I have been on an amazing high (of excitement) the past couple of months. And as it turns out, I've also been very slack...I just realised that I haven't updated the blog since the post on our engagement in January. Oops.
So much has happened since, but I won't go into the details of the wedding planning and bore you with what kept me sooooo busy.
I had great fun planning the wedding and really counted the days until our BIG day, which was on Saturday, 4 April in the Highlands Meander, Machadodorp, Mpumalanga.
Dress in hand I departed for Abu Dhabi on the 12th of March. I decided to visited Amori in Dubai (which I will refer to as Legoland from now on), for a week.
I took the Etihad shuttle from Abu Dhabi to Dubai where Amori collected me. It was so nice to spend time with my cousin and I was of course so spoiled. Legoland is truly a fascinating place. Having been there before in 2005, I kind of knew what to expect.
So much has happened since, but I won't go into the details of the wedding planning and bore you with what kept me sooooo busy.
I had great fun planning the wedding and really counted the days until our BIG day, which was on Saturday, 4 April in the Highlands Meander, Machadodorp, Mpumalanga.
Dress in hand I departed for Abu Dhabi on the 12th of March. I decided to visited Amori in Dubai (which I will refer to as Legoland from now on), for a week.
I took the Etihad shuttle from Abu Dhabi to Dubai where Amori collected me. It was so nice to spend time with my cousin and I was of course so spoiled. Legoland is truly a fascinating place. Having been there before in 2005, I kind of knew what to expect.
Though one would associate Dubai with glitz and glamour I must admit it looked a lot like dust and sand to me.
I remember thinking "I'm missing something" when I visited in 2005, when I realised it's colour that is missing. No vegetation....not so pretty. Well, I guess it is the dessert after all, right. I am still trying to decide if the palm trees are real or fake.
Amori lives in a great area called Jumeirah Beach Residence where for a minute the real "fake" plants actually make you feel like you are in tropical paradise with the beautiful turquoise ocean on the one side, and a marine walk lined with cafe's and designer stores on the other but when you look up and you see all the cranes and the building and demolishing going on you are quickly reminded that you're not. Oh, and the camels are a dead give a way of course.
Apparently Dubai has 20% of the world’s cranes. No wonder the national bird of Dubai is the "crane". Hahahahaha! I like that joke...
The view from Amori's apartment on the 21st floor .
I went with Amori and her friend Angie to a Tiesto concert. Though not really my kind of music, I really enjoyed it. Thanks girls, it was fun!
Amori made sure that I visited all the big malls that Dubai is known for...Batuta Mall, Mall of Emirates and Dubai Mall are some of the ones I remember the names of.
I don't think divers will see any fish life in the Arabian sea because they are all in the aquariums around Dubai.
A drive by the famous Burj Al-Arab Hotel.
My last night in Dubai, Amori wanted to show me the Atlantis Hotel Complex, The Palms, which now that I've read up on it a bit is pretty amazing. Still Legoland, but they get an A for effort.
On the Wednesday, 18 March I bid Amori farewell and headed to sunny SA, where I was looking forward to seeing green for as far as the eye can see. And knowing that when you look up, you will see the amazingly blue African skies and stunning sun sets. Which are really a rarity in Jakarta and I made sure I took it all in, in the 3 weeks I was at home. I was reminded again of what a beautiful country SA is and I felt truly happy with our decision to get married in SA.
The next couple of days, I spent with my mom and sister. Dinners with family, Shopping, ordering flowers, tying ribbons around favors etc.
The next couple of days, I spent with my mom and sister. Dinners with family, Shopping, ordering flowers, tying ribbons around favors etc.
Dinner with my mom, aunt and sisters.
I also met the new addition to the Beuthe family. I didn't just become a wife, I also became an Aunty. Natalee Beuthe is only 3 weeks old in this picture and really cute.
On Sunday, 22 March I woke up very excited, not just because the wedding day was getting closer but because I was going to see my best friend and made of honor Lesleigh again. Lesleigh moved to Denver a year ago, and when I calculated that we hadn't seen each other in a year and 8 months it made our reunion even more special. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
I just love it when a plan comes together. Our friend Julia returned from her weekend in the South Coast on the same day so the three of us met at the airport and we spent 2 days together catching up, being silly (how I miss that, girls).
Looking at the photos of our "1st night reunion", I realised just how silly we were when I couldn't find one that I could post. LOL ;-)
On Monday, 23 March the 3 of us went on a little road trip to Machadodorp to check out the wedding venue and to finalise the arrangements. And I was very pleased when the girls agreed, that it was indead a terrific venue.
On Monday, 23 March the 3 of us went on a little road trip to Machadodorp to check out the wedding venue and to finalise the arrangements. And I was very pleased when the girls agreed, that it was indead a terrific venue.
Lesleigh and I spent one night with my Mom on the Tuesday, before she went to go soke up the KZN sun.
So finally after Marc arrived on the 28th of March and Lesleigh returned from her trip to KZN on the 30th, the final countdown to the BIG day began.
On Wednesday, 1 April it was Lesleigh's birthday (Happy Birthday, my friend) and between the b-day lunch, mani and pedi and a "braai" in Pretoria that evening Lesleigh didn't really have time to even think about how old she really is. Private joke...LOL ;-) Just kidding my friend. You don't look a day older than 25. Happy Birthday, Les.
It is not offen Marc gets to stand in front of a big "braai" like this one. Tanya and Les enjoying a beautiful Pretoria evening.
Meat, meat and a man must eat...something else we dont get alot of. Yummy!
Sylvia, our gracious host and the Birthday girl, Les!
On Thursday, 2 April. Lesleigh, Marc and I headed out to Misty Valley Lodge. We decided to go earlier so that we could finalise the seating arrangements and other wedding arrangements.
We were very happy that we did go up earlier when we were sitting around the log fire, sipping a glass of vino. Something else we miss...the cold.
We were very happy that we did go up earlier when we were sitting around the log fire, sipping a glass of vino. Something else we miss...the cold.
Cheers...to a good choice of venue. "We like it here" ;-)
I was a little bit worried when we woke op on Friday morning and it was white with mist.
Friday, 3 April marc and I had to go through to Belfast to meet the pastor that was conducting our wedding ceremony. From about lunch time, our guests started arriving.
From around 4 the girls all met at one of the chalets for my lingerie "shower" that Lesleigh arranged. Kitchen teas sure are boring.....Go for the underwear girls its fantastic. I received so many nice things, I truly feel spoiled. Thank you!
So while the girls were sipping wine and chit chatting the boys were trying their luck fishing in the nearby dams. Some of the boys were luckier than others (Go Terry and Marius). But, one thing they all caught was a sun burn. So instead of a blushing bride, we had a blushing groom and loads of blushing men. LOL ;-)
We moved to the pub for another relaxed evening around the bar and in front of the fire, catching up with all our friends that we hadn't seen in a while.
So it went from saying "we are getting married in 4 months", to "we're getting married in a week" to "we are getting married tomorrow....YEAH!!! I could hardly wait....
We moved to the pub for another relaxed evening around the bar and in front of the fire, catching up with all our friends that we hadn't seen in a while.
So it went from saying "we are getting married in 4 months", to "we're getting married in a week" to "we are getting married tomorrow....YEAH!!! I could hardly wait....
Wedding and post-wedding posts to follow soonest.
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