If you are a blog stalker, you would have seen Jacintha and Richard’s e-session a while back, they were so cool together and that continued on their wedding day. A little more stressed, but so happy to be getting married.

A really cool point to note was that Jacintha’s mom was Queen Bee and chief decorator responsible for all the decor and table details. I think that is awesome. It all has such a nice feel to it.

Overall it was just such a cool day and the reception was the perfect end to the day.

Thank you for inviting me into your lives and letting me and my camera loose on your wedding day, I had a great time and can’t wait to show you the pictures.

I hope you have an awesome honeymoon and see you when you get back!

As usual Roland performed admirably assisting me on the day, thanks so much.

So, here they are, the sneak peeks. Enjoy!

Towards the end of last year I shot Mike and Chantel’s engagement shoot to help them get a feel for the photography part of their wedding day. It was then that I realized that I saw the GQ model in Mike. He certainly knew all the moves and on the day of the wedding it was more of the same.

He took blue steel to a whole new level of cool ☺

Chantel was simply amazing in her dress – she is such a beautiful bride and with her hair and makeup she looked like a million bucks.

In a day full of really cool people, the thing that stands out the most for me was the way that Gino danced with Chantel – there was one song where they just rocked it. Awesome.

Thanks Chantel and Mike for trusting me with your wedding pictures – I hope you love the sneak peeks!

Thanks to Roland for assisting – a real rockstar!

And unfortunately, also the last one for the year. I can’t wait for my break, but am really going to miss shooting weddings for the next few weeks.

Here are a few highlights from what was a really great day out.

• Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Braamfontein. Wow, what an amazing church, I really need to go back there and shoot some of the details there – so amazing.
• Shaun letting his emotions shine!
• The Rolls Royce Princess – I have no words, loved that car.
• Taryn deciding to shoot some of her couple pics in Bree Street – see, I told you it would not be dangerous. (Some kind soul was trying to convince Taryn it was super dangerous :-) )
• Amazing décor – when we arrived back at the reception the lighting and candles were all set up and it was amazing. Amazing job. I overheard Brett asking his mom-in-law “…what happened at our wedding with the décor…” – he said “…you have outdone yourself this time round, it looks amazing.” And he was right.
• Shaun letting his emotions shine!
• Amazing people – the Moni family, yes I know you have mafia connections, so I will choose my words carefully. Thank you so much for trusting me with Taryn and Shaun’s wedding photography. I loved all the attention to detail, the nurturing, the very detailed instructions and most of all the feeling of being part of an awesome group of people.
• Oh, lest I forget, the aunt who wanted to show me her pinkberry. Thanks so much :-)

There was just so much that I loved about this wedding, I hope the pictures do it justice.

Please remember to leave a comment for Taryn and Shaun :-)

Thanks to Roland for assisting. As always, a sterling job!

Tarryn arrived with her ready smile and bouncy personality as we set about shooting the details of her wedding dress, shoes and jewellery before she jumped into her dress. Before that however, the girls were overheard (Yes, overheard) getting into their gaga pants and I am sure I heard something about a gaga wedgie… Oh the things I hear at weddings :-)

Everyone at a wedding adds to the mix that goes into making the day amazing, so far, this mix was strong!

The boys were already dressed and ready when I arrived to shoot their prep and Martin, Miles, (milo pants?) was ready to go. All 6’8” of him. Good grief – I needed a ladder just to be at his eye level.

The weather was also not paying the game on the day, the ceremony was outside so it just had to sort itself out – although we did have a few drops, it did not pour and that was how it stayed for the couple shoot as well.

Wow, what a cool day :-)

The reception was testament to the mix of people I spoke about earlier, there were tears and laughter accompanying every speech, which made the evening perfect.

Thanks so much for choosing me to shoot your wedding.
I loved every minute of it, especially the moments during and after the stinkbug incident. You guys…

And thanks again to Roland who assisted on his birthday. You are awesome!

Donne and Steffen were both pretty excited to be married, although I think the planner in Donne was freaking out a little. Weather, time, it was all weighing heavily on her mind :-)

The officiant for the wedding was Donne’s sister all the way from NZ – I really liked that touch.

The day was a mixture of overcast and overcast with a light drizzle, so obviously things were not ideal, but I think we still had a pretty cool couple session and ended up walking into the reception bang on time. (Or I think Donne would have killed me)

Thanks for choosing me to shoot your wedding, we had a great time with you and your friends – hope you love the sneak peeks!

Thanks to Roland for assisting.

Natalie is a Springbok triathlete and was slim and brown and just looked amazing in her dress. As Stewart pointed later on in the evening, they were the opposites that attracted to make a perfect couple. And that they were for sure – the perfect couple that it :-). Roland and I were happy to see that they danced together for most of the night. You would think this was normal, but strangely not at every wedding. Either the bride is dancing or the groom is dancing and their partners were somewhere else :-)

Jenny McLean, their co-ordinater was awesome – adverting a problem due to flooding at the venue. reworking plans and moving things inside due to the rain. If you are considering a planner / co-ordinater, go for it. It is a really good investment and great for peace of mind.

I loved the wedding, awesome couple and a great group of guests. Natalie and Stewart, thanks so much for inviting me into your lives to shoot your wedding.

I hope you love the sneak-peeks – see you when you get back from honeymoon!

And another big thanks to Roland, thanks man!

Before I continue, have you seen their engagement shoot pictures at La Chatelat yet?

Tamsin’s room was mayhem, so many girls getting hair and makeup, walking around in dressing gowns – the boys were not too different and we could hear them from miles away.
Fernando was ready for his close-up and to make things easier we banished the groomsmen to the patio for a little space and relative calm :-)

Before long we were off to Tamsin and the rest of the girls. Nothing much had changed from earlier – still mayhem :-)
Tamsin was such a beautiful bride, the dress was the cherry on top. I am so glad we had a few minutes for some formal portraits, this part of the day normally just seems to be cut short as the rush for everyone to get ready increases the closer the wedding ceremony gets.

After the ceremony we got all of the family shots done and dusted and as we started the couple shoot we started feeling the drops. We headed for the chapel and stayed there for the rest of the couple shoot. In fact, we had to be driven back to the reception venue the rain was so hard.

I am always so disappointed (Can I say heartbroken?) when I cannot shoot the kind of beautiful pictures I demand from myself for the couple. After all the planning, the emotion on the day to be frustrated by rain just sucks.
Having said that, I do think we got some cool shots inside the chapel and we will definitely be booking a “day after” shoot with Tamsin and Fernando and their puppies to have an awesome “day after” wedding shoot.

A quick word about the reception, I am convinced that there was not a dry eye in the house at one stage, such emotive, beautiful speeches from everyone.
You guys rocked, thank you that I could be a part of your day.

I hope you love the sneak peeks – see you when you get back from your honeymoon.

A big thanks to Candice for assisting, you really had to work hard this time :-)

I loved, LOVED Tammie’s dress. Loads of beading detail in the bodice and in some lighting situations it was a greenish grey color, in others it was more blue / purple grey.

Nigel, who is not a fan of the camera opted out of the groom prep, but we did manage to get a few shots just before the ceremony in the lovely St Stithians chapel.

After the ceremony we shot the bridal party and a few couple shots with the plan being to use the remainder of the time at Emoyeni for some killer shots there. I really like the architecture and after my visit to the venue earlier in the week, I had some ideas of some pretty cool options. But as mentioned previously, “Besie” had other ideas and by the time we all got there, time was very shot and we literally shot 2 setups before the bride and groom entered the reception.

Aahh, what a day. It turned out to be such an awesome afternoon – as usual I would have loved to have shot more, but I think we got some cool shots of a beautiful couple :-)

Hope you guys love the sneak peeks and thanks for choosing me to shoot your wedding – I had a great time!

Thanks to Roland for assisting so well as always.

P.S. you can check out their e-session / love shoot / engagement shoot here

We shot Hazel’s dress and shoes while the craziness went on around us in a very small room. There was a last minute bouquet repair / redo, choice of eyelashes, which earrings to wear, you know – the usual stuff. While I was shooting the garter, a ladybird decided to join in on the action – pretty cool.

Russel was dressed and ready to go when we arrived, so it was down to the river with the boys to get some portraits and group shots before heading into the chapel.
At this stage the weather was starting to look up, sunshine and all that good stuff.

After I shot the group and family shots by the dam, I decided to get started asap as I could see the weather was closing in quite quickly, but we hadn’t even been going 5 min before we all could almost feel the rain coming.
We all jumped into my car and drove to the top of the hill to try and get some shots of the view and the last light as the most amazing clouds rolled in.

It’s crazy what goes through your mind when you have just started a couple shoot and the rain starts coming down…

We jumped out of the car, umbrellas at the ready and tried to ignore the raindrops. I wanted one more setup in the longer grass and then the rain really started coming down.

The combination of bigger, heavier raindrops falling in quick succession, a strong wind and the fact that it was almost dark led to a dash for the car. Unfortunately the rain was not going to play along and the rest of the session was done in the chapel.

Hazel and Russel, you were really cool about the rain, the best thing is just to try and see what you can get :-) Well done.

Thanks so much for choosing me to shoot your wedding pictures – I hope you like the sneak peeks, have an amazing honeymoon, see you when you get back.

Thanks to Candice for assisting :-)

I loved Joanne’s dress – something a little different from the norm with the lace over the shinier material of the dress. I really like the texture it provides. Great choice Jo!

Phillip was a little more nervous than Jo, his hands trembling a little as he was putting on his tie and buttoning the waistcoat, but before long he was standing with the minister waiting for his bride.

The one downside with the wedding ceremony being outside, is that the couple is standing directly in the sun providing for a lot of contrast (Bright highlight and deep shadow) – I wish the venue would plant a tree or something between the couple and the sun – it would make the world of difference to the pictures as well as the heat Phillip was feeling in his suit…

With the ceremony formalities over, we shot the couple shoot with slightly less time than usual, but I still think we got some great wedding images. Just as Jo was starting to relax and get into the swing of things it was time to go in. Phillip, thanks for letting me go over a little :-)

Thanks so much for choosing me to shoot your wedding, I had a great time and I hope you love the pics.
Here are a few sneak peeks until you get back from your honeymoon.

A big thanks to Roland for assisting, great job as always!

I think the main thought on my mind was that it shouldn’t rain till we are done with the couple pics, Jenna was more than a little upset that it was overcast and possibly going to rain, but thankfully it didn’t until later in the evening. And boy did it come down, the hail was so thick you could not see the ground – it was like walking in snow, crazy.

Anyway, the day was cool, Jenna and Floyd were awesome so it was a great day!

Jenna and Floyd, I hope you love the sneak peeks, have a great honeymoon :-)

Thanks again to Roland, great job assisting!

If you are on facebook, you can check out their wedding album here and tag yourself :-) Please feel free to leave a comment for Jenna and Floyd.

The day was a little different to the usual wedding photography I have shot with the ceremony being at night with a really relaxed flow into drinks and dinner.
I have always said small intimate weddings are the best, Chris and Robert had 18 guests and the evening felt like a family gathering – it also ensured that they managed to have quality time with all their guests.

I loved the details, the dress from Biji, wowser – a beautifully detailed dress, Chris looked phenomenal in it.
The decor was handled by Stefan from Afresh Events – i have worked with him in the past and he always delivers the good. Another great job! Desire handled the stationery, great job there too :-)

Chris and Robert, the time i spent with you was amazing, thank you for trusting me with your wedding pictures and i hope you have an awesome time in Mauritius with the second round and the rest of the family. Wish i was there!

Thanks to Roland for assisting me, great job as usual!

If you are on Facebook, check out the facebook gallery and tag yourself :-)

Apparently pretty high for Mubeen :-)

After knowing Debbie for 16 years and dating for 8, they finally tied the knot – celebrating the day with an amazing wedding. Nothing over the top, just beautiful people having such a good time together.

I could put down hundreds of paragraphs of my thoughts on the day, the pictures will hopefully speak for themselves, but i have to mention one memory that really stands out for me – Debbie’s mom being supported by Mubeen’s mom, while leaning forward trying to catch a glimpse of her daughter coming down the aisle. Brilliant.

Overall the feeling on the day was just so amazing – everyone was just so happy for Debbie and Mubeen and when we shot their couple shots – they really Rocked the shots! They just melted together and worked it for the camera.

I am so lucky to be able to do what i do and share my skill with amazing people. Debbie and Mubeen, thank you for choosing me and i hope you enjoyed the photography on the day as much as i did :-)

I hope you love the sneak peeks, see you when you get back home.
To all their family and friends, please leave a comment about the day or the pictures for Debbie and Mubeen to read.

Thanks Candice for assisting, awesome job!

As it turns out, a second shooter was hired by CRO to shoot the bridal prep. Fortunatly Melanie was someone who i had worked with in the past and knew she would do a great job. In the days before the wedding i was told a third photographer would be shooting the décor :-)

On the flip side, that meant I was able to spend much more time with Reg and his groomsmen including the lovely Kirstie, the groomslady – who were all loads of fun.
I shot the details and captured the last few moments before it was time to get showered and dress the part for his big day. Reg, you may notice that i have not posted the “underwear” pics :-)

The ceremony was to be held at St Andrews girls school and we were not allowed to shoot using flash or move around which made the documenting of the ceremony very difficult. But Melanie and I worked well together and made sure we had an angle for the bride and an angle for the groom so got the shots we needed.

Then it was confetti and kisses and all the guests flocked to congratulate the couple before we quickly shot the family portraits. The sun was going down rapidly and we managed to get about 20min of couple pictures before it was just too dark to continue. I am very happy with what we did manage to capture within that short space of time, but obviously more time before the light got too bad would have been so much better.

Once back at Inanda the party really kicked off – I think Melanie and I circulated around the marquee about 100 times by the end of the night shooting candid’s of the guests and family.

Jana and Reg, it looked like you had an amazing day and I wish you an amazing journey together!

I hope you enjoy the sneak peeks below :-)

A big thank you to Roland my assistant on the day and to Melanie for second shooting with me.

I arrived at Red Ivory wedding venue to see Shavaun from Chocolate Turquoise up a ladder hanging ribbons and crystals in the trees – the details and decor were all taking shape nicely.

The décor was as expected, pretty amazing. Loads of details in keeping with the circus theme (have you seen their guestbook pictures). I just loved everything I was seeing and knew later in the evening it would just look so much nicer with the candles and people to provide the mood.

Franita had chosen to do a bridal boudoir shoot before she got into her dress. She was dressed in her “something blue” we shot some cool pics showing off how sexy she is. I am sure Peter will love them :-)

When we arrived to shoot Peter, he was pretty stressed. You see the groomsmen had changed the time on his watch and he was under the impression that we were 30min late… oops. They burst out laughing and quickly explained which brough back Peter’s trademark smile (Whew). I think Peter was doing ok with not too many nerves from what i could see about marrying Franita.

There were just so many details on the day, I loved the ribbons and bells instead of confetti, the sweet stand, the original photobook, lawn games, the list goes on.

The couple shoot was also carefully catered for by Franita, we were given 2 hours (woohoo) and we shot loads of pics all over Red Ivory before heading off property in the Red Ivory Bentley (Thanks James). After a whirlwind 2 hr shoot, the guests lined up outside the entrance and welcomed the couple with sparklers, amazing!

Thanks Peter and Franita for trusting me to shoot your amazing wedding day. Roland had I had so much fun with you and your friends :-)

I hope you love the sneak peeks, see you when you get back from the honeymoon.

Makeup: Cicilia Kaufman
Videographer: Pink Flower
Cake: Cakes by Cleo
Stationery: Secret Diary
Venue: Red Ivory Lodge

Karin and Duane were amazing – they were OK with going out in the rain and trying to get what we could during the periods it rained a little less :-)
It was a case of using umbrellas and the two of them focusing on each other as opposed to the rain and how wet they were getting. When Roland and i walked into the reception hall after the couple shoot, we were pretty much soaked. Fortunately Karin and Duane had those red umbrellas, but they still got a little damp out there.

And it didn’t end there for Duane, as you can see in the images below, there were three water pistols in the crowd in front of him when he did his speech, he was wetter after that than walking around in the rain earlier in the day.

Karin and Duane, you are Rockstars, amazing job! Thanks so much for choosing me as your wedding photographer, i hope you love the sneak peeks.

And thanks to Roland for assisting on the day.

I arrived and shot the decor first as usual, the more i looked, the more i liked it. Simple, but still with a lot of little personal touches. Next it was off to the girls and the manic bridal room :-)
Dress, shoes, jewellery and loads of candid shots. As Murri was running late i went to the guys and did their prep before heading back to the girls to finish off before the ceremony.

The couple photos went well even though Murri was still as tense about the photos at the end – she just really didn’t like having her photo taken :-)

Then it was into the reception and the crazy group of family and friends took over.
Awesome couple, awesome party and thank goodness the rain from the morning cleared up!

Enjoy the sneak peeks guys and remember to leave a comment and share the wedding on facebook!

Yes, that is the sun peeping through. Luck and timing :-)

So after a few emails it was set. On the day Jessica was more nervous than her horse, he was a star and let us get on with what we needed to do, ignoring the flash and basically standing wherever we put him, Amazing!

The couple shoot was also killer – I just knew the wedding was going to be great.

The only snag on the day was the weather and the clouds. At one stage it was raining and the planner was on the phone to the venue discussing if the ceremony should be kept outdoors or moved indoors, it was pretty stressful, i was trying to explain to her that it would blow over and that the sun was shining on the other hill – and then Jessica looked outside…

When we finished with the girls it was off to the guys, down to the picnic spot and a few deep breaths before Jessica arrived and it was go time. Dave shed a tear when he saw her (Awwww), did I mention these guys are just amazing!

As it was about 3pm and the sun was just too darn bright when we were doing the couple shoot, we stayed under the canopy of trees and just had some fun.
Jessica is a tomboy, so this “dress-wearing-photo-taking-smiling-in-a-coy-kinda-way-while-holding-my-flowers” was not her thing. I am very proud of you Jessica, you were a star!

Dave on the other hand loved every minute :-)

All in all it was a 12hr marathon, I was exhausted afterwards but what a day.
I loved your company, I loved your attitudes and I loved the whole experience of your wedding. I am blessed to have met you and your group of friends.

I hope you love the sneak peeks – I couldn’t narrow them down any more :-)

Thanks to Roland, again, awesome job!

Venue: The Cradle
Décor: Ruby rain
Saxophonist: Ivan
DJ: Livesound

Michele on the other hand i think had a few calming tablets and a glass or two of champagne – she was smiling and happy – the best way to be before your wedding ceremony :-)

This was a tight-knit group, from studying together in America to the nicknames they all had for each other. The guys had been friends since they were 6 or 7 when Jarrid moved to Benoni from … “SPRINGS” and they had to teach him english, etc, etc. It was really cool to be part of a wedding like that.

Jarrid was a different person after the ceremony, but even then, he is just not that into pictures, so we dragged him around the venue and got some pretty cool shots of the two of them before it was into the reception and the party.

Everyone who was there was left in no doubt that this was going to be the party to end all parties.

Hope you guys had an amazing day, we certainly did. Thanks for choosing me as your wedding photographer, hope you love the sneak peeks :-)

And thanks to Roland for assisting!

On the day I shot their e-session I thought to myself that the wedding day was going to be really relaxed and the two of them would be such a pleasure to photograph and I wasn’t wrong. Other than it being a super hot day with everyone sweating like crazy it was the prefect day. Admittedly I was a bit nervous that the venue would not be an ideal location, but I was really happy to find some really cool places to shoot the couple portraits (And if you know me, I love variety, so I was happy as a pig in …)

Carike and Lean, thanks so much for choosing me as your photographer, I had an amazing day with you and I hope you love the pictures I shot for you. Here are a few sneak peeks :-)

And thanks to Carmen for assisting again, great job ;-)

There was a lot going on, 4 groomsmen, 7 bridesmaids, the presidential suite, an access card to the suite that wouldn’t work – all in a days work for a wedding photographer of course.

Susan and Bennie seemed to take it in their stride and throughout the entire day they didn’t really seem to be stressed about anything, which is always good on your wedding day. The trick is to try and be as relaxed as possible and take it all in – it is such an amazing day with family and friends sharing it with you.

Just like the last Sheraton wedding I shot, the décor was really amazing, apparently there were about 600 candles, I am sure there were truckloads of flowers – it made for an amazing scene when the guests were ushered in.

Susan and Bennie, thanks for asking me to shoot your wedding, you too looked amazing! I hope you love the sneak peeks, see you when you get back from your honeymoon.

And of course, thanks to Candice, couldn’t have done it without you!

What a great group of people. Both sets of parents, the bride and groom, the groomsmen, bridesmaids, everyone was just a pleasure to be with – all fun and sharing in Hayley and Jonathan’s wedding day. It reminds me why I love wedding photography.

This was the first time I had shot at the cradle when it didn’t rain, so the ceremony was down in the picnic area – what a great setting with the sun shining through the trees. After seeing that I would think that more people would choose to get married there than indoors. Really beautiful.

The day went off without a hitch, the family photos and couple photos went well and the reception was such a party. Well, with the mandatory tears of course :-)

Hayley and Jonathan, I hope you love the sneak peeks, I look forward to seeing you when you get back from the honeymoon.

Thanks for choosing me to shoot your wedding, Carmen and I had a great time with you guys and your family and friends.

A big thank you to Carmen for assisting!

It’s amazing what happens behind your back, the girls had all sat down on a sheet to rest their feet and relax for a bit, a great little shot without me having to do anything :-)

On the day of the wedding, as it is with some weddings, there was a mad rush to get everything done. I was also looking at the sky and seeing a lot of cloudy skies… Fortunately the rain held off until we left – unfortunately i think most of the guests also left at the same time as the reception was all outside under the stars.

I think we got some cool pictures and after walking about a million miles through the bush, down steep roads and up even steeper hills it was back to the reception and the festivities of the night.

Sindy and Wesley, enjoy Bali. By the way which gate were you at – i waited for 5 hours at gate 36 and i never saw you. Were you serious about inviting me to come along?

:-)

And thanks again to Roland, you rocked the lightstick like a superstar!

Pravin on the other hand was a little bit more measured. In fact I think he might even have been a little nervous. When I was shooting the groom prep there was no talking amongst the boys. No banter, no joking around, just quiet… I tried to get them a bit more revved up, but after the laughter, the silence returned. Everyone knew what they needed to do and were just getting on with it.

The wedding day was filled with love and family closeness. There were tears before the ceremony, during the ceremony and of course during the speeches – just the way I like it.

A few points to note:
Rowena’s dress (Apparently she was channeling Lady Diana) had a huge train, so long in fact that she had to pick it up to dance with later in the evening.
The wedding cake was huge, a 5 tier cake but with crystal string extensions between the tiers – on the table it was taller than me.
The flowers were simple, but really well done, combined with the candles, the coloured lighting and the draping, it turned Memoire into a beautiful wedding reception.

All in all a great day. Rowena and Pravin, thanks for choosing me as your photographer – I hope you enjoyed the day, Roland and I had a great time sharing the day with you and your family.

I hope you love the sneak peeks, see you when you get back from your honeymoon!