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Elisma & Adriaan {A Wedding Story}

Elisma & Adriaan {A Wedding Story}

Hi folks! Welcome back to our blog.

I always adore photographing weddings! There is always SO much love in the air and the bride and groom always spends so much time carefully planning all the details. What makes weddings so much more special to me is when the couple and I have some history.
I met Elisma and Adriaan for the first time when I took their Engagement photos back in 2017 and we just hit it off! It was an absolute honour to have been a part of your special day Elisma and Adriaan - and I thank you! 

The wedding was at De Uijlenes Forest, the reception was at the Nightjar Venue and was catered by the chefs & staff of De Uijlenes.  

The theme of the wedding was Ancestral.

"Respect your ancestors for you are the result of a thousand loves." - Viking Proverb.

"We paid tribute to them by honoring some old traditions," Elisma says, "though the main theme was Viking because it was our strongest mutual ancestry. We drew elements from everything: Viking, Gaelic, Celtic, Germanic, Trojan, Roman, Persian, Scottish, Afrikaans, French, Dutch, Ephthalite, German & Bavarian." 
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03jpg04jpg Tell me about your dress. Where did you find it, how did you choose it, how did you know it was the one?

Originally I was going to custom make it. However, by luck I stumbled across the dress I ended up wearing. I bought it at Bride & Co. and was actually flooded with relief the second I did - one less thing to worry about! It's from the 'David's Bridal' Range. My garter was also by them.

My reception shoes were custom made T-bar/gold satin latin ballroom dancing shoes by Turning Point, while my ceremony shoes were lace pumps from WW that I spray painted.

The red bridesmaid dress was a custom vintage velvet 1920s dress that belonged to my grandmother, while the purple bridesmaid dress was an upcycled hip hop dress from the 1990s that I originally wore to my sister's wedding. I changed the style slightly for the occasion. The last bridesmaid dress was a valkyrie dress designed and made from start to finish by me - Lisma Designs. The bridesmads' soleless sandels are also an original Lisma Designs.

The necklace I wore came from my mother, while the earrings came from my mother-in-law, and Adriaan's grandmother's necklace I wore as a 'bridal crown.' 

The groom's ring was custom made - I worked with Van Cappellen Jewellery in conjunction with Titanium. My ring is an O'Brien Jewellers original while my engagement ring came from the groom's grandmother.
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How and when did the two of you meet?

We met 7 years, 1 week and 3 days before our wedding. A serendipitous night out. Love at first sight. We were going steady after our first date and knew we were going to marry.
elisma 11 resizedjpg57jpg Tell us about Adriaan's suit.

Adriaan's shirt was designed by me. His mother helped me with the pattern making and sowing and he gave me feedback on my style suggestions. I gave him a few options in everything I designed as I wanted to put together something he loves. I hand painted the leather work myself and did the embroidery with some help last minute in finishing it by his mother and sister. A work of love by all three of us. His shoes were Cats and his pants WW cotton pants. elisma 10 sizedjpg

The Nightjar venue is built completely out of wood, which gives it a fantastic Viking log cabin feel, perfect for a Viking wedding! The wooden structure fits in perfectly with the tranquil and beautiful surroundings. Everyone who sees this beautiful log cabin immediately falls in love with it - and it was no different for Elisma and Adriaan!

"We want to thank the staff and coordinators from De Uijlenes, who made the whole process a lot smoother and a lot less stressful on us," Elisma says. "The wedding coordinators were very helpful and full of ideas, while the chef rose in every regard to all of the wedding party's requests. The rooms were beautifully prepared, the staff were friendly and helpful and it felt like we were being helped by family and not just staff." 
Elisma 1 resizedjpgelisma 5 resizedjpgelisma 6 resizedjpgelisma 9 resizedjpg53jpg Was your wedding day very different from the way you always imagined it? Or the same?

Very different from when I was a child but exactly what I imagined for us. We are a unique couple and our wedding reflected that. DSC_0002jpg DSC_0047jpgDSC_0049jpg DSC_0042jpgelisma 12 resizedjpgelisma 13 resizedjpgIMG_0280jpgelisma 14 resizedjpgIMG_0278jpgIMG_0261jpgelisma 17 resizedjpgIMG_0272jpgelisma 15 resizedjpgelisma 16 resizedjpg136jpgelisma 18 resizedjpgelisma 19 resizedjpgDSC_0232jpgDSC_0243jpg155jpgelisma 20 resizedjpgDSC_0276jpgDSC_0280jpgelisma 21 resizedjpgelisma 22 resizedjpg181jpg182jpg What were you most anxious, nervous or fearful about regarding your wedding day and what was the outcome?

Up until the week before the wedding I was most worried about not being able to pull off all my ideas and not having enough time to finish everything. I knew I took on too much. A few small things did fall through the cracks but I was still very happy with the outcome. I also knew to have a themed wedding was risky - I still wanted it to be 'beautiful' rather than 'B-grade' so an ongoing planning concern was making sure everything lived up to my standards.

A few days before the wedding my father fell ill and was hospitalised. My greatest concern was that he wouldn't be able to walk me down the aisle - I couldn't imagine not having him there to give me away. I could deal with not having him make a speech and not having our father-daughter dance at the reception - even though that would be very difficult. Luckily he was able to get a pass from the hospital for just long enough to drive me to the forest, walk me down the aisle and bear witness to our ceremony. Sad as I was that he had to miss the reception, I was so deeply grateful that he could be there for me. It was deeply emotional for all of us. 184jpg185jpg186jpg187jpgelisma 23 resizejpg196jpgelisma 24 resizedjpg199jpgelisma 25 resizedjpgelisma 26 resizedjpg79jpgDSC_0401jpgDSC_0451jpgelisma 27 resizedjpg213jpg221jpg
Did you see each other before the wedding? If not, did you like waiting or would you have rather done it differently? Tell us why or why not!

No, and no. It was great having him see everything for the first time as I walked down the isle - magical even! 231jpgelisma 28 resizedjpg237jpg
What was your favourite moment from the wedding?

Our first dance. Adriaan couldn't 'dance' before. We started taking lessons 10 weeks before. I hadn't ballroom danced in 17 years and it was a first for him. He thought he was going to hate it but it was part of what we loved - great for blowing off the stress. In fact, we enjoyed the fun and intimacy of it so much that we signed up for another 15 months!
249jpg You can tell everyone was having the time of their lives, enjoying this very special Viking wedding! And Elisma and Adriaan were loving every minute of their special day being surrounded by family and friends who love them. elisma 29 resizedjpgelisma 30 resizedjpgelisma 31 resizedjpgelisma 32 resizedjpg275jpgelisma 33 resizedjpg239jpg
What were your impressions of Just Frame Me Photography?

What I love most about JFMP is that it feels more like shooting with a friend than posing for a photographer! 

Thanks, Elisma & Adriaan! It was one amazing day and an absolute honour to have been a part of such a precious day! Thank you for the honour of allowing us to capture this magical chapter in your lives for you! May your future be bright and your marriage be blessed xx
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A few more people that helped Elisma and Adriaan's wedding go off without a hitch was:

DJ/Music - John & Thalia from Capricorn Music
Second shooter/assistant - Ceazare Joubert from Vision Point Wedding & Lifestyle Photography
Wedding Cake Toppers, decor & concept - Elisma Johl from Lisma Designs.
Wedding Cake, Frosting & Filling - Nicole from Table Cafe.
Wedding planner - Elisma Johl
Wedding Officiant - Ds Scott from the NG Church in Tamboerskloof 
Accompaniment - Ds Coetsee from the NG Church in De Doorns
Engraved Swords - Ettienne du Plessis
Wedding Dress - Bride & Co.
Caterer - Mornay from De Uijlenes
Florist, Armbands & Boutonnieres - Lisma Designs
Menus, Printables, Table Design, favours, stickers & placecards - Lisma Designs.

Want to learn more about our Wedding packages? Check out all the details here: http://justframemephotography.com/newborn-lifestyle-sessions/weddings

E-mail us at justframemephotography@gmail.com to BOOK your Wedding Package TODAY! We look forward to hearing from you! xx

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