. Even in the middle of winter it was a perfect, quiet, warm evening.  And then he took out a present, a little box, but I was convinced it couldn't be the wedding ring, as I had seen the mock version of the ring being designed the day before, and it was far from finished! Lo and behold, he went on one knee, asked me to be his best friend and wife for ever, and put the perfect ring on my finger.

How far in advance did you choose to have your wedding after the proposal? And, why?

We knew we wanted to get married even when we started dating but we just had to save enough money first. So we got married four and a half months after the engagement, as that was the minimum time it took Rentia's mother to make the wedding dress and for the wedding venue we liked to become available.

How did you go about the wedding planning process? Did you do it yourself? How long was the planning process? How did you find it?

We first sought a list of more or less all the important things to organise. We then decided which things the bride will organise and which the groom. We both had friends and family who could help us with a lot of the tasks. We were busy with the planning up until the last week before the wedding.  At times the planning became quite stressful, until we reminded ourselves what the purpose and goal of our wedding was, and then we relaxed again.

Did you have a hen party / kitchen tea / stag night / bachelor / bachelorette party? If so, what did you do and what did you enjoy most about it?

Rentia had lunch at a guest house with her family and friends.  The theme was Alice in Wonderland, Rentia being the queen of Wielligh's heart. They played games and watched a DVD of Wielligh and some photos.  I loved the uniqueness and all the fun and laughter, but the best part was my loved ones praying for me and blessing our marriage. Wielligh went hiking with friends one morning in a nature reserve where they made him paddle across a dam on a surfboard and gave him all sorts of funny items to wear while hiking. The evening they had a braai next to a dam where they chatted and had some fun and at the end everyone also prayed for him.

Wedding Details (the whole story...from start to finish)

The wedding was on a farm in the platteland where our guests could overnight in chalets and hike in the mountains past twenty-two waterfalls.  We had a braai with all the guests the evening before the wedding and breakfast the morning of the wedding with our families.

After having the hair and make-up done in town, the girls had a few last laughs and touch ups at the bridesroom and then posed for pictures on the farm, while the men mingled in anticipation with the guests - the honeymoon suite's key safely in a pocket.

As "My redeemer lives" by Nicole C. Mullen played in the background, the bridesmaids walked down the lawn one by one and lastly Rentia's mother walked by her side to the front of the lawn where the guests sat in the shade of the trees, taking in the breathtaking view of the mountains in front of them.  When we stood next to each other in front of our guests and God, we really felt a peace and thankfulness for the perfect day given to us.  The wind had died down and our guests had arrived safely. We had a time of praise and worship and a sermon by our pastor, after which we exhanged rings, kissed and our family and friends prayed for us.

The register was signed and the four flower girls made sure everyone had handfulls of rose petals and Bougainvillea flowers to shower us with.  We took a few photo's at a waterfall, in the grain fields, some under trees with guests and then we were blessed with a beautiful colourful sunset as a backdrop, all while the guests enjoyed a bread table and pre-drinks. After that, we joined the guests in the reception venue on the farm.

One of the groomsmen did the general announcements, after which we thanked our parents, thanked each other and thanked all who helped to make our day so special, trying to keep it short and to the point. We thanked each of our guests personally for being at the wedding and for what they mean to us in a note on their table.  Having so many friends who loves to dance(sokkie), we knew opening the dance floor soon in the evening would make their day, so right after all the acknowledgements, we did a Cuban Rumba on "Unfailing love" by Jimmy Needham, and made a few other sokkie moves with our guests.  We had a generous dinner with some finger desserts, accompanied by the very dark chocolate and raspberry cake we cut during the evening, our absolute favourite sweet eat!

By the time we left, we had spent a good time dancing and chatting with our guests, and was awaited by a car covered in shaving cream, toothpaste, and chiffon strips. We could barely get the doors open! We had so much fun and drove away with contentment as all had gone well and we were married at last!

Tips and / or advice for future bridal couples?

Go to a pre-marital course or counceling before you get engaged. That way you have to ask each other the serious, sometimes tough, questions and you know where you stand with each other on certain issues.  Read as many books as possible before you get married. We invest so much time, money and energy into everything else in our lives, why not into the one thing that should last our whole lifetime and can seriousy influence our quality of life. We highly recommend "The Act of Marriage" by  Tim and Beverly LaHaye and "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman.  Pray about all the details and for the day. Decide beforehand which aspects of the wedding are more important to you and set your budget accordingly.  Let the wedding reflect your personalities as far as possible, but remember that relationships, people, are more important than anything you could ever have or do at your wedding.  The other detail people will forget, but how you made them feel they will always remember.   To save money, have a morning wedding, get married in off-peak season, have your wedding in the platteland and choose a honeymoon destination close to home. It's still very romantic, private and beautiful.

What was the most memorable part of your wedding day?

For me, Rentia, it was the emotion I could see in Wielligh's face when I reached the end of the isle.  And also having our family and friends together, especially my grandmother of 90 years old.
For me, Wielligh, while my bride was walking towards the pulpit. The beautiful venue and weather we had and enjoyed with our friends and family.

Did you go on honeymoon? If so, where? And, why there?

Yes, we did. Wielligh decided to organise our honeymoon so that we really experienced a bit of everything! We stayed in a log cabin overlooking a dam on Arum Lily farm near Wolseley the first two nights. It wasn't too far from our venue and very cosy, private and romantic with a jacuzi. The next four nights was spent at Fairfield eco mountain cottage near Ceres where there was a bath built outdoors inbetween the rocks.  It was also very private and had beautiful scenery of the orchards  and the Ceres valley.  We could even do a short hiking trail. The next three nights we stayed at Elgin Hills luxury tents.  We love camping and have always wanted to do it in luxury. It overlooked a river, with green hills sloping down, creating a picture perfect scene. It was the only place where we included breakfast as part of the package.  Self catering is sometimes more convenient if you want to sleep late and determine your own schedule. Here we rowed a bit on rubber ducks, swam in the river and attended friends of ours' wedding in Grabouw where Wielligh was the master of ceremonies. Lastly, we stayed for five night at the Heroldsbaai Hotel.  We ordered the honeymoon package twice, because the food that the chef specially prepared was so delicious! And it was my birthday on the last day at the hotel.  The beach was quiet and clean, and we hiked a long way down a pathway in the rocks overlooking the bay. Furthermore, we were close enough to the crocodile farm and cango caves to visit them one day. You never have to travel far when living in South Africa to find a unique, private, affordable, luxurious, beautiful honeymoon destination.  Three to seven nights is a good period of time at one destination.

Related Information

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