Rustic with a hint of rock n roll, this wedding is unlike any other. Robyn and Rafael custom made almost everything themselves — from the giant tipi to the vintage parasols to their shoes. Robyn is the Betts’ shoe designer, so she designed shoes for herself, bridesmaids, groom and groomsmen. And she even made flat espadrilles for all the female guests so they could swap to the flats and keep dancing if their feet got sore (how lovely is that?!). Robyn also designed her own wedding gown, which her sister-in law made for her. By now you know, this is full of DIY inspiration and we can’t wait to share it with you! Keep reading for all the details and see it all, captured by Alex Cohen Photography.
Tell us about your proposal. We were holidaying in Portugal and Spain, and we had just finished an incredible 3 week trip. It was our last night in Spain and we were in a cool little bar in Madrid. My husband’s family is Spanish, so it meant a lot to be there with him. We were sipping on scotch whilst reminiscing about the holiday, and discussing all the things in our future which we had to look forward to. Ruffy pushed the table out of the way, got down on one knee and proposed right there. It was not something he had planned to do on the trip, but in that moment he just knew that’s what he wanted.
How did you know your partner was the one? I think we both knew pretty early on in our relationship that each other was the one. We have both had long term relationships in the past and this time it seemed different, right from the start.
What do you love most about your partner? I love and admire the relationship that he has with his family and his friends. He is also the most generous person, constantly giving to those he loves.
What was your favourite part of the wedding day? My favourite part of the wedding was the lead up to it. Ruffy and I went down south five days before the wedding. It was just the two of us and we spent that time setting up and building the rest of the furniture. We were outside in our work boots all day every day. We had the music going, and it was so much fun. At the end of the five days we stood back and looked at the set up and all that we had accomplished together and it was a pretty cool feeling to know that we had done it all.
Describe your wedding theme/style. We wanted our wedding to be as fun and relaxed as possible. We wanted it to be about the party, and less about the formalities. It was all outside on a beautiful summer day. The furniture we built was quite rustic, all made out of wood, tree stumps, old oil barrels which we painted and used as our bar tables. We both wanted our wedding to be unique and so custom making all the furniture and decorations was our way of making sure that happened. We went for a ‘rustic’ theme, but there was definitely a hint of rock n roll. My favourite parts of the ceremony were the incredible arbor that we built from fallen down trees on our property. It took us a couple weekends to build it, but by the time we erected it and the florist decorated the base, it was definitely a standout feature. We also made vintage parasols for all the women so during the ceremony they didn’t get too hot or burnt by the sun.
What is marriage to you? Marriage is all about partnership. You have someone that will be your partner for the rest of your life. Someone to go through all of the ups and downs. Someone to stand beside you at all times. Someone that you can count on no matter what.
