My Wedding Day with Kylee and Stephen Vincent: The rain completed our South African wedding

Kylee and Stephen Vincent on their wedding day. Picture: Patrick Furter

We got married on May 13, 2017, in South Africa. We had the wedding at Red Ivory, Hartbeespoort Dam, in the North West Province, outside of Pretoria. The venue is in a nature conservation area, so the surroundings are majestic.

The chapel was on top of a mountain overlooking the Magaliesberg mountain range, and the reception area looked out over the dam.

We got married in what’s supposed to be the dry season in South Africa, but our wedding day was the one day in three weeks either side where it rained. It was the running joke that the Englishman (my husband, Stephen) brought the rain over with him. But the rain actually created this lovely, moody setting. I don’t think any bride wants rain on their wedding day, but I couldn’t imagine it without the rain now.

We got married a year after we got engaged, so we had a year to plan the wedding. We were actually travelling and touring the world with our show at the time, so we did all the planning wherever we could find wifi at various ports.

Kylee and Stephen Vincent on their wedding day. Picture: Patrick Furter.

Stephen calls me an “organisational freak”. I love lists and folders, so I had everything organised with labels. He says it keeps him in check, as he’s the opposite. I do enjoy planning events, though.

I ended up ordering my dress from Italy, and it arrived about a month before the wedding, so everything had to be altered really quickly. I’d wanted something that would be typical of my style, but then I walked out with this dress that was different to what I would usually go for. It was high up at the top, with a long sleeve, and it was an open back. It was fitted at the bodice and over the hips and then kind of breathed out at the bottom. I loved it.

We had about 100 guests on the day. And around 10 members of Stephen’s family were able to make it, including his nan, who was in her 80s at the time. She made the trip to South Africa and she absolutely loved it.

It was a religious ceremony, but we added our own personal touches through it. We had a thing where we took two locks and locked them together. I gave the key to my dad, because he was always the one who protected my heart, so he still has that key.

Kylee and Stephen Vincent on their wedding day. Picture: Patrick Furter.

We wrote our own vows; that was probably the most nerve-racking thing for me. Stephen laughs, because I had written my vows out on a beautiful piece of paper, and his were scribbled on a napkin!

Stephen was very nervous on the morning, and emotional. It was funny, because the photographer was going between the two rooms on the morning and he was laughing at how the energies were so different in both rooms. In the men’s room, the guys were all emotional and there were tears; and in my room, we were all having fun and laughing. I just felt so calm and relaxed.

Kylee and Stephen Vincent on their wedding day. Picture: Patrick Furter.

I wasn’t going to let anything faze me, even having all that rain. We took some of the photos in the rain, and my dress was soaking and the train was muddy. And I just said, “Let’s cut it off”, so we did.

After the meal, we had a band and a DJ. The band was incredible. The best way to describe the guy’s voice was a bit like George Ezra. There was a brass section, too, and they were brilliant. We had our first dance to At Last, by Etta James. We decided not to choreograph our first dance, because we wanted it to be natural. We’ve always said that dancing is our job and it’s our passion, but it’s not who we are.

Kylee and Stephen Vincent on their wedding day. Picture: Patrick Furter.

Of course, we had lots of friends from the dancing world at the wedding, so that made the floor fill up that bit quicker, too. Everyone was having fun and enjoying themselves.

Because Stephen’s family were over, we wanted to show them a little bit of South Africa the next day. We knew we were doing this, so we didn’t overdo it on the wedding day; I think we got to midnight and left the party. I know some guests stayed on to party by the fire pit with drinks and late-night snacks. The next day, we brought Stephen’s family to some of our favourite spots, so they could see the amazing wildlife. It was so memorable.

There were some things on the day — like the rain, having to move the drinks reception indoors, cutting off the train of my dress — but they all just made up part of the day, rather than being something we were upset about. I wouldn’t change a thing.

• Kylee and Stephen Vincent are dancing professionals on Dancing with the Stars. Their new studio, House of Motion, on the Lisburn Rd in Belfast, offers dancing lessons.
• Visit www.houseofmotionstudio.com.