Knorhoek Autumn Wedding
~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:
When Photographers fall in love.
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.
F.R.I.E.N.D.S Proposal in New York.
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!
Lady Anne Bridal and Mia’s Make-up.
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!
A Classic and Humble Style.
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.
The Most Memorable Moment of the Day.
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.
A Father’s message.
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.
Photography & Videography on the day.
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.
Jewelers with attention to detail.
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
Towerbosch co-ordinators!
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.
Advice to other couples.
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.
The Day described in one sentence.
A humble, yet great celebration of two best friends who promised to love each other for the rest of their lives.
Honeymoon in New York.
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.
Service Providers:
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