Kirsten & Mars

09.09.09 will forever be remembered now as the day we finally got hitched!

Some people say “watch out for the seven year itch”, well for Mars and I, September 2009 was the start of our seventh year together and we decided that 09.09.09 was the perfect day to finally seal the deal and get married. After a rather rainy and cloudy night the wedding came and thankfully so did the sunshine, but only after the clouds had spent all morning threatening me with a wet wedding! So, up to the challenge I decided to go with the flow (silently freaking out) and work with what Mother Nature was going to throw at us. First thing, I got the groomsmen into action and sent them on “Mission Paddington” for Wellington boots in enough sizes to fit everyone. If I was going to slush through muddy waters to my own wedding, then I sure as hell wasn’t doing it in white satin heels. So off the boys went in a bemused daze (wondering what exactly the bride was thinking getting married in wellies). The hotel, (Kurland Hotel, located in The Craggs, Plettenberg Bay, South Africa) ran around frantically grabbing all their racing green umbrellas (green to match wellies, a bride is always colour co-ordinated) and ensured they were all neatly stacked by the door and ready to be thrown into action at the first drop of rain.

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Showered and changed into jeans and jumpers, the girls (Jacqui, Kara and I) grabbed the bulging bags by the door, overflowing with ribbons, lace, fabric, candles, and marched over to the main hotel area to assess the soggy situation at hand. On route the groom and co. called and said that whilst they hadn’t located the wellies yet, they had seen blue skies headed our way and sunshine to follow. Standing on squidgy grass, all three of us threw our heads back and searched the grey sky. “Can you see blue sky?” “Oh I can see a cloud breaking up.” “Oooh a ray of sunshine.”
We found the hotel team in the dining room, dashing around taking out all the tables and chairs from the mornings breakfast, clearing the space so we could start to set it up for the reception dinner and jazz band.
The other pressing question was where exactly the ceremony was going to take place. We had decided earlier on in the week that we would have it under an oak tree, which had a wooden deck under the branches, and faced out towards the mountains and horses. Stunning location. However given the ominous clouds, an outside wedding wasn’t exactly a 100% on the cards, and what happened if it rained half way through the ceremony? We stood on the main veranda area and looked down the garden to the oak tree, wishing full sunshine would break through, and pondered on what do to. We had two hours to decide and to fully decorate the chosen area. Time was of the essence. After much deliberation and everyone trying to be a weather forecaster, I decided we would decorate under the oak tree and this would be plan A for the ceremony, and set up a small area on the main veranda which was covered, as plan B. Plus we still had to decorate and set up the dining room for dinner. So there were only a mere three areas to arrange and decorate in record breaking speed. Pippa, our florist, cum witness, and a new official friend of the family, took the lead in getting everything ready and was efficiently running around helping get various things arranged and laid out as per my vision. Jacqui and Kara ran between areas with ribbon and fabrics and we all called out to each other for quick opinions and fast decisions. Scissors were flying, ribbons were being tied on everything, and lanterns and hearts were being hung in the trees and bushes. As a completely un-coordinated, un-rehearsed and unplanned mad dash to make the hotel ready for a wedding in less than 90 minutes, I have to say we all worked around each other with exceptional skill and unexplainable female intuition. The hotel staff moved furniture at lightning speed, and all hands were officially on deck. A special thanks to Grant, who was my hero of the moment and practically climbed trees to get ribbons, tied everywhere. Alison (the general manager) was forever nipping between areas asking what she could do to help and offering everyone teas and coffees, her kindness was appreciated by everyone (and the waiters managed after much tricky sticking to get my handmade “Just Married” sign up above the fire place).
By the time I had to leave and go back to the room, I had run between so many places and worked at such a frantic pase that I was completely confused as to where exactly the ceremony was going to be.

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As I dashed into the room, Kara was already nearly finished with her make-up and Jacqui was just about done too, so the only one left in their jeans looking rather tatty was the bride! Theano (make-up artist) and Heidi (coiffeuse) were there calmly getting on with it and transforming everyone into goddess’. Theano grabbed me and got me on her little stool, but for all the nerves and adrenaline I could hardly sit still. Poor Theano, her patience was endless. She would say in a quiet whisper “Ok no open your eyes”, and suddenly I found my eyes tightly shut, “please lift your head up” and my head would drop down. I was just so overwhelmed that I could not understand plain English and I could not help but do the complete opposite to what I was supposed to be doing. Theano struggled through, and quietly and subtly held me down on the stool as I wriggled about with excitement and nerves. Just as she was getting to some of the trickier make-up, eyeliner etc, I leapt of the stool and ran to the French windows, which looked out on the field in front of the oak tree and where the ceremony would be held. Kurland had promised to get all the mountain ponies on their estate into the one field which was in front of the oak tree, and to my utter delight there were all the ponies and horses being led in through the field gate. It was incredibly breath taking watching all the brown ponies wondering around and grazing in the sun drenched field.
Half way through the make-up I realized of course I had not eaten a scrap of food all day and it was already 2pm! A quick call through to our foodie whizz-kid, Chef Greg, and the most gorgeous tray of homemade sandwiches and clear vegetable broth soup was hot-footing it down the soggy path to my room. Heidi then grabbed me, as I jumped up and starting wolfing down some the freshly made soup and yummy salmon sandwiches. The hot tongs were out and Heidi was away, like an expert swordsman, she sliced my hair into sections and started whipping through the piles of hair, creating perfect locks of blonde curls. Before I could even fully recognize Heidi’s speed, she was done! A masterpiece had been created in what felt like 5 minutes. And there sat looking back at me in the mirror this fantastical Victorian, Marie Antoinette By that stage I was a nervous wreck and though calmly smiling at everyone and chatting away, internally I was filled with nerves and I desperately trying to think of what I was expected to do once I got into the dress and out the door.
Annemari, our exquisite photographer (and I hope a new found friend), was quietly moving around the outskirts of all the mayhem snapping away. Just as I was nearing completion, Annemari was out the door and of to see the boys and get some sneaky shots of them all getting ready.
That was it, time was up, and it was as they say “Show time”.

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