Nicoline & David's Rainbow Celebration | Boplaas Wedding

Nicoline & David's wedding day was one that will stand out for me as one of the most joyous weddings I have photographed. Their love story is something from a story book. Six months after they started dating, knowing Nicoline's case of serious wanderlust, David surprised her with plain tickets for Christmas...trip to Italy & France. While in Florence, just after putting a lock on the Ponte Vecchio "Love Lock' bridge, on Nicoline's birthday, David proposed, and the rest, is history.

Nicoline's vibrant and bubbly personality is infectious and I can honestly say I had such fun photographing their wedding. David is so obviously crazy, madly, deeply in love...it is such privilege for me to be able to photograph such joy.

Thank you to Nicoline & David and their families for making me a part of your special day. I will always remember this colourful occasion, so full of love and happiness.

Special thanks to Lauren Pretorius for assisting & second shooting, you are always a lifesaver<3

Venue: Boplaas, Koue Bokkeveld
Make-up artist: Yolandi Malherbe @ Hairport Beauty, Ceres
Hair Stylist: Stephanie Fouche @ Hairport Beauty, Ceres
Florist: Lizelle Vermeulen
Hiring: @Function, Ceres
Dress designer: CJA Haute Couture (Braam)
 

 

Candice & Luke | Hudsons Stellenbosch | Wedding

Candice & Luke tied the knot at the lovely Hudsons, in Stellenbosch, where the Western Cape delivered, once more, a picture perfect day. My stomach hurt from laughing and my eyes filled with tears during the speeches at this wedding. Luke's scene of humor and Candice's compassion is something I will always remember and be inspired by. I also fell in love with these little flower girls, who where just the cutest little things I have ever seen.

Make-up by Ida Webster & Dress by Victor Kok. Special thanks to Lauren for assisting me, it's always such a pleasure to have you with me during a wedding.

Thank you Candice & Luke for allowing me to capture your special day. I wish you a lifetime of love and laughter together, and that you will always bring each other such joy as you did on your wedding day. Enjoy.

Ashleigh & Jason | Mosaic Nature Sanctuary

Most memorable moment?  "The end of the rain just before the ceremony – created perfect weather! A gush of wind blew my veil and dad then stepped on it as we walked down the hill to the ceremony – resulted in serious giggles and a delay in walking down the aisle.
The nerves, the giggles, the sheer happiness of the ceremony and the “you may kiss the bride” – “I now prounouce you husband and wife”
Having family and friends from far and wide celebrating with us – a feeling of true love and happiness and never wanting the moments to end!"

I've known the Read family for a while. Ashleigh's siter Kim & brother in law Ernst are close friends of ours, and I have come to know Ashleigh a little over the years, and after the wedding, I have a special place in my heart for her and Jason.  They are the warmest most giving couple and the wedding really reflected the love and appreciation they have for their family and friends. Ashleigh is a real trail blazer, running a business with Jason and studying on the side, and planning her gorgeous wedding to perfection. 

Stanford is such a beautiful, peaceful town, and the perfect setting for Ash & Jason's wedding. Mosaic is the perfect wedding venue, with gorgeous sunsets, mountains, a lovely jetty on the water, and a beautiful tree canopy area for guests to dance under. 

I am so thrilled to have photographed their wedding. Thank you Ash & Jase for making me part of your most beautiful day. Enjoy!

Venue: Mosaic Private Sanctuary, Stanford
Make-up artist: Megon Burden of Megz Hair & Beauty, Yzerfontein & Candice Harker of Mobile Makeup Artist
Hair Stylist: Candice Harker of Mobile Makeup Artist
Decor, Hiring & Flowers: 4 Every Event
Dress designer: Maggie Sottero purchased from Ever After Bridal
Bridesmaids dresses: Gelique designed and purchased by Avril of Somerset Bride
DJ & Photobooth: Just-for-you and Happy Snap Photo Booth
Videograper: Moments on Film

 

Sulette & Jaco | Two Birds at the Dairy Shed

"One evening, while visiting my friend, she showed me a photo of Jaco. I went home that night and told my mom: " I saw the man I'm going to marry, tonight." "

Sulette and I where at school together, and remember standing in art class, mesmerized by her paintings. When she asked me to photograph her wedding, I was beyond excited. When I finally met Jaco, and spent some time with them together, I was even more moved by her request. She understood that photography was an art form, and that is exactly what she wanted. 

The Western Cape delivered one of it's most beautiful days, all be it one of the hottest, hovering at around 40 degrees most of the day. They chose the perfect wedding venue, artsy, quirky and laydback, The Dairy Shed suited them both perfectly. 

Make-up & Hair by Hairport Beauty

Flowers by Elle le Fleur

Dress by Alana van Heerden

Cake by Bake Me Happy


Ash & Bone | Styled Wedding Inspiration

Love. Lightning. Burn. Ash. Bone. Soft. Free.

Styled shoots abound, I am hesitant to do many of these, as I sometimes feel that they can be unrealistic and void of real meaning...I prefer to capture real emotion and moments. That said, I appreciate the creative side and being able to create something beautiful. I knew, that if I did one again, I wanted it to be something unique and authentic, and I wanted to work with creative, original artists.

The inspiration was simple. That a wedding does not need to be mainstream, in fashion or trendy. It does not need a color scheme or a theme, and you don't need to spend a fortune or invite a thousand guests, to make your wedding day meaningful. It can be a contrast and a compromise. Elements can be contradictory and fuse perfectly. Soft and hard, old and new, modern and classic. We even shot in a burned field where lighting had struck and created a massive fire a few days prior. The wind blew half of our decor to shreds, but in the end, we created something magical.

Desert landscape has always inspired me and I really wanted to do this in a desert, but, living in the Western Cape, such dry open spaces are not all that close by. I loved the look and feel of the Kouebokkeveld, close to Ceres in the Western Cape, and ultimately I chose Kaleo Farm, a stunning wedding venue in the area. 

I asked some of the most talented and creative service providers to collaborate with me on this one, and I was blown away by what they came up with. Liezl of Liezl Kotze Floral Art was a gem to work with. I just love her vision and creativity. Marnel Toerien painted Tehillah's gorgeous face to perfection, and her sister, Janita Toerien, created the most stunning, flowy, edgy wedding gown I have ever seen. I asked Tehillah & Skillie of Kikitography to model for me, as I love their style & vibe. 

Thank you so much to everyone who gave so much for this amazing shoot. Enjoy...

Heidi & Marius | La Mont Wedding | Ashton

Heidi & Marius's wedding was one I wont forget, and is to date, the wedding with the most amazing light I have ever worked with. The wedding was held on the family farm in Ashton, where they tied the knot in front of close friends and family. 

"Ons het in potch as studente ontmoet en van dag een af geweet dis n virewig en altyd storie wat ons besig is om te skryf"

- Venue: Montagne deli
- Make-up & hair: Marzaan Lotz
- Decor hiring: Flamboijant - decor, wedding and events
- Florist: Blommeprag(annemarie le roux)
- Dress designer: Olivelli stella york

Miguel & Nara | Pululukwa Wedding | Angola

Miguel & Nara's wedding was one I will never forget. It was the most challenging shoot I have done thus far, and such an adventure. Nothing was as I have become accustomed to, shooting weddings in South Africa...there is no real couples shoot, or family photographs...the day just sort of floated, and no-one was to phased about the rain or the timeline, and alas, the ceremony actually happened in the dark. But none of this mattered, because for Miguel & Nara, time had stopped, and they were happy, and this was their most beautiful day. 

I am deeply thankful to my amazing husband and Nadine Aucamp, for second shooting and assisting me with this wedding. 

Celeste & Rian | Kliplapa Nuy Valley Wedding

Celeste & Rian's love is the kind that really pulls at my heartstrings. An equal, heartfelt, deep kind of bond that is obvious in the way they look and talk to oneanother. The wedding was a pretty affair at the homey and hearty Kliplapa venue in the Nuy Valley countryside.

Venue: Kliplapa – Nuy Valley

Wedding Cake: Cezanne Wedding cakes

Make-up artist: Shugaworx Beauty  

Hair Stylist: Joleta Keane

Decor: Wood elements – Happy tree designs

Glass jars – Consol Stellenbosch

Florist: Kliplapa

Hiring: To Netts and Hire 4U

Dress designer: Mother of the Bride

Suite: Mr Suit hire

 

Paris | France

Truly a movable feast as Hemingway put it,all be it a cold one. Paris in winter possesses a cold that penetrates any Cape Union Mart boots that you may have paid thousands for.

The Parisians of course don't feel a thing. They float around and grin at our shivering African bones.

Anyway, they are so busy kissing in public, it's no wonder they don't feel the cold.

I have never experienced such architectural beauty, and the images really don't do it any justice. I decided to just take my 50ml f1.4 lens, as it's light and versatile, but unfortunately it failed to capture many of the grand spaces and places.

The quirkiness of Montmartre is infectious, everyone looks like an artist or a writer and there are vintage shops everywhere.

Nothing can prepare you for the majesty and splendour of Versailles. My heart bleeds for Marie Antoinette, as I walk walk through her giant milkmaid playground, an imaginary world of the simplicity and normality she obviously craved...poetic irony. 

Cats and Magpies everywhere in the Cemetery give it a truly melancholic atmosphere. I see a beautiful young girl engraving a tombstone in the rain.

And lastly, my ultimate, standing in front of the sculpture of Cupid & Psyche, brought to life by Antonio Canova in the dim light of the Louvre. I could stand there for a lifetime.

Sagrada Familia | Barcelona

Traveling from Seville to Paris, I made a big fuss to spend one night in Barcelona, purely to see the genius that is Gaudi's Sagrada Familia. I got my way. Pictures really don't do any justice to this masterpiece. I'ts crazy. I'ts grand. I'ts beautiful madness.

Seville | Spain

Spain feels like an old film. 

One cannot quite comprehend the grandeur when standing inside the Catedral. It is majestic in every way, and even for the non-religious, this masterpiece of architecture is awe inspiring.

"Let us build a church so beautiful and so great that those who see it built will think we were mad"

Andorra

We started our European trip in a small little gem of a country called Andorra. 

Nestled between France and Spain, it's a snowsport haven. 

A white Christmas with family.