Real Wedding at the Steenberg Hotel {Irene & Hans Joachim}

Oh, I do love me a winter wedding! I don’t see nearly as many as I’d like to coming out of South Africa. And yes, I know the Cape is spectacular in the summer, and many of you want an outdoor ceremony and reception, but if you’re just setting out in the planning process it’s worth considering the winter months, as they have their own very special beauty. Today’s wedding is a perfect example of that for me – an elegant couple, rich jewelley colours, and one of my favourite ever bride’s outfits. You have to love a girl who gets married in red boots! Photographs are by the ever wonderful Nikki Meyer – every wedding she photographs is serious eye candy, so make sure you head over to her blog (and make yourself a cup of coffee before you do, because you’ll be there a while!). Big thanks to Nikki and of course to Irene and Hans – congratulations again, you two!

Irene was sweet enough to send over some background on their day (and you will be amazed how much she and her family did themselves!):
Hans and I met in Frankfurt, Germany, while we were both studying music at the Musikhochschule in 2005. On our first date we drank Glühwein at the Christmas market and went to see the old Gothic cathedral in Frankfurt. Although I’m Capetonian through and through, and Hans is German through and through, we felt like kindred spirits from the start. It took a few months before we actually started dating, but since then, our common interest in music and history and our similar view of life have been binding factors.

Hans and I had our civil marriage in Germany in January but always knew we wanted a wedding celebration in Cape Town as well. Since we live in Germany, our SA wedding was a family effort. The telephone lines were hot discussing the where and how with my mother, my sister and best friend (in Cape Town) and I. We chose Steenberg Hotel‘s restaurant Catharina’s because of its privacy, the layers of history of the estate (since 1682), and the amazing interior with two fireplaces perfect for a winter wedding. The old Cape Dutch buildings and the neutral colours of the interior somehow asked for rich shades of deep red/fuchsia as a contrast. We then had the vision of bridesmades in these colours, in raw silk and velvet. My wedding dress very simple, all white with a touch of wine red. Rich chocolate wedding cake. Wine red roses.

Wedding-time is family-time. It’s no use trying to organise a wedding by onesself. I was very lucky that my ‘three ladies’ (my mom, my sister, Frieda, and friend, Elize) took charge of almost everything, since I was far away. I loved the element of surprise, seeing at the last minute just WHAT they had organised, such as the cupcakes or the bright red lacy garter. We served peartizer as a welcome drink before the ceremony, which was really refreshing – “less is more”. My mom and sister made the cupcakes and the three-layer cake using Ina Paarman mix – it was rich and chocolatey and wonderful. My mom also arranged the roses, which we bought from Woolworths. There were wonderful speeches by various family members; my brother was the master of ceremonies. Hans and I didn’t even know what was on the menu until the wedding evening. It was all very festive and relaxed at the same time.

I really recommend having your couple photos taken before the ceremony and the reception. We had ours taken right after getting ready at Steenberg. We really enjoyed the photo hour before the wedding on the estate with Nikki, without having to think of anything else but ourselves and the beautiful surroundings! Once the guests arrived later, we knew it was celebration time, time to be with family and friends for the evening. We loved sharing the evening with them, enjoying the harmony of the colours within the setting, and the amazing food!