Le Bac Wedding

Ksenia & Juan

This Le Bac  wedding was  absolutely breathtaking.  Ksenia, was my snow princess bride from Russia and she positively glowed on  her wedding day as pledged her vows to her charming prince.  Juan is a local boy from the shores of South Africa with Argentinian descent from his mothers side.  They had met in London at their place of work, so as you can imagine, the guests had flocked from every corner of the world …I think if I am not mistaken there were only about 4 guests from Cape Town ….everyone else was either from London, Ireland, Russia, Germany, Argentina, Pretoria …it was an absolutely charming, beautiful wedding at such a hidden gem of a location.  This Le Bac wedding had so many beautiful surprises and the venue is hugged by the majestic Drakenstein mountain range and the valley is positively exquisite in Autumn as the sun sets and turns the mountains to glowing pink and purple hue.

There were so many things that I loved about this wedding. I loved the children …how cute were they? …I always find that children at weddings ease things …people laugh at their antics …communication gaps just disappear when children are around ..they get strangers talking and laughing …like only children can! The other thing that I loved …is Ksenia’s stunning veil …I am a sucker for a gorgeous veil …and this one was just heavenly ..and lets not mention her gorgeous dress. Ksenia told me that she tried on a lot of dresses before she found the one …I think this was the 68th dress …..but gosh was it worth the effort …she was regal in this dress. Juan couldn’t take his eyes off her the whole day! He looked like a man who had won the jackpot ….and hadn’t he just!

Another thing to love about this wedding is that the talented Retha Rix was the event planner and caterer for this wedding. This is the second time that I have worked alongside this wonderful woman. Her food is delightful! Her planning prowess is exceptional. Ksenia & Juan were able to know that as they planned their destination, Le Bac wedding, they had a very capable lady in charge.

Suppliers : –

Wedding Dress – Helen Miller, Vanilla Studio, Moscow
Weil – Rosa Clara, Vanilla Studio, Moscow
Bridal accessories – DeniseJewelryDesigns (on Etsy)
Shoes – No. 1 Jenny Packham
Bridesmaids dresses – Reiss
Florist – Mint and Magnolia
Events Co-ordinator – Retha Rix
Catering and cake – Retha Rix (Rix Catering)
Venue – Le Bac Estates, Paarl
Grooms suit – Hackett London
Groomsmen – suits were their own.
Groom and groomsmen ties – Thomas Pink
Bridal and bridesmaids hair and make-up – Liz Kaplan

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This elegant  Marlenique wedding was  a classic and splendid affair.  It was tastefully decorated in whites, crystals and golds with a dash of black.  The decor was expertly put together by Grand Room Designs who handle most of the elegant  Marlenique weddings.   Jade was an elegant and sophisticated bride who pulled off her own look herself!  But being a professional in the make-up and hair industry would definitely help her manage to pull this off!   Vijorn stepped up to the plate, to be her dashing, handsome groom of note.  This was definitely a wedding that fairytales are made of!  Romance filled the air …it positively sizzled!

And as the guests waited in anticipation for the newly married couple to make their grand entrance at Marlenique …they were not disappointed …as Jayde surprised everyone with her second look for the evening!

In walked a glamorous Hollywood star on the arm of her Prince Charming and absolutely dazzled her audience!

The evening was definitely  magical ….definitely fit for Royalty!

A truly elegant Marlenique wedding!

Marlenique is a fairly new venue in the gorgeous location of Franschoek.  A beautiful river meanders through the estate and is surrounded by the beautiful Hottentots Holland Mountains.  The estate farms peach and lemon trees as well as vineyards.  The venue has a clean palette and therefore makes it pretty easy to decorate for any type of wedding decor.  The management and staff are well versed in meeting all of the guests needs and I found them to be extremely helpful.

Proud grandmother looks on at her beautiful granddaughter!

And here I thought I had competition ..meanwhile the phone was being used as a mirror!

Never too young for selfies!

Suppliers :

Marlenique Wedding Venue, Franschoek

Decor :  Grand Room Designs

Previous wedding : The One and Only, Waterfront

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Ell Spookfontein Wedding

I have a lot to be grateful for to this stunning wedding venue, ELL Spookfontein in the beautiful Hemel & Aarde Valley, Hermanus!  Originally Luan & Joni-Lee had booked to have their wedding on 13 December 2014 but then found out that I was already booked for that date, so they went and asked the venue if an alternative plan could made ..and lo and behold the ELL Spookfontein could accommodate them for the 16th!  I am forever grateful as I would have hated to have missed this beautiful couples wedding day!  But I am also very honoured that Luan & Joni-Lee wanted to change their date …I will forever love them for this!  This was such a beautiful coming together of God, family and special friends ..and also honouring Luans dad ..he was without a doubt sadly missed!  I think, Luans Mom felt it keenly …and wished that he could have been there to watch their gorgeous son marry the love of his life!  I have watched Luan mature into fine young man and I know Joni-Lee could not ask for a finer husband …and nor could he ask for a more loving, beautiful, devoted young wife as Joni-Lee!  This young couple will walk lifes path united in their love for each other and in God and will grow stronger with each step they take! A big thank you to my second shooter, Sarah Thorrold for covering the boys!  And I cannot forget to thank, Saskia Thiart, my assistant, for travelling in the wee hours of the morning with me to make sure that we got to Hermanus safely after Monique & Niels wedding the night before and to make sure that we were up bright and early with the sparrows for this fresh, gorgeous, morning wedding! 

Suppliers:

Venue:  ELL Spookfontein

Wedding dress:  Bride & Co

Groom suit :  Hilton Weiner

Flowers, Bouquets & Boutonnières: Joan Nixon (Grandma), Anthea Bosch (Aunt)

Hiring: Function Hire Hermanus

Make Up: Lara de Kock from TLC

Hair: Cecile from Hair-we-go

Décor & DIY: Mother of the Bride, Bridesmaids and Bride

Minister: Ross Anderson

Music at church: Tertia Hendricks

Cake and cupcakes: Leone Lanuti

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Candice Leigh

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