I drove to Dullstroom, in Mpumalanga yesterday morning, to take photos at Ian and Kerry’s wedding.  It was held at the gorgeous Dunkeld Country Estate just outside the town of Dullstroom.

What a gorgeous wedding!! Ian and Kerry are such an awesome couple and it was really evident that they are so well loved by their friends and family.  Not only that, but there were over 90 people at the wedding, which is so special considering it was quite far for everyone to travel.

Venue: Dunkeld Country Estate
Bride and Bridemaid’s dresses:  Joss Designs
Groom and groomsmen’s suits: Eurosuit
DJ: James… (who was possibly the best DJ I’ve come across so far, so I’ll update his details here as soon as I get them)

As for the weather, Dullstroom lived up to it’s temperamental reputation and the weather went from hot and sunny in the morning, to rainy and quite chilly while they got dressed and then properly overcast for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  So really, we were quite lucky that we didn’t have to do photos in the pouring rain

Anyhoo, on with the photos…

Aren’t her shoes magnificent?!! And I loved the miniature perfume bottles!

Kerry was trying so very hard not to start crying…

We didn’t have very long for the couple photos because the light faded very very fast, but we managed to make it to 2 of my planned photo spots.

The best man, Pieter, gave them the most amazing gift after his speech.  It was a box of 5 bottles of wine, and every bottle was chosen so that it aged perfectly on their anniversary… for the next 5 years!
Kerry was trying to work out the disposable cameras that were on every table.

Oh how I love father-daughter dances… and this time they’re being watched by her brother and mom

… and after this there was one rocking party…

There are also a few more images in an album on Facebook. If you were at the wedding, you’ll be able to tag yourself in the images on the Facebook album if you like the page.

Suren and Pooja got married yesterday.  It was an epic occasion, that started with their wedding ceremony at the Hindu temple in Lenasia South and ended with a reception at the Sandton Sun.

Suren and Pooja contacted me a few months ago at work, after someone in the office had told them that I do photography. I’ve been really looking forward to the wedding since then. It was the first time I’d taken photos in a temple… and then as the plans started unfolding I got more and more excited about it.
You see, Pooja was in the dark about part of the day. She thought we were going to do their creative shoot in Newtown… after she’d got her hair and make-up redone and she was in her evening outfit. Well, that was not to be. Suren’s friend had contacted him a few weeks ago, and offered the use of a helicopter to transport them from Lenasia to Sandton. So, between Suren, Shaun, the MC Carla and myself, the plans were changed.

As a surprise for Pooja, the helicopter arrived in the veld close to the lunch venue, and Shaun and his co-pilot Wessel, flew them and me to the top of a mountain in the Magaliesburg for their creative shoot. And then it zooted us to Sandton, where we were met by a driver from the hotel who took us to Sandton Sun for a quick change before the evening reception.

My second shooter for the day was Alana Meyer, who had the important job of capturing the heli leaving Lenasia with us on board.

But first, I need to show you the photos from the 2 hour ceremony at the most incredible temple.

I love the look that I caught Suren and Pooja sharing as they waited outside the temple.

Considering Joburg is experiencing a heatwave at the moment, the fire made the temple unbearably hot, and Suren must’ve been baking in his velvet jacket.

I took this photo while Suren and Pooja were circling the fire

Suren had to put toe rings on her feet

and then they exchanged their garlands…

And they played some kind of cute fishing game with the guru’s ruby ring…

… before exchanging rings

And then after a stunningly delicious lunch, it was time for the helicopter to arrive, and Pooja was still none the wiser.  She did however start asking a few questions when Suren was waiting outside with his friends… but he still didn’t say a word.  And it was only after the helicopter really came close that she realised something was happening.  But it took quite some time before she realised what was going to happen… and in fact, how many people kept it a secret from her.

LOVED that we even got flight tickets!

As soon as we were up in the air, Pooja started taking photos and BBM’ing her friends

and after about 20 minutes, we landed on top of the mountain…

It was such an incredible experience and so special for me too… a helicopter ride to take photos of a city was on my Bucket List… so I got to tick something off in the process

We landed at Inanda on the edge of the polo field, and the driver came up in his big black Merc with tinted windows to take us to the hotel.  It was so funny to watch the other people at Inanda trying to peer in the windows to see who had arrived in such style!!

As soon as we got back to Sandton Sun, Carla whisked Pooja off to the hair salon to have her hair done for the evening

There are a few more images from the wedding and the reception on Facebook, and if you were a guest at the wedding, you can tag yourselves in the images there when you “like” the page

Corneil and Jane’s wedding took place yesterday… and what an amazingly special wedding it was.  When I met them a few months ago, I just knew it was going to be amazing.  They had originally planned to “elope”, but decided in the end to have a feast after a quiet intimate ceremony.  That’s right… a feast!! And OMW it was a feast!

But first, before the food and the friends and the chatter and the fun; there was a ceremony.  And it was held in, what has to be, the most beautiful church in Johannesburg.  The Rosebank Catholic Church was so incredible, the height of the ceilings, the colours, the feeling.  Just beautiful.  What made it extra special, was that Father Harry knew Corneil’s family so his sermon was so personal.  He even said a prayer for them while he was in Jerusalem last week.  Another thing that made the setting extra special, was the fact that one of Corneil’s aunt’s and one of Jane’s aunt’s are Dominican Sisters.

I loved that only the close family was at their ceremony.  Jane and Corneil were very clear with their plans, and made sure that their actual wedding ceremony was just about them, and only them… and about their promise to each other.

After the ceremony we made our way to La Cucino di Ciro, in Parktown North, where we did some family photos and their creative photos in the Pudding Shop at the back of the main restaurant… before the guests arrived and the feast began

How cute is little Benjamin?

The two little flower girls spotted that the gate was open… and ran out to have a look at the wire animals that the street vendor was making… how awesome is that dragon!

I had to add this photo… the top layer was granadilla cake and the bottom layer was a chocolate hazelnut cake…  the sign of a good wedding cake…

Church: Rosebank Catholic Church
Reception (and all the food): La Cucina di Ciro in Parktown North
Dress: Joss Bridal Wear
Cake: Sugar ‘n Ice
And there are more photos from the wedding in an album on my Facebook page.  If you were at the wedding, you can tag the photos if you “like” the page.

It was Peter and Tanya’s wedding day yesterday.  They got married in the morning on 9-10-11 (clever hey!) amongst family and friends at Oakfield Farm in Johannesburg.

I was absolutely thrilled when they asked me to take their wedding photos.  I’ve known Peter and Tanya for a few years through blogging and Twitter, and Tanya designed my logo (in fact she designed my last 2 logos) and I did their engagement photos many months ago.  And because of the connections, I thought it was important to have a second shooter that Tanya knew too, so I asked Alana Meyer to second shoot the wedding with me

Marietjie (who Tanya met on Twitter) designed and made her dress… it was just PERFECT for her… in a pearl colour with a gorgeous pink underskirt.

Tanya and Peter opted to start their day with a First Look.  For those of you who don’t know what that is… the bride and groom meet before the ceremony to have their first looks of each other.  It’s a very emotional thing to do… and so beautiful to watch as a photographer… especially when it’s just the 2 of them meeting like they did in the middle of a small forest.  By doing a first look, you’re taking quite a bit of stress out of the day as well, because you get to take some couple photos before the ceremony… and then of course you also know that the other person will actually be at the altar

Tanya is horse mad, and part of the reason they chose Oakfield Farm as the venue was because of the horses and the stables… so photos there were a must… not that I was complaining because the light in the stables was magnificent!

After the creative shoot, the horse carriage took them back to the reception…



Aren’t the little monsters sweet?  Peter’s best man, Wayne, and his wife Roz (who is actually a wedding photographer), live in Wales, and had to leave their kids there.  They bring the monsters on their travels in lieu of the kids and have photos taken of the monsters in every place they visit.

LOL, Tanya had some fun with her nephews in the photobooth… notice the backdrop that is the same design as her wedding decor… very clever!

I really liked this idea.  Instead of throwing the bouquet, Tanya gave it to Heidi, who was the MC for the afternoon.

Venue: Oakfield Farm
Second Shooter: Alana Meyer
Wedding Coordinator: Angels Weddings
Bride’s dress and bridesmaid dress: Marietjie Oelofse Couture 0828239742
Hair: Frances Allen
Makeup: Lizelle
Flowers: Flower Creations
Photo booth: The Photo Corner
Music: Soundworx
Cake: Salon de Culinaire
Invitations and table decor: Evergreen Design

And there are even more photos from the wedding in an album on Facebook. If you attended the wedding, and you “like” the page, you’ll be able to tag yourself in the images.
 

I flew to Zimbabwe last week to second shoot with Alana Meyer at this most incredibly beautiful wedding.   Edward Rainsford is a Zimbabwean cricketer and he got married on Friday to the beautiful Tashinga in such a beautiful and emotional wedding at Bushman Rock Estate just outside Ruwe in Zimbabwe.  It was such a privilege being there.

Everything about the wedding was perfect.  The decor and flowers were incredible and so much time had gone into the design and gathering of all the elements, and it all just worked so well… it was truly magnificent.  From the open air thatch chapel at the lodge which was draped in white to the amazing decor at the winery where the reception was held (and not to mention the mini picnic that was waiting for us where we did the couple photos), all the details were absolutely incredible.

I loved the way Ed’s love of cricket was brought into the detail… from the table names which were cricket terms, to the guest seating chart which looked like a cricket score board and the table layouts on it that were tiny cricket bats.  And I’m sure those detail weren’t lost on all the Zimbabwean and international cricketers that attended.

The wedding wasn’t only amazing because of all the gorgeous detail, but their friends and family are such amazing people and they were surrounded by such love.   Tashinga and Ed met at church a number of years ago, so the ceremony was even more special because so many of the people (including the pastors and the choir) came from the Celebration Church that they attend. I don’t think I’ve ever been at a more emotional ceremony actually, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the chapel.  I had tears streaming down my face at one point and had to compose myself behind a pillar before carrying on with the photos.

Love this photo of Ed trying to compose himself before Tash walked down the aisle










Tash’s sister sang the most amazing song during the ceremony which was very emotional

… then it was party time…

Ed’s godfather, cricket coach Phil Simmons, said one of the speeches.

Oh how I LOVE father and daughter dances!

And then the wedding party got changed into party clothes…  I just LOVED Tashinga’s new dress!

And check out Tashinga’s granny jiving!! How cool is she?!

It was such a special wedding, and such a privilege to be a part of it.

I have also loaded more images onto an album on my Facebook page.  If you were at the wedding, you can tag yourself if you “like” the page.