Petra and Barri told me about their wedding and their farm and what it was going to look like, but never did I imagine such an amazing experience!

I first met Petra when she attended my first workshop. She is also a wedding photographer . (I wish I could link this post to her blog, but she doesn’t have one yet…I suggested she get one asap and she promised me it will be up in the coming year. So keep a look out for Petra’s work.)

So..we arrived on Barri’s parents farm and this is something I have to admit, people from the country side are so friendly! I loved being there. You walk in, meet everyone and all of a sudden you’re part of the family for that weekend. It was awesome! The people, the place and the food, but the best of all was the amazing landscape!

The wedding took place on their farm, on a red sand pan. I don’t even know if that is the right word, but I think it is :) The wedding was literally in the middle of no where! Just to give you an idea, they only started having mobile reception there a few months ago! Seriously! No telephone lines! No electricity… they use a generator. They actually made a joke to say if the world is coming to an end we can just to move there, cause it will take a few more years before it will affect them. :)

Ok, so brace yourself, there are 56 images in the post. If I selected any less than these, it wouldn’t have told the full story and that’s what my photos are all about…telling the story. xox

ps. My second shooter: “Mr i” aka iaan van Niekerk! My fiance!

Before the wedding, iaan and I met Hendrik & Frauke for a beer (because that’s how they do it in Germany) As they say, there is a first time for everything :)

Hendrik and Frauke told me a bit more about themselves, as well as the wedding. Hendrik works for a television company and Frauke is a full time mom and they have the cutest little one, Lotte. They then also explained that the wedding ceremony was going to be a combination of Lotte’s baptism as well as their wedding. They also showed me a brochure of the estate & I when I saw the pictures I got really excited :)

The next day iaan and I were off to the countryside. Approximately 1 hour outside of München, we arrived in the cutest town, Benried, right next to the Starnberger See (The Sarnberger Lake). In the middle was the old Bavarian church that (if I remember correctly) dated back to the 1200’s.

The ceremony took place in the church and after the service all the guests moved over to the Höhenried Castle for drinks and snacks. I loved the relaxed way in which they spend time with their guests. Even some of the speeches were done outside, while guests were having drinks and enjoying the sun. The couple then went off with me for a small photo shoot and later everyone gathered again for the dinner. I think I’m definitely making a few notes from this one for my and iaan’s wedding :)

While going through all the photos I realized how many small details I loved about this wedding, so this is only part 1. More photos coming in part 2…

Annelize and I attended the same school and we grew up in the same town. Since school I didn’t see her much, but one day she mailed me for a quote and soon after booked me as her photographer, I was so excited. I knew this was going to be a super stylish. It’s just who she is. Beautiful, stylish, down to earth and so so humble! Henk you’re a super lucky man!

The catering and co-ordination was done by the girls from my favourite restaurant Cognito, in Stellenbosch. I have to give a big applause, you girls did a FANTASTIC job! The food was out of this world! (If you haven’t been to their restaurant you better make sure you visit them! It’s delicious!)

I could probably tell you their proposal story, but how much better can you get than the bride telling you the story herself :) This text is from Anna & Dirk´s wedding blog:

“The proposal….well what can I say…. Four and a half year into our relationship, I was ready to get hitched and I made sure Dirk knew about this. I have made it very clear a few times but kind of lost hope after Dirk told me that a wedding would happen in the year 2000 and zillion. No need to fuss about it I thought, and kind of left it there! 

We went skiing in Courchevel just after New Years where Dirk thought it would be a brilliant idea to do a 80 km trek on his birthday. Unfortunately for us…..the weather was horrid….and I remember trying to talk him out of it. The only thing Dirk could come up with: “It’s my birthday and I want to go!”. The journey was a disaster. It felt like it was minus 20 degrees, no visibility and bitingly cold gales of wind. Determined, Dirk wanted to do this so I decided to keep my mouth shut and get on with it. Unfortunately, as the day grew older, the weather got colder! When the day finally came to an end (mind you I was pretty much a frozen snowgirl by then) Dirk thought it would be a good idea to defrost at a restaurant that was looking out over the three valleys and the Mont Blanc. Lovely idea, but due to bad weather, the restaurant was closed and there was no ways I could see the three valleys let alone the Mont Blanc. We made a good attempt though but after we almost got blown off the terrace, I told Dirk it was time to go. I was fed up and slightly grumpy at that stage. …

Skiing down was a mission, the snow had been wiped off the mountains due to the strong wind and it was dangerous with all the rocks coming through. Dirk was really slow and I was getting more and more annoyed. All of the sudden he stopped and started mumbling about the amazing view again (I could not see a darn thing!?!?) and I lost it. I told him we had to go home! He then proposed and I was just completely in shock! I think it was difficult to say yes as I was frozen but to be honest it really was amazing. The idea was so good and the weather….oh well not ideal but it did make it extra special :-). We managed to come down in one piece and there we celebrated in Courchevel with our friends. I am a very lucky girl!!!”

Big thanks to Candice Cj Rodrigues for assisting me on the day!

Here are a few pages with my photos and the cover shot…*happy dance*!!

A big thank you to Yolandé and her team for the professional manner in which they handeled my images and for the amazing service! You guys are going to go a long way!

Sharlene & Rene had the most interesting ceremony I’ve ever been to. It was a fusion between Indian and Christian rituals and made for some stunning photos. I loved all the colours and textures. So yes, there are many pictures of the ceremony, but I just couldn’t choose which ones not to post :) Enjoy!

But then I met Lindi as she sat there in the sun getting her make-up done and she smiled and greeted me like we knew each other. I felt welcome! Then I asked Lindi about her and Anton…she told me that they met through work and mutual friends. It was seriously love at first sight and apparently Anton bought the ring after being with Lindi for only 1 month. These two are so cute together and to see real love like this can do nothing else but bring tears to my eyes. (In a happy way of course :)

Anton and Lindi you guys totally rock! Thanks for being so welcoming and for moving your wedding just so that I can photograph it. You guys are special! I wish you many happy years ahead! x

Anriette and Francois met me for a coffee the day before, just to chat about some arrangements and then I asked them to share how they got engaged. Francois smiled and told me they went on holiday and Anriette didn’t know anything…one evening he just knew this was the moment. He pulled out the ring and asked her to marry him! Since then Anriette had to go back to the UK for work and they spend 6 months apart, as Francois was working in South Africa. Luckily the 19th was their day and Francois will now go over to the UK with her.

Anriette was privileged enough to have had all 4 of her grandparents at her wedding. Something I’ve never experienced before. What a special morning!

Bridget and Claude both live in the UK, but are originally from South Africa. The couple decided to have their wedding back home. Bridget organized her whole wedding over the net. What a great job she did!

Second Shooter & Assistant: Tarryn Ward