This Northcliff Wedding was nothing short of a celebration of people, friends and family. Sunell & DelaRey planned the whole weekend to the T. Family and friends came from all over South Africa and gathered together for a hearty dinner on the Friday evening.
The next morning we all woke up bright and early to start the day.
Service Providers:
Photography: ORGANICTALES
Assistant: Warren Melnick
Make-up: Karlé Potgieter Mud Studio
Venue: Aan-die-berg NG Kerk
George and Charlie had the most elegant, yet relaxed atmosphere at their wedding. Opting to have their nuptials at their own residence in the famous Bo-Kaap of Cape Town. All their closest friends and family spent the afternoon an evening with a glass of champagne, an oyster bath and casual pizza delivery style dinner. Enjoy this unique and magnificent gallery.
I met Leigh & Werner a little over a year ago. I was delighted to find out that Leigh shares my passion for horses and riding and when the time came to do their engagement shoot, she naturally requested we add her horse, Peanut as the main feature. Fiance Werner welcomed the idea of not having to feature too much himself. Since meeting these two, I really feel honoured to have walked this journey with them. Their wedding day was nothing short of spectacular.
There is something about dark clouds that raise people’s spirits and excitement. Combine this with a wedding day and you will find emotions high, happy and full of anticipation all round. This was the mood felt at the Dunkley wedding which took place at the beautiful, Dornier Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. A beautiful venue at the foot of the Stellenbosch mountains, surrounded by vineyards and forests. The Dunkley’s could not have chosen a more perfect location.
Venue: Dornier Wine Estate
Photography: Organictales
This is a past wedding that has been re edited in a more modern style. To view the previous version of this event, visit this link below:
Dunkley Vows
~A Photographer’s tale.
I met Chris & Anje a few months back while attending the Admired in Africa Photographic Conference. During one of the practical sessions, I got to photograph Anje in one of her Silver Swallow dresses and I remember thinking, “Wow! She is such a dream to photograph! She’s going to be a stunning bride one day! Lucky photographer who gets to photograph her wedding!”
So you can imagine the excitement I felt when she contacted me, asking for my wedding collections.
Chris, on the other hand is an extremely humble and fun guy who made the day such an easy breeze of laughter.
Together they manage a successful photography business named Madison & West.
Read their story:
We met through mutual friends (Taryn aka mev Pretoria and our MC Quentin). Chris was their Wedding photographer and I was Joshua’s (their little boy) first nursery school teacher.
It wasn’t love at first sight, but we had a mutual love for photography and we became friends instantly. I was drawn to his honesty and the fact that he loves Christ and he liked the fact that I had the same passion for God & photography and that I was a teacher.
Our friendship bloomed into an unfailing love and 6 months down the line we found each other’s hearts.
It was a very cold and wet day in New York. We were looking for a coffee shop where we could get something to drink but, most of the shops were packed because it was pouring down with rain. We found a little stationary shop where I bought 2 books, a pen and a pencil and then I realised that we were near the F.R.I.E.N.D.S apartment building (the one they show in between scenes, with the red coffee shop) and suggested that maybe it would be a cool idea to go and have coffee there as it was our last day in Manhattan and we are such F.R.I.E.N.D.S fans.
The coffee shop was full but they had a little ledge in the window slil where we could sit and wait for a table…as it was super cozy, we decided to have our coffee right there instead of waiting for a table. Chris wanted to write me a little note in my book so I gave him a moment and when I turned around, to my surprise I saw a note along with my engagement ring. The note read:
Cnr of Bedford & Grove
“I’ll be there for you”
Wel vandag vra ek my beste vriend om te trou.
F.R.I.E.N.D.S
Ps-dink dis nogal ’n cool spot
Baie lief vir jou
…
I was overcome with emotion and said yes instantly!
Chris’s mom has a bridal studio called Lady Anne Bridal. I absolutely adore her wedding gowns as she stocks some of the best names in the wedding industry. I chose the Katerina by Enzoani (Blue collection 2018) and I felt like a princess (which is so very cliche, but on your wedding day you don’t care for feeling like a million bucks…oops, another cliche!).
Mia from Mia’s makeup. We didn’t have time for a trial and I have got to say, she nailed the look I wanted! Super happy!
Because Chris and I are both Wedding photographers, we have seen so many different settings and themes. So we instantly knew what we liked and disliked as we have discussed this on many occasions.
Cape Town was a great influence for us. Since we love the Cape so much, we decided to get married on Knorhoek wine estate. Fynbos that was in season was also a big influence on our day. We felt like we wanted to be reminded whenever we see that specific fynbos, that time of year, to transport us back to our wedding day and how beautiful everything looked. We also decided to have olive branches as a representation of new beginnings in our decor.
With our wedding style we tried to keep it classic and humble.
We love everything about Knorhoek wine estate and the people on the farm are like family to us. So when we started looking at venues we knew immediately that this is where we wanted to get married as it wouldn’t feel right to get married anywhere else.
For me: Definitely when I saw Chris as I walked down the aisle. When we met each other at the front, he couldn’t stop telling me how beautiful I looked.
For him: When we walked out of the venue as husband & wife.
For us: The breaking of the glass which serves as a symbol that no one will drink from our Marital cup.
My dad officiated the ceremony. It was a personal decision, one that we are very glad we made and something we will cherish as his message was confirmation on many things we have prayed about without him knowing.
Landi is a very hands on photographer. Her communication was thorough throughout and we loved all the sneak peeks she sent us.
As we are both wedding photographers, we understand that Landi experienced extra pressure regarding our photos. So far we are pleasantly surprised with her skill, not only regarding taking photos but also her editing. She has really bent backwards for us and we can see the passion she has for capturing people’s stories. She is not just a photographer who captured our special day, but also a friend and we will highly recommend her!
Willem and Conrad Kriel from Willem Foster Photography, did the videography of our wedding. They had fine attention to detail and handled us with great care. Very focussed, they know what they want to shoot and they worked well with Landi and with us. The way Willem also treated our guests was also something that stood out to us.
We work with wedding jewellers as we are both photographers. Suvette and Johann (from Piccolo) are true artists and we value their artistic expertise. Suvette phoned me one day with a cool idea to engrave the word “Friends” on the inside of Chris’s ring and I loved that she thought of little details such as this as this just added so beautifully to our story
Lize and Marquerite from Towergoed was our wedding co-ordinators. They listened to our ideas and turned that into something spectacular. We didn’t have to worry about anything because they were on top of everything and we would like to really give our sincere thanks to these two awesome women and dear friends of ours. We wouldn’t have trusted anyone else with our wedding day & they made it extra special with your fine attention to detail, love and care. What a great team!
The reception was at Towerbosch restaurant, and by far has the best cuisine we have ever tasted.
On the menu:
Starter:
Sesame crusted chicken salad.
Main:
Braised Lamb Shoulder
Beef Fillet
Golden Roasted Potatoes
Melange of Vegetables
Polenta
Pumpkin fritters
Dessert:
Towerbosch “Grootgebak” and Wedding Cake.
Make sure that your wedding portrays who you are as a couple. So many people are so obsessed with trends that they forget to “check” if that trend fits their personalities that when they look back at their wedding images 10 years from now their wedding feels very outdated and sometimes over the top.
A humble, yet great celebration of two best friends who promised to love each other for the rest of their lives.
Our honeymoon was the best! We went back to New York City and obviously enjoyed every minute. We also visited friends in Vegas and had the opportunity to do a few shoots there as well. Pictures below are some of the photos we took of ourselves.
Venue: Knorhoek
Photography: ORGANICTALES PHOTOGRAPHY
Videography: Willem Foster Photography
Dress: Lady Anne Bridal
Make-up Artist: Mia’s makeup
Hair Extentions: Strands of love
Cake: The Perfect Match
~An AfrikaBurn Chapter
“We met on 15 January 5 years ago at a friend’s welcoming back party from Canada. The party was at Pakolo Beach Bar in Houtbay and Conrad and I started a conversation about AfrikaBurn Outreach. I was very keen to get involved in the outreach and the charity side of AfrikaBurn which is something that Conrad and his friend Rob Weinek started a few years earlier. The party moved to my friend, Danielle’s house and it went in to the early morning hours with lots of laughing, dancing and guitar playing out on the porch. Two days later, two different friends informed me that Conrad would like to have my number so he could take me out on a date. Conrad’s generous and kind heart is what drew me to him. He always try to give back to people less fortunate than himself and he is also a little old fashioned which I like.
On my birthday, 3 years ago, Conrad planned a big surprise; A secret he and my friends kept from me for months! Friends were so scared of accidentally saying something or letting the cat out of the bag that they avoided me and didn’t talk to me, so I was completely in the dark! For my birthday he booked us in to the Twelve Apostles Hotel and after a whole bunch of funny things happened, he proposed to me after dinner. It was absolutely amazing! The room had so many rose petals thrown all over that we could hardly open the hotel room door! I really did not expect a thing! I initially thought that the hotel really over did things for a birthday and I was completely oblivious to the fact that this beautiful man was going to pop the question!”
Service Providers:
(Please do not copy, lift or screenshot images from this page. A downloadable link will soon be made available for all images)
Coordinator: Mon Amour Events
Photography: ORGANICTALES
Catering: Two Chefs Catering
Dress: The Wedding Boutique
Hair: Craig Taylor
Make-up: Algria Ferreira
~A Countryside Chapter.
When I first met Sian and Michiel, I instantly felt like we connected. We started talking and laughing like old friends. Over the months leading up to the wedding, we exchanged endless voice notes and messages, so by the time of the wedding day, it felt like capturing a good friend’s memories. Sian and Michiel’s families were so welcoming and open to receiving me as part of the day, which made this one extra special to photograph.
I planned to ask Sian to marry me on the way to her graduation at the University of the Free State. We were staying over on the Orange River on the way and I thought it would be the perfect location to pop the question. Things didn’t work out quite as planned. I had hidden the ring in the boot of the car under the felt lining so Sian wouldn’t accidentally find it. I suggested we walk from our chalet down to the river bank to enjoy a drink and had planned to grab the ring on the way but Sian (being averse to any form of cold, and this was Colesburg in June) refused to walk and demanded to drive instead. I scrambled to get the ring without her seeing anything when we parked at the river (approximately 400m from the chalet) but by the time I opened the boot Sian was already standing next to me. Sian still asked what I was looking for and I said “nothing” and walked down to the river with no ring, just bubbly and two glasses. We then proceeded to finish a bottle of bubbly on the banks of the majestic Orange River, with a beautiful sunset perfecting the scene. All I could think was “might as well drink”. Eventually we went back to the chalet and I was like, well, I’ve done all the planning already, my nerves were shot, and I wasn’t going to do this to myself again, so it was pretty much now or never. Sian was in the kitchen of the chalet and I went down on one knee in front of the oldest microwave we’ve ever seen and asked her to marry me. Fortunately, she said yes, or she wouldn’t have had a lift home (or, to graduation).
I initially found an amazing mermaid style white lace dress but was dissuaded from wearing it by people who thought I could find something better or didn’t consider it to suit my personal style. I then had a dress made which didn’t work for me or do my figure any justice at all. Two weeks before the wedding I saw the 2019 Maggie Sottero range and fell in love with one of the styles which I then sourced at a boutique in Cape Town. It was pure luck that they had my size in stock and ready to go. It was something so different from anything I had seen or tried and I knew I had to wear it. No one would ever have expected that dress, including me.
We initially planned to have a small gathering of people. Absolutely just our nearest and dearest. Both coming from Afrikaans families, we realised that having a small wedding was a very remote hope. I guess we were inspired by the “boere troues” we have been used to all our lives; where there is an emphasis on family, good music and great food. Everything else was ancillary. We never decided on a particular style and instead went to a number of bridal expos and décor places and by a process of elimination decided on what we liked and didn’t like. To be honest, we loved the venue and worked around what the venue had to offer, rather than imposing our style on the surroundings. We kept everything quite rustic to fit the forest vibe at Allesverloren and kept the wedding to just the right level of informality for it to be gracious but not pretentious.
We literally got out of the car at the venue and felt right at home. It was actually only the second venue we had gone to view. Allesverloren itself is so well equipped we really didn’t need to hire a lot of things in and we knew this would simplify our lives quite a lot. Allesverloren also speaks for itself – it is surrounded with beauty, it is a three minute drive from the heart of Riebeek-West, and the catering was done on site. It was a sensible and beautiful choice and it worked for us.
Landi is great in every way. She is talented and her personality is as beautiful as her work. It was a pleasure working with her and having a photographer who would and could work around what we wanted. Something couples will always tell you after their wedding, and us included, is how quickly the day goes. Hours feel like minutes and the time is swept away so quickly. It is impossible to take note of every moment and every guest. The photos are all you have left of the day when it’s over, so it’s important to have them done right
We did not have a wedding planner. I wanted to be in control of every aspect and manage the budget myself. Michiel laughed when he read this because the budget fell by the wayside quickly. In retrospect I wish I had appointed someone to manage the event on the day but I feel that allowing someone professional to arrange your whole wedding, who can bring options to you as opposed to you seeking them out yourself, constrains your planning and your personal style. I say this because a lot of the things Michiel and I ended up using (and not using) at our wedding was found through our own research. I feel a planner would have pushed their ideas onto us and made the event less “ours”. But I would advise brides to be to seek help, for at least on the wedding day, as the process is extremely time consuming and exhausting.
Bertus Bester at Allesverloren was at the helm of the delicious food served on the night. For starters, we served our wedding cheese cake (literally wheels of cheese stacked on top of one another) together with the famous Allesverloren rustic harvest table while we disappeared to take our photographs. For mains, we had deboned, chargrilled lamb shoulder with a mint Greek yoghurt; chicken phyllo parcels with mozzarella and sundried tomato; potato bake with parmesan, cream and onions, Mediterranean oven roasted vegetables, Greek salad, and Spanish potato salad. At our menu tasting we couldn’t decide between the Spanish potato salad and potato bake so we opted for both. For dessert we served lavender infused crème brulee and the wedding cake which was a chocolate and Swiss buttercream sponge cake. We opted for a Mediterranean influenced menu as we married in December and knew that it would be quite hot and didn’t want to serve food that was too heavy in the heat
Photography: ORGANICTALES
Venue: Allesverloren
Dress: Maggie Sottero
Make-up and Hair: ElpArtistry
Other Service Providers:
Bridesmaid dresses: Hoiden – www.hoiden.co.za
Suits: House of Monatic – https://monatic.co.za/
Pocket squares: WEEF – https://za.weefwear.com
Groom and groomsmen shoes: Instep at the Bay Harbour Market – https://www.bayharbour.co.za/traders/fashion-jewellery/
Accomodation: Riebeek Valley Hotel and de Langenhof Guesthouse – http://www.riebeekvalleyhotel.co.za/ / http://www.delangenhof.co.za/
Personalised water: Just Water WC – https://www.justwaterwc.co.za/
Bottled beverages: Chill Direct – https://chilldirect.co.za/
Flowers and décor hire at reception: To-Nette’s – http://to-netts.co.za/
Cheese cake: Fairview – https://www.fairview.co.za/
Cake: Velvet Cake Co – https://www.thevelvetcakeco.com/
Sound: Dirkie G Productions – https://www.facebook.com/DJDirkie/
Officiant: Ds Jan van Heerden – NG Kerk Vishoek – http://www.ngvishoek.co.za/
Rings: Cape Diamonds – https://www.capediamonds.co.za/
Videography: Grootdors Produksies – http://grootdorsproduksies.com/
Stationery: Tara Megan Goodwin Art – https://mobile.facebook.com/Tara-Megan-Goodwin-2088241787871836/
~The 5 year Chapter.
Couple Goals. A term we hear very often. And this pair has 100% set the bar high and achieved all those goals and so much more. Mikayla and Dennis from Orlando Florida, decided to make their fifth wedding anniversary one for the books by booking an adventure filled, unforgettable Cape Town Anniversary Holiday.
Half way through their visit, they also decided to work in a special photoshoot that showcases the beautiful vineyards lining the Stellenbosch mountains. Enjoy their visual story below.
~An introductory chapter
Sue & Graham decided on a Cape Town Forest location for their pre wedding engagement photoshoot. We had a ton of fun and the weather played along so beautifully!
~The Cape of Storms Wedding
Photography: ORGANICTALES – Landi Groenewald
Venue: Cavalli Wedding Estate
Decor: Nconcepts and Design
Cake: Sugar Studio
Dress: Beverly Cloete
Make Up Artist: Megan Grant
Photo Assistant: Stephanie de Jager
Groom Custom Suits: Gareth Duncan / GD Suites
