How we met

A Holiday Romance in Kenya. A holiday romance can sweep you off your feet and also leave you feeling deserted and heartbroken, but fortunately for us it was different, we managed to find true love. He was British, I was South African, two completely different backgrounds, but yet we fitted each other perfectly.

How we got engaged

After 3 wonderful years of being engaged, surviving a long distance relationship, living abroad, living in South Africa, we finally decided to tie the knot and settledown. Jason came to visit me in August 2010, we went off on a romantic trip to Dullstroom, he waited for the perfect moment, the sun was touching the horizon to take its night's rest, the Springbuck, Impala, Wildebeest galloped by on their way to the waterhole, and then….as he went down on one knee I realised this was it, this is the moment I have been waiting for, I was going to be Mrs Birkwood!

Our wedding day

Vintage elegance, two words that best described our perfect Wedding day.

My dress was made from Spanish vintage lace, designed by Manuel Mota, 'Pronovias', and my beautiful nude pink shoes I found in a small boutique in Regent Street London. My accessories included a traditional vintage fan, umbrella and a 1900’s handkerchief that my husband had embroidered with our unique emblem. I spent over 9 months searching for the perfect accessories. Then of course to continue our theme my future husband needed to wear something time-less and classic. He looked like a true gentleman in his pale-grey fitted 3 piece suit.

We exchanged our vows under two enormous intertwined Fig trees, located in the middle of Limpopo at Euphoria G&H Estate.

Stunning weather and decor by Ruby Rain, who transformed the bush into a vintage wonderland. Traditional period lanterns, chalked calligraphy blackboards, white dated birdcages and the music by the Harp player created a scene from the past. We had a brilliant photographer, Andre from BlackFrame photography, who managed to capture every detail.

The reception area looked picturesque, after months of scratching through antique stores/French romantic boutiques, finally it all paid off. Our sweetie table was my favorite wedding feature with vintage cookie jars filled with old fashion sweets and off course the wedding cake and a true 'Victorian' layered sponge.

Our first dance amongst candle light was to the famous Brandi Carlile's song, 'The story', sung by our wedding band, Hoot 'n Anni, just magical. The rest of the evening planned out to be quite the party but unfortunately or fortunately, it started raining at 3am as we all retired to bed (possibly a blessing from above).
 We couldn't have imagined a more perfect day!

Juanita's tips for brides to be

We had our wedding rehearsal dinner the night before, but we didn’t actually rehears the ceremony. A walking order rehearsal is a must. Ask the priest to take you through his thoughts and notes before the ceremony as it is important that his reading is relevant to your situation, also ensure you give him specific time limitations. A photo booth is a real treat, it keeps the guests busy throughout the evening. Don’t allow your day to be ruined, not by anyone or anything, stay strong and keep a happy face. Remember there is only a hand full of people at the wedding that knows the detail of the proceedings and decor, if you don’t make a scene of something that has gone wrong no one will even notice.