Thursday, January 29, 2009

our wedding C: rings and things

While we were busy being beautified, my photographer and his assistant arrived. They were early, which I found to be such a wonderful little gift for a bride! Without a moment's hesitation, they started capturing the details of the day.

Ian Mitchinson is the owner of Westside Studios and the only local photographer whose work left an undeniable impression on us during our search for a wedding snapper. We were always looking for something a little bit more interesting than your standard classic wedding portraiture. While great creative photography in this style seems rampant in the US (if wedding blogs are anything to go by), the matrimonial market in SA is still hesitantly exploring anything even slightly outside the expected. So we felt doubly blessed and confident when Ian's work held just the right amount of class and whimsy. Once we met with him, Ian's easy-going yet professional demeanour and clear understanding of what we were after made the decision a very easy one. We never met with any other photographers, the case was solved!

I'd decided early on that I wanted to go short and dark on my nails. I'm just not a french gal.
I was looking for a modern/vintage brown/red/grey colour but ran out of options and settled on Essie's Decadent Diva. I guess it's all in the name! The ring was a gift from my bridesmaids, we were all wearing matching ones on the day, but forgot to get a pic of it. Oh well.



I love this picture of my engagement ring that my Beautiful Boy had to work so hard for, lovingly named Lucy.


My wedding band is a very slim channel setting half eternity ring. Isn't it shocking how much smaller it is than BB's?


We lucked out with BB's ring. He never seemed to like anything overly much and I started wondering whether he'd ever choose something. When I finally found my band it was such an easy, obvious decision. I'd thought about different options and felt confused for a while, but when I slipped on the one, it was clear! The sales girl at that store then showed us a ring they were having made for another male client and that ring sparked the design for BB's one. You can see the detail nicely in this next picture. It's a comfort fit matt white gold band with a fine shiny white gold thread running over it in a wave pattern. We both love it for it's unique simplicity.



Every detail here has a little story. The bracelet (with the crosses) was an unexpectedly generous birthday gift from a friend. She gave it to me just two weeks before the wedding, not knowing anything about my dress or wedding style and I just knew it would suit and that I'd love to wear it. I also found it quite sentimental as she's actually one of BB's best friends, who have now also become mine. The earrings I bought for a REAL bargain and was never sure that I'd actually wear them.

Then I decided my personalised rhyme would simply be:
something old: I was wearing (fab) old shoes
something new: my (fab) new dress
something borrowed: the bow brooch was very kindly, and usefully, lent to me by the lady who altered my dress so that we could bustle it ourselves (after Jenny Packham Boutique told me it's impossible to bustle this dress, ha)
something cheap: my earrings!



I've had these shoes since 2005, and since they are beautiful and comfortable and I love them dearly, I decided they are worthy of carrying me through my wedding day.
Okay okay, I also couldn't find anything new that I really liked and trusted to be wearable and party proof. But I was very happy with my decision in the end. They stayed on and on and on...


My dress is Jenny Packham's Papillon. I am a very, very, very lucky girl. I felt comfortable, glamorous, sexy and natural. A dreamy dress for sure.


My bridesmaids all chose and bought their dresses themselves. I know them as super stylish cool & classy ladies so had no fears regarding their choices. I was only with my sister when she bought hers (the middle one) and nearly cried when she came out of the dressing room, all grown up and womanly. I love how they all looked together. I didn't prescribe shoes either. We were thinking all different colours, all silver or all black, but in the end I honestly didn't have a care, so we ended up with me in green, Sis in purple and the rest in black!

17 comments:

Tenille said...

I love the details. Keep 'em coming!

Read and See said...

Loving this! I saw Westside Studios at a bridal expo here, but when I saw they were from Cape Town I disregarded them immediately...but your photos are gooorgeous! I was really considering the "all girls wearing a different dress" idea, but I think you need more than 2 girls to pull it off! On two, two different dresses just looks odd. With, I think, four or more - maybe even three - it becomes obvious that the difference is actually a pattern.

And of course I'm saying nooothing about the Packham envy!

Janine / Being Brazen said...

I love your shoes and your dress (breathtaking). Your bracelet is also just too gorgeous.

Anonymous said...

look how small my shoes are in comparison with all the others! hahaha!

Marie said...

Yeay! Loving the recaps. Your photos are wonderful. It's so lovely to have captured all those special hard thought out details. And I love the shoes, the colour is just fabulous.

Color Me Green said...

kudos to your photographer, those are amazing photos - especially of your gorgeous dress! did your bridesmaids wear dresses of all different colors or did they match in some way?

Jess said...

I love all these simple details that make all the difference.
God, your dress was gorgeous!

Brunhilda said...

I have such Packham envy! Lucky girl indeed!

Hi! I'm Brunhilda. Meli told me I'd love your site, and I do. She said we have similar romatic pasts. I love to read about how you worked through yours. So very poetic and riviting.

Congratulations on your wedding! I'm delurking since I'm planning my own now. :)

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

I love your ring. So gorgeous - and I loved reading the story of it back when you first posted it! So so sweet!

I love that people are wearing colored shoes w/ their dresses these days! So so cool! If I ever get married, I am totally getting some awesome red or pink ones!

Keep the details coming! You are such a great writer!

Cyd said...

I am just gleefully excited for all of these posts, and oh how I love this one! BB's ring is really so beautiful and I love all of the little details including your "old" shoes and that cute bow brooch. I'm already in love with your wedding and you have yet to leave the dressing room! No worries...the glitter is still very much intact! ;-)

Aubergine said...

I love your shoes.

Much much nicer than some of the awful dyeables the wedding dress shops try to force on you!

Cate Subrosa said...

I love the variation in your girls' choices. This thing for trusting your ladies' instincts is such an improvement on the old prescriptive bride technique.

Hannah said...

Wow, I love BB's ring!!
Those shose are AWESOME!!
Lovin' the broach, earrings, bracelet, the whole shebang!!

Oh yeah-- and your dress ROCKS

Modelmental said...

Thanks for all the love girls. I'm really touched! How did I ever consider not posting all about my happy day?

tkc, your wish, my command.

Ruby, you should've tried them anyway, they fly all around the world and are still so affordable! (Don't tell them!) I'm so with you on the two is not enough for mismatched dresses and I love your girls' dress! Oh that pesky Packham...

BB, thanks so much. I love it all too, still, and more!

mm, ja jou ou tiny twinkle toes!

LB, it does give some satisfaction! The shoes were so random but I figured love is love and I loved them and love them still.

CMG, they were all black!

Jess, eek I know! I'm meant to sell it but I'm stalling.

Nice to meet you Brunhilda! I'll pop over to yours...

Aw thanks Lisa, some girls are saying that the coloured shoes will date our wedding pics, as in "oh that's so noughties". But I've always loved coloured shoes (in fact, I own only one black pair!) and I don't care. Rock the pink/red girl!

Cyd, what a beautiful compliment and thanks, it still feels all glittery so I guess we survived! In fact, I think it's made me love the day even more. Hurrah.

Aubergine, oh yeah. I don't think dying is ever necessary anymore? Coloured shoes are EVERYWHERE!

Cate, I couldn't do it any other way, they are such strong individual women! Everyone commented on how wildly they differ from each other... Keeps my life interesting!

Hannah, thanks my dear! x

Kilee said...

I'm thinking of going short and dark for my wedding. Agree...I'm not a french tip girl. Great post.

Kilee
www.happyhourbride.com

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