Behind the Menu: Willemijn & Jan-Willem

Good afternoon, lovelies – hope today has been treating you well? I’m stoked to be bringing you another in our ‘Behind the Menu’ series, where we celebrate weddings where food is at the centre of proceedings. Being a bit of a foodie myself, I love looking at how a great menu is customised for each couple, although by the end of working with these pics I am dying to eat the food! Never more than today, in fact, because this lucky Dutch bride and groom had several incredible courses including a fresh crayfish entree. One of my all-time favourites! It really makes me miss home, and especially remember my last meal before going off to university, when we spent the day at Betty’s Bay with my cousins and feasted on crayfish they’d brought in fresh from the sea that morning. Wow. Food flashback! Anyway, I love that the executive chef at Stir Food, Gustaav Boshoff, included it here, alongside a menu that really shows off the best of South African cuisine. Oh, and PS, how much do I love the hanging floral decor? Just gorgeous. Perfect execution from The Aleit Group, as always!

Catering: Stir Food | Venue: Burgundy Bourgogne | Event Design & Co-ordination: The Aleit Group | Photography: Cari PhotographyRead More

Real Wedding at Vrede en Lust {Clare & Andrew}

It’s Friday, Friday, ge’in down on Friday… well, maybe not, but it is Friday. It’s been a bit week for me, and I can’t think of a better way to end it off than with this beautiful wedding from the Aleit Group. All you brides looking for something soft and slightly vintage? You are going to LOVE this! Clare and Andrew were married at one of my favourite venues (Vrede en Lust – check out our feature here), and complemented the sunny weather and spectacular views with quirky vintage touches that really made their guests feel at home. Everything about this wedding is so classic, and yet it has a really fun feeling to it – I have a feeling this is going to end up on lots of your bookmarks! Oh, and look out for a Grade A for Adorable escort card table using sweet postage detailing and old suitcases. Love it! Pictures are by the spectacular Sybrand Cillie – check out more on his blog here. Happy weekend everyone, and we have a jam packed week next week for you, so see you back here on Monday!

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Real Wedding at 401 Rozendal {Woutrine & Tate}

Winner winner, chicken dinner! Today is a good day. There are actually quite a lot of reasons for that, but I can only tell you two of them right now. One, I have a new home! Wooo! It’s a little further into suburbia, but in return for leaving my beloved Putney behind I get my own little home office. Which, as a blogger (and hell, as a Londoner), is seriously exciting. And also, there’s a trampoline in the garden, which I will no doubt make use of after a couple of glasses of chenin. Two, I have a faaaabulous wedding to share with you from the wonderful folks at the Aleit Group. Their features always rate amongst my most viewed, and it’s no surprise, since they’re full of panache and pretty details. Enter Woutrine and Tate, who not only combined romantic and strikingly modern into one gorgeous package, but chose to brand their wedding with a beautiful monogram and used it everywhere. I can’t say this enough times: you cannot go wrong with branding your wedding. It’s memorable, it ties your whole look together, and it actually saves a lot of deliberation over the smaller details. Woutrine and Tate’s letterpress monogram was pure class – I especially love how it turned up on napkins, giant screens, you name it. Their decor (OMG, strelitzias!) also fit perfectly into the incredible 401 Rozendal – what a find! Love the fusion of rustic, sophisticated ballroom details and even a little modern/industrial – it works amazingly, doesn’t it? I’m expecting to see a lot more from this venue. Pictures are by the talented Jan Hendrik.Read More

Real Wedding at Tintswalo Atlantic {Mehtap & Paul}

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

Real Farm Wedding in Swellendam {Estelle & Pieter}

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

Real Wedding at Constantia Uitsig {Anne & Simon}

I always know it’s going to be a good day when a wedding arrives in my inbox from The Aleit Group, since the events they design are all phenomenal! I’m especially excited about today’s though, because it’s the first one of their smaller weddings I’ve featured. A huge part of the Cape Town wedding market is made up of couples from overseas having intimate celebrations in our most beautiful of cities, but just because there are fewer guests doesn’t mean the prettiness quotient has to be any lower. In fact, the opposite is often true, and ‘pretty’ is definitely the word that should be used to describe Anne and Simon’s wedding. It has pretty in abundance. Pretty venue. Pretty flowers. Pretty pictures (thanks to the always awesome Joe Dreyer). And a wedding dress that is the definition of pretty. Love that Anne chose to wear something beautiful and unusual – for me it’s the detail that brings everything else together. And I LOVE that the in-case-of-rain Plan B turned out to be even more spectacular than Plan A might have been. Proof yet again that rain on your wedding day doesn’t have to spoil a thing.Read More

Sleek City Wedding by Joe Dreyer & Aleit

Today’s wedding comes from co-ordinators The Aleit Group, and I’m so excited to share it with you! Not only is it absolutely gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous (not that I’d expect any less from this team), but it’s also completely unique and contemporary. The location for one thing, is the Lightbox Studio, a minimalist photographic studio and event space in Greenpoint, that has incredible views out over the city, harbour and Table Mountain. I just love venues that show off the urban cool side of Cape Town, and this is definitely one of them. The look is white on white with a dash of silver, which makes tiny bits of colour like the cocktails really pop. Instead of a seated meal, the couple opted for a cocktail party followed by dancing, and it all adds up to a celebration that just oozes sophistication. And the details… wow. My favourites: the cake topper, the bridesmaid’s dresses, the incredible photo wall/guest book, and Andrew’s super cool “(Hus)band” armband. And with this level of awesome, I know you also won’t be surprised to hear that pictures are by the always-brilliant Joe Dreyer.

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Vintage Forest Wedding at Beloftebos by Gavin Casey

When I saw today’s wedding on photographer Gavin Casey’s blog, I was so excited that I emailed him straight away to ask if I could feature it. There’s a real cinematic quality to these pictures – I just love looking at them. I was even more excited to discover that it was co-ordinated by the Aleit team, as they always manage to bring something unique to their weddings. And this one has just that – starting with the venue. Ceremonies at Beloftebos are held under beautiful oak trees that form a roof so dense that you can legally sign the register! Other favourite details: the baby’s breath bouquets, mismatched bridesmaids’ dresses, succulents under glass, the vintage car and the broderie anglaise-style cake (with such a cute cake topper). I also loved that the couple played Pétanque (a form of boules) with their guests!

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Elegant Beach Wedding at PURE, Hout Bay by Aleit Weddings & Joe Dreyer

There’s so much to love about today’s wedding, which comes from photographer Joe Dreyer (whose work I have been dying to showcase!). The totally unique beachy ceremony location, for one (which just shows how a little creative thinking goes a long way). The proteas, of course. A couple so obviously in love. Ashley’s glorious dress. The infusion of different cultures into the day. But for me, the best thing is the way that the wedding is so very personal. It’s the perfect example of two people who are really celebrating their journey as individuals and as a couple, and sharing that with those who mean the most to them. To me, that’s what weddings are all about. Ashley and Malan – thank you for sharing your story with us, and congratulations again!

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