Nothing makes my wedding blogger heart light up like an elegant day full of lush blooms, gorgeous colour and a couple who are crazy in love. Today we’re talking soft shades of hydrangea blue paired with an elegant winelands setting, sweet details and some of our absolute favourite service providers like Botanica Flowers, The Mosaic Wedding Company and Adene Photography, and I love it! Kerry and Tom were married on their six year wedding anniversary at the spectacular Le Franschhoek, having planned their wedding from the UK with the help of Kerry’s mom and Cara from Mosaic. Kerry wore a beautiful Robyn Roberts lace sleeve gown, and carried a bouquet that included succulents alongside soft blue and white flowers. With a classical duo playing her down the aisle, afternoon shadows falling through the leaves as friends and family offered their congratulations, and fairy lights twinkling gently long into the night, it was the perfect day.
Some weddings are like a carnival, parading across my screen with colour and noise and celebration. Others, like today’s beautiful celebration from the fab Adene Photography, are more like a summer breeze, full of gentle details and whispers of lace, and sheer wedding day romance, and you just want to bask in their radiant glow. That’s Joandi and Jurgens’ big day to me – it’s light and bright and airy, and equal measures organic and contemporary, which is the perfect complement to the gorgeous space at Olive Rock (one of our fave SBB Collection venues). With delicate watercolour details in the stationery, fantastic white florals, and some of the sweetest bridesmaid dresses I’ve seen in a while (as well as Joandi’s incredible illusion neckline gown), it’s the prettiest way to kick off our week of weddings. The final cherry on top? Stacks of chocolate brownies for the guests to take home. Now that’s a sweet farewell.
One of the things that not a lot of people realise about wedding pros is that this is really not just like any other job. I mean, yes, plenty of people care about what they do, but not all of them have the responsibility weighing heavy on them of making two people’s most cherished day come to life. Cheesy as it sounds, they’re in the business of granting wishes. And I think that’s why so many of them will go above and beyond to make a wedding perfect. Take, for example, today’s wedding – a relaxed garden soiree awash with pastels. Not only was photographer Adene on the scene to capture gorgeous shots, she stepped up as a fairy godmother when a crisis almost stopped it all from happening. Or take Ro of Botanica Flowers (one of SBB’s cherished Directory members), who took the time to listen to her bride, right down to the finest detail. Everyone – from mothers to dressmakers to the couple (and their woodworking friends) made this particular dream come true, and when you think about all of those hands creating a labour of love, it makes it that much more special to enjoy.Read More
Lots of our brides and grooms plan their wedding in South Africa from abroad, but it isn’t many who have to do it from as far away as China. That was Hennie and Stephanie’s challenge, but as you’ll see from their gorgeously colourful rustic farm celebration, it didn’t end up fazing them in the least (even with a dress scenario that would have been stressful for any bride, but hooray, worked out beautifully in the end!) Through it all, the couple kept a sense of perspective – do be sure to read right to the end, where Stephanie shares some very sensible advice. And they pulled off a day that was relaxed, beautiful and full of joy. I’m especially in love with all the beautiful bright blooms, and the blackboard backdrop that Hennie’s sister created for them – so unique! One of our perpetual faves, Adene of Adene Photography, was on the scene to capture the pics as beautifully as ever.Read More
Glitter, y’all! The magic word to get a girl excited. And actually quite an appropriate one for me today, because for the last couple of weeks that’s exactly what I have been on the hunt for. Let’s just say, I figured out why I get so many queries about glitter bridesmaid dresses from South Africa. Sequins may be everywhere in the UK, but I’ve been hard pressed to find the outfit I had in mind for my latest portrait shoot (taking place as you read this, eek!). In the end, I stumbled into YDE, which I have to say is the last place I thought I would find what I wanted. Last time I was there, I was a skinny 21 year old, and even so, I don’t think those dresses would have fitted on one thigh. I just assumed it was for very tiny, very young people, but today it turned out to be a surprise shopping success. So it made sense to see that today’s gold-loving bride also dressed some of her sequin-clad bridesmaids in YDE dresses – and they look amazing, as does the rest of the glimmering decor. I know the time will come when I’ll get sick of this trend, but for now, it still makes me get all swoony, especially when paired with a touch of lace and a splash of duck egg blue. Get ready for some really beautiful pictures from the talented Adene Photography, one of the cutest pups ever, and an all-round wonder of a wedding!Read More
A few months ago, as you may recall, I opened up our Real Life Bride feature to our readers. I was hoping to hear from one or two of you, but instead, within days, my inbox was full. The BEST kind of emails – mails full of passion and excitement and plans and inspirations. I felt like I could picture each and every one of those weddings, and even though I could only pick one (okay, I picked three), I knew it wasn’t the last I wanted to hear of the others. One of my favourites was a submission from self-confessed “huge SouthBound Bride follower” Estie, whose big day was too soon for the series, but who described in detail the French-inspired fantasy wedding she and her fiance had dreamed up (with a bit of help from SBB!). She described a spring wedding, romantic and glamorous in Parisian shades of mauve, pewter, black & white, with a water feature and a transparent marquee full of twinkling lights reflecting the stars above. It sounded… well, dreamy is the only word I can come up with (even if it makes me sound like I should be at a sock-hop). Anyway, fast forward to a few weeks ago when talented Cape photographer Adene told me about her latest wedding, which she described as A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. And amazing it was. It also turned out to be Estie’s, and I’m thrilled to be sharing it with you today! (Oh, and PS: THAT CAKE!)Read More
There’s nothing sweeter than a girl-meets-boy-next-door-story, is there? Well today’s couple are literally the boy and girl next door (or across a park anyway), who first fell in love on the swing set and married fifteen years later. So adorable! I just love their pretty wedding, and the bride’s relaxed attitude about it being a rainy day is something anyone could learn from! But I think my favourite thing about their Delsma Farm wedding (or the decor, anyway) is that it’s such a fun twist on the shabby chic decor we’ve seen a lot of this season. It has the main ingredients: mismatched florals, proteas, books tied together with lace, striped tablecloths; but translated into a yellow and grey colour scheme it’s completely fresh. It just shows that you can take a style and really make it your own, be playful with colour, and that adopting a style doesn’t have to just mean one thing. The beautiful pictures full of light were taken by awesome Adene Photography.Read More
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens… Whoa there, showtunes. But seriously readers, I can’t help but think that today’s stunning Café Felix wedding is absolutely chokka with a few of my favourite things (and yours). Lace, roses, mismatched dresses, ribbon, chalkboards, lavender, tulips, postcard luggage labels, brunia, succulents, bell jars (am I pushing your buttons yet here?), beautiful stationery, milk glass and silver, hanging birdcages. It’s like a smorgasbord of loveliness right now. Topped off, of course, with work by some of my favourite Cape service providers including bright and beautiful pictures by Adene Photography, and a sweetly smiling, clearly head-over-heels bride and groom. It’s just perfection for your Tuesday morning. So go on. Dive in. (PS You’re totally going to be singing Julie Andrews all day. Sorry!)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!
So let’s talk awesome ideas. Penicillin, the printing press, electricity. Wine. We like that one. The White Company. Yep. I’m not sure if my readers in the US or South Africa even know what I’m talking about, but the White Company is GENIUS. Everything they sell… is white. White linens. Thick white Egyptian cotton towels. Bathrobes. Candles that smell so good I want to eat them. Lots of lovely white goodies that I want to put in my big, luxurious white fantasy house. Which looks a lot like Diane Keaton’s in As Good as it Gets, and overlooks Camps Bay (hey, it’s a fantasy). There’s something about white on white that makes me feel happy and free. It’s so… clean. Which is why I pore over every White Company catalogue and pretend I live inside it. Which is also why I love the white-tastic Kleinevalleij wedding venue near Wellington. I have been dying to feature an all-white wedding from there ever since I saw it and today, my friends, the day has arrived. And what a wedding it is! Captured in stunning colour by the wonderful Adene of Adene Photography, it’s full of clean lines and clever details dreamt up by the super stylish bride, Madri, and her team of talented suppliers. From the soft white blooms to the glow from the white paper lanterns, it is perfection. And my favourite touch? Madri’s personalised quote napkins. Seriously gorgeous. So sit back. Enjoy. Pretend you live inside this wedding. I know I am.
Charles and I met through mutual friends at the Gimnasium and Paarl Boys High inter-schools (a huge event every year in Paarl). He was 24 and I was 21, both very young with the same zest for life. We love the outdoors and try to spend as much time outside as possible. He is a winemaker by profession and I am a liquidator. Charles and I liked each other from the word go, we had the same interests and I knew immediately that he would be my husband one day. In the first two years we didn’t see each other often as he was doing harvests overseas and I was completing my legal studies, but as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder! Every time we saw one another was magical and we grew closer and closer wanting more and more time with one another… With his last harvest in Mexico he bought me a ticket to New York where he went down on one knee on top of the Empire State Building and asked me to marry him. I said yes ;-) And the planning started…
I always knew I wanted to get married in spring. It’s the most beautiful time of year for me in South Africa – everything is green and the weather is perfect. Charles moved to his family farm in 2007 and now farms with pears, peaches, nectarines, pomegranates and figs near Tulbagh, with a small wine cellar (boutique wines). I decided on my colour scheme years before the wedding when he took me to see the farm for the first time in spring 2006 – I fell in love with the white blossoms of the pear trees and decided then and there that my wedding colour (one day) would be white. A fairytale white wedding, with lots of blossoms. We used the blossoms effect in our wedding invitation as well, with a poem written by Charles.
We got married at Kleinevalleij in Wellington. The venue is situated at the foot of Bainskloofpass with the most amazing view of the mountains. I drove past it on my way to the farm one evening and decided to go have a look. I walked in and phoned my husband five minutes later to tell him I had found our venue! It was only the third venue I viewed and I did not need to see any others – it’s a stunning venue with amazing staff (Anelma, Maudre and Hannes). Everything right up to the leather couches outside on the patio is white, so I was one step closer to my all-white fairytale wedding.
I found two wedding blogs called It’s a Jaime Thing and Style me Pretty from which I got most of my ideas and pictures for the wedding. I wanted different flowers in various holders on each table, and everything and anything white from blossoms to veldlillies and Nico Loubscer of Paarl who did my flowers and décor, a true genius with magic fingers, had the best ideas and knew immediately what I was looking for. I gave him a couple of pictures and said surprise me, and I had enough faith in him to let go and give him the freedom to do whatever he wanted with the décor and flowers… I loved every little detail of every table! As I said, the man is amazing! I love quotes and words of wisdom and decided to print one for each guest and fold it around their napkin. We chose each quote carefully for every guest – I think this took longer than anything else!
The highlight of my day was of course getting married to my best friend, my lover, my partner in crime, the man of my dreams, the ONE I want to grow old with! The only time I cried the whole day was when we walked into the venue together to Queen’s Born to Love You and everyone we love so dearly was there to share this magical day with us (out of 130 invitations, only ten people couldn’t make it!). During the evening I took a couple of seconds every now and then to stand still and take it all in – to see our friends and family laughing, dancing and enjoying themselves. We had so much fun with all our guests! Before the main course we made sure we went round to say hello to every single guest, and then after dinner it was party time!
Our whole mission was not to have the perfect wedding, but to throw the perfect party! For our canapé/starter we had a spread of breads and biscuits, preserves, cheeses and patés, as well as butternut and apple soup served with bread sticks. I ordered wooden cutlery from Green Home and used rub-on letters to write the different cheese and paté names on each spoon. I have lots of baskets, boxes, and other containers on the farm, which I gave to our caterers to use for this bread table to create a farm vibe. For our dessert, we went high tea style with all our favourites: cheesecakes, pecan pies, brandy snaps with fresh berries and cream, crème brulee, dark chocolate mousse cakes and small sugar cones with vanilla ice cream (a fave of mine). We had disposable cameras with props (tiaras, moustaches, etc.) and we have the coolest photos and memories from that and from our DJ who also started taking photos later in the evening.
I decided from the word go that I was going to enjoy planning my wedding. It only happens once! I chose my service providers very carefully, mostly working from references or taking notes from weddings we attended. I can recommend every single one of them! I met with them, explained to them what I wanted on our day and gave them a lot of pictures to work from, and on the day, I was most probably one of the most relaxed brides ever!
Congratulations to you, Madri and Charles! Wishing you every happiness. And a big thank you to Adene for sharing her gorgeous photos – great to have you on the blog again! You can see more of this wedding on her blog here.
