Intimate Surf Lodge Wedding by Long Exposure

Surf’s up! This laid-back, beachy wedding took place at a local surf lodge – the perfect venue for a couple who first started noticing one another during early morning sessions. With this natural coastal setting in place, they set about infusing their ‘I do’s with soft blooms (including the bride’s sweet flower crown!), rustic elements, and nods to their love of sea and sand. With an intimate guest list and long trestles set up under the trees while paper lanterns swung in the breeze, Alice and Joel’s wedding has the feeling of a family dinner in the garden rather than a buttoned up formal do, and it’s no wonder, as all the details (including the customisation of Alice’s dream dress) were a labour of love by the bride’s mum and other dear family and friends. It really makes you smile, and happily, Christie Long was there to capture all of the love!

Read More

Intimate Country Garden Wedding in the Natal Midlands by Long Exposure

When I was in high school I remember working on some anthology in English Lit that was all about the ‘Spirit of Place’. That’s a phrase that’s stuck with me ever since – in the literary sense, but it’s also often something I think of when it comes to weddings. Because there are some celebrations that really are infused with the spirit of a place – usually the one in which they take place – and I absolutely love that. It makes the wedding a full-on sensory experience, because guests aren’t just attending a wedding in a particular venue or region, but they’re experiencing the atmosphere of that place, and often getting a piece of the couple’s heart as they do. Heidi & Shaun’s wedding is one of those – the couple share a deep love for the Natal Midlands, spending time in its English countryside-style beauty as often as they can, and wanted to share that with an intimate group of their near and dear on their big day. Hosting the wedding at a friends’ homestead with a beautiful garden, and filling the ceremony and rustic reception with blousy garden-style flowers, they did just that. I ADORE the bouquet especially, from The Flower Shed, and how well it pairs with Heidi’s pretty-as-a-picture gown. And the final lovely touch? A reedbuck motif, dreamed up by the graphic designer bride, to reference the ‘deer’ moments (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) spent in that same countryside. Christy Long captured these super romantic pics.

Read More