BLOG
Teaser! Gareth & Wendy | Wedding | Glenburn Lodge
Gareth and Wendy tied the knot at Glenburn Lodge, and what a wedding it was! Enjoy the sneak peak.
Jules & Kim | Shepstone Gardens | Wedding
What a special and beautiful wedding under the Jacaranda Tree at Shepstone Gardens. And it was also the day the Springboks won the World Cup for the fourth time…what a day it was!
Julian & Nicci | Wedding | Simbali Lodge
Wow, what a privilege to have witnessed the union of the Van Niekerks! Geapers, Nicci and Julian, you looked exquisite!
Kamil & Mahima | Engaged | Moors Castle
Wow, Kamil and Mahima…you guys are on fire!
Kamil and Mahima engagement shoot at the Moors Castle. Wow, they are so easy to photograph and drop dead gorgeous!
James & Dania | Wedding | Avianto Wedding Venue (Part2)
Wow! What a wedding this past weekend at Avianto Wedding Venue!
You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known and even that is an understatement. —F. Scott Fitzgerald
James & Dania | Wedding | Avianto Wedding Venue (Part1)
Wow! What a wedding this past weekend at Avianto Wedding Venue!
You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known and even that is an understatement. —F. Scott Fitzgerald
De Wet and Simone | Engagement shoot | Sandton city
A beautiful engagement shoot with De Wet and Simone at Sandton City! Wow!
"In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine." — Maya Angelou
Teaser! James & Dania | Wedding | Avianto Wedding Venue
Wow! What a wedding this past weekend at Avianto Wedding Venue! Here’s a quick sneak peak!
You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known and even that is an understatement. —F. Scott Fitzgerald
Brandon & Carmen | Wedding | Avianto Hotel and Venue
Wow, we got wet, really wet…but it was all worth it! We even had a rainbow to end off the couple shoot and also a baby reveal during the reception!
This year has been tough on so many levels. Covid and restrictions, and everything that went with it made it so stressful and difficult, but there is always a silver lining to every cloud. When we first made contact, Carmen said I have a stalker…I mean she had been following me very closely on social media! I really felt flattered (and I was smiling from ear to ear), and she said “Doesn’t matter what happens, but we MUST have you as our photographer!”. It means a lot to know through my images I am able to brighten up someone’s day! I always strive to give my clients exceptional images, but as authentic as possible…and that is what she wanted in a photographer! For me there is always a risk, because my clients must “connect” with me as a photographer, and but I also have to make the connection in return…and that is exactly what happened.
Wow, Brandon and Carmen, you are such super down-to-earth people and easy to work with…and the bond between the two of you, wow, that made the photos so freakin’ special!! I enjoyed every second of your wedding, and despite the crazy rain or the Covid regulations, your photos look amazing! And not just because it’s beautiful, but because of the love you have for each other, and due to love your family and friends have for you! There were so many in-between-special-moments that I literally smiled while preparing your images!
We had crazy rain, I mean serious rain…and Carmen was very reluctant to get her hair wet…but we just had to get those rain shots and we did!! You were so brave, and I remember I told Carmen that you can’t have a rainbow if there is no rain! And amazingly, we even had the privilege to end the couple shoot with a rainbow!
Thank you for trusting me with your photos, even after when we met up for coffee, and you had a fright because I had a cast on my left arm. I broke my left elbow really bad, and I had to get 2 screws in my arm. Luckily it happened on the 1st of Nov (yes, it was Voting Day, and I voted with a broken arm) and it had 3 weeks to heal…well up to a point that my cast could come off and I didn’t scare the whole wedding because the photographer arrived with a cast on his arm. I in fact captured 3 weddings in Nov and my arm held up quite nicely!
Enough about me. I have been capturing weddings since 2011 and a first at a wedding happened for me. Brandon and Carmen also had a Baby Reveal….because Carmen was 6 months pregnant at the time of the wedding….and it is a BOY! Congrats! My firstborn is also a boy, and its challenging but such a huge blessing…wait having kids is a challenge but the reward is INCREDIBLE!
Enjoy the photos, and please leave a comment for the couple on my blog! Perhaps I can add it in their album!
Venue: Avianto Hotel and Venue | Jewellery @tying_the_knot_bridal_boutique | Makeup @vowed_sa | Wedding Dress @thebridalsecretsa | Wedding Suit @Tophat | Wedding planner @lanice.png | DJ: Frost Beat Entertainment
Dickson and Lydia | Wedding | UrbanTREE
Dickson booked me in 2019, and they finally had their wedding with family and friends! And wow, what is special and unique wedding! They were already married traditionally, and they did their religious ceremonial wedding at The Urban Tree in Sandton. They wanted to do their religious wedding sooner, but Covid interfered.
Lydia and the girls got ready at the gorgeous Masingita Towers, which was an Airbnb booking. Airbnb makes its very easy to arrange venues or locations for getting ready, because its very cost effective and you have access to the place for 24 hours….and its usually very pretty…so you can also use it for your first night after the wedding!
It’s amazing how much you learn at weddings. Dickson and Lydia had a Nigerian wedding, which means the groom’s family wore a specific colour and fabric, the bride’s family a different colour and fabric and then also the friends of the families another colour and fabric. This is called ASO-EBI or “family clothes”, and this made for a very colourful and beautiful wedding…which I LOVED! The girls also had a headpiece each, which is called a GELE. Ooooh, I loved this because I love colourful weddings, because I can be very creative!
Wow, again, what a special wedding…lets make the photos do the talking! Enjoy and please leave a comment at the end!
Suppliers who made the day possible: Hair: @leeannes_hair_beauty | Makeup: @refentse_munyai | Dress: @the.onebridal | Cake: @Aqd cakery | Flowers/ decor: The Wedding Warehouse
Teaser! Ludwe & Zizipho | Wedding | Le Chatelat
Ludwe and Zizipho had a small, intimate and beautiful wedding yesterday at Le Chatelat Residence.
I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life. Ian McEwan
Ludwe and Zizipho had a small, intimate and beautiful wedding yesterday at Le Chatelat Residence.
Enjoy the sneak peak.
Chrisjan and Juanita | Wedding | Lace on Timber
What a special and memorable wedding at Lace on Timber! Chrisjan and Juanita absoluted shined for Jesus during their beautiful and special day!
Chrisjan and Juanita | Wedding | Lace on Timber
“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. “ Song of Solomon 8:6-7
Chrisjan and Juanita had a very beautiful and intimate wedding at the beautiful Lace on Timber venue.
I have been to many weddings and I have not seen two people so much in love like these two souls….Wow. I always tell my clients that they should forget about me while I am taking photos because they should create memories together, and they should chat and interact with each other to etch the memory in their brain. And I know its difficult to achieve this because I am obviously walking with them and I am in their face but they actually had moments where they completely forgot about me (I could have slipped away and they wouldn’t have noticed), and I could see in the emotion in Juanita’s face that she is completely smitten about her prince, Chrisjan.
Chrisjan and Juanita is also completely sold out to Jesus, and their whole wedding was drenched in His goodness and provision. Juanita testified many times during the day how they were blessed by so many amazing people in her life and how God had provided for them to have their fairytale wedding.
Many things stood out for me about their wedding, but one thing that I will never forget was during the speeches. Every person who had a turn to speak were so encouraging and uplifting about the person they were addressing, almost like speaking life into and over that person they are talking about. I felt truly inspired and lifted up by the amazing words everyone had to say. It really gave me HOPE that if there are more people like these people in SA, then I can have a restored hope in SA at the moment. #trulyinspired #imstaying #Jesusistheanswer
Oh how I also loved Juanita’s dress. It’s a Lady Dianah dress from the Bridal House and OH MY WORD…Juanita looked amazing…and the look on Chrisjan’s face when he say her for the first time….wow!
I am truly honoured that you guys chose me to capture your wedding day, and thank you for allowing me to be as creative as possible! Such a privilege to have shared the day with you! Lots of love and blessings!
Here’s a list of the suppliers who were involved.
Hair: Captivating Mobile Hair and Makeup | Makeup: Beautiful Change | Dress: the Bridal House | Juanita’s shoes: Daniel Hector | Rings: NWJ | CJ’s suit: Woolworths | DJ: EMC Productions | Food and Venue: Lace on Timber | Flowers and decor: Living Touch | Cake: Johlenne Volschenk
Enjoy the photos and please leave a comment at the end!
(for the photographers: I used a Godox AD200 with Magmod grid and 1/2 CTO gel in most of the shots. #godoxsa #magnetmod)
Teaser! Chrisjan and Juanita | Wedding | Lace on Timber
What a special and memorable wedding at Lace on Timber!
Teaser! Chrisjan and Juanita | Wedding | Lace on Timber
“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. “ Song of Solomon 8:6-7
Oh wow, I dont have words. Yesterday’s wedding was so so special.
Chrisjan and Juanita had a very beautiful and intimate wedding at the beautiful Lace on Timber venue.
I have been to many weddings and I have not seen two people so much in love like these two souls….Wow. I always tell my clients that they should forget about me while I am taking photos because they should create memories together, and they should chat and interact with each other to etch the memory in their brain. And I know its difficult to achieve because I am obviously walking with them and I am taking photos of them but they actually had moments where they completely forgot about me (I could have slipped away and they wouldn’t have noticed), and I could see in the emotion in Juanita’s face that she is completely smitten about her prince, Chrisjan.
Chrisjan and Juanita is also completely sold out to Jesus, and their whole wedding was drenched in His goodness and provision. Juanita testified many times during the day how they were blessed by so many amazing people in her life and how God had provided for them to have their fairytale wedding. Many things stood out for me about their wedding, but one thing that I will never forget was during the speeches. Every person who had a turn to speak were so encouraging and uplifting about the person they were addressing, almost like speaking life into and over that person they are talking about. I felt truly inspired and lifted up by the amazing words everyone had to say. It really gave me HOPE that if there are more people like these people in SA, then I can have a restored hope in SA at the moment. #trulyinspired #Jesusistheanswer
Oh how I also loved Juanita’s dress. Its a Lady Dianah dress from the Bridal House and OH MY WORD…Juanita looked amazing…and the look on Chrisjan’s face when he say her for the first time….wow!
Enough said for now. Here’s a list of the suppliers who were involved.
Hair: Captivating Mobile Hair and Makeup | Makeup: Beautiful Change | Dress: Bridal House | Juanita’s shoes: Daniel Hector | Rings: NWJ | CJ’s suit: Woolrworths | DJ: EMC Productions | Food and Venue: Lace on Timber | Flowers and decor: Living Touch | Cake: Johlenne Volschenk
Enjoy the photos and please leave a comment at the end!
(for the photographers: I used a Godox AD200 with Magmod grid and 1.2 CTO gel in most of the shots. #godoxsa #magnetmod)
Krzys and Nastasja | Engagement shoot | Askari Game Lodge
Wow, what a shoot to cherish forever! Krzys and Nastasja did the Elephant Experience at Askari Game Lodge and the photos are magical!
Krzys and Nastasja | Engagement shoot | Askari Game Lodge
Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope. Maya Angelou
I have done an elephant shoot before it didn’t come close to the Elephant Experience at Askari Game Lodge. What an experience! Krzys and Nastasja, and myself, loved it so much and I will always remember this shoot!
You really get to be close to the animals, and that allowed me to create some really cool shots. I must say it’s quite intimidating standing so close to an elephant, but the elephant guides was nearby for in case something happens.
Krzys and Nastasja is such a down-to-earth couple and totally in love with each other! So it was super easy to photograph them in front of those beasts! They were also keen to pose creatively for me, and I am totally in love with the results!
I also recently entered into the ProWed Wedding Awards and two of their images received a reward!
Nastasja did her own makeup and her engagement ring belonged to her grandma, and has been given to her….so her ring is super important to her! And its sooooo pretty!
Enjoy the photos and please leave a comment at the end!
Ferreira and Michelle | Engagement session | Hertford Country Hotel
Wow, how beautiful! Just love Ferreira and Michelle’s engagement photos!
Ferreira & Michelle | Engagement session | Hertford Country Hotel
Elegance is the only beauty that never fades.
Audrey Hepburn
I always love coming back to Hertford Country Hotel, and I absolutely love the upgrades they did recently. The entrance has moved to Malibongwe’s side where the Spar is. Just love the beautiful little fountain at the gate!
Ferreira & Michelle are getting married at Oakfield Farm later this year and I really can’t wait for their wedding. I mean, they are really keen for me to try new things, like for instance the haziness in some of the photos was created using Atmosphere Aerosol South Africa. I over estimated the amount of fog it creates and obviously it doesn’t create fog like a smoke grenade where you are outside, BUT we really had a laugh! Ferrreira was holding the can and sprayed the fog behind them while I was taking photos. The ones on the inside of the venue I sprayed and stepped back to capture the moment. It’s fun, but I must say if you are looking for some serious fog then a smoke grenade will do the trick!
I also love my new Godox AD 200 flash, which allowed me to shoot at High-Speed Sync, ie. shutter speeds of more than 1/200s. Wow, this opens up so much new doors to creativity…LOVE IT!
In any case, I loved capturing Ferreira and Michelle’s engagement shoot and I can’t wait till the wedding! They are such a cool couple and I had loads of fun!
Beautiful make-up and hair by Chantelle Landman - Hair and Makeup.
Enjoy the photos and please leave a comment at the end!
Teaser! Ferreira & Michelle | Engagement session | Hertford Country Hotel
Wow, how beautiful! Just love Ferreira and Michelle’s engagement photos!
Teaser! Ferreira & Michelle | Engagement session | Hertford Country Hotel
Elegance is the only beauty that never fades.
Audrey Hepburn
Here’s a sneak peak from Ferreira & Michelle’s engagement shoot at the always beautiful Hertford Country Hotel.
The haziness in some of the photos was created using Atmosphere Aerosol South Africa.
Beautiful make-up and hair by Chantelle Landman - Hair and Makeup.
Enjoy the photos and please leave a comment at the end!
Zander & Mariska | Wedding | Memoire Wedding Venue
What an emotional and special wedding at MEMOIRE. Zander and Mariska, thank you for allowing me to capture your wedding love story. I enjoyed every second! and you had me to tears many times!
Zander & Mariska | Wedding | Memoire Wedding Venue
“Words are not enough to express the unconditional love that exists between a mother and a daughter.” – Caitlin Houston
What an emotional and special wedding at MEMOIRE. Zander and Mariska, thank you for allowing me to capture your wedding love story, to be cherished forever! Wow, Mariska, you looked absolutely gorgeous in your wedding dress made by Mubarak from the Goodluck Bridal. Fafa from FDK Styling made sure all the girls’ makeup looks amazing and Armon from Bridal by Armon did magic with their hair! Thank you for getting the girls done on time, and also the laughs and for keeping Mariska sane! Mariska really appreciated you guys!
There were many highlights for me during the day. First one, they didn’t have a wedding cake but instead a Pinata, made by Pinata Africa. I love the photos from when they “murdered” the pinata, and I also love their reactions afterwards…it almost looked like they got to let off some steam from the wedding!
The biggest highlight for me was Mariska’s mom. She has dementia, which means she doesn’t really understand what is going on around her. So a few minutes before Mariska needed to get in the wedding car (a supercool Chevrolet called Johanna) to go meet her prince-charming, she greeted her mom and due to her mom’s illness, she didn’t understood what was playing off in front of her...her daughter is almost getting married. Mariska told me that her mom thinks she got invited to a birthday party. I could see what it meant for Mariska to have her mom there and how it touched her heart to be able to share this with her mom, but also it broke her heart because her mom doesn’t understand. I captured a moment when her bridesmaids took a moment to pray with her alone to give her the strength to enjoy the day with her loved ones but also with her mom. There was another moment right after they said their “I-do”s when they spoke with her mom and for a glimpse it seemed she understood and that she was proud of her daughter and new son-in-law. The amazing thing about a photo is that it’s eternal, a moment captured to be cherished forever!
WOW! THIS IS WHY I DO WHAT I DO!
I love REAL moments at weddings! I really pray Mariska that you will remember your mom as the woman she once was and that you will believe your mom understood in that moment what was going on when you spoke to her at the wedding (even if she didn’t).
Great, now less words more photos. The day was truly amazing, and we had loads of fun. Enjoy the photos.
Thank you Lechien for second shooting for me! Was lovely having you with me!
Please leave a comment at the end, a little love goes a long way!
George & Charlene | Engagement shoot | Toadbury Hall
Wow, I had a blast capturing George and Charlene’s engagement shoot at the beautiful Toadbury Hall.
George & Charlene | Engagement shoot | Toadbury Hall
Some people are worth melting for - Olaf
It was raining quite a bit the past few days and I mentioned to Charlene that we can continue with their engagement shoot if there is a little rain, but if it rains quite hard, then we might not do the shoot…but she said…” No I don’t mind a little rain!”. AWESOME.
We as photographers LOVE rain photos. I mean I know its not too much fun when you get soaked and you need to survive for a day being super wet, but getting wet for an hour is fun, right? Well, I think so, and I know the photos normally ROCK when it rains.
Funny enough…the rain kinda stopped when we did the shoot at Toadbury Hall, and I was a little disappointed because I prepped for some serious rain. I placed my off-camera flashes in plastic bags, I had an umbrella and I had a big plastic bag for my camera…and I wanted a shot with lots and lots of rain…and we got a few shots with little rain…but hey…we can’t complain for not getting soaked! We had blue skies and sun at some point…and air was so beautiful and clean….yup…a blessing in disguise!
George and Charlene are getting married at Galagos Wedding venue later this year, and they are the first two getting married in the Nel family. I recently posted an engagement shoot of Rohan and Neruschke…well Rohan and Charlene are siblings and they are both getting married this year, one month apart…and I am privileged to capture both their weddings. :)
Charlene, your make-up looked amazing and that dress from Cocoberry was absolutely divine!
Please show some love by leaving a comment at the end!
Ryan and Natalia | Wedding | Cradle Valley Guesthouse
Wow, Ryan and Natalia had a super blesses wedding with a double rainbow at the incredible Cradle Valley Guesthouse! #Gautengwedding
Ryan and Natalia | Wedding | Cradle Valley Guesthouse
The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. Dolly Parton
I have been wishing and wishing for rain at a wedding, and it finally happened! I know it’s a strange thing to wish and pray for rain at a wedding, because it complicates matters, but I know the photos are typically next level during and after rain. The air is cleaner, and the light is more dramatic, and it surely didn’t disappoint during Ryan and Natalia’s wedding at the impressive Cradle Valley Guesthouse.
The rain was quite a challenge at a point. We had umbrellas but Natalia wasn’t keen on doing photos in the rain, so we waited a bit and the wait was so worth it. That was when the rainbow made its appearance, in fact a double rainbow…how blessed can one get at a wedding!?
I love capturing real unscripted moments, and their wedding had loads going on…but there were a few times I created the scene and it paid off so nicely…like the champagne popping with the girls. I told them that they get extra points if they can get me wet…and Natalia surely tried getting me wet…which made such cool photos!
Wow, Natalia looked absolutely stunning! And the love evident at their wedding was so tangible, and everybody had such a great time! It was the longest I have been at a wedding and I enjoyed every second capturing their true love story!
I also want to give a shout out to Sam from the venue. If it was up to me, then I would have given him a raise. He was such a great host and he looked after us so well, and he was always one step ahead with photo locations, bringing umbrellas etc…especially when it started raining! Well done!
If you love the photos, please show some love and leave a comment at the end!
Makeup: Candi Makeup | Hair: Carlton Hair | Shoes: Steve Madden | Wedding dress: Bridal & Tuxedo | Ryan’s suit: Eurosuit | Food, Venue, Gin Bar and Flowers: Cradle Valley Guesthouse (Flowers was done by Suikerbekkie Floral Design which operates from the venue) | Garter: Bras n things | Flower girls’ dresses: JJ House | Photobooth: Photobooth Guys | Second Shooter: Keshia van der Merwe (you really impressed me, thank you for your help and effort!)
Teaser! Ryan and Natalia | Wedding | Cradle Valley Guesthouse
Wow, Ryan and Natalia had a super blesses wedding with a double rainbow at the incredible Cradle Valley Guesthouse! #Gautengwedding
Teaser! Ryan and Natalia | Wedding | Cradle Valley Guesthouse
The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
Dolly Parton
I have been wishing and wishing for rain at a wedding, and it finally happened! I know it’s a strange thing to wish and pray for rain at a wedding, because it complicates matters, but the photos are next level during and after rain. The air is cleaner, and the light is more dramatic, and it surely didn’t disappoint during Ryan and Natalia’s wedding at the impressive Cradle Valley Guesthouse. Not many people can say they had a double rainbow at their wedding!
I also want to give a shout out to Sam from the venue. He should get a raise. He was such a great host and he looked after us so well, and he was always one step ahead, especially when it started raining! Well done!
Wow, Natalia looked absolutely stunning! And the love evident at the wedding was tangible, and everybody had such a great time! It was the longest I have been at a wedding and I enjoyed every second capturing their true love story!
Enjoy the sneak peak and please leave a comment at the end!
Makeup: Candi Makeup | Hair: Carlton Hair | Shoes:Steve Madden | Wedding dress: Bridal & Tuxedo | Ryan’s suit: Eurosuit | Food, Venue, Gin Bar and Flowers: Cradle Valley Guesthouse (Flowers was done by Suikerbekkie Floral Design which operates from the venue) | Garter: Bras n things | Flower girls’ dresses: JJ House | Photobooth: Photobooth Guys | Second Shooter: Keshia van der Merwe (you really impressed me, thank you for your help and effort!)
