South African Wedding by Rensche Mari

You really can't help but fall in love with South Africa when you see such stunning landscapes as these can you? I'm delighted that I could showcase the beauty of this country in the Magnolia Rouge Magazine with this gorgeous wedding from Rensche Mari.

After first meeting five years ago on a run, Trevor and Chantelle kept bumping into each other over the next few years at various sporting events but the timing was never quite right for them to get together. Finally in the summer of 2010, the stars aligned and they've been together ever since. When it came to proposing, Trevor decided that no place or event would be special enough. The moment had to be very honest and true, so it was that on one of their Sunday mornings together, Chantelle woke up to Trevor on bended knee beside the bed. The couple referred to their big day as a 'celebration of life' rather than a wedding, and for this reason they chose the first of September – the beginning of spring in South Africa – to symbolise the start of life and new beginnings. With only 50 guests in total, they held an intimate celebration on a farm in Clarins, in the Free State. Whilst the wedding had an air of formality, there were plenty of colourful rustic chic touches in keeping with the location. 

I love that they chose to share some of their most special moments with their guests too...

"We wanted to be open, to share our story with our friends and family, so instead of the traditional speeches we had four of our close friends stand up and read cards and love letters we had written each other over the past two years. We asked them to add something special of their own, it was beautiful and such an intimate part of the day."

Click here to see their full feature in the Magnolia Rouge Magazine

Photography | Rensche Mari, Venue & Catering | The Gourmet Shed, Cake | Megan Hall, Flowers | Trevor’s mom, Ingrid Baptiste, Bride's Gown | Stanley Baptiste, Bride's Shoes | Luella and Socrati, Hair | Megan Hall (bridesmaid), Make-up | Lindi Higginbotham, Bridesmaids dresses | Their own, shoes from YDE, Groom's attire | Trenery Woolworths, Groom's tie | Paul Smith

South African Wedding by We love Pictures

Well we have just had the most splendid weekend around here... absolutely glorious weather! I'm realising how difficult it's going to be to get work done over the coming months when the weather gods bless us with sunshiny days!! Very very difficult!! I might have to revert to working late at night and then slumbering in the sun during the day!

I have been a big fan of the work that We Love Pictures produce for a long time, so I'm thrilled to be featuring their work on the blog today. This wedding at Beloftebos - which looks like such a fabulous venue - was such a fun family affair and luckily for us, the lovely couple have shared some of their details with us. You can see more of the wedding in {MAG}rouge here.

Jane & Jon spent a lot of time giving their attention to all the parts that would come together to make up their special day and truly put their stamp on it. Once the venue was found, the theme was born and it all came together from there. As musicians, naturally music played a big part and they ensured there would be lots of good music and plenty of dancing which made for a 'fuuuunn wedding' as Jane described it.

The couple came up with a theme of 'HummingWolf' based on the symbolism of the humming bird and the wolf and incorporated it into everything they did. The logo they designed was woven throughout the details of the day, even down to recording a duet album called HummingWolf which they gave to each of their guests. They then performed the title track from the album at the reception and plan to record a new album every year on their anniversary.

The couple chose Beloftebos as their venue; with it's  magnificent grove of majestic oak trees it offered both beautiful daytime surroundings as well as a dramatic evening ambiance, with lights throughout the trees making for a magical feeling. It offered them a place to have a beautiful, moving ceremony and then move onto a wild and fun evening with plenty of dancing - all without having to transport guests between locations.

Photographer |  We love Pictures, Venue | Beloftebos, Stanford, South Africa, Florist | Okasie, Dress | Suzaan Heyns, Jewellery | Isabelle Marant, Bridesmaids Dresses | Noa Noa, Suits | Suzaan Heyns, Stationery | Doodles, Cake | Spades and Spoons 

South African Love Shoot by Carolien & Ben

It's been a while since I've featured an engagement shoot and who doesn't love a gorgeous sunlit love shoot like this one by Carolien & Ben on a Tuesday afternoon!! Love the pop of the red skirt against the golden tones of the field. These two sweeties are getting married in December... can just imagine how stunning they will be in their wedding pics!

Stunningly beautiful South African wedding...

I'm always thrilled to have a wedding from Nikki Meyer up on the blog and today is no exception... be prepared for a lot of eye candy... it was hard to edit down! I love the flowers that South African weddings have... they're always such a feature, and the eclectic collection of vessels used to display them in is gorgeous. Speaking of gorgeous, how stunning does this bride look? Loving the thin silver headband, and the subtle blue colour of her dress.

Being nature lovers and fans of natural soft colours, Leandri & Christiaan wanted a mystical, nature-like setting for their wedding. Whilst searching for a photographer they came upon a wedding held at Beleftebos and it was exactly what they had envisioned so the decor and look of the wedding were based around the venue, creating a mystical setting combined with their love for antiques and delicate flowers. In fact Nikki herself got married at the same venue so that's gotta be a plus when your photographer knows the venue from a brides point of view (you can see her wedding here and here).

Tell us about finding your wedding dress?

I like to browse the net before buying anything... I came upon this extremely talented designer and immediately fell in love with her designs!! My sister located her store and we set up a meeting with her. I immediately tried on the empire style dress with the blushing bride print (I love fynbos flowers). My sister was looking at this delicate dress with lace detail (I love antiques and naturally loved the lace). I did not think it would suit my figure,did not want to try it on for fear of disappointment. Eventually she convinced me to try it on. I immediately fell in love with thee dress! Bottom line - try on the dress you like even if you think it won't suit you, it might surprise you! I discussed my idea of not having a crisp white dress with the designer and she suggested the duck egg colour.

Me and my husband both love gardening, and we wanted our flower arrangement to look natural. Our venue is situated on a fynbos farm, so we used a lot of fynbos flowers such as proteas. Fynbos flowers tend to look harsh, so to fit in with our mystical theme we softened the bouquets with some open roses.

Anything other details that help tell the story of your day?

We set up a photo corner with antique furniture for the guests where they could have their photo taken with a Polaroid camera and write message for us. During the ceremony we had our Labrador, ‘Milla’, bring in the rings. We raised Milla together since we started dating.

Beautiful Marquee wedding from Lizelle Lotter

Adriana, the gorgeous bride in today's wedding from Lizelle Lotter - whom we love around here! - has the most infectious smile you can't help but share in her excitement looking at these images. And if you saw my teaser on the blog yesterday you'll know I'm rather smitten by the dapper little men in this wedding. I mean really, how freakin' adorable are their outfits for one? Adore!!! And to top it off the  lovely bride emailed me to say that she read my blog throughout her wedding planning which thrills me to no end! More from Adriana below...

We both grew up on a small town called Uniondale, but never really took notice of each other. I was living in Cape Town for a few years and I went back home for a holiday. We had the same friends but for some reason never really did something together until that night... A week later Christo phoned to come visit me in Cape Town and a fairytale then began... However, Christo was 600km from Cape Town and did not make things easy. Five years sped by with a lot of hours on the phone and travelling between Uniondale and Cape Town.

Christo knew that I wanted to get engaged with our families sharing it with us and he planned a weekend in Jongensfontein (on the South Coast) for all of us. On the beautiful Saturday morning, we went for a walk on the beach and I could sense something but kept my pose. Christo got down on his knee and I couldn’t stop laughing and led to him waiting a bit for my YES! Our families celebrated this excitement with us the rest of the weekend…..just as I wanted it.

Tell us about finding your wedding dress?

I collected pictures from the internet and went to 3 designers and when I got to the last designer, most of the dresses on my pictures were by her (Elizabeth Stockenström) and I just knew she was the one!

What was the inspiration for your wedding?

I always thought that I would want to get married in the beautiful Cape Town, but when things became a reality I realised that I would want the sentiment of getting married where Christo & I grew up. With Uniondale being a small Karoo dorpie (village), we decided to have a bit of both – having a very relaxed atmosphere for the pre-drinks and the elegant and classic reception in a big white marquee tent in the middle of the Karoo. Everything with a vintage classic feeling.

Any DIY/Budget elements?
Page through wedding magazines for inspiration – you’ll end up with your own ideas and even better ones. Also – you’ll be surprised to see what you can borrow from friends/family which you don’t have to hire. We had all kinds of enamel bowls for the flowers at the pre-drinks and they were all from people we know. The option of using flowers that can be used again afterwards is also very cost-effective as you don’t have to throw everything away the next day. Flowers like orchids, petunias (in tea cups), cactuses and other plants can be used and afterwards be used in your garden.

Describe your wedding flowers:
I didn’t want anything at the wedding to be formal, therefore wanted pretty “garden” flowers and orchids to give a bit of the classic feeling. The vintage feeling of old teacups & enamel combined with the classic look of silverware was what I wanted. Susette from The Flower Cottage just did an amazing job!

What advise would you give out to someone planning their wedding?

Don’t leave anything for the last moment! Remember that the planning is part of the experience, so enjoy every minute! Do a weekend wedding if possible – one day is way too short to celebrate the love with friends and family!

Most memorable moment?

Actually the whole day is such a memorable moment!!! Definitely more than one then….

I was amazed how relaxed I was on the day and just couldn’t wait to get to the church for this BIG day to start! While getting ready, my mom and dad came over and I I will never forget the way my mom and dad looked at me with tears in their eyes, I could see how proud they are and I felt for a moment like their little girl again. It was so special!

When the doors of the church opened and I saw all our friends and family – it all felt so real. I couldn’t see my handsome groom at the time though, but when I eventually saw him, I just wanted to get to him.