Gold, teal & pink magic | Mini Styled Shoot | Hertford Country Hotel

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” ― Coco Chanel

Wow, I enjoyed working with Laykanne during the mini-styled session I did at the beautiful Hertford Country Hotel. She wore a smashingly beautiful Gelique dress, which she borrowed from her a mutual friend (and her boss's wife) Simone from the Wedding Event! 

My inspiration comes from my own home. My wife, Juanita, has a special eye for decor and design, and most of the Rose Gold items in the shoot I used are from our bedroom. Locust tree leaf, the Consol Glass jars, and Wooden Protea cutt-outs were painted Rose Gold using spray-paint. The old ladder is from my garage, and the greenery is from my garden. 

I am in love with Proteas which is in season at the moment. I loved how the pink, teal and Rose Gold compliment each other! 

Simone made the beautiful Protea bouquet with the two proteas, and I got the red-pink proteas from Impala Flora at the Fourways Gardens' Spar. 

Here are the suppliers who featured during this shoot!

Model: Laykanne Rae Powell

Flowers: Impala Flora

Venue: Hertford Country Hotel

Make up: Made Up by Kylie

Dress: Gelique

Bouquet: Simone Pheiffer from The Wedding Event

Styling and photographer: Me :)

Decor ball & Gold lamp: Mr Price Home

Gold String Lights: Typo

David & Irene | Wedding | Kuthaba Bush Lodge

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. — LAO TZU

I always say that a client that is referred to me is the best client. Irene is one of those clients. She got my details from Cheryl and I had so much fun during their wedding! David and Irene are such great people, and I fell in love with who they are as a person since we first met last year for the engagement shoot. I can still remember how we had this super duper planned day and it all went pear shaped because we couldn’t enter the property we wanted to go to. So we ended shooting in a barren field, and we used whatever we had and made the best of it! That is such a testimony of who they are…they are focused people but also easy-going and content with the world.

It was my first time to capture a wedding at Kuthaba Bush Lodge and I loved it. Some of the most memorable moments for me was when I found out that Irene did not have bridesmaids but "groomsmaids". I kinda expected to see David in a kilt, because he is half Scottish but he did not wear one. All the groomsmen had a handkerchief in their suit pockets made from kilt material. And the one thing that completely blew me away was Irene's dress. Wow, I loved her dress which she bought on Still White. Its a Bride and Co dress and she definitely made a statement! 

I try to end every wedding with a sparkler photo. How this photo works is I run around them with a sparkler in the dark, and then the sparkler leaves a trial wherever I ran. The problem is I need to do this in complete darkness, otherwise I show up on the photo, so there is always a risk of me falling over a rock or something because I do not know where I am going. Well...this was the first time I fell down during on of the attempts, and I didn't get hurt...too much... I just picked up a few scratches...Funny enough on the night we made these jokes that I couldn't go and phone Discovery to claim for my health insurance because an employee of Discovery (Irene works for Discovery) has seen what happened...hehehe...we had a giggle...Those photos are always worth it, doesn't matter the risk I have to take!

Here is a list of the suppliers who made the day possible:

Venue, Styling & Catering: Kuthaba Bush Lodge

Flowers: De Villiers Blomme, Modimole

Make up and hair: Andelien Steyn Professional MakeUp Artistry

Wedding Dress: Still White & Bride & Co

Irene shoes & David Suit and Shoes: Woolworths SA

Irene's hair piece and earrings: Accessorize SA

DJ: Jannie Kruger

Video: Byron & Amy Wolff

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

A burgundy country wedding | Renanda Trout Farm Dullstroom

When love is not madness, it is not love.  ~Pedro Calderon de la Barca

What a year 2016 has been, and what a wedding to end 2016 with! This one is going to be remembered for years to come.

The day was filled with excitement, tears and a lot of beauty. Desmond and Madelize got married on the wedding venue Madelize's parents had built on their trout family farm, Renanda Trout and Leisure Farm, and what a beauty! They chose to have the ceremony at the foot of the trout dam, and the reception was held in the shed or barn they had built for functions and weddings. There is also a little barn next to the watch tower which they used to serve the champagne and sushi, and the views over the countryside from there is impeccable! The wedding was full of DIY elements, and the whole family helped out where they could. Madelize did most of the planning with some help from Desmond. I must say it didn't look like a DIY wedding.

Madelize had the most amazing wedding dress from Lady Marmalade. The dress was off-white with long sleeves and the touch of lace and toile finished the design off with elegance and style! She looked incredible, no wonder Desmond teared up when he saw her walking down the grass aisle!

I immediately fell in love with who Desmond and Madelize are as a couple when we first met. They are detailed, personal (and this was evident at this tearful wedding) and elegant. I just loved the engagement shoot we did for the guest book I prepared. We went to Gold Reef City Theme Park (Click here) and their elegance and style can also be seen in the way they dressed in 50s theme...they went all out. I just loved it! 

Their love story started as a blind date (yeah right, no one ever believes or expect that a blind date can turn into true love) and they dated for 3 years before Desmond popped the question in the French Alps (wow, this man has got style)!  

They had the most amazing chemistry in front of the camera and this paired with the most incredible golden hour sunlight created some magic, which they will savour for the rest of their lives! Dullstroom has late sunsets, which made them very late for the reception, but it meant the golden hour sunlight also lasted longer than expected!

We had crazy cool night shots because of the mist we had at night, but there was a brief moment where the mist disappeared and we could do a sparkler fun shot with the stars! Amazing!

Other suppliers:

The flowers they got from Ludwigs Roses, the menu design was done by Madelize on Illustrator, their make-up and hair was done by Trevor Conn (Dullstroom, - Tete a Tete), a friend did the catering and the groom's suits were from Markhams.

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a message at the end!

Andre & Lizbe's blissful wedding {Idlewild Country Estate}

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 Cor 13:4

This was the most tearful and memorable wedding, and also a very pretty one! Andre & Lizbe looked amazing and they are such cool cats when it comes to pictures...which made her somewhat late...which is not much of a problem because most brides are late for the ceremony. The problem was we were scared of a massive thunderstorm which was predicted and happened...but luckily on the farm next door. I could literally see the huge clouds emptying itself behind the ceremony. The ceremony was held under a tent on the lawn in front of the venue, Idlewild Country Estate. It was my first time at this venue, and I am absolutely in LOVE! What a beautiful and stylish venue!

Lizbe is my wife's cousin, which makes them all kinda family and though we are not very close, we are quite close to Lizbe's mom, Lizma. Hence me being the wedding photographer...I also know Andre from a while back when we attended the same church, and I have also met Lizbe's dad, Ben, at my a mining indaba which my father-in-law hosts in Johannesburg. Ben has been a speaker at the indaba for the past 2 years and I have been the event photographer for every event. Only recently did my wife tell me that I have been photographing Lizbe's dad during his talks...it's a small world!

My hat goes of to Lizma and my mother-in-law.  They bought the flowers at the Mall @ Reds flower shop and also some from the garden, and prepped all the flower arrangements in Andre's mom's garage. They did the styling of the venue just spectacularly! Lizma even arranged to bake the cake at Vingerlek Tuisnywerheid in Doringkloof and decorated the cake herself! Amazing!

Other suppliers:

Andre's ring: Unbreakable Man

Lizbe's wedding dress and make-up and hair: Jomari and her team from Mimie

DJ and sound: Up a Tone Events

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

A dash of gold at Toadbury {Stefan & Ele's e-session}

"A bell’s no bell ’til you ring it, a song’s not a song ’til you sing it, Love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay, Love isn’t love ’til you give it away." - Oscar Hammerstein II

How did I get so lucky....! I promise, this is not a styled shoot and they are not models. Elé is such a beauty!

We met up at Woolworths Cafe at Nicolway, and I immediately just fell in love with who they are as a couple. They are such down to earth people, fun to be around with, and yet super stylish. When I asked that they bring a bottle of champagne for the shoot, they brought a Moët. Impressive taste. Elé's ForeverNew dress was out of this world and her make-up, done by MAC, Sandton, was just perfect!

Wow, I loved doing this shoot and I can't wait for the wedding in January 2017! 

The venue, Toadbury Hall, is one of those pinch-yourself-is-this-real venues, and I am so glad we did the shoot there. I chose to set up in the Rose Chapel with items from my house (yes, my wife decorates our house with Rose Gold (beautiful hey?), and she chose the theme for me for this shoot to fit Elé's dress). I bought a Petit Rouge chandelier stencil (IzzitArt) and the beautiful flowers from the Fourways Flower Market, and I used the chandelier to spraypaint chandeliers in Rose Gold on a pallet (or actually my wife did) and I just loved how this all complimented Elé's beautiful dress!

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

A carnival of color {Des & Madelize's Gold Reef City e-session}

“I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself but for what you are making of me.” Roy Croft

From the first moment we met I fell in love with Des & Madelize. I must say, they are one of those "perfect" clients who barely speaks to you (they met me very briefly at the Oakfield Farm Bridal Expo in January) and her mom phoned me, says she likes what I do, and paid the deposit, no questions asked. Makes you feel good, I must say.

I loved every second of this shoot! Madelize from the start wanted to do their engagement shoot at Gold Reef City, and wow...I am so glad we did the shoot there! I just love the bursts of color around every corner! 

Madelize aslo wanted to have a vintage look for the shoot and they pulled it off amazingly on the day with Des' suspenders and Madelize beautiful dress, which she bought from Retrospective. 

I just loved the chemistry between these two in front of the camera, and I must say it makes my life easier as a photographer when I have clients who just loves to be in front of the camera!

I can't wait for their wedding in Dullstroom next weekend!

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

A beautiful safari celebration {Awe & Elandi's wedding}

“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

Wow, what a wedding. I always say that the no matter what you do, it's always about the people, and people make and/or break your wedding day and your experience as a photographer. When we first met, I loved them from the first moment. I remember Awe was a bit reserved, but Elandi chatted like we were best buddies! Elandi got my details from her sister, Sunette, after the family shoot I did for Sunette and Stefan. We immediately clicked and I knew that the wedding was going to be special, and it truly was! Some say that "Laughter is the best medicine, and in almost every set of pictures I got to capture so many laughs, and funny moments. So much fun!

This wedding was full of so many emotions, and I just love the pictures of Elandi and her father. They are so special. I got to capture so many year's of love and this why I love what I do. Telling stories of love to be cherished forever!

I just love the venue, Zebra Country Lodge. They allowed us to the engagement shoot during winter earlier this year at the venue, and that made me very excited for the wedding. See the engagement shoot pictures here (click).

I just love engagement shoots. I got to know Awe and Elandi a little better, and I got to experience their amazing chemistry in front of the camera for the first time. They could also see the way I work, and get comfortable with me, because when they are more comfortable the better the pictures look at the end of the day. I always say that I can just imagine myself in their shoes when they arrive for a wedding and think "I hope the photographer will capture me in the best way" or "I wonder what I look like through his camera?". That is why I do engagement shoots, and almost always do engagement shoots with all my customers.

Something quite mysterious and funny, is that I found out at the wedding that we attend the same church. Elandi's dad, Arrie Genis, is the headmaster (he actually retired a day or 2 ago) for the Louw Geldenhuys Primary School, which is right across our church, and great deal of the kids in our church go to his school. The Genis family means a great deal to the Linden community, and they contribute in incredible ways. When we moved to Johannesburg, we moved to a flat (even before I got married) right across Linden church (our flat, Louw Geldenhuys and the church are on the 3 corners of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue in Linden). We then moved to Northcliff, and eventually to Fourways where stay at the moment, but we are still entwined in the Linden community. The mystery...how did we not cross paths before...? Don't know, but in any case...back to the wedding!

It was most probably the hottest day I experienced in a while, definitely the hottest wedding I shot at. I always feel sorry for the bride and groom when it's this hot...they probably wanted to wear shorts and a cocktail dress...I must say there were a pool not far from the reception hall, and the thought crossed my mind a few times..."I hope they jump in the pool with their wedding clothes...it will make for such a cool picture!" 

The decor was out of this world, and full of personal touches. Elandi and Awe did the table flower arrangements themselves. They bought the proteas from Doornkraal Proteas and the roses from Malanshof Flora. 

Elandi's beautiful make-up was done by Elzette van der Schyff, and her exquisite hair by Rory Sandilands from Blo Hairdressing Salon. 

Elandi's exquisite wedding dress was made by Eurobride & her bridesmaids' dresses by Gelique. Awe rented his suit from Eurosuit and he just looked amazing with his waistcoat! The cupcakes and cake was made by Magnolia Bake and Cake. 

Congratulations again on your wedding day, and may the Lord's blessing rest on your marriage, and may your love for Him give you the strength to love each other!  

Enjoy the pictures and please leave a comment at the end!

David & Kate's South African Wedding {The Forum The Campus}

“When there is love in a marriage, there is harmony in the home; when there is harmony in the home, there is contentment in the community; when there is contentment in the community, there is prosperity in the nation; when there is prosperity in the nation, there is peace in the world.” -Chinese Proverb

Jia Lu Wang and Kai-ting Yang (or David and Kate) have been staying in South Africa for a long time. David is from China, and Kate from Taiwan, and something that is custom in China is they do very stylish pre-wedding photos. But when David showed me the pictures from their 8-hour-6-wardrobe-change-photo-shoot I knew the game was on (and the heat was on). The photos, which was done in Shanghai by a Chinese well-known photographer, are exquisite. Head on over to The Wedding Event's Instagram feed...Simone posted a few of the pics there.

Wow, they were made to be in front of a camera. They are so beautiful, and Kate and her bridesmaids looked like supermodels from a magazine. They were also such a lovely bunch of people, always full of joy and laughter!

Kate's dress, which is an Ellie Saab design, were out of this world. The detail and the way it fitted was incredible. Her dress and the exquisite bridesmaids' dresses were bought outside of South Africa, and the same for Kate's beautiful Christian Louboutin shoes.

The wedding was held at The Forum | The Campus, and they delivered the most amazing décor with the most beautiful white orchids. What an amazing venue!

I know Simone from The Wedding Event for a little while now, but we have never worked together on a wedding before, and I really looked forward to this wedding. She is such an amazing wedding planner and everything at this wedding just went smooth (I am not so sure behind the curtains). She is incredible at her job, and if you want your dream wedding, or perhaps greater than your dream wedding, then you need to get in touch with her!

Kate's beautiful make-up and hair was done by Susan Kang Make Up and Hair.

Liam from Wedding DJs - Pulse DJs rocked the music once again! And the cake from Belle's Patisserie was out of this world!

David and Kate, please enjoy your love for each other, which was so event in the way you looked at each other. And the family you guys have are amazing, and I loved the laughing and cheering at your reception dinner at the Lotus Restaurant in Rosebank!

Please enjoy the pictures and do leave a comment at the end!

Christo & Laraine's Wedding Celebration {Foxwood House}

“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” When Harry Met Sally

It has been a while since I have seen two people so much in love with each other! While editing I got emotional every time I saw how Christo looked at Laraine, and I couldn't help but think...that is how Christ looks at us! Amazing. 

Christo & Laraine wanted a small and intimate wedding, and that is exactly what they had. The decor was out of this world, and so was the venue...just stunning. I am truly privileged to have captured this special day for them, and I their love story inspired and still inspires me, and I believe that it flows over into their family!  

This wedding was also different than what I am used to. For instance they did their couple shoot before the ceremony, but this allowed me to capture the moment when Christo saw Laraine for the first time. What a privilege!

Thank you for being who you are Christo & Laraine, and may your love stay strong and rooted in our Lord Jesus Christ! 

Enjoy the pictures and do not hesitate to leave a comment at the end!

Venue: Foxwood House, Houghton

Make-up and hair: ComposureSA

Decor & Wedding Planning: Sonja Ward from Hot Chili Designs

Kenton & Natalie's Wedding Celebration {Oakfield Farm}

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Song of Solomon

It's the first time I did a wedding at Oakfield Farm, and I understand the hype around this place - it's just amazing! It offers so much for couples getting married here and the staff are a dream to work with! 

Kenton and Natalie were the winners of the March 2016 Country Life Magazine Win a Wedding competition! This is such an amazing opportunity for any photographer, and it was an absolute honor to be a part of this and to work along side so many amazing suppliers!

Kenton is a drummer...yes...he is in a band...and Natalie met him at a rock show! They have been together for almost 8 years, and this is how Natalie describes Kenton and their realtionship:" He is hilarious, he cares, he loves, and he laughs...mostly at me because I am just a clumsy twit, that has a weird, crazy streak in this girly exterior".

They are such an amazing couple to work with, and their love for each other and the way they enjoy each other's company produces such amazing chemistry, such that I literally just captured them while they did their thing! And above it all they are such beautiful people, so they just flowed in their pictures! And I did mention that Natalie cracks up for everything Kenton says or does...she is just one ball of fun and laughter!

Natalie'e amazing make-up was done by Made Up by Kylie! 

Kenton & Natalie did most of the planning themselves, but they had help from Barbra from Decorange-it.

The styling and flowers were done by House of Functions, the funky personalized cake was made by Annah Fudge, and sound by Fresh Flava was just epic!  

Please enjoy the pictures and do not hesitate to leave a comment at the end!

Natalie and Kenton were so relaxed, and I believe the results speaks for themselves. I am certain that the flask of vodka "potion" Kenton had in his jacket pocket or the Tequila Natalie enjoyed had something to do with it...?

This wedding was held in August, which meant the days were starting to warm up, but the nights were still rather cold...solution...heat up at the fireplace! or just spend time with the wedding party and guests...! They absolutely had a blast, dancing the night away on dance and rock music!

#weddingphotography #wedding #southafricanwedding #oakfieldfarmwedding #oakfieldfarm #bride #bridesmaids #groom #groomsmen #beautifulwedding

JJ & Chene {Matric Farewell}

"The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides" Audrey Hepburn
 

JJ and Chene absolutely looked exquisite for their Matric Farewell!

I had the opportunity to capture them at the amazing 5 Star Castello Di Monte Guest House in Pretoria. Such a beautiful venue for weddings and Matric Farewell shoots!

The Matric Farewell was held at the Sorex Estate!

#matricfarewell #matricdance #coupleshoot #familyshoot #castellodimonte #guesthouse #beautifulvenue

Ilze's stylish 30th Birthday Party!

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.” Jane Austen

We have been friends for a while, but surely not as long as the friendship Ilze has with my wife and my sister-in-law. They are childhood friends, or as they would say “friends for life”. It was such a privilege to be a part of this day for Ilze, especially after what happened in and to their family. Such a special day of laughter and tears!

Venue: Buitengeluk Venue

Flowers: Fourways Flower Market

#weddingandfamilyphotographer #weddingandfamilyphotography #familyphotographer #familyphotography #photographer #eventphotographer #eventphotography #event #buitengeluk #buitengelukvenue #30thbirthday #birthday #birthdayparty #hightea #fourwaysflowermarket @fourways.flower.market

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Eben & Hermien Marais {family shoot at Delta Park}

“Family is the most important thing in the world.” – Princess Diana

Love and calmness just oozes out of Hermien and Eben, they have the most beautiful children Emma and Leah. Emma is the eldest, and isn't she a cutie. Leah is the baby and her eyes just melts anyone who looks at her! I had so much fun doing this shoot! 

I met up with them at Delta Park, which is one of my favorite photo destinations. This time I was surprised to see how long the grass has grown, and at first I thought it was going to make my life hard to take pictures, but actually it created for such beautiful pictures!

Location: Delta Park, Randburg.

Please sit back and enjoy the pictures and do not hesitate to leave a comment at the end!

Charlotte & Darren's love story!

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting" Ralph Waldo Emerson

Charlotte and Darren's small but very intimate wedding was held at Shelanti Tea Garden in Centurion! I just love this venue and the Chapel is just amazing. Charlotte's make-up was done by the Glam Squad, and they did such an amazing job! Her dress was from Vanilla in Centurion Mall.

The day was full of special moments, and it was a privilege to be a part of this wedding!

One special moment was Darren's wedding gift to Charlotte. He gave her a Mercedes GLA, and he just melted her heart even more with this incredible gift!

Venue & Flowers: Shelanti Tea Garden

Make-up: The Glam Squad

Wedding dress: Vanilla, Centurion Mall

Wezo & Tammy's love story is live!

I am a work colleague of Wezo, and it was an absolute pleasure to be entrusted to capture his big day. He is such a warmhearted person, with a driven personality.

When I met Tammy, she completely overwhelmed me with her open heart and authentic personality, and love just oozes out of her heart! Tammy’s dress was made by Diamond Love, in Killarney Mall, and she definitely made a statement with her beautiful red Nine West shoes. Her ring was also made by American Swiss.

I had so much fun capturing their day! We ended up being a bit late…or rather very late for the ceremony, but I am sure all South Africans have some sense of African time…things like these create memories that lasts a lifetime.  

It was a first time to do a wedding at Avianto Wedding Venue on my own, and Enes Kamanga did an awesome job! I have assisted weddings here before, and every time I am back here I get a sense of overwhelming beauty and majesty!  

Ivan & Maryke's love story begins here!

I am looking forward to the wedding of this amazingly beautiful couple!

Maryke and Ivan blossomed in front of the camera and I thoroughly enjoyed capturing their funky engagement shoot. Maryke's mom works at Roedean School South Africa and she organised that we can have the shoot at the school, which is such a beautiful venue. The gorgeous historic buildings, the lawns, the view of the Johannesburg General Hospital chimney in the background, and the majestic gardens makes this a stunning venue. The school was opened in 1903 and there is a lot of heritage here, and I believe that it meant a lot to Maryke to do this shoot at the school.

I definitely take my hat off for Maryke, because she had food poisoning or something on the day. Every 20min she had to go to the bathroom, and she still smiled and looked so beautifully. And Ivan looked great as well. It's always a challenge to capture photos of a photographer, which meant that I had to up my game. The amazing reality of this is it shows in the pictures! I believe this shoot came out amazing and that they will have a good taste of the pictures to come at their wedding day!

Please don't hesitate to leave a comment at the end!