It’s no secret how much I love the Cape countryside, with its breathtaking winelands and lush farms, and all the incredible wedding venues that take advantage of the rural settings and spectacular scenery. But I also get really excited when a wedding comes across my desk that taps into the vibrant heart of Cape Town instead. Anyone who’s spent any time there will know what an amazing city it is, and there’s so much largely untapped potential for vibey, modern weddings that your guests will really remember (and not have to shell out for accommodation either, bonus!). Case in point: Annerie & Murray’s GORGEOUS red and black number at Kelvin Grove. It’s clear from the first glance that this is a couple who are alive with vibrancy and passion and who brought that energy to their Big Day. My best bits: playing card ’boutonnieres’, streamers instead of confetti as they shared their first kiss, the clever vinyl and apple place settings, the groom’s suit and tie (and of course the bride’s lovely dress) and their couple shoot, which might be one of my favourites ever. It’s modern wedding perfection, and is brought to you through the fabulous photos of Wesley Vorster, who I’m thrilled to have on Cap Classique for the first time! Get ready to be wowed!Read More
Ah, serendipity. Not just one of my favourite words (and favourite films, hello, John Cusack!) but something I think over and over again when I read how the brides and grooms here on Cap Classique meet. Happy accidents. There they are, going about their lives, and suddenly – boom, everything changes. Proof that that little cupid guy can strike just about anywhere. Even the gym. Case in point: today’s bride and groom, who had a serendipitous beginning and a whirlwind romance, resulting in the sweetest little wedding at Roodezand in Tulbagh. A perfectly romantic wedding, with soft florals and silver accents, and a couple radiating happiness at the start of their new life. Details I heart: the Coke bottle chandelier, the bridal party being serenaded all the way to the chapel, and OMG the bride’s styling. Wait till you see her sweet silver flats, sparkly hair band and adorable little cape! Not to mention, pretty pretty dress. All of this goodness is brought to you through the beautiful photography of Adene Nieuwoudt – I’m particularly in love with the shots she captured of the couple on their own. Enjoy!
In some ways, I think this might be one of my favourite weeks on the blog so far – I just love everything I’ve featured so much! And the hits just keep on coming with Julie and Matthew’s picnic-style wedding. How much are we loving picnic weddings right now? (Clue: A LOT.) And this one takes it to a whole new level, with the most personal and sweet favour I’ve seen yet – each guest at the country nuptials at Schoone Oordt in Swellendam received their own quilt, handmade by the bride’s mother! Wow. Now there’s something I’d like to find in my picnic basket! In fact, when you see the champagne-flowing-friends-laughing-kicked-off-shoes kinda vibe, you’re going to wish you were on the guest list too. The superb Jules Morgan has perfectly captured all the joy of the moment in her dreamy, sunkissed pictures, and the looks on Julie and Matthew’s faces during the ceremony really say it all.Read More
Guess where I’d like to be right now? Yep, right there on that terrace, sitting at that table, looking out at that incredible view. It’s no secret I think the Cape is just about heaven on earth, but some days even I’m blown away. And I can’t think of a more wonderful and romantic place to begin your life together. The spot in question is the verandah of the luxurious Tintswalo Atlantic, which looks out over Hout Bay and where in season you can spot whales and dolphins frolicking in the waves. It’s one of the Cape’s best kept secrets, and I am desperate to stay there now! It would also make an amazing place for a honeymoon. The other thing I love about Mehtap and Paul’s wedding, which was flawlessly coordinated by the Aleit team and photographed by the ever-awesome Zarazoo, is that it was so small – just them and three lucky guests. A lot of couples who get married in the Cape are looking for something intimate, and this shows just how to do it. A wonderful location, amazing style (how much am I loving the combination of those coral roses with the rustic Atlantic blues?), and great cuisine – with a view to die for. This is destination weddings at their very best.Read More
There are days when writing this blog feels a little like wish fulfilment. Ask and it shall be given unto you, kind of thing. Because it was just a few weeks ago that I was all “I am dying to see someone with a giant chess set” and now here today are the lovely Bennie and Carla and their giant chess set (amongst other awesome lawn games). I don’t know why, but that makes me ridiculously excited. (Come on. It’s a giant chess set!) And that isn’t all! Because I have also been on about how much I love Great Gatsby and the 1920s, and you guys, that is the whole theme of Bennie and Carla’s wedding. Eek! What can I say, you stylish brides and grooms make mama very happy. :) And that STILL isn’t all. Because not only did this couple have the most gorgeous, gorgeous flapper party ever with their friends (who were all fun enough to dress up), but the lovely was captured by Nastassja Harvey, who you may remember from this amazing wedding (yeah, I know you do, because it’s our most viewed wedding EVER). Nastassja is a total superstar in the making, and I am thrilled to have her on Cap Classique again. SO. Get your glad rags on and crank up the gramophone, because trust me, it’s time for a happy dance!Read More
I’m a relatively easy woman to please. At the end of the day, just give me a prawn Caesar salad and a glass of good chenin and I’m happy. On my birthday, I like anything at all that comes in a little blue box ;). And when it comes to weddings, a little bit of French country style and I’m in heaven. Today’s wedding has just the right amount of pink, pastelly goodness, but what I love most is that it shows you don’t need a crazy budget and tons of décor to pull this off, just a soft colour scheme, unifying elements like wire, ribbon and hanging bottles (oh, the hanging bottles! – be still my weddin’ lovin’ heart), great flowers and of course a DIY-tastic bride and groom with friends and family to help them. Sally and Neels were married at Oewerzicht near Greyton, and Judy Stofberg of Just Judy Photography was there to capture it all. Sit back and enjoy the pretty!
Morning, lovelies! We’ve had quite a lot of rustic chic and country vintage weddings on the blog recently and, much as I love them, I thought it was time for something with a bit more glitz and old school elegance. Today’s couple also had a vintage inspiration, but in this case it was the glamour of art deco, and they chose the winelands splendour of MolenVliet for their venue. I’ve been dying to feature a MolenVliet wedding, as when I was in Cape Town in December everyone in the industry was raving about how lovely it is, and Nelle & De Wet’s wedding certainly doesn’t disappoint. Details I love: the pretty (mismatched) bridesmaids’ bouquets (a great idea if you choose to have your girls wearing the same colour), the subtle pops of turquoise blue against chocolate brown, the fun groomsmen’s socks and goodness me, that cake! There are lots of black and white pics in today’s selection, but it just seems appropriate for such a classically romantic wedding. And wow, the pictures. I’m always so happy to feature Monica Dart‘s work, because her images have so much life to them. It’s actually a challenge editing the selection! I think these might even be my favourite so far. I also loved how Monica captured Nelle and De Wet at a rural petrol station – so fun! It’s always great when couples can spice it up a bit in their creative shoot. Anyway, I could go on and on, but you want to see the pictures, right? Right. ENJOY!Read More
Today’s wedding isn’t as brand new as most of the weddings featured on Cap Classique – you may even have seen it featured before. But from the day I first saw it on superstar photographer Christine Meintjes‘ blog in October 2009, I’ve been completely and hopelessly besotted with it, and I have been dying to feature every wonderful, inspiring detail. Fortunately, Christine and the Aleit team were only too happy to share, and Estelle and Pieter sent me the sweet story that started it all. Everything about this wedding is beautiful, but everything is also heartfelt, and I know that once you’ve seen it, it’ll stay in your memory forever too. Estelle talks about getting married in Nature’s church, and that’s exactly what this is – a farm wedding in the very best sense of the word, where the grand natural beauty of the surroundings combines with the joy of two people in love to create something that is just spectacular. Of course, the attention to detail doesn’t hurt either – I just LOVE ideas like the ‘washing line’ table plan, pitchers of chilli water, fynbos (including mushrooms!) and laser-cut wooden name tags. And don’t get me started on Estelle’s gorgeous dress (and funky shoes!), or on the heart-melting way her dog walked her down the aisle. Let’s just say it’s one of my favouritest weddings ever, and leave it at that.Read More
Oh I am SO EXCITED! Today’s wedding is a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party!! Now I should admit, I’m a little partial to a bit of Alice in Wonderland because once upon a time I, myself, was Alice. Not in a went-down-a-rabbit-hole-and-hung-out-with-a-stoner-caterpillar sense, obviously. But when I was 12 my school put on the play, and I got to be Alice. Actually, I feel this is probably a good moment to apologise publicly to anyone who had to listen to me sing. Or act. Sorry folks! But whatever, I loved it. And the thing I remember loving THE MOST was that I got to play croquet with my own prop flamingo. (Cool, right?) So basically the second I spotted this wedding – flamingoes, playing cards, key necklace and all – I tweeted photographer Drikus Le Roux telling him I MUST feature it, and to my relief, he said yes. Cue me grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat. And I’m doing it again today. So… without further ado, let’s follow the King’s advice to the White Rabbit: Begin at the beginning, go on until you come to the end; then stop…
Lovely bride Angela sent over all the background on her Wonderland inspiration: Gerrit and I are both originally from Johannesburg. We met in a nightclub there. He asked to take a photo with me, and the rest is history! We moved to Cape Town about two years ago and Gerrit proposed in February 2010. He planned a very romantic dinner for me at our home – we had a fondue and when he brought the dessert he asked me to close my eyes and when I opened them, before me was a pot of melted Lindt chocolate and a plate of sliced fruit. In the centre was the most beautiful ring! Then he asked me to marry him – it was very romantic :)
We are both huge Tim Burton fans and I have loved ‘Alice in Wonderland’ since I was a little girl, so after we went to see the Tim Burton ‘Alice in Wonderland’ movie we decided that we wanted to go with that theme for our wedding. This also helped us decide on the red, black and white colours for our wedding.
We went to have a look at a lot of venues but when we saw Le Manoir De Brendel we fell in love with the place and the giant chess board was a huge plus! We wanted an intimate wedding with all our important family and friends there. We also wanted something different as we ourselves are very unique in that way that we don’t want to go with what everyone else is doing, but to have something unique that would wow everyone, whether it be good or bad. We decided to have a morning wedding with a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party as our reception, where we served a lot of finger foods presented as a buffet and cakes as this would fit in better with our theme. We were so happy that we chose to have a casual wedding as opposed to a more formal one – it made us and our guests feel very relaxed.
I think our whole theme speaks for itself and to be honest a lot of people didn’t think that we would be able to pull it off and we did. With a lot of help and advice from our wedding planner and a lot of hard work it was a huge success! We supplied most of the decor, such as the flamingoes and stuffed hedgehogs, the place name cards and all the props for our photos. Laura (my maid of honour) helped me make feathered hearts.
Angela & Gerrit – you guys rock! Thank you for sharing your lovely and original day with us! And big thanks to Drikus Le Roux for sharing more of his fashion forward pictures – love them! You can see more on his blog here.
Service providers:
Venue & catering: Le Manoir de Brendel Co-ordinator: Michele Steyn for Passionately Weddings Photographer: Drikus Le Roux Marriage officer: Dion Goldie from Capewed (dion@capewed.co.za) Florist & decor: Elizabeth (flowers) and Michele (decor) of Passionately Weddings ‘Eat me’ cupcakes: Charly’s Bakery Stationery: Invitations sent out via email and from wedding website Bride’s dress: The Wedding Box, Kenilworth Bridesmaids’ dresses: DiscountDressShop.com Hair & makeup: Tamara Krijgsman (tamara@houtbaymoonlodge.co.za)
Living in London, one of my all-time favourite days of the year is when I walk past my local florist and notice that the tulips are in. There they sit, in all their pretty, perfect colours, telling me that spring is on its way and immediately making me well up with happiness. I’m a HUGE fan of tulips. Which is why I totally coveted the bouquet today’s bride carried from the very first moment I saw it. But it didn’t stop there. Once I saw the rest of this oh-so-laid-back picnic wedding, I just knew I had to share it with all of you! Carley and Marius decided to host their ceremony and reception at the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens, which I hadn’t even heard of, but which I am totally putting on the list for next time I’m home because the surroundings are just so beautiful. Their day was everything a Cape Town summer wedding should be – all bright colours and parasols and cupcakes. I just love Carley’s pretty dress, and the way they used streamers instead of confetti. And anyone who serves choc ices at their reception is a winner in my book! Their photographer was Bernard Bravenboer, who I’ve been looking forward to featuring on the blog for some time. Welcome, Bernard! And a massive thank you to Carley and Marius for sharing their day.
