Category: Beach Weddings

Real Wedding at The Grand {Barbara & Michael}

by gaby

So. When I was about 15, my friend Marcelle threw a great big birthday party at an abandoned house on her family’s farm. There was drinking, and laughing, and Green Day’s Dookie on repeat, but what I remember most was that her high school friends were very much the cool kids from the cool school. I was so intimidated, I don’t think I spoke to anyone all night. Well, some weddings… some weddings are like hanging out at the cool table. Couples that seem so impossibly stylish, their wedding seems to come from a magazine. Today’s is one of those – Barbara and Michael (and their guests) could have been plucked from the pages of Vogue, as could their stunning, atmospheric photographs from dna photographers. But if you look beyond the über-stylish venue (love me that Grand), the to-die-for views of the Cape coast from Granger Bay, and Barbara’s incredible blush lace and corset dress, there’s a sweetness and carefree spirit at the heart of this wedding that perfectly reflects the Cape Town atmosphere. It’s city chic meets coastal class, and I for one could look at it all day. Ah, la dolce vita!Read More

Real Wedding at Grootvlei Guest Farm {Ingrid & Denzil}

by gaby

You know, sometimes when you travel, it makes you appreciate all the wonders and beauties of the world, and how luck you are that you can plane, train or automobile your way around them. And sometimes, travel makes you appreciate what you have at home. It’s like that for me with the South African coast. Sure, I’ll never say no to a tropical island, and there’s something very appealing about bobbing around in the smooth Mediterranean. But you only have to sit on a pebbly beach in Brighton for five minutes to miss our soft, pale sand, and there’s nothing quite like the roar of our not just one, but two oceans. I think that’s one of the reasons why beach weddings are always highlights for me, especially when they manage to recreate some of that wild, natural beauty. That’s what today’s stunning wedding at Grootvlei does – the palette is like a stormy day at sea with light breaking through the clouds (which is appropriate, considering the proposal). Soft greys and whites, with flashes of natural green. Orchids and succulents (which I never would have expected to work together, but are so elegant). A driftwood altar. The pictures by Stephan Marais are so gorgeous, I just knew I had to share them with you! {Oh, and PS, I love Grootvlei’s mussel motif – such a cool texture for a beach venue.}Read More

Real Wedding at Sea Trader {Misha & Henri}

by gaby

You know, a lot of people, when they find out what I do, comment that organising a wedding these days is such an over-the-top thing. In the same way as I think my mother believes you can only be either a teetotal or a budding alcoholic (guess which side of that line I fall on?), I think many of them believe a wedding can either be a three day zillion Rand extravaganza with ice sculptures, chocolate fountains and swans in the swimming pool, or a pared down civil ceremony with zero decoration and lunch at a nearby restaurant. Well, you and I both know that’s rubbish. There’s a spectrum of weddings, and that’s what makes them so interesting and exciting. But one thing I do know is that adding just a few key details will raise your wedding’s game. Take today’s Sea Trader wedding (photographed by the lovely Bernard Bravenboer), for example. It isn’t over the top, but it is beautiful. Clever Misha and her wedding planning team knew exactly where to add those special details. Coloured glass on the tables. A beautiful rose bridesmaid dress and a flower girl in a baby’s breath crown. A picturesque beach ceremony. Interesting boutonnieres. Wedding newspapers. Pretty cocktails. No swans in the pool. No ice sculpures. Just the gorgeous pink fairytale wedding that Misha and Henri dreamed of. Simples.Read More

Real Wedding in Hermanus {Lizeth & Danie}

by gaby

You probably won’t even be aware of this, but there’s been a lot of debate recently in the wedding blogging community. We are, according to some commentators, way too obsessed with details, only blogging about weddings that cost thousands of dollars and are overrun with mason jars, and forgetting what weddings are really about. I’m not even engaging with that here, but if ever there were an example of a wedding that holds love at its very core, where the details and décor are crafted with care, where the day is full of happiness and laughter and the simple things in life, then this is it. Lizeth and Danie went back to basics, and planned a day full of the people and things that made them happy. A tent on a Hermanus beach. A beautiful handmade wedding dress. Bunting. Picnic baskets full of homemade food. And you know what? It’s still ridiculously pretty. So kick off your shoes, and enjoy the gorgeous pictures from Annemari Ruthven that so brilliantly capture the light and joy of this special day.Read More

Real Wedding at The Grand {Fiona & James}

by gaby

Today I am EXCITED, and it’s not just because my guilty little pleasure Made in Chelsea came back on TV last night, yah. (Um, Gabriella my namesake “making a point”? Awkward.) It’s because of this wedding. See, I happened to go to university with the groom, and when I heard a rumour that the fabulous wedding he and his lovely wife-to-be were planning was going to be at The Grand, which is just one of the best hangouts in Cape Town (two, in fact, with one in Clifton and one in Granger Bay) and an absolute dream for a cross between Cape Town city chic and right-on-the-beach style, I jumped on the email to Fiona to find out all about it. Co-ordinated by the fab Event and Design, it turned out to be just as gorgeourific in reality as Fiona and James had planned, and now I finally get to share it with you! Wait till you see Fiona’s dress and shoes – she made such a beautiful bride and looked like she stepped straight out of an Audrey Hepburn movie.Read More

Real Wedding at Windmill Beach {Wiehan & Hananje}

by gaby

You know what, I’m just going to say this (even though I know one day I may totally regret it). I love involved grooms. Yes, I know it’s tempting to be all “You know what honey, I’ll just organise everything because you don’t care about what colour flowers we go for, do you? You just pay.” In fact, I know this works for a lot of grooms, as well as brides, who already feel like they need to please their moms and moms-in-law and a variable army of aunts, uncles, friends and suppliers who have big fat opinions on your big fat wedding that you simply must take on board. I used to think the best system was for the groom to just have the power of veto. But writing this blog, I’ve been surprised and delighted at how keen some of the grooms are. (Keen as sleen, as my friend Abigail would say.) Admittedly, it’s often the most creative grooms who get most involved, and today’s is one of them. He kicked things off with one of the most creative, handmade, and truly South African two-part proposals I’ve ever seen, and then he and his talented bride designed and made everything for their Simon’s Town beach wedding. And you guys, it is beautiful. So heartfelt, and with such attention to detail – my best kind of wedding basically. Plus, Lizelle Lotter has absolutely triumphed with these photos, so light and airy and romantic that I could look at them all day. So grabba cuppa, and prepare to swoon.Read More

Real Wedding at Strandkombuis {Ingrid & Pieter}

by gaby

Ok, I have to tell you, I am in LOVE with this wedding. Like, properly. Full-blown, fill your mailbox with orange tictacs, build you a house of candles, stand outside your window with a boombox kind of love. You may even have seen it before, but I don’t care. It is the absolute definition of boho beach perfection and it’s filled with my favourite things. Floral crowns for the bride and bridesmaids, blackboards, proteas, flocks of origami birds, hanging bottle vases, lots of bright whites, sparkly lights and the cutest fringed beach umbrellas. Not to mention a fab venue (Strandkombuis), a beautiful couple who are completely gaga for one another and the most gorgeous, swoonworthy photographs from dream team welovepictures. I have stars in my eyes just looking at it all, and when I heard about the bride’s entrance music (Florence and the Machine’s Cosmic Love) I so choked up. (Take a moment, get out your iPod. It may be the best entrance ever.) Sit back and immerse yourself in the amazingness…Read More

Real Wedding at the Oyster Box Hotel {Gaelene & Richard}

by gaby

For a while now, I’ve been a big fan of Durban photographer Jacki Bruniquel‘s work – I’m sure you’ll agree it’s absolutely gorgeous! I especially love what she does with reflective surfaces – so clever and beautiful. Anyway, so I was thrilled when she contacted me to submit this wedding because not only is it super stylish, but it’s at one of my favourite venues outside Cape Town. The Oyster Box Hotel is the grand old lady of Umhlanga, which just happens to be near where my beloved grandparents lived when I was growing up. I remember visiting them every year and sometimes going to the Oyster Box, which seemed impossibly glam and sophisticated to my little eyes. After a two year rebuild it reopened in 2009 to wow us yet again, this time with beautiful wrought ironwork, inlaid hand-painted tiles and murals and a stunning gazebo you can choose to get married under. I visited it last time I was home (my parents live in Durbs), and totally fell in love with the decor. Not to mention, of course, the iconic lighthouse. And that’s just the visual aspect – they also do delicious food, and the location is completely amazing. I’m not always a fan of hotel weddings, but this one is something special, and just hosting a wedding there makes it special as well. Gaelene and Richard understood that. They kept their wedding simple and classic to best complement their surroundings, with clever, personal touches to make it their own. Gaelene herself described it best: “beauty in the simplicity of things: beach air, sunshine and our wedding vows”. LOVE.Read More

Real Wedding at Lagoon Beach Hotel {Liezl & Daniel}

by gaby

Every love story is special, we know this. Every chance meeting, every barrier crossed. But sometimes I get a bride’s wedding story and I get swept up in the enthusiasm she has for her wedding and her marriage, and the love she and her new husband share. Because this is why we’re here, people. The details, the dresses, all the prettiness? They’re awesome, but they’re accessories to the main event. They’re really just ways of a couple expressing their personalities and for all the people who love them to share in their joy. And today’s wedding is full of that joy and exuberance – I know you are going to LOVE it! Plus, these are some of the most gorgeous pictures it’s been my pleasure to work with. Ian Mitchinson always has such a unique and dramatic take on wedding photography, and it works perfectly with this beautiful bride and groom and their city cross beach chic wedding. It’s everything a Cape Town city wedding should be.Read More

Real Wedding at Jakkalsfontein Nature Reserve {Heidi & Donnie}

by gaby

There’s something about a beach house, isn’t there? For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted one, with shutters and white floorboards and falling asleep to the sound of the surf and salt in my nostrils. For so many of us South Africans, the beach is our happy place. So I honestly can’t think of a more amazing venue than the one Heidi and Donnie chose for their wedding, since it’s Heidi’s parents’ beach house right on the ocean in Jakkalsfontein. Beautiful, coastal rustic and as personal as you can get. Heidi brought her love of hearts into the decor, and after their ceremony, the couple decided to buck convention by having bowl foods and canapes served to their guests, who were able to mingle and dance and relax in break out areas. Doesn’t it sound amazing? (Well, wait until you see how good it looks, courtesy of Hearts in a Shutter‘s Brenda Wardall!) I just love when brides and grooms decide to do things a little differently to suit their venue or guests or just the kind of party they want to have. If you want a dinner party feel, do it. If you want a brunch, do it. If you want a rock concert, do it! Have the ceremony and the meal when and where you want – make the conventions work for you. I guarantee that not only will you have an amazing time and be more relaxed on the day if you feel like you’re in your element, but your guests will remember your wedding more than any other.Read More