Intimate Safari Wedding With Dried Flower Decor: Mr + Mrs Wright

Our intimate safari wedding was at Zebra Hills Safari Lodge, Manyoni Game Reserve in South Africa. Thankfully the lodge is so tastefully decorated we didn’t need to do much for wedding decor!

The ceremony was very basic with some animal skin and grass mats from the lodge and we created our own arch made from handpicked and dried out fan palms, proteas and silk flowers.

The setting was the attraction so we didn’t want to interfere and add too much to it.

Words by Mrs Wright. Images by Marielle Catherine Photography.

Intimate Safari Wedding

Wedding Dress

My wedding dress was by Trish Ollive. It was a simple satin cowl neck front with a low back and small train – I chose this as it was a classic/timeless style that I tried and suited my body type.

The Ceremony

My father walked me down the aisle whilst the pastor hummed a few notes.

How We Met

Mat and I met around 2014/2015 through a gym he used to instruct at. In 2016 he saw a photo of me on a Land Rover in the snow and asked me on a date. We hit it off straight away and started dating officially in December 2016.

Proposal

Mat proposed to me at a secluded rock overlooking the ocean in the Transkei on our 4 year dating anniversary. We had our dog with us and walked over 15km over hills, along the jagged coastline, and through settlements and forest trails to get there. It was my absolute dream-adventure anniversary date which turned out to be the most memorable one yet.

Mat used to work as an honorary officer at Hluhluwe/Imfolozi game reserve and after many visits to many reserves, and after 3 weeks of self-driving through Botswana, his love for the bush became my love. So it is a very special place for us.

Words of Wisdom

My dad coined a phrase: “keep the main thing the main thing” – which is your marriage! Two becoming one.

Don’t get distracted with the extras and worrying about what others will think. At the end of the day, it’s about celebrating matrimony. Everything else is just a bonus.

Less truly is more. Smaller weddings make for intimate weddings.

Just relax, don’t get flustered and enjoy every moment because it goes by so fast so why waste a moment worrying about anything.

What an incredibly intimate wedding! I think these two got it right by letting their beautiful safari lodge venue do the talking! I’m loving all the DIY wedding elements too with the dried flowers and ceremony arch. Just shows what you can do.