Weddings are a time for celebration: celebrating a union, a new family, and a new milestone.

Today we feature Nicola & Rowan’s wedding day. The couple tied the knot at the Mosaic Private Sanctuary in Stanford. Placed between ocean, lagoon and glistening mountains, Mosaic is one of South Africa’s hidden gems, situated on the famous Whale Coast, two hours’ drive from Cape Town. Their wedding was our introduction to this very special wedding venue. Mosaic is little piece of paradise and offers so many wonderful photo opportunities. The beautiful lagoon and the mountains, the sun setting exactly in the right place for amazing photos, the small roads and the wooden jetty, Mosaic Sanctuary is a little bit of heaven on earth.

Working with Nicola and Rowan was an absolute blast. They are the most down to earth, genuine couple. Our meetings consisted of the couch, wine and cuddles with their puppy, Rupert. Their wedding day, on Easter weekend, was a weekend celebration. If any of you can remember, rained the entire weekend! This, however, did not dampen their spirits and the fun. Authentic, funny, and down to earth, Nicola & Rowan were the most incredible couple to work with and I am thrilled to share our interview with them. Here Nicola tells us about their chosen wedding venue and gives her top tips and advice for couples planning their big day. Enjoy!
 

Nicola, tell us a bit about your and Rowan’s story

Rowan and I met at university but we didn’t start dating until the end of 2008 when Row came back to South Africa (from the UK) for a wedding. From that moment on, we were inseparable. He cancelled his flight back to the UK, had his belongings shipped back to SA, we moved in together…and the rest is history!

Why did you choose this particular venue?

We were married at Mosaic Private Sanctuary in Stanford, in the Overberg.

We have so many happy memories of beautiful hikes and trail-runs in the mountains above Stanford and Hermanus…so when it came time for Row to pop the question, he did it on the mountainside overlooking the whole of Hermanus, right the way out to Stanford. Because of our special connection to the area, it was easy to pick Stanford as the spot to tie the knot.

Mosaic is incredibly beautiful. It has romantic milkwood forests that lead out on to a beautiful lawn, which rolls down to the beautiful Stanford Lagoon. Add a dramatic mountain range as a background and you cannot get better. The venue has a perfect relaxed and romantic feel.

From a practical point of view, the venue has stunning accommodation for guests and they don’t make you stop your party at 1am! The option to move from the reception to a beautiful bonfire and late night snacks is available and I loved the open-mindedness of the venue in this respect.

       

       

Can you give us an overview of your wedding day?

The morning started with a yoga session with my girlfriends on the boardwalk under the milkwood trees – what a way to start the day! It set the tone for a relaxed and happy day. The rest of the day flowed so easily and without a hitch: hair, make-up, dress and photos.

The ceremony was deeply personal and full of laughs and personal jokes. It was my favourite part of the day.

The reception was such a party, with everyone dancing until the early hours, ending off with the last few stragglers around a fire at 4am, sipping red wine and reminiscing about the day!

       

       

       

What was your inspiration in terms of the style and feel of your wedding?

When I sat down with my wedding planner, I think the words I used were: “natural, not fussy, simple and relaxed”. I wanted the style to reflect Rowan and I (probably more so Rowan – I can be a bit fussy!). I wanted the décor to fit the beautiful and natural feel of the venue. I didn’t want any imported flowers or anything out of season (as far as possible). I wanted everything to feel local and natural to the area. The style of the wedding flowed from that.

On the day, what were the best bits and what made the day memorable?

The ceremony was without a doubt one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Rowan’s sister sang while I crossed the beautiful lawn towards the ceremony area. I recall everything going silent in my head. The nerves disappeared but tears welled up in my eyes. When I locked eyes with Row, everything and everyone disappeared from around us. It was a magical, goose bump moment.

       

       

       

       

How long did you have to plan your wedding and was it enough time?

If I recall correctly, I sat down with my planner in July 2015 to start planning. So that left us eight to nine months to plan. It was more than enough time and meant that nothing was too pressured or rushed. The planning experience was easy and stress-free because we had so much time.

What advice would you give other brides currently planning their wedding?

GET A PLANNER. Don’t do it alone! When you are reaching the final couple of months and your groom is completely done with talking about napkins, invitations and what shade of grey his pocket square should be, you NEED someone to care of the details. It will give you comfort, but more than that, you as the bride, become tired of worrying about the little things. You need someone to do the worrying for you so you can focus on the fun stuff – hen’s parties, kitchen teas and final dress fittings.

       

       

       

What advice or tips would you give couples that are searching for a wedding venue?

Draw up your guest list before – know what your guest count is. This will guide your venue hunt. It’s difficult to build your guest list around the number of guests your venue can take!

Nicola & Rowan, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer a few of our questions. It’s so lovey to be able to think of clients as friends. You and Rowan are a beautiful couple and we wish you all of the very best and a wonderful life together!

Take a look at the full album captured by Kobus Tollig Photography 

Find out more about Mosaic Private Sanctuary.