Back when we were just Engaged…

Hi guys, remember me?

I know it’s been such a long time since I last posted but as some of you may know, I got married 3 weeks ago! So, there wasn’t much time for blogging given the stress and time required to plan a wedding.

But I am now a Mrs and look forward to a lot more blogging in the year to come.

Here is a little sneak peak from our fairy tale day…

Given that I was so preoccupied with wedding plans, I never got a chance to share with you the amazing engagement shoot that Nick and I did in January.

 We were lucky enough to secure one of South Africa’s best photographers, Kobus Tollig, to capture our day and part of our package included an engagement shoot.  Okay, granted Nick and I had already been engaged for 2 years when we did this shoot but it was a great way to get to know the man who would be capturing our very important day and for him to get to know us and how we look on camera.  We hit it off immediately with Kobus and we couldn’t believe how friendly and warm he was.  We immediately felt so grateful that we would have such a great guy at our wedding to capture all our special moments.  It’s hard not to laugh and enjoy being on the other side of Kobus’ camera!

We decided to do our shoot at the ever beautiful Rustenburg Wine Farm because the farm is a place very close to my family’s hearts.  My Dad has been friends with Simon Barlow (Rustenburg’s owner) for many years and we have had the privilege of staying at the farm, in the beautiful Schoongezicht house, several times in the past. I fell in love with Rustenburg on my first visit there back in 2008.  At the age of 16, I told Simon that I would get married on his farm some day.  If you have ever been to the farm you would know why.  The immaculate gardens are truly something to behold and it was definitely the reason I fell in love with the Cape.

Sadly, back then I knew nothing about Cape Town’s temperamental weather patterns and that an outdoor wedding was a risky option.  So when it actually came time to planning my Wedding I had to put my childhood dreams aside and choose a venue that would not allow our ceremony to be affected by the rain or heat.  It was for this reason that I wanted to, at the very least, do our last shoot as an unmarried couple at this very special farm, where I had spent many memorable days with my family.  The combination of a fabulous setting and an amazing photographer resulted in something quite magical…

Nick and I have been together for 5 years and we were Engaged for 2 years and 2 months (in other words TOO LONG).  I believe that we share a very rare love.  We are by no means perfect but I strongly believe that we are perfect for each other. I think what makes our relationship truly special is that we are best friends and we are totally crazy about one another, even after all this time. We always promised one another that we would never stop dating.  Something I learnt from my parents who have been married for 29 years and still do date nights at least once a month.

When Nick and I met he hated photographs and he wasn’t very good at taking photographs either. It took a lot of begging and pleading from me to get him to take pictures with me at every possible occasion which eventually got him comfortable in front of the camera. As you can see from these pictures, my efforts were not for nothing. Not only is he SUPER photogenic, but he actually enjoys having his photo taken now (or at least he pretends to for my sake).

I’ve always been a massive romantic and I’ve always been in love with love. However, Nick came along and far exceeded any dream I ever had about a “Prince Charming”. At the risk of sounding cliche, he truly has treated me like a Princess from the day we met and even after 5 years he still buys me flowers, opens my car door, and he can never tell me enough how beautiful he thinks I am or how much he loves me.

With Nick I have always felt loved, cherished and adored and believe me those are all feelings worth fighting for. A relationship should be filled with passion, love and friendship, but most of all it needs God. From my own experience I’d like to tell you all that true love exists, it’s worth waiting for and it’s seriously worth dreaming about.

Never settle!

Find a man who will adore you when you have just had your Wisdom Teeth out and look like you are auditioning for a role in Alvin and The Chipmunks.

Find a man who will stand up for you and fight for you no matter what stands in his path.

But most importantly, find a man who puts God first.  I found a beautiful quote that says “A husband can love his wife best when he loves God first”, and I believe this is just as true for a Wife.

Strive for greatness in your relationships.  Give the best version of yourself to your partner.  Love fearlessly and ferociously.  And always know your worth.

After 5 years, I still learn things I never knew about Nick, but one thing that has never changed between us is our ferocious love for one another. We don’t always get it right and we are far from perfect but what we have we treasure!

Love is a gift. Treat it as such.

With lots of love,

Amber Denae Wright xxx