Joanna &and Philip

When and where did the proposal take place and how did it unfold?

JOANNA: We drove out to Bridgehampton on what I thought was an ordinary Saturday in June, and Philip asked me to take a walk (after we had only just settled on the beach, which I thought was a bit odd). Midway through our walk, I was completely shocked, caught off guard and burst into tears when he proposed. The surprise continued when we returned to our beach chairs and saw a photographer who had been snapping photos from afar, followed by my parents and Philip’s mom, who secretly flew in from South Africa, there to celebrate with us. It was the most surreal, special and anything but ordinary day!

How did you choose what you wore?

JOANNA: I wanted something timeless, elegant and simple. My dear friend Eric Sorlie (@sorliestyle) directed me to Elizabeth Fillmore whose designs are just that. I didn’t want to wear a veil, but we added a custom lace cape for the ceremony, which I adored. Borrowing a pair of my mom’s earrings added something extra special. 

PHILIP: I didn’t choose. I am a blank canvas as my wife says. I listened to people with far better fashion sense than my own. In the end, I wore a perfectly fitted navy suit, silver tie, and black shoes, which I am told is a classic combination. Joanna also surprised me with a beautiful watch on the morning of our wedding.

Is it true that you had a "bun in the oven” on your wedding day? Please tell!

JOANNA: My parents and Philip’s father met as campers at the same sleepaway camp, so meeting Philip while on a consulting project in South Africa felt written in the stars, orchestrated years ago through our grandparents. While our grandparents are no longer physically with us, we felt their presence so strongly throughout our wedding and the week prior when we participated in an intimate spiritual ceremony with our parents at the Omega Institute, formerly known as Camp Boiberik. While there, we shared the special news that I was 6 weeks pregnant. Our wedding the following weekend was  quite literally the beginning of our building a family together, and the fact that our now daughter was secretly there with us, is something we will always cherish. 

How did you choose your wedding venue and aesthetic?

JOANNA: The beach is our happy place both in the States and in South Africa, so we knew we wanted to get married near one. We also knew we’d be welcoming many friends from overseas and loved the idea of spending the week leading up to our wedding with them in NYC and then showing off our beautiful east coast beaches for the main event. Yet, getting married on the actual beach felt a bit too risky in September, so Wolffer was the perfect place, close to where we got engaged, and beautiful in its own right. It also felt like an homage to South Africa where it’s quite popular to get married on a wine farm.

PHILIP: Having grown up in South Africa and living close to Stellenbosch – the most beautiful wine country in the world – it always made sense to get married at a vineyard. We love going to Wolffer during the summer, so this was an easy decision for us. I had no part in the aesthetics.

What aspects of your wedding most reflected your personality?

JOANNA: The inherent beauty of our surroundings and letting nature speak for itself, was a reflection of what brings me peace and great joy. 
Incorporating many of my friends’ daughters along with my nieces and nephews into our ceremony was a reflection of my love for the magical children in our life. 
And asking my bridesmaids to choose their own printed dresses reflected my desire for each of them to show up as their beautiful, authentic selves. 

PHILIP: I am an outgoing person who loves to socialize with friends and family, so the entire experience felt like a reflection of my personality – except maybe having the spotlight on us during our first dance.

What wedding planning decision was the easiest and hardest?

JOANNA: Hiring Claire Bean (@clairebeanevents) to help with planning was the best decision because everything flowed so easily from there. 

PHILIP: Choosing our venue was the easiest decision. Once we made it, nothing felt difficult.

What was running through your mind when you saw your bride for the first time?

PHILIP: Overboard jubilation, tears and emotion. I knew my decision to marry Joanna was the best decision I had ever made.

If you had to choose, what would you say was the best part of your wedding day?

JOANNA: Everything about our wedding felt perfectly “us,” but it was exchanging our personal vows to each other in a vineyard surrounded by so much love that will always stand out for me. In that moment, in the context of a day that seemed to go by in a flash, I felt that time stood still. 

PHILIP: The entire day was special, but the ceremony sticks out as one of the most special moments in my life. It was just perfect in every way. The flow, the music, the vows – everything. Watching my wife walk down the aisle still brings tears to my eyes.

Were there any funny moments that especially stand out?

JOANNA: My father’s toast, which read more like a roast, had everyone laughing, especially when he proclaimed that Philip was a quadruple upgrade. 
Also, given the unashamed use of our pet names “Yummy,” in our vows, many of our guests now affectionately refer to us as the Yummy’s.

PHILIP: We had our nieces and several of our friend’s daughters walk down the aisle in a pack as flower girls, and two of them lagged behind wondering what to do when one dropped her entire basket of petals. Also our twin nephews were our ring bearers and when they walked down the aisle, we realized they swapped suits with each other and each didn’t fit the other quite right. 

What do you hope your guests remember most about your wedding?

JOANNA: Being that Philip is from South Africa, our wedding celebration centered around bringing our two worlds and cultures together. We incorporated physical elements – including proteas in our tablescape, serving Inverroche, a South African Gin, to our guests, and asking our band to learn a song by the popular late singer, Johnny Clegg – as a way to honor our friends and family who travelled so far to celebrate with us. We are forever grateful and don’t take for granted that our wedding was a time when we could bring so many people we love from around the world together. I hope our guests remember this time as a celebration of their presence from near and far as much as it was a celebration of our marriage.

PHILIP:Our wedding theme revolved around bringing our two worlds together, and I think we successfully accomplished that. I hope that theme still sticks in everyone’s mind!