This coronavirus free wedding happened just before the whole world went crazy.  When guests were still travelling from all over the globe to watch their special friends tie the knot on their home soil!

How things have changed in just under a month.  All my weddings have been postponed until later in the year.  All gatherings over 100 people were banned and then further stringent rules were put in place.  Venues had to close at 18hoo and no alcohol was allowed to be sold.

Consequently many weddings were postponed and  I totally understand the reason for postponing.  Weddings are definitely meant to be a celebration surrounded by all your loved ones far and near.

Carl and Kelly

Carl and Kelly are both South African and both left our shores to work on the Super Yachts .  Both jokingly said that they were keen to meet someone with a great passport but they met and fell hook, line and sinker for each other and decided that both were worth sticking to the “Green Mamba” (South African) passport for!

All their “yachtie” friends  and Durbanite family flocked to Cape Town to watch these two lovebirds tie the knot in front of friends and family at the picturesque Suikerbossie in Hout Bay.  Carl is originally from Cape Town hence the reason that they chose to get married in the Mother City!

The Wedding Day

They had thought of everything for their wedding.  Kelly and her aunt baked the wedding cake.  Kelly and her bridesmaids decorated the reception area.

Games were arranged on the Suikerbossie lawns to keep guests entertained during the bridal party photoshoot as well as a Photo Booth.

Suikerbossie laid out a delicious Harvest Table for all the guests to enjoy while they waited for the wedding party.  And if that wasn’t enough, the G&T’s were flowing all afternoon.

Carl and Kelly are super cute together and are totally comfortable with one another and were one of the fortunate couples to have had a Coronavirus free wedding!   Another couple of weeks and this wedding might not have happened.

To all my couples who have had to postpone because of the Coronavirus, your day will come.  It might have been delayed but when we do get to celebrate, we will celebrate in full force.  I am still excited to see all of you as beautiful brides just like Kelly!

Suppliers:

Venue:-  Suikerbossie Hout Bay

Dress:   Enzoani by The Wedding Boutique

Make-up artist:  Black Rabbit Make-up

Bridal lingerie:-  Free People

Photo Booth:  Bambooth

Videographer:  Gustav Films

See Kylie and Nick at Camps Bay

The post A coronavirus free Suikerbossie wedding appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.

Janine and Francois

An intimate Rickety Bridge wedding like none other.  Janine and Francois tied the knot in front of their children.  It gave the children time to spend with each other and connect as a new “step” family.  It was a wonderful idea to get them all to connect with one another.

I met Janine five years ago when she approached me to take some photos of herself as she celebrated her 4oth birthday.  We had an awesome time that day as she really put a lot of effort into having a wonderful photoshoot.  The theme that day was a 50’s photoshoot.  She hired a stunning old cadillac and she got Lianne Morton to do her hair and make-up in a 50’s style.  She looked amazing.  Needless to say, I was super thrilled when Janine told me that Lianne was doing her bridal make-up and hair.  It felt like a flashback to the day that we had all had fun together.

So it was no surprise to any of us that Janine had gone to a lot of effort with her wedding day too.  It may have been an intimate wedding but all the details were there.  Janine looked stunning in a wedding dress that she purchased online from Zando from their wedding range after being horribly disappointed in a wedding dress that she had had made.  The dress was beautiful but she made it even more so by adding her own touch to the dress with creating some back detail with strings of pearls.  She also put some thought into creating an unusual veil which looked amazing upon her dark, luscious locks.

She was an absolute vision as she glided down the aisle toward her handsome husband, Francois!

Without a doubt Francois could not keep his eyes off her!

Suppliers:-

Venue:-     Rickety Bridge Franschoek

Make-up & Hair stylist:- Lianne Morton

Florist:-  Roxanne from Bloom

Cake:-  The Fat Fairy

Decor:-  Muse Concepts

View intimate Yzerfontein wedding here!

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Hermanus, Overberg

Carl & Alex

This luxury, bespoke wedding took place at the upmarket Marine Hotel in Hermanus.  A perfect backdrop to a romantic wedding.

Alex was one of the most demure, shy brides that I have photographed and the camera loved her and so did I!Unfortunately due to strong winds, the planned outside ceremony had to be  indoors.

Luckily the team in charge of the decor (aka the brides mother) quickly changed their plans and created a beautiful set-up in one of the hotel reception rooms.

A Princess Grace lookalike!

The bride of this luxury, bespoke wedding, Alex, was absolutely regal and reminded me of the late Princess Grace of Monaco.  She exuded a serene elegance that was breathtaking.

Love finds a way!

Alex left Cape Town to go study at the prestigious Cambridge University in the UK.  She is currently doing a PHD in Film and Screen studies!  While studying her Masters, she met this cute Australian boy, Carl, and to begin with, they were just friends.

“It was pretty inevitable, we love so many of the same books, films, art… he was my favorite person to talk to and it was extremely hard to resist him. Altogether in our MPhil we were a class of 24 and somehow it always felt like the he was the only person in the room. I guess the rest is pretty much history!”

It was only just before Carl had to return home to Sydney that they admitted their feelings to each other.

But love always finds a way and here we are, in Cape Town, amongst a few loved ones celebrating the marriage of Alex and Carl!

It was beautiful, intimate and special.

But the celebrations won’t stop here!  There will be celebrations held in Sydney and Cambridge for all their friends and family who weren’t able to attend.

Wedding suppliers:-

Wedding Dress – Ghost

Make-up Artist:-  Make-up by Ruth

Hair Stylist:-  The Salon, Hermanus

Wedding Rings:-  Aurate, New York

Grooms suit:- Dries Van Noten

Cake:-  Whisk and Bake

Wedding Shoes:-  Raid

Wedding decor:- Brides mom, Amelda

See previous wedding here!

The post Luxury bespoke Marine Hotel wedding appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.

Belair Wedding – Paarl

Megan and Evan – a joyous Belair wedding reunion!

This Belair wedding was joyous.  I have never, ever seen a bride who glowed with happiness as much as Megan did on her wedding day.

Evan was definitely the biggest reason that she glowed but he wasn’t the only reason. Although without a doubt, he was the main reason!

The other reasons!

Two months before their wedding, Megan and Evan emigrated to Australia as she had successfully applied for a position in Melbourne  but had to start immediately.  They decided to go but fly back to Cape Town for their wedding.  Needless to say, coming home after two months and having all your family and friends at your wedding was another reason to glow!

The final reason, I am sure, is that jet lag definitely was catching up with her, so the best way to handle it , is to pour the bubbly and be jolly!

Friends and family came from across the globe to celebrate this stunning wedding.  Her best friend travelled from Sydney, her uncle and his family travelled from the USA and her sister and her family flew down from Johannesburg.  Not only was this a wedding but it was a glorious reunion too.

Suppliers

Belair was the most magical, pretty venue in Paarl.  A perfect backdrop to a beautiful wedding.

Tracy from Trunk Events was the cool, calm & collected wedding planner.  It is always a pleasure to work alongside this talented lady.

My Pretty Vintage were the talent behind the floral creations. The venue looked amazing.

Shake ‘n Bake created the beautiful cake!

The awesome, Minki Du Plessis was the Make-up and Hairstylist.

Her perfect wedding dress was from Tying the Knot!

DJ Joe kept the party going until way after my bedtime!  He had everyone on the dance floor all night long.

DJ Dean was in charge of all the sound and lighting.

Chef Daddy were the caterers and  also treated the guests to midnight snacks.

A big thank you to my second shooter, Just Judy!

View previous wedding here!

The post Belair Wedding – Megan and Evan – Jo-Ann Stokes Photography appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.

Intimate Constantia Wedding

Keith & Rose

This intimate, Constantia wedding took place at the charming venue,  The Cellars Hohenort amidst close family and friends.

Rose was a graceful and beautiful bride.  She was happy to be marrying Keith and  consequently gaining an instant family.

The grooms grandson was delighted to walk his new grandmother down the aisle, although I did believe the fact that the rugby was on in her room had much to do with his  delight!

Rose looked elegant and sophisticated in her stunning wedding outfit and Keith also looked very dapper in his wedding outfit.

Furthermore, it was special to see Keith’s grandchildren excited to welcome Rose into their family.

This beautiful and elegant lady had been an only child and had never had her own children and hence had no family of her own.  She was thrilled to be gaining an instant family on her marriage to Keith.

How delighted was this groom?

It was very special when the groom grabbed two glasses of champagne and toasted his new bride just after the ceremony.

Granddad giving his granddaughter his opinion regarding her outfit!

Not only did Rose remind me of Princess Grace but she definitely also had the Princess touch with her charm and kindness.

The happy couple surrounded by all their dear and loved ones.

This groom was very comfortable and apparently had a lot of experience with public speaking, so no one was surprised that he had his entire audience enthralled.  He had everyone in stitches especially his lovely bride.

This wedding was beautiful, it emphasised that love knows no boundaries and equally important is that age is just a number.  We should never give up on love!   Sometimes it knocks on your door twice and gives you another lease on life!

Table Mountain proposal can be viewed here!

The post Intimate Constantia Wedding amongst loved ones appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.

Alisha and Emmanuel

The Cellars-Hohenort, Constantia, Cape Town

The Cellars-Hohenort was once again the beautiful backdrop to another gorgeous wedding!  Alisha and Emmanuel chose to have a destination wedding and to fly 30 of their closest friends and family from the USA to enjoy a festive celebration in the scenic Cape Town.

They were all from the USA.  Alishas’ family are from Tennessee.  Emmanuels’  family are from Kansas but this gorgeous couple met in Houston after they had moved there for work purposes.  It was definitely written in the stars!

This gorgeous bride has to be one of the easiest brides I have ever encountered.   Emails were pretty minimal.  All she asked was for a meeting when she arrived in Cape Town on the Tuesday.  Wedding was on a Friday at one of my favourite hotels, the Cellars-Hohenort.  Decor was tasteful but minimal.  Colour palette was white and green. Their delicious wedding cake and the vanilla and red velvet cupcakes were  made by  Wades’ Cakes!

Anneqah Martin was the make-up artist who added some polish to this gorgeous beauty.  Alisha is genuinely a natural beauty, with the most gorgeous dimples.  When she laughs, she lights up the whole room!

Emmanuel is quieter and a little more serious.  Alisha is a perfect catalyst for Emmanuel!  She definitely creates a chemical reaction for him!  He shows his softer and fun side in her presence.  They are without a doubt a perfect combination.  

Emmanuels’ dad married them in the gardens of The Cellars-Hohenort in Constantia.  What an absolute blessing to be able to marry your son to his soulmate.

Ryan from Cape Dj’s got the guests onto the dancefloor and kept them there for the whole evening.  He read his crowd well and we had a sure winner for the title of the “Dancing Queen.”

And then just like that, this perfect day had to come to an end!  It was time for their guests to catch their shuttles back to their hotels and it was time for this newly married couple to enjoy their first night as Mr & Mrs in the honeymoon suite at The Cellars-Hohenort.  A big thank you to the wonderful staff at the venue, who always deliver superior service with such beautiful smiles on their faces.  Once again, it was a delight to capture another wedding at your venue.

The post The Cellars-Hohenort – Alisha and Emmanuel appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.

Couple shoot – Tracey and Leonard

Cuteness overload!!!

This cute couple are getting married in November at Bakenhof in Wellington!  I can’t wait as I know there will be lots of cute moments and without a doubt lots of laughter.  

Tracey and Leonard have been a couple for quite a few years but it shows because they are totally in sync with one another.  They are cute, playful and fun to be around!  Just absolutely perfect for one another!  

The post Couple shoot – Tracey and Leonard appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.

Shameema and Dechlan

This Hout Bay wedding buzzed with happiness.  You could actually feel it!  Regrettably, there were quite a few hiccups in the planning stages and on the day.  But nevertheless, Shameema remained happy and never let anything get to her.

Hout Bay Manor Hotel

Shameema was one of the few brides that was ready early for her ceremony and yet the irony is, that the ceremony eventually only started an hour later.

As most Capetonians are aware, Cape Town is experiencing a serious drought at the moment.  We are praying for rain. Of course, it doesn’t always happen at the right time.

Just as Shameema was getting ready to walk down the aisle, a fine drizzle started.  The bridal party and planner did a quick rethink and decided to do the ceremony in the hotel.  This was not really ideal as the hotel area was small and dark.

So that idea was scratched and it was decided to rather do the ceremony in the reception area.  So all the chairs were moved to the reception area.  And then just as everything was being finalised, the rain stopped!  All gone!  Never to be seen again!

Furthermore, I must just add, that at no stage did Shameema say a prayer for the rain to stop.  She had such a positive attitude and shrugged it off and said “we need the rain and rain is a blessing on a wedding day”

At this point another decision was made by the chief “bridesmaid” and planner to rather go back to the original plan.  A delay of 10 minutes was not going to make any more difference to an already delayed timeline.  In my opinion, they made a great decision!  As a result, we were able to capture stunning ceremony images in beautiful light under a beautiful big Oak Tree!  It was absolutely perfect!

s a beautiful and picture perfect hotel and we were able to use their beautiful facilities!

This gorgeous young couple just laughed it all off.  Their happiness was actually contagious

“A good laugh is sunshine in the houseHotel guests photobombing our bridal portraits!!__

The post Hout Bay Manor Wedding appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.

All weddings are special to me …I love every single one of my couples …and I cherish their wedding day memories always!  But this one is slightly more special …as this family is like family to me!  I have known this young bride, Roxanne, since she was about 10!  Her mother became one of my very best friends while sitting next to a swimming pool at Kenridge Primary School waiting for our children to finish with their swimming practice!  Over the years we have realised how often our lives almost crossed until that one fateful day when her mom told me that Roxy had a crush on my son!  Ruth and I had been to the same high school but she finished as I started (yes, she is older but she was more popular!!!)…and even stranger, we were in the maternity hospital delivering Kyle and Roxanne at the same time …and yet we never met …until they were both 10!  And because of Roxanne, I realised that her mother and myself have the same type of humour and we get each other!  And the funny thing is …..we both get each others children but not necessarily our own!  Roxanne, is a beautiful, compassionate, strong-willed, loving girl ..who was brought up as the only girl surrounded by her three brothers!  And when Julian came on the scene, it was obvious that he was the man for her …this was no silly schoolgirl crush …he was and is ..the love of her life!  And no one can ever doubt how much Roxanne means to Julian ….his speech said it all ….he never told her how beautiful she looked, which she did …he told her something so much more special than that ….he told her …the she was “home” ….where he belonged and only wanted to be!  These two fit together like two garden gloves ….they nurture each other, encourage each other, defend each other and love each other!  Julian truly loves Roxanne …a man who isnt scared of three tough brothers never mind a very loving, protective dad …..and has already skipped through hoola-hoops to ensure that they were together is definitely there for all the right reasons ….and the only reason is ….love!

Roxanne decided she didnt want bridesmaids ….she didnt have any sisters ….and to her the most special people in her life were her brothers …so she decided that she would rather have them as her “bridesmen”  She totally loved being surrounded by her brothers …each played a very special part in her magical day at De Uiljenes wedding venue!  Roxanne’s stunning make-up was done by none other …than the super talented, super nice, Sanmarie Botha!

Part 2 can be viewed here!

Part 2 can be viewed here!

SUPPLIERS:

Venue : De Uiljenes, Gansbaai

Guesthouse :  Doolittle Farm

Photobooth :  Bambooth

Videographer : Lemon Square

Wedding Planners :  Lynne Swart & Ruth Crump

DJ :  Cape DJ

Flowers :  Veldflora & Dinique

Cake :  Leigh’s cakes

Stationery :  Ryan Crump

Hiring Company :  Function Hire Hermanus

Bridal Make-up & Hair :  Sanmarie Botha

Dress:  Anje Couture

The post Wedding | De Uijlenes, Gansbaai | Part 1 appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.

Part 1 can be viewed here!

Suppliers:

Stationery : Lezanne’s Designs

Dress : Elizabeth Stockenstrom

Bridesmaids Dresses : Bride & Co

Groom : Hilton Weiner

Groomsmen : Euro Suits

Make-up Artist : Marietjie Hurter

Hairstylist : Louisa Marais

Flowers & Decor : Nico Laubscher from N Concepts and Design

Cake: Birdcage, Stellenbosch

DJ : The A-Team

Photobooth : Bambooth

Band : PageMac

Venue, Wines & Food : Webersburg

Butler Service : SABA Butlers

Videographer : Storyboard Productions

Assistant: Saskia Thiart

The post Cape Town Wedding | Paul & Marcela | Webersburg | The Day before you came – Part 2 appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.