Three years ago, South African couturier Adel Kotze opened her studio, Adel Kotze Bride, in Woodstock, and last year launched her first collection of bridal gowns at a glitzy catwalk show at Blenheim Palace.

Adel, 31, who has been a couturier for eight years, has designed fabulous gowns for dozens of brides - but her most demanding task to date has been creating her very own dream gown for her wedding to her English guy' Hugh Frames, 35, in South Africa.

The couple travelled from their home in Ardington, near Wantage, to a beautiful venue in the countryside near Johannesburg for their wedding in January. Here Adel tells us about designing her dream dress, and her Big Day.

"Seven years ago my sister invited me to a paintball game organised by the company she was working for. We were sharing a house in Pretoria, South Africa, at the time, and I had just opened my first wedding dress design studio.

After the game, everyone was gathered around a barbecue and comparing war wounds. One of the guys had a particularly unfortunate wound - he was hit right on the forehead, and his best friend was on hand to make sure that most would be made of his humiliation!

"My sister introduced him as Hugh, and he was funny, tall and lovely, and I finally married him in January this year.

We returned to South Africa for the wedding, after four years of living in England. Avianto, the venue we chose, is situated in the countryside not far from Johannesburg, and thanks to an unusually wet summer it was beautiful, lush and green. The Tuscan-inspired architecture formed a great backdrop for our photos. I knew it would - the photoshoot for my very first dress collection took place there about six years ago. They had added a gorgeous boutique hotel in the meantime, which was great for our guests.

Most of our suppliers had to be sourced via the internet or through recommendation by Avianto. Knowing that the venue had confidence in their abilities helped put our minds at rest about people who we couldn't meet face-to-face. Finding someone to make my wedding cake was a different story, though.

I must have spent hours trying to find someone capable of making the petit fours exactly how I wanted them. I finally understand how obsessive brides can become about the smallest details! It was worth it though - those were the most beautiful cakes I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I have no idea how they tasted. I forgot to have one.

From the moment we set the date, I knew that everyone would be wondering about my dress. The nature of my job meant that there were high expectations, to say the least!

I didn't have an exact design in mind; I just knew that it would not be a full, traditional gown. It just wouldn't have suited my personality or figure. Especially my figure!

I needed structure in the bodice to create some illusion of a waist. And with that I wanted a narrow skirt with some soft fullness and volume to soften the silhouette.

I made lots and lots of sketches, but kept returning to the second one in my notebook. It was a very exciting moment when I started the pattern. The bodice was cut from Duchess silk satin and overlaid with fine embroidered and beaded tulle over the mid-section, with silk chiffon over the bust area.

The skirt was bias-cut in a heavier marocain silk, with two gathered panels of silk chiffon over the front and back. I added a beaded trimming and pearl buttons at the back, and it was finished!

The big day went fantastically well, especially considering that we only arrived in South Africa four days before the wedding.

The ceremony took place late afternoon, and was followed by drinks on the terrace overlooking the green, lush valley. The venue served Pimms and a selection of snacks to our guests while we had our photographs taken.

It was a very hot day, so we put lots of big umbrellas around and hung coloured ribbons from the edges. After about an hour, we moved our guests inside for the reception. They were seated either side of two very long tables, with the bridal party's table at the top of the room.

Vases of cream, pink and lilac roses formed the centrepieces, with silver candlesticks in between. The wedding favours consisted of small lilac boxes decorated with paper roses and filled with nougat.

We were eating, drinking and dancing till late and finally retired to our gorgeous suite to find the room beautifully prepared for us, with rose petals scattered on the bed and Champagne and chocolates on the table.

It was still very hot and we opened the patio doors to allow the breeze in. We had only just started to sip on the first glass of Champagne when the most amazing thunderstorm broke. It was the perfect end to the perfect day!

When we returned from honeymoon, I cleaned and steamed my dress and put it on display at the studio. I still love it - so much that I decided to add the style to my new collection, just with a different type of Italian beaded lace.

The full collection will be ready in June, but the new version of my own dress is already available at the studio in Woodstock.

It is a great representative of the collection - no petticoats or frills, just elegant lines in luxurious fabrics, with just the right amount of structure to flatter!

Adel Kotze Bride, 24 Market Place, Woodstock. Tel: 01993 810 884, www.adelkotze.com