Getting Ready with Simone and Tristan

Tell us a little about yourselves- how did you and your partner meet?

Tristan and Sim met one Friday night in Stellenbosch, while he was in Franschhoek for work and Sim had decided cooking dinner was not on the cards. A glass of wine was shared amongst friends and as all great Stellenbosch love stories start, a glass of wine at Brampton's turned into an early hour of the morning dance in mystics. Ever since then we have always had a special place in our hearts for one another, which led to numerous December flings, late-night adventures, endless phonecalls, big life changes, our own lockdown at the beach, Tristan moving provinces and a trip to Bali in between. The beginning finishes strong with a romantic engagement in the same spot where we spent lockdown surrounded by some very special family and friends.

Spill the details on your proposal story...

Every year Sim's family takes photos so Sim was not surprised at all when her step-mom told her that this year would be white and blue and the photos would be taken at the beach house. Simone packed an overnight bag and got into the car with her brothers. When they all arrived, the brothers scurried away down to the beach and as Simone turned the corner she was greeted by her entire family lining the boardwalk down to the beach. As Simone walked past each family member she was able to greet each one, receive her favourite flower and share a moment before she eventually met Tristan on the beach. He got down on one knee and asked for her hand and before he could finish she had said yes and started jumping up and down with excitement! There were no family photos although lots of photos were taken but Tristan had rented another house, filled it with Simone and his friends and family and they spent the weekend together celebrating.

Tell us about the vision you had for your special day, was there a specific theme/style and aspects that were important to you? 

The theme we had in mind was an emphasis on the people. It needed to feel fun, colourful and like every aspect was a reflection of the couple. We knew there had to be disco balls and there was a big focus on allowing the vendors to take our mood boards and then to run with it!

Rooftop on Bree was a place we saw on instagram and once we walked in we knew it was perfect (it was our 10th location we viewed and luckily our last). We had family flying in from all over and the idea of getting married in Cape Town where there were enough hotels, easy transport and activities made it an easy choice. When we arrived at Rooftop on Bree, they recommended a wedding planner and a caterer and we trusted them. So we jumped at whoever was suggested, met them, fell in love and were allowed to be SUPER involved in every detail but also have people who could handle the logistics and make the vision come to life. We went on pinterest and fell in love with the 70s, colorpop, disco vibes and then decided to incorporate all we loved into it. Each table had similar styles and flowers but were all different. There was a watercolour illustration of each guest at every table setting. There was our one-eyed dog on our wedding cake, a shot of tequila to greet you at the top of the stairs and a handwritten note from the couple for every person in attendance. Disco bals hung from the ceilings in between balls of flowers (in various colours) and vinyl stickers were stuck to surfaces saying things like "have a good time, okay?" or "love is when both people think they are the lucky ones."

How did you spend the morning of your wedding? How did you cope with the pre-wedding nerves? 

I was SO INCREDIBLY relaxed. I had complete faith in every vendor and every bridesmaid I surrounded myself with was just all there for the vibe. We had wind on our wedding that grounded airplanes and yet I was dancing to ABBA and enjoying spending time with all the woman who had spoken into my life. I think the best thing is to be clear on what time everyone has to be where and to delegate. Everybody wants to have a job and feel important so use this to your advantage!

What drew you to Top Drawer Collection for your getting ready outfits?

I needed something that was not black and white. I was not going to risk having white pyjamas (I am a messy eater) and I LOVED the pink and red.

What advice would you give future brides?

Make sure you choose vendors who you would trust to make the decisions when you can't. On the day just be in the moment, don't worry about what is going to go wrong, just embrace it. FINALLY, you and your partner are STUCK TO EACH OTHER's SIDE on the day. You want to experience things together, not have two versions of your wedding day