International Cross Cultural Wedding at Le Franschhoek by Hayley Takes Photos

Y’all know how much I love a multi-cultural wedding – the fusion of cultures and families (smooshed together with family and friends from all around the world) makes me so happy. To me, this is what weddings are all about: two souls finding one another in the vast world, and joining their lives together to create something beautiful and new. Today’s wedding is all of these things – April and Avi come from across the world from one another and have different cultural heritages and religious backgrounds, but found each other at college in the US, making this one of the most uniquely international weddings I’ve come across. And where better to tie the knot than in the Rainbow Nation of South Africa? The day was filled with colour and happiness, with two different celebrations, three gorgeous gowns, acknowledgement of all those influences (including SA, with some Zulu dancing, yay!), old traditions and new friendships. It’s appropriate that April and Avi chose an umbrella motif for their big day too, because that’s really what it did: bring everything they love under one big beautiful umbrella. Hayley Takes Photos was there to capture these wonderful images of the day.

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Festive Forest Wedding at Die Woud by Hayley Takes Photos

Festive Forest Wedding at Die Woud | Image: Hayley Takes Photos

Forest wedding lovers brace yourselves, because this woodland chic celebration will knock your socks off! Amy and Gerhard knew a forest wedding was the right call for them because they love taking forest walks (love that they brought their guests into this personal element of their relationship with the venue!) and didn’t look any further than Die Woud, with its glass marquee hidden amongst the trees and feeling of being lost in a kind of fairytale world. They hung the branches with ribbons, decorated the reception space with woody touches like branch votives, moss, and the most spectacular hanging floral branches, then contrasted that rustic loveliness with cut glass vases and sparkling chandeliers, and invited their nearest and dearest into this magical little space to celebrate their love. One of my fave touches has to be Amy’s heirloom wedding dress, which was remade from her late mom’s Chantilly lace gown into a stunning off the shoulder beauty that perfectly blended something old and something new. Hayley Takes Photos took these wonderfully moody pics.

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Greenery & Glitter Wedding at Lourensford by Hayley Takes Photos {Nicole & Nicolas}

Oh I am in heaven with this wedding! Beautiful greenery, crystal chandeliers, a feeling of bringing the outside inside (awesome florals by Flowers in the Foyer!), and best of all, a generous sprinkling of glitter and glam. Nicole and Nicolas’ wedding is just breathtaking. The combination of creamy white, rich emerald and sparkly gold (with just a touch of dusty pink with the bridesmaids – love this elegantly mismatched touch) – is perfect for the sophisticated but outdoor-loving couple, and I love that they included family and friends in so many ways to make sure that the wedding was an opportunity to bring them all together. This is also the first time we’re featuring a wedding by Hayley Takes Photos – so happy to share her beautiful pictures with you today!Read More