A Bride Abroad #3: The Venue

When you start planning your wedding, friends and guides will tell you there are three things you need to book first: venue, DJ and photographer; the first of these being the venue. Finding one in the Western Cape is not a difficult task – they are there in abundance! Finding the right venue for your wedding (and that from a distance) = not so simple. More so if you’re picky. And Chris and I are picky. Boy, are we picky!

We had a whole list of requirements. The venue had to be beautiful, of course. It had to be a one-stop venue with ceremony and reception site in one place. It had to have onsite catering and accommodation. It had to be available until after twelve. The chairs at the venue had to be nice so that they didn’t have to be covered (I despise a seat cover). Linen, crockery and cutlery had to be included in the venue hire. And, last but not least, it needed to be available for the date we had chosen. Well, that narrowed down the search all right!

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Real Wedding at Rockhaven {Sofia & Graeme}

The Cape’s a beautiful place, but if there was one part of it that would have to be my favourite, it’s Elgin. My cousins have a farm there, and I remember going to visit them when I was growing up, and thinking it was just the most beautiful place on earth. It’s all green valleys and apple orchards and farm stalls and now vineyards… pure heaven. So I was stoked when Marina James of Elgin Weddings & Events got in touch to submit some of their gorgeous floral and design work. Then I realised which wedding it was, and did a little happy dance, because I’ve been wanting to feature this one for aaaaages. Not only is it at Rockhaven Farm, one of my favourite venues, and not only was it photographed by the legend that is Christine Meintjes, but it’s rustic, Mediterranean farm wedding goodness in its purest form, and I could just eat it up with a spoon. Everything is just so perfectly shabby chic and at the same time – especially with Sofia’s beautiful dress and birdcage veil – insanely sophisticated. I LOVE it. Some of my favourite stealable ideas: the herbs, the terracotta pots, the frames, the washing line ‘guest book’, and of course the fabulous cheese cake. Everything just works together so coherently, and Marina’s team did a seriously awesome job on the decor. Add in a dollop of Greek hospitality (and food!) and you have the kind of warmth and festivity that the gods themselves would be proud of. Yiamas!Read More