London

Iwan and Leandri

London Town was calling!  I did a quick pit stop to London before my trip to France and I caught up with past brides and future brides!

I was looking forward to having this lovely couple in front of my lens in the full swing of Autumn!  What a joke!  England was having one of their best summers and who would have believed that the sun was out and the flowers were still blooming!  All my winter clothes stayed at the bottom of the suitcase!

Leandri was one of my past brides and it was awesome to meet up with her and Iwan.  Four years ago, when I captured their wedding, I thought they were pretty perfect for one another.

  Iwan and Leandri are now living and working in London.  Living abroad will test most relationships but this one had strong foundations from the very beginning and they have become a very strong and united partnership.  Their love and respect for one another is obvious to anyone who meets them.

Leandri was absolutely gorgeous on her wedding day but I have to admit, she has matured into an amazing beauty.  She is one of those ladies whose beauty shines from within!  I truly felt as if I had a supermodel in front of my lens!

As anyone who has been to London knows, there are always tourists around and St Pauls Cathedral is probably one of the busiest tourist attraction due to the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer all those years ago. Luckily though, if you walk around St Pauls you will find spots that are not as busy and its easier to do a photoshoot.

I have always had an amazing time in London.  I can’t believe it was only a year ago that I was last here with my husband and had toured the  Cotswold and Oxford.  Its amazing how much changes in a year.  Last year we were living in Dubai.  We travelled to London and ended up meeting up with Suzanne, my friend from Dubai ….and a year later, we are back in Cape Town and Suzanne is now living in London and graciously hosted my sister and myself during our stay in London.  How small the world has become, and how fortunate I am to have friends around the world!  I count myself very blessed!

The post London – Leandri and Iwan appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.

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

The post Le Bac Wedding appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.