Elisha and Iulian – Casa Labia

Elisha and Iulian’s Wedding:

We created this intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg for the lovely Elisha and Iulian. This exquisite venue was the perfect setting for a bespoke occasion.

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

We asked the bride a few questions after her big day, as she reflected on the magnificence of this special day. Here are her thoughts and comments:

How did you meet? Tell us your story:

We always tell people we met at the Leuven Belgian Beer Cafe which was where we had our first date. But, we met on an internet dating set. We chatted for a few months before we met in person and by the time we met we felt like we’d known each other our entire lives.

Iulian always says he fell in love with me before he even met me. How cute is that?

(I couldn’t get enough of her – Iulian)

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

The venue, the dream, the big picture for your day – what was important to you and what did you want your experience to be?

We wanted to get married in Cape Town. Iulian just loved the city, the atmosphere, and the people. When he saw Casa Labia it reminded him of home and the Italian architecture was setting it apart. The surroundings the ocean in the front and the mountain behind … it was like the dream location! This was the perfect venue for us. Now we had to find everything else to match. And we didn’t compromise on quality.

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.floristElisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

Tell us the details on why you chose what you chose and who your lovely vendors were:

We bought all our attire in NZ. My dress was made especially for me by Shona Rubbery designs in NZ ( www.shonaruberydesigns.co.nz ) and she was absolutely amazing.

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

Shoes are Italian. My hair was by Monroe Classique in Muizenberg ( monroeclassiquehairstudio.devhub.com ).

The dresses for the matron of honour and junior bridesmaid were designed and made by my dear friend Braemore Lundall Sauls ( www.facebook.com/BraemoreDesign ).

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

One disappointing experience was our makeup artist not turning up on the wedding day. But Braemore – fashion designer extraordinaire, stepped in and did my make up.

My dear husband Iulian and his best man Claudiu, worn Gibson suits made by Cambridge, New Zealand ( cambridgeclothing.com) from NZ wool threaded in Italy. The suits shirts and silk teal cravats were purchased from Bachari Menswear. Leather Italian handmade shoes by Brando ( www.theiconic.co.nz/brando ).

The best man lives in Australia so… coordinating the clothing sizes and purchases between New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, was all worth while.

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

We brought the jewellery from Cape Diamonds, simple yet stylish design, just the way we like it – diamonds set in platinum with mounting shaped like a protea flower.

My husband Iulian and Joel from Cape Diamonds sketched the wedding band on a piece of scrap paper and the design was done in minutes. Amazing skill and art from Joel ( www.capediamonds.co.za ).

What went through your head when you saw Iulian for the first time?

Man I’m lucky! He is so handsome and the smile on his face and the faint tears in his eyes were so endearing. He says he keeps falling in love with me over and over again.

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

Tell us the key details that stood out for you from your reception:

It was all perfect. Tanya Mills and the staff at Casa Labia were awesome ( www.casalabia.co.za ). We enjoyed our wedding day without having to worry about anything.

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

The flower arrangements supplied by The Rose Cafe ( www.therosecafe.florist/weddings-and-events ) were outstanding, and what a match for the venue!

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

The gorgeous cake with the dainty damask detailing was by Kanya Hunt, ( www.kanyahunt.co.za ).

The photographer Shireen Louw ( www.shireenlouw.com ) was fantastic, personable, fun and easy going.

And the music … ‘The Hungarian Trio’ was an exquisite treat. Gabor serenading with his old Amati violin, Donat and Nerina playing everything from classic to modern ( www.hungariantrio.com ).

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

Advice from the couple:

Do whatever makes you happy. After all, it is YOUR wedding day!

Allow for mishaps. Imperfection is beautiful in its innocence.

Elisha & Iulian's intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg | Flowers by The Rose Cafe | Cape Town Wedding Flowers | www.therosecafe.florist

An intimate wedding in Cape Town, at Casa Labia in Muizenberg

wedding-event-contact-buttonwedding-quotation-button

 

Melanie & Paul’s Wedding Flowers

 

Melanie & Paul’s Wedding Flowers:

 

Earlier this year, we had the joy of doing wedding flowers for the ethereal Mel, and her groom Paul. With a dream for all things delicate, soft and whimsical and a colour palette to match – this was just a pleasure to create!

Paul and Mel met through a mutual friend…

“We were drawn to each other straight away and after one date and a little yellow post-it note in my post box, I knew I wanted to marry him. 6 years on, we have already shared so many beautiful memories – including becoming first time parents to our precious little girl & most recently our wedding day which was a very small & intimate celebration of our love & our little family.”

The wedding was hosted at Goedgedacht in Riebeek Kasteel. It was a perfect, blue-sky day, the warmth of the weather mirrored in the smiling faces of family and friends who came together to celebrate this charming couple.

The Rose Cafe_Wedding Flowers_Mel and Paul_002

“In planning this special day it was important to us to stay true to who we are & not get caught up in the traditional extravagance that can accompany a wedding. We limited our guest list very tightly to immediate family & very close friends – all the people who have loved and supported us in our journey together so far. We wanted to use the opportunity to make them feel special too so we decided on a weekend away.

We came across the venue by mistake while visiting Riebeek Kasteel for a weekend… We fell in love with Goedgedacht immediately… A beautiful olive farm that had everything we needed in one place, including a spectacular view of table mountain but mainly – they do so much good. They are a non-profit organization that run a development programme for underprivileged children in their community. They also take the time to offer their olive groves as a memorial where visitors can dedicate trees to loved ones they have lost. We couldn’t wait to tell our families we had found the perfect venue and in doing so found that both knew the venue well – Paul’s mom had spent time there with friends and my uncle had actually dedicated a tree to my aunt & godmother who we lost to cancer a few years ago – this solidified our choice and we knew we had chosen the right place.”

Melanie’s bridal bouquet was a trailing delight of pastel blooms. Inspired by the silk flower garlands which accompanied Reem Acra’s gorgeous gowns down the runway at last year’s Bridal Fashion Week, Mels’ garland was a mix of all buds soft and pretty, and was the perfect accessory to her incredibly beautiful Vintage-style gown.

The Rose Cafe_Wedding Flowers_Mel and Paul_001

“I work in the fashion industry and have a background in design. I have dabbled in photography and am always furiously collecting pretty images and  making pretty things so it was natural that our wedding ended up having a very personal DIY touch to it.

In deciding on a theme & color palette for the day, I knew I wanted to play with the concept of “bloom” – I felt I could tie together all the pretty romantic things that I love in a way that was symbolic of our relationship & family which we had allowed to just blossom & grow without much planning or foresight. I decided to keep a fresh palette of pinks with highlights of mixed metals, mainly inspired by romantic and ethereal florals & antiques. The flowers were key to achieving this and The Rose Cafe did such a fantastic job! It made me so happy to send our guests home with beautiful bunches of flowers on the Sunday morning – the perfect end to a perfect weekend.”

The blossoming theme and the romantic antique pink colour palette were carried through from the delicate blooms in the bride’s hair, to the hanging garlands over the windows, decorating scenic views beyond.

The Rose Cafe_Wedding Flowers_Mel and Paul_003 The Rose Cafe_Wedding Flowers_Mel and Paul_004

The tables were embellished with an abundance of dahlias, garden roses, prince of wales and lisianthus, amongst other things, held in a mixture of rose gold mercury urns, brass and gold bud vases and bowls, all reflecting the twinkling fairy light canopy above.

The Rose Cafe_Wedding Flowers_Mel and Paul_005

Melanie and Paul’s little cherub Georgia Rose was an absolute delight in her dainty lace dress, and her Baby’s Breath head garland!

The Rose Cafe_Wedding Flowers_Mel and Paul_006

The Bridesmaids all wore soft grey-green Eucalyptus garlands, with the Maid of Honour wearing a floral side garland in an array of pinks created using garden roses and tiny carnation and chrysanthemum buds, all the layers of frilly petals adding to the prettiness.

The Rose Cafe_Wedding Flowers_Mel and Paul_007

Doing weddings is a passion of mine and I love being a part of the joyous celebration of two special people coming together but what makes it even more memorable is when it’s someone that I know. It was such a delight contributing to this beautiful day. Mel’s softly spoken manner and gentle nature are such appealing qualities and we loved working together with her and Paul to put this dream of theirs together.

The Rose Cafe_Wedding Flowers_Mel and Paul_008

It was also such a pleasure to work with the amazing photographers, Rebecca & Bruce – from Love Made Visible again.

 

Vendors

Some of the other talented vendors that participated in making this breath-taking day what is was, are as follows:

 


 

We love making someone’s dream wedding come true, and it fills our hearts to overflowing when we receive notes of happiness from our lovely Brides!

Here is what Melanie had to say:

“Thank you so much! The flowers were absolutely beautiful!! I couldn’t have asked for a better florist – you are like an artist! We had the most magical day. Lots of love and thank yous! The Bez’s xx”

 

Oh happy heart!