Getting Ready With Zahn & Henri

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

Henri and I met in 2017 when I moved from Stellies to JHB. I wasn't looking to date anyone at the time as I wanted to settle into my new home. Henri at the time was (still is) an absolute workaholic and when he wasn't working, he was golfing or jolling with his mates, so was absolutely not interested in any form of attachments. As luck or fate would have it, a friend of mine from varsity thought she would play match-maker and set the two of us up. Her sister, was married to Henri's older brother at the time and after many session of conspiring between the two of them, they got the two of us to go on a double date. We absolutely hit if off, kindred spirts if you believe in that sort of thing. It felt like our souls had known each other over many lifetimes, waiting to spend this one together.

Spill the details on your proposal story...

With Henri and I both being analysts by trade, there was no surprise element to our proposal. the start of 2022 I remember us going for a drive on the golf cart to watch the sunset (this is as romantic as it got)and him saying to me; "babe, I think this year we can get engaged. All the boxes are ticked and we are both in the right space to the life on together now". My only comment was that I didn't want a spectacle, I wanted something low-key and just the two of us! Naturally, every time we went away during this year I though (and all the gals) that he would drop the knee...Then Henri decided to fly to Stellies to go ask my parents if he could marry me, the only way I know this, is because my bestie was on the same flight down and she knew what was happening, my mom also phoned my crying from a restaurant bathroom after he has asked them (thanks, mom). Anyways, 9 months later, still nothing. At this point, my bestie was pregnant and hated that her husband could still drink wine and I wasn't to fond of Henri as my anticipation was wearing out. On the morning of my engagement, 24 Sept (braai day),this bestie and I had gone on somewhat of a ranting walk and I had made up my mind that I wasn't happening. That afternoon I told Henri that we should probably do something for braai day, but seeing as we didn't have a braai, a picnic on the golf course would be nice. He naturally agreed. Off we went on the cart and Henri was being very particular about the location of where this picnic would be held. It then occurred to me, that I may have planned my own engagement. He then stopped on this little bridge over a waterfall that was overlooking the rolling greens. We got out, popped a bottle of bubbly and looked at the view, it was at this point that Henn started reflecting over our past and at this point I knew what was happening. A few seconds later, the man was on one knee down on the cobblestone bridge and asked me to marry him.

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

I was lucky to have an amazing planner to guide with my vision and turn it into reality - Nicole from Kiona. My theme for my wedding was Wabi Sabi, which is a Japanese concept. What I took from this was incorporating a lot of texture, while mixing cool and warm muted tones. Having chosen the Johannesdal that is naturally such a beautiful venue, I wanted my elements to compliment and tie into its overall look and feel. I never wanted one element to be too over the top that it shadowed all the other details, but rather for each element (there were any) to speak to one another. Each table was styled differently from the selection set of glassware, plates, etc we had chosen. Two of my biggest elements, were both floral installations done by Wilde Flower. For my ceremony I wanted to look like I was walking through a medow, so my entire Ilse was created around this brief. For the reception, the brief for the intallation to look like a dead tree/branches growing from the ceiling, filled with orchids and antheriums. All of the branched were build onto a bamboo rig, and each and every flower was hand-strung onto the individual branches, that was then lit up that evening by light beams and fairy lights that looked like falling stars. There 1998 individual orchid flowers alone.

Tell us a little about the location, the food, the styling and some of your favourite details.

My mom had shown me Johannesdal even before I got engaged, nothing else I had ever come across has ever compared. I think we looked at one other venue in JHB after getting engaged and it just didn't come close. Johannesdal is honestly something from a fairytale, and that was before getting married there and getting to know their AMAZING team of people and staff - they made it feel like home the entire weekend we spent there. The food was also never a decision, but just had to be Chef Ollie and Annalize from Annalize Catering! They are just the absolute best at what they do. They made our food vision come to life more than we could have ever dreamt of. They put so much love, care and thought into their deliciously beautiful culinary creations. As mentioned, the flowers on the day, although big installations, were done with so many smaller details that it wasn't overwhelming to look into this big structure, but drew you into see every small piece. Other smaller details that really stood our to me was the all the different texture, from smashed concrete slabs, to different tonal linens, to the different single stem table floral arrangements, to differently cut glassware and plates - It all just tied into each element and complementing one another. One of my fav details was that all the guests wore black and men in black tie, so this really just created such a beautiful look and feel when looking back on all the photos and all the details just pops through.

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

The morning of my wedding I was surprisingly calm. I wanted to take in the scenery of my beautiful venue, this time with my girls I would never have again and the good tunes to set the tone. They laughed at the amount of time I spent steaming my dress & 6m long veil and cried over the beautiful letter each of them wrote for me that morning, but mostly just enjoyed being together. The nerves only kicked in once we were on the way to the ceremony, but at this point things were out of my control, so I took a deep breath and just enjoyed.

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

My bridal party wore black, so I wanted a white set with incorporating some black into it, and TD just had the perfect classic set with initials! From the moment the box arrived it was beautiful, the packaging was unbelievably thoughtful. Then came opening the box, the sets were out of this world! From the stitching of our beautiful initials, to the softest material used for the sets. They were PERFECT!

What advice would you give future brides?

Enjoy the journey of planning the special day to soaking it all up on the day. It is a journey, there will be highs and lows, but remember that this, this is only once in your life so take it all in! Never forget what the day is truly about and make sure it is your and your partners day and vision, it needs to tell the story of the two of you! The wedding is the kick magical kick start to the rest of your lives together as one!

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