Natural Beauty Wedding at Wolfkloof by Adel Photography {Grethe & GR}

Over the last couple of years, I’ve noticed a big trend towards ‘natural’ weddings – ones that brides describe not just as ‘rustic’ but as ‘organic’, and that include shades from nature rather than artificial hues. Maybe it’s part of the eco movement, or maybe it’s a reflection of South Africans’ love of the outdoors. I absolutely love it, and I really love when the relaxed feeling in decor transfers over to a relaxed feeling in the wedding as a whole. Grethe & GR’s wedding is just a perfect example of this – they chose bunches and green garlands of eucalyptus leaves for their decor, muted pastels for their bridesmaids, a family-style feast for their meal, and a big tree as their ceremony backdrop. It’s the kind of long, sunny, food-and-wine-filled afternoon that makes me want to pack up my laptop, grab a picnic blanket and head outside to the open air. Adel Ferreira was on the scene to take these lovely pictures of the laid-back lovebirds and their happy guests.

Love Story
His sister and my best friend arranged a blind date for us at the Cape Town City Centre to watch a performance of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra. We both hardly knew anything about classical music which was a nice conversation starter.

The Proposal
He took me on a surprise weekend to the Matroosberg as a mid-study break. We stayed in a small cottage at the foot of the mountain. We went for a short hike and he proposed in the mountains. We are both nature lovers so the scenery was perfect – I had to say “Yes”!

The Wedding in 3 Words
Simple, Festive, Natural

Wedding Style
Our theme was nature. We wanted everything as basic and natural as possible. We had no colour palette other than the green leaves. We are both laid back people and like things simple – we therefore wanted as little clutter as possible and a more natural look.

The Venue
The venue really was exactly what we were looking for. We wanted a ceremony under a tree, the reception outside and to dance under the stars. Our venue met all three of our requirements. The reception was on the balcony which provided some shelter but also gave you the feeling of sitting in the vineyard. The venue specially built a dance floor outside so we could dance under the stars.

Wedding Details
Everyone told us the day goes by so fast and you hardly remember the details. So we decided to make the day longer by starting at 1pm, thereby making it a whole day of celebrating. We wanted to take the day in and remember the details not having to rush to the next formality which suited both our laid back personalities. The wedding invite was two stick men with surfboards which reflected our no-fuss personalities and our passion for surfing. My husband is originally from Namibia – so we had to makes sure there were Tafel beer and Jägermeister shots ☺

DIY Elements
Everyone helped. My bridesmaid did my flowers, bouquet and the invites. My parents, brother and sister-in-law sourced and put the lights together over the dance floor. My mother did the name tags and everyone pulled in and helped to make the day perfect. The only thing I hired were the candle holders.

The Flowers
We didn’t have any flowers on the tables. We had bunches of eucalyptus hanging over the table and wreaths on the wall. We wanted as little as possible on the tables to make space for food plates. The idea was to create an almost Italian feast by passing the plates between us and everyone dish up for themselves. It created an intimate feeling of sharing and feasting.

The Dress
I wanted a plain and comfortable but elegant dress. Robyn Roberts made me exactly that. My dress had a stretch lining which made it feel amazingly comfortable – almost like a nightgown but at the same time giving it the flowy elegant look together with the lace.

Memorable Moment
If I have to single one moment out, it would be the moment I came around the corner and saw the face of my husband-to-be and all the people I love together under the beautiful tree. It was the best feeling in the world and I felt like the luckiest person alive!