Were truer words ever spoken?

This lovely laser cut sign was a surprise gift to Gitta and her groom Darius from her sister Liesel and her family. She and Liesel are the creative talents behind the super cool Glee Project brand which creates custom stationery for celebrations and they also style said celebrations too (click here to see the amazing invitations and save the dates they designed for the wedding). It’s no surprise then that Gitta and Darius’s wedding was a seriously stylish affair – made all the more special by all the heartfelt details contributed by the couple’s families.

The wedding was held at Netherwood in KZN, Gitta works in fashion and designed her own dress (!!)

Some of the many DIY elements that Gitta and Darius included in their day were the Seating Chart Chalkboard “we painted a piece of masonite with chalkboard paint and it made the perfect place to hang name tags and came in handy directing guests to the next part of the wedding. It was also a bit of fun for the guests having to hunt down their name tag on the board”, says Gitta.

The wedding cake was made by Gitta’s mom”we didn’t want it to be fussy just good to eat. I had bought a wooden man and lady (from Ikhaya) before we got engaged. One lived at Darius’s house and one lived at my house so finally at our wedding Barry and Patrica (we name everything) got together on top of the cake.

For the tables, Gitta explains “the whole family got involved in the bits and pieces that made up our wedding. My mom made the table runners and my Grandpa made the most beautiful chalk boards for the table numbers and menus. He is a rock star”.

the couples spent six months planning their big day and the effort that went into all the details is amazing. The theme (in honour of where Darius grew up) was ‘Karoo’ which lent itself to lots of handmade detailing. it;s clear that the couple thought carefully about the symbolism that was present throughout.

Gitta explains,

“For the Jar Full of Wishes – We found really cute wooden stick men and women which we asked guests to write a message or draw a picture on instead of a traditional guest book. We now have jars full of wishes on our shelf at home that remind us of our special friends and family.

We used the aloe and swallow as icons for our wedding stationery and in the styling. We loved that the swallow mates for life and really wanted to carry this through into our wedding day. The chapel at Netherwood has the most insane swallow chandelier that fitted in perfectly. We had tin swallows made and hung them along the path that ran from the chapel to the reception venue. For the wedding favours, Darius’s Mom and Stepdad made homemade jam for the ladies and the guys were given bags of biltong which my mom made for us and we iron on the transfer label that said “Padkos…for the trip home”.

Words of Widsom

“We were determined to enjoy the planning process and tried really hard not to stress about the little things that we would never be able to control. We tried really hard to let the day reflect who we are as a couple and to be a celebration with friends and family and we felt that we got that spot on. It is so important not to lose sight of the blessing of marriage and not to get lost in the busyness and glamour of the day. True Love is a Real Big Deal after all!”

“On the day before our wedding, while everyone was working hard, we slipped off just the two of us for a bit of time together. We really wanted to feel the importance of the day ahead and to be fully aware of what it meant to us to be getting married. It was something that a friend suggested to us and i would recommend it to anyone who is about to get married. We really wanted to be fully present on our wedding day and take it all in. It is a once in a life time thing and it can slip by so quickly. The time together before the wedding just let us focus on what’s important”.

Thanks Gitta and Darius – your wedding looked magical!

Some other vendors:

The amazing photograph were by Eileen from Bright Girl Photography

The food was prepared by Rita Lee’s Country Kitchen

The gorgeous flowers were by local talent Annesta from Perfect Petals in Nottigham Road 033 2666454

Stationery by Gitta and Liesel of Glee Projects