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Top Billing attends the wedding of rugby star JJ Engelbrecht
Top Billing attends the wedding of rugby star JJ Engelbrecht
Living just an hour from each other in the farming communities of the Eastern Cape, Stormers centre JJ Engelbrecht and Stellenbosch graduate Alise Ferreira only met years later, after school. Now that they’ve decided to get married, they can spend the rest of their lives catching up!
This Helderberg wine farm setting the couple chose for their wedding echoes JJ's roots in the citrus growing heartland of Kirkwood – near the childhood home of Alise, among the orange groves of the Gamtoos Valley.
The couple met in 2016 through family and immediately connected, going out for a breakfast date the very next day.
For Alise it was JJ’s eyes that first caught her attention, but it was his character and personality that really made her fall for him.
While the professional rugby lifestyle can make it difficult to spend time together, the two always find a way to make it work.
As for the wedding, it was exactly what they had always wanted, and more! More used to the blue of The Bulls or Stormers, for JJ’s wedding it was black tie.
As for Alise she was dressed by designer Jason Kiek, who perfectly understood her trim silhouette and taste for understated elegance, as he had been dressing her for years.
Alise wore two gorgeous numbers on the day. The first was a Cinderella-inspired ball gown with a stunning cinched waist, beaded bodice and cathedral length veil. Her second dress was a glitzy party number, perfect for the former dancer.
After their engagement on top of an art museum, Alise upped the ante with Heike Le Cordeur’s floral design, and her bridesmaids wore avant garde floral head pieces as opposed to the traditional floral bouquets.
The soon-to-be Mrs Engelbrecht had a vision for her flowers –and co-ordinator Anne Mann pulled off a 30 by 7 metre roof installation that guests could celebrate under.
As for the cake, Alise knew it had to be by Wade Van Der Merwe. The end result was a striking black wedding cake that was modern and contemporary with a touch of romance.
The couple’s goal was to move away from the rule book and formalities of how weddings are conducted, and they definitely succeed while celebrating with their closest friends and family, including rugby royalty Siya and Rachel Kolisi, Ryan Kankowski, Steven and Aimee Kitshoff and Dillyn Leyds among others.
The bride and groom’s careers are flourishing. In her return to her farming roots, the new Mrs. Engelbrecht is marketing South African fruit and after three years playing in Japan, JJ is part of a Springbok-laden Stormers team.
In order to celebrate properly before returning to their busy careers, the couple jetted off to snowy Austria on their honeymoon.
Here’s to a winning year at the stormers, a World Cup call-up…. and the best of the good life!