Gorgeous Julie | A Halfpenny London Bride
This stunning South African destination wedding features bright jewel toned florals, a gorgeous bride in Halfpenny London separates, and truly spectacular scenery.
Images by Skillie Botha / Wedding Coordinator: Mon Amour Events
“I loved feeling like I was creating my own unique look. It was at that point that I felt part of the process and felt like I could create a beautiful look that would be classic, joyful and full of elegant drama.”
Beautiful bride Julie Watling married her new husband David in December 2022. The couple decided quickly they wanted a short engagement and set about planning their wedding for around 6 months time.
“Given the timeline and the fact that our wedding was going to be abroad in South Africa where my husband is from, I knew that planning would need to be simple and scaled back,” Julie said. “Ultimately, I really just hoped that the dress, florals and other styling details would serve to enhance the natural beauty of the Cape winelands and feel very organic and natural.”
When it came to searching for her wedding dress, Julie was hoping to find something timeless but also with a bit of an edge or personality.
“I felt so many things all at once during my appointment. I was actually really, really anxious. We had just over 6 months until the wedding and I really was not someone who had visions of the style of wedding dress I might want so was feeling pretty overwhelmed. The only thing I was clear on was that I wanted a British designer. A nice-to-have was the ability to wear separates as we were going to have an engagement party in the States and a bigger party in the UK after our wedding to accommodate friends and family abroad. Given those two criteria, after we got engaged, I somehow remembered I had come across Halfpenny and so I immediately called to see about an appointment.”
“There are truly so many beautiful dresses and brides and really I was just hoping to find something I felt beautiful in, and something that also let my personality come through.”
Julie’s mum happened to be in town the following week and were were able to find an available appointment opening for her to come in and try on, all within 72h of Julie and David being engaged!
“To be honest, it was all such a surreal experience and I still felt very nervous about trying to find the perfect dress. The team settled me down and I realised that I just couldn’t put that sort of pressure on myself. Ultimately, I only tried on 3 or 4 looks. I loved feeling like I was creating my own unique look. It was at that point that I felt part of the process and felt like I could create a beautiful look that would be classic, joyful and full of elegant drama.
Other than wanting to find something beautiful that I felt comfortable in, I was practically really conscious of the weather. We were getting married outdoors in the height of the South African summer so I knew I needed something that would be more flowy as opposed to form fitting. I chose the Oliver corset as it fit immaculately and provided a classic base and then I wanted a statement skirt and chose the Riri. We went with the classic cathedral length veil and also the Issa shrug which I wore for the ceremony. I also chose the Maribou skirt for our UK based celebration we held in June following our December wedding and it was just perfect!”
“This might sound strange as a bride but I can’t say I was ever after a “dream” dress and the idea of being pressured to find the dream dress actually gave me a lot of anxiety. There are truly so many beautiful dresses and brides and really I was just hoping to find something I felt beautiful in and something that also let my personality come through.
One thing I was pretty set on was that I wanted to attach as much meaning to elements of the day as we could. For example, my engagement ring and wedding band were designed my husband’s friend in South Africa using South African sourced diamonds, and since we were getting married abroad but had met in London, I really wanted my dress to be designed by a London designer.
Lastly, given our short engagement, I also didn’t want to devote too much time to the stress finding ‘the dress’, so I pretty much made up my mind that I was only going to do one appointment at Halfpenny and I was pretty certain one would be enough. I was right. In the end I only tried on 3 or 4 looks, the last being the Riri skirt which we pulled on whim in the boutique. Once the skirt was on, I knew it was just magic. I felt a way I had never felt before in a garment and special in a way that probably I’ll never feel again. I don’t know if it was perfection but it felt pretty magical.”
Everyone’s experience of finding the perfect wedding dress is different and it really comes down to deciding what is right for you. There is no set formula, or way you’re supposed to feel when you find it, but trust me, you’ll know when it feels right!
Huge congratulations to Julie and David! Thank you for sharing these stunning images with us and we wish you all the happiness in the world in your new adventures together.
Love,
Kate & the Halfpennys xxx
CREDITS
Photographer - Skillie Botha, Kikitography.com / @kikitography
Florist - @fleurlecordeur
Planner - @mon_amourevents
Venue - @molenvliet_vineyards
Florals - @fleurlecordeur
Lighting and furniture - @acreate_za
Rings - @leachi_jewelry
Videographer - @orpen_filmco
Bride - @jatc2002