PART 1

A Groot Constantia wedding to die for!

FAMILY

   This Groot Constantia wedding was a celebration of note! This joyous occasion was a huge reunion of good friends and family too!  And this wedding was very much all about friends and family sharing in the joy of this young couple getting married!  I think none of the friends and family have ever doubted that this would happen! Monique’s brother travelled from the Uk for this special event and surprised everyone by bringing his wife and beautiful baby girl!  The first time that the family had got to meet this adorable cutie!

COUPLE

Monique and Niel met in Grade 6, when Niels parents transferred down to Groot Constantia from Citrusdal, apparently he instantly charmed everyone and became head boy in Grade 7!  I, personally knew him as the Head Boy of Rondebosch Boys High School where he was very popular with the boys and staff!   Niel & Monique have been to every single one of their dances together over their high school careers and yet it was only at Monique’s matric dance that they stole their first kiss ….and boy, what a kiss cos Niel lost no time in asking her offically out after that!   In fact, amongst the Bosch boys, Monique was considered one of the boys and every single friend was over the moon when Niel proposed to the “Goose” (Niels’ nickname for Monique) and hence the Goose theme of the wedding!  Which I think was pure magic as it made the wedding very personal.

THE GROOT CONSTANTIA GARDEN WEDDING

Monique always wanted a garden wedding  …and her new in-laws moved heaven and earth to make it happen!  Niels’ dad, Jean is the General Manager at Groot Constantia and they live in a beautiful Cape Dutch house with a huge garden in front of the house!  And it was decided the wedding would take place in the garden!  But three months earlier when I did their engagement shoot, the gardens were pretty much flooded due to the hectic rains that we experienced this winter!  When I arrived on the day of the wedding, I was pretty gobsmacked at how his mom, Mariet Naudé, had moved mountains to make the garden look absolutely breathtaking!  Monique’s dad, Raymond, had organised all the lighting and flooring and the the reception was just pure magic!  I suppose the evening was also a major success as everything at the bar was only R5 …I am sure that was a major hi-light for some of the guests …lol!  And the wine was of course, courtesy of Groot Constantia!  Special mention should also be given to Rix Caterings delicious food …it was truly superb!

Monique was an absolute radiantly happy bride!  And Niel was very much a proud and loving groom!

Thank you to my assistant, Saskia for running back and getting some of the decor shots during the ceremony!

PART TWO HERE!!!

And there went the veil …up, up and away …like a bunch of balloons!

Monique & Niel would like to say a  special thank you to all the suppliers:-

Venue:  Groot Constantia

Bouquets & Boutonnieres:  The Flower Warehouse

Hiring:  Exclusive Hire & Events

Make-up:  Lindsey Boucher from Makeup & Delight

Hair:  Tersia Kearns Bridal Hair

Dress:  Family friend, Annemarie Turner

Bridesmaids dresses: Friend, Catherine Champanis

Flowers:  Susanna Warries

Food and setup:    Rix Catering

Photobooth:  Bambooth

DJ:  Dynamic Sound

Cake:  Coimbra Bakery

Decor & DIY:  Father of the Bride, Bridesmaids & Bride

Minister:  Jan Oosthuizen

Pre-drinks band:  Hatchetman

Grooms suit:  Bride & Co

On the day Wedding assistant :  Liezl Franken from Random Shit

A special mention to Super M for setting up, making sure the lighting worked and giving Monique the wedding of her dreams!

And finally but most importantly to both sets of parents, Jean & Mariet Naude & Raymond & Miranda Neethling who worked tirelessly and went above and beyond to make this an exceptional wedding!  Your list of contributions are too endless to mention but you are thanked from the bottom of their hearts!

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