Venue:

The couple had their weekday wedding on a warm Friday afternoon at Nooitgedacht Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. I visited the venue 2 weeks before to have a look at the lighting and shoot locations and was very excited for the day to begin as there are tons of beautiful places to photograph the bride and groom.

Simone and her bridesmaids prepared for the wedding in the manor house just next door to the ceremony hall. The room was located right at the entrance so Simone could watch through the window as her guests started arriving.

Simone was a very calm, happy bride and sat peacefully getting her hair and makeup done amongst the usual wedding frenzy.

The Ceremony:

It was held in a small, stone hall that had one little window letting in the perfect amount of light to capture the couple against the dark moody background. The ceremony was held by the couples church pastor which gave it a very personal touch as he knew them for many years before their special day. After the ceremony the guests and couple moved into the gardens to let off two very loud canons. They then mingled over cocktail jars, canapés and ice creams before the family headed for their photos with the couple.

The canon release is a tradition that I have never seen at a wedding before, it made for great photos and announced the marriage of Simone and Charlton.

After the canapés and family photos it was time for my favourite part of a wedding – the couples photos and bridal party photos. I knew exactly where I wanted to shoot and light was disappearing fast. I captured the details of the gorgeous, unique dresses made my Ricci Janse van Rensburg and a few special moments between the couple. I took them to a big, bright bougainvillea tree to capture a few colorful, soft blur images and Charlton was extremely happy as this was his favourite tree – it was meant to be!

I loved how the bridesmaid dresses were designed to look like they were permanently flowing, it made for beautiful images. The men were dressed smart in midnight blue…

…. and now for the couples photos… I love it when a couple forgets about the camera and simply enjoys their quiet time together after the wedding frenzy. I simply capture what is real and do not have to direct too much – this was the case with Simone and Charlton.

After the couples photos we entered the reception hall where the wedding formalities began. Guests were treated to an awesome show by The Black Ties while they enjoyed their meals and sang along. The cake was cut, the bouquet and garter were thrown and the first dance ( which the couple weren’t going to do) opened the dance floor and started the party…

The Black Ties sang cover songs of all the wedding favorites for the couple as the guests clapped and sang along…

The garter and bouquet were thrown and caught by two very enthusiastic guests, I always love capturing the expressions of the people…

The dance floor filled and I was on my way out after capturing a beautiful day. The couple celebrated their wedding weekend at Ultra Music festival before heading off to the West Coast for their honeymoon…

Congrats Simone & Charlton, thank you for allowing me to capture your wedding ..

Wedding planning: Lovely Pretty

Dresses: Ricci JVR

Venue: Nooitgedacht