Brett & Nicky Pretorius

Venue: Summerhouse & Conservatory

Guests: 80

Photographer: J & D Photography

2010-03-21

Our Journey to become a Married Couple

By Nicky Pretorius

Brett and I knew each other from church for a few months before we started dating. I always admired his sense of humour and what a good listener he was. We often had good chats and I always enjoyed spending time with him. We went away with mutual friends over Easter 2007. We went horse riding and Brett, always the adventurer, was much braver than me (I decided to rather take my horse for an extremely slow walk) decided to race horses with the guys (who basically grew up on the farm and thus knew exactly what they were doing!). Us girls stayed behind and were very impressed when we saw all the boys rounding the corner so speedily. Unfortunately, Brett’s horse did not stop and he landed up on the ground, unconscious, after hitting his head on a wall – the result of attempting to jump off the horse to avoid any further injury to his already-injured knee. I surprised everyone and myself mostly by how emotional I became and how concerned I was.

We got him into the house and he was alright, but decided to stay indoors and take it easy for the remained of the weekend. I found myself wanting to be wherever he was and also wanting to sit out of the consequent adventures so that I could chat to him and find our more about him. I also wanted to take care of him and kept re-filling his hot water bottle which soothed his shoulder pain ...... something that I am still teased about! The whole story made the best man’s speech a lovely and heart-warming tale!

When we returned to Johannesburg, I wanted to see him again and asked him to accompany me to the University of Johannesburg library, as I had some research to do for an assignment for my honours in Industrial Psychology. He has an incredible general knowledge (I call him my walking encyclopaedia – if I want to know something, he usually has the answer) and I knew he would enjoy having all those books at his disposal and was hoping for a cup of coffee afterwards! Things happened very naturally from there. He asked me for coffee and to go shopping with him – a pastime we still enjoy very much – too much! He kissed me for the first time on the 15th June 2007 and we have been together ever since, our special bond growing tighter as we have been through so many trials together – job changes, moving house, financial difficulty and family trauma. Through everything, he has been my best friend.

We had been together for almost two years, when, in February 2009, he took me to our favourite place in the world – the Pretoria Zoo. He had arranged for an amazing, scrumptious breakfast in the Koala enclosure on our arrival. As we arrived, I said ‘ooh … this looks nice!’ I also saw that we had the whole enclose to ourselves, with the gates closed and people guarding the gates. I turned to look at Brett, thinking this strange, and there he was, down on bended knee, opening a box with an engagement ring so perfect for me, I couldn’t have chosen better! It was so elegant, timeless and tasteful in its simplicity, just like our wedding. He simply said ‘Marry me, baba’. I burst into tears, as this was a complete surprise. I was so taken aback! I could hardly get the word ‘yes’ out fast enough! The Koalas carried on chewing their Eucalyptus leaves, unphased, as our worlds changed forever and became one.

Because we had chosen the Summerhouse, the smaller of the two venues for our small wedding party, we were to be married in the Chapel in the forest. We were so excited! It is so romantic – nestled in the trees like a little secret hideaway. Later on, the Conservatory became available and we took it, as it was the first building at Oakfield that we had seen and in which we had pictured us, our family and friends on our wedding day that had persuaded us to choose Oakfield Farm as our venue. It was an amazing day; picture perfect. The following day, when we left for honeymoon, I was sad to leave our honeymoon suite, as it was so romantic, peaceful, special and quiet. Our favourite part was the outdoor shower which we used after the ceremony and in the morning before departing!

We filled every aspect of the celebration with personal touches. Brett posted an enlarged photo of us (taken by Jaco in our engagement shoot at the Union Buildings a month before the wedding) on a big piece of card and we asked guests to write personal messages in it, instead of a guest book. This will hang in our house and is presently being framed! Instead of table numbers, we had names of dogs we’ve each had growing up, on pale yellow card (the theme colour). I bought pewter frames from an animal shelter we support and the funds went towards their animal hospital. As favours, they later went as gifts to the wedding party, with a photo of Brett and I on the day inside. I am sure by now that you have guessed that we are animal lovers! We also bought pale yellow rose-shaped scented tea light candles in glass vases to add to the romantic ambience on the tables and gave those as favours too.

For our rose petals (confetti), we found two cute little cardboard cars in pale yellow which the bridesmaids took to all the guests. It was an adorable touch.

We also hired a bagpiper, to honour Brett’s stepdad’s Scottish origins. The tunes welcomed guests as they sipped welcome drinks in the garden before the ceremony. The piper was to play us out of the ceremony, as we released the peace doves. However, the rain clouds opened a few minutes after I had safely entered the venue in the carriage, drawn by Sugar and Ramble, the resident Oakfield ponies. The rain held up for a while after the ceremony, as guests were escorted to the venue by staff shielding them with umbrellas. Mercifully, the rain stopped just in time for our individual photos and made the day even more breathtaking!

The wedding planning was the best part! My mom in law had finished making her stunning outfit within a week of us becoming engaged! She looked amazing on the day. I am so glad that I took a moment to stand outside the Summerhouse towards the end of the evening, after Jaco from J & D Photography had whisked us away for our romantic night shoot. I could see all our loved ones – a small party of just over 70 – dancing and laughing inside the Summerhouse and having a great time, celebrating our happiness and our very first day as husband and wife.

I wouldn’t change a thing. Our wedding day was perfect – better than we could ever have dreamed. We would like to thank Oakfield Farm – Matthew, AJ, Alana, Gerald, Patience and Vincent for making our day so incredible.

Our friends and family can’t stop talking out the amazing time they had!