Category: Weddings by Type

Real Wedding at Rustenberg Estate {Stacey & Greg}

by gaby

There’s just something about a garden in summer, isn’t there? I came back from South Africa to find my housemate and his mum had been hard at work and ours looks amazing, all lush and green and dappled in sunlight. And in the evenings (which are long), it’s the perfect place to sit with a glass of wine and some dear friends and talk until it’s dark. Stacey and Greg’s Rustenberg Estate garden wedding captures that feeling, and turns it into the most gorgeous mixture of elegance and romance. I’m in love with the way that they mixed fruit and flowers on their table in beautiful platters and vases (all the different heights and textures are such a feast for the eyes!) and I’m in LOVE with the way that the amazing Lauren Kriedemann has so beautifully captured every last detail – I feel like I could step into these photographs, hear the laughter and chatter around the koi pond, smell the roses, taste the wine. Enchanting, intoxicating. I may have gone a little overboard on the pics, but there was just too much pretty to cut down! PS This was only the second event at Rustenberg Estate, a must-check-out new venue in Stellenbosch. Oh, and PPS future Cape brides: Stacey and her friend have just set up a new event lighting company called Let’s Get Lavish, so head over to their Facebook page to find out more. Read More

Real Farm Wedding {Nicola & Nick}

by gaby

I think one of my favourite parts about working with real weddings every day is hearing the ‘how we met’ stories. That unique conglomeration of circumstance that puts two people in one place, at one time, on the same page, in the same headspace, where they can fall in love. We’re funny creatures, human beings, full of sharp corners and rough edges, so it’s pretty incredible to me sometimes that this happens at all. But it does. Every day. It’s like a series of tiny miracles. And some of my favourite stories are of the people who don’t see each other across a crowded room and immediately: thunderbolts; but rather find that timing is everything. Nick and Nicola are one of those couples – I don’t know them, but based on the fact that we were all at Stellenbosch at the same time, I’m pretty sure I bumped elbows with both of them at the Terrace at some point or another. They were just friends. And then, one day, they were more than friends. Another tiny miracle. There’s so much happiness in these lovely pictures from brand new SBB contributor Kiekie Photography (welcome, Schantel!), and all the fun of a rustic, family-oriented, down-home barn wedding. And I love the little details, especially the light-hearted chalkboard quotes. To paraphrase one of them, moments like these are avocado bits in the salad bowl of life. Enjoy!Read More

Real Wedding at Langkloof Roses {Zoe & Paul}

by gaby

I am so torn. On the one hand, I LOVE THIS WEDDING. I absolutely, positively, cannot wait to share it with you guys because It. Is. Amaze. On the other, I feel like I want to hold on to it, because it’s the first wedding I’m featuring at a venue so fantastic that I sort of want to keep it secret. Here’s the thing – I know Langkloof Roses. I know it because only last week I was there with a Dream Team shooting some gorgeous inspiration (which I AM keeping secret for now, sorry!). And when Zoe, today’s lovely bride, says that she walked around with her mouth hanging open when she saw it, she’s not lying. It is beyond awesome, and now that I have told you, you need to go forth and book it for your weddings. So that’s just the venue, which as we have established, is breathtaking. Then you add in pretty, whimsical French details – stripey bridesmaids dresses (how much do I love these bridemaids dresses?), sheet music roses, stamped hessian (burlap) and lace runners on outdoor tables, beautiful pink roses, and personalised paintings for every guest (not to mention pictures full of joy taken by Moira West) and you’ll see why I am blown away. But another reason I love it, is that Zoe is a bonafide SBB bride – she used us loads in her planning, and knowing that someone with such great taste loved the site makes me feel like I have great taste too. So here it is. Ready: swoon.Read More

Real Wedding at the Lord Charles Hotel {Carla & Luis}

by gaby

Hello lovelies, how is your week going? Mine has been INSANE, but good at the same time. And today’s my last full day in SA – this hour tomorrow I’ll be on my return flight. Weird. It seems like only yesterday that I was on my way here. I hate the way time flies, but my mom claims that it just speeds up the older you get. Boo. Anyway, living in one place and having your heart in another is something today’s couple knows only too well, since after they got together, Carla decided to fulfil her dream of teaching in Dubai. She told me how supportive Luis was, and how they travelled back and forth to see one another. I just love hearing stories like this – couples who, even though it can be a challenge – help one another to achieve their dreams. It reminds me of a line I really like in Fairytale of New York (an unlikely inspiration, I know) where she accuses him of taking her dreams from her. “I kept them with me, babe” he replies, “I put them with my own”… And to me, that’s what it’s all about. Putting your partner’s dreams on the same mental list that you have, and giving them equal weight, so that they become a journey you take together. For Carla and Luis, that journey culminated in a beautiful wedding at the Lord Charles Hotel. And here it is! I’m thrilled to welcome photographer Gavin Casey to the blog with these pics – his images are always so arresting and beautiful! And keep an eye out at the end for some very wise words from Carla, some of the best a bride has dished out, in my opinion!Read More

Real Wedding at Beloftebos {Shané & Francois}

by gaby

Location, location, location. That’s what they say, right? Well, when it comes to weddings, I have to agree. It’s not that a spectacular venue is the ONLY way to have a memorable wedding, just that half the work is done for you. Best example: probably my secret favourite wedding of all time (head to 06:31 on the video to see what I mean). Yes, it’s from an Australian soap opera. Yes, it is cheese deluxe. But look at that VIEW. There’s not a single piece of decor, and yet that would be a dream wedding ceremony, in an unforgettable location. Anyway, location is one thing that today’s couple had on their side – Beloftebos, a farm venue with a forest roof so thick that it counts as a natural ‘church’ under South African law. Very cool. Even cooler is that Shané and Francois didn’t stop there – they created a handmade festival of awesome, including stunning bouquets, cute DIY rustic decor, and an amazing attention to detail (look, for example, at the ribbon on the flower girls’ feet, the button motif, the paint splashed glass bottles). Photies are by the fabulous Stephan Marais.Read More

Real Wedding at the Mount Nelson Hotel {Heide & Greg}

by gaby

When I was in high school, I used to spend the afternoons at my mother’s office. At some point I discovered a second hand bookshop down the road, where I used to spend a fair amount of browsing time. And, you know, I have a literature degree, so I’m a little embarrassed to admit that they weren’t stocked with Shakespeare, but rather row upon row of Harlequin Romance. So unfortunately, I’m qualified to tell you that two doctors in love? Is straight out of a romance novel. This particular love story has a sweet beginning, an enviable proposal, and a beautiful wedding captured perfectly by new-to-SBB photographer Moira West. Heide had me at hello with that pearl headband, but the iconic Cape Town location (the Mount Nelson Hotel), the carnation bridesmaid bouquets (I TOLD you they were back!), the abundance of roses and the classic pink and grey colour scheme had more than enough to keep me interested, right through to the happy ending.Read More

Real Farm Wedding {Stephanie & Grant}

by gaby

It’s not every day you come across a wedding as special and thoughtfully put together as this one. It’s also the first time I’ve featured a truly organic wedding, including a raw food cake! But what I love most about Stephanie and Grant is that they embody the SBB philosophy of creating a day that is uniquely yours, and a celebration of who you are as individuals and as a couple. Stephanie (with support from Grant) dreamed up every bit of their beautiful wedding, which was held on a family farm that has so much history and resonance for them. They’re both in the health industry, and this was reflected in their menu choices – the natural, organic theme also extended to the rustic chic decor at both their ceremony and reception. Looking at the pictures (beautifully taken by Peter Russell), you can feel pure happiness radiating off them. It’s Pretty, with Heart. Just the way we like it.Read More

Real Wedding at Langverwagt {Elmarie & Jacques}

by gaby

OMG I am in LOVE with this wedding. Seriously. It’s one of those that got my heart racing with excitement the minute I laid eyes on it! We’re talking beyond gorgeous rustic styling (I just love the dusky palette used), twinkly fairylights, burlap runners, a stunning venue in Langverwagt. Plus, some really original details, like the wooden animals that the bride and groom made for each table instead of using a number (and used as cake toppers as well) and the beautiful stationery. The flowers, the boutonnieres, the groomsmen’s styling. Oh, I could go on forever… The gorgeous photographs were taken by Andre van Niekerk of Vivid Blue, and I just couldn’t make myself cut them down too much, so you have a bumper post today!Read More

Real Wedding at Bon Cap {Marelize & Valerio}

by gaby

You know how sometimes in life there’s a theme tune for a particular moment? Well, the theme from Love Boat is totally playing for me right now… “Loooove, exciting and new…” (didn’t you just LOVE Love Boat? My housemates and I used to watch reruns at lunchtime when we were at varsity. Shutup, I said REruns. I’m not that old.) Anyway, today’s adorable couple met on board a cruise ship they were both working on. How romantic is that? She’s an Afrikaans girl, he’s an Italian boy – and there they are meeting in the middle of the ocean. Not to mention that when I read their proposal story, I was so picturing the staircase scene in Titanic. Sigh. And romantic is exactly what their wedding was – Marelize decided to use black and white as her colours and black lace as her accent (I know some of you are planning to do the same, so you will love what she’s done here). And get this, her mom MADE her dress. How special is that? All the pictures were taken by Andre & Selma of Expressions Photography, and I think they’ve done a great job capturing the couple’s exuberance at joining their lives together, across two continents and three languages. Oh, and PS, I love that Marelize and her girls got ready at the Worcester Art Gallery – what an unusual backdrop!Read More

Real Wedding at Knysna Elephant Park {Caroline & Keith}

by gaby

As a proudly South African wedding blog, one of the things I want SBB to do is to showcase the depth and breadth of awesome that getting married here in my lovely homeland offers. Sometimes, that includes something REALLY special and uniquely Saffa, and that’s what you’ll find in today’s wedding. It doesn’t get more African than having a herd of elephants among your guests (although, I should point out, for all the foreigners who think that we live in huts and ride to work on impalas, that this is a pretty unusual experience, even for us!). Keith and Caroline are two of our own, now living overseas, and they wanted a wedding that really honoured their heritage. They chose to get married at Knysna Elephant Park on the Garden Route, an extraordinary venue where the couple and guests can get up close and personal with the resident herd. I just love this idea, and what makes it even better is that the park makes such a valuable contribution to elephant conservation. Add in an intimate, close-knit family group, a pretty pink and pewter colour scheme, a wonderful photographer (Judy Stofberg of Just Judy) and a very happy bride and groom, and you have the loveliest of lovely South African weddings.Read More