Featured wedding:

Bride: Liezl Venter
Groom: Alistair James Thomas Hartley
Bridesmaids: Tessa De Jager, Lisa Testoni and Aleks Rutkowski
Best Man: Benjamin Gay and Philip Hartley
Date: 23 February 2008
Scene: The little Karoo town of Prince Albert


Liezl and Alistair met over a Sunday Roast at a mutual friend's house. “I remember seeing him as he walked into the kitchen and thinking: ‘Who is that guy, he is really good looking!”

They sat across from each other during lunch and had a passionate argument about the prevalence of Autism. “I was thinking what does he know, I was publishing a book on the subject! We really got along well and I was immediately attracted to Alistair's confidence, easygoing manner and sense of humour. I also liked the fact that he was quite cocky.” Alistair remembers: “I thought, wow! What a gorgeous girl. I loved how passionate she was from the word go and that she would not let herself be talked over.”

The couple got engaged when they were on holiday with Alistair's family at a small beach town in Australia. Alistair proposed while they were taking a romantic stroll along the beach. “I had no idea what he was planning. He kept asking me to come and sit with him on the beach but I was too busy jumping around in the waves. Finally, when I went and sat with him he proposed by pinning me down on the sand and asking me to marry him. I said a big YES and he tied a piece of grass around my finger as the ring had not arrived in time and he couldn't wait any longer!”

Liezl and Alistair decided to have their ceremony and reception in the little Karoo town of Prince Albert. The ceremony took place at the Dutch Reformed Church, where guests were welcomed with chilled mineral water to cool down from the scorching summer sun. Traditional Scottish music announced the arrival of Alistair and his groomsmen, who were suitably dressed in kilts. Attention was soon drawn away by the arrival of the beautiful bride in a horse and carriage. After a lovely ceremony, guests showered the newlyweds with handfuls of rose petals outside the church. The horse and carriage then carried Mr and Mrs SURNAME to the Swartberg Hotel for pre-dinner drinks.

While a jazz duo and a memory movie entertained guests in the Swartberg Hotel’s garden, pre-dinner drinks and canapés were served. These included blinis with smoked ostrich fillet, Crostini with tapenade, sundried tomato tartlets, mini vetkoekies with mince, and nut-filled dried figs dipped in chocolate. There was a variety of drinks on offer; Pongracz, red and white sparkling grape juice, jugs of chilled water with fresh lemon and ice cold Castle Lager and Windhoek Lager beers.

Guests soon moved on to the Dennehof Guest House for the reception, where they were welcomed by waiters standing ready with shoe polish for the gents and a brush for the ladies. After the arrival of the newlyweds and the MC’s welcome, guests enjoyed a tasty starter of garden greens with olive tapenade, snoek pâté, and fresh farm-style homemade bread with artichoke and olive oil dip.

A hearty main course was served after the speeches - lamb, pumpkin fritters, roasted potato wedges, traditional green bean mash and chicken pie. Soon after dessert, guests were whisked off to the Bush Pub for the after party. Liezl and Alistair opened the dance floor to Nina Simone’s My baby just cares for me, kicking off the start of a great party.

The newlyweds describe their experience of their wedding day as magical. “The Karoo has this amazing feeling at night and it was incredibly romantic with fairy lights and candles. Every detail was just the way we wanted it - to reflect our love and commitment made to each other and sharing this amazing day with loved ones.”

The best moment of the day for Alistair was the instant before Liezl entered the church. “I had total clarity of everything going on around me, I was overwhelmed with happiness and I knew my wife-to-be was about to walk through the door... I literally had goose bumps all over.” Liezl’s best moment was making their vows. “We took the ceremony very seriously; for us that is what it was all about. The rest of the night was the sprinkles on top!”

“Aleit and all the dynamic staff were like the ‘A team’! Everything was perfect, we did not have a second of stress as everything was handled; they were running around to ensure that our day ran like clockwork. We really loved the incredibly talented musicians recommended by Aleit. Hans was the best DJ, truly capturing our style of music as a couple and keeping everyone dancing until the wee hours of the morning.”

With a beautiful beach resort in Mexico as their honeymoon destination, the newlyweds enjoyed the luxury of simply doing nothing and relaxing together. “We had lots of tacos loaded with cheese, guacamole and salsa and lots of ice cold Micheladas (a Bloody Mary mixed with beer). We had been so busy before the wedding and spent a lot of time with family and friends, so it was amazing to finally have some ‘us’ time as Mr & Mrs H!” Want to have your wedding feature on WeddingSA?
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