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Crystal & Yannick | Engagement shoot | 12 Decades Art Hotel, Maboneng
Wow, I wanted to create a dreamy and romantic picnic themed engagement shoot at a rooftop location in Gauteng, and I just love the results! Yannick and Crystal…wow, you guys looked amazing! 12 Decades Art Hotel in Johannesburg in Maboneng Precinct.
Crystal & Yannick | Engagement shoot | 12 Decades Art Hotel, Maboneng
"As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen" Winnie the Pooh
Wow, I really wanted to create a dreamy, elegant and romantic engagement shoot for Yannick & Crystal, and they wanted a super beautiful sunset shoot in an urban setting...and there were no other option but to do the shoot at a rooftop in the Innercity of Johannesburg.
Yannick rented an Airbnb apartment in the 12 Decades Johannesburg Art Hotel in The Maboneng Precinct, and Extravaganza Weddings created the most romantic setting for them up on the roof! Wow, what a view of Johannesburg! I really can't wait for their wedding later this year, it's going to be epic!
Crystal's makeup was flawless, thank you Precious Puseletso Xaba Makeup Artist!
Enjoy the photos and please leave a comment at the end!
Bold and beautiful | Styled shoot | Hertford Country Hotel
I love bold and vibrant colours at weddings! I approached Simone from the The Wedding Event to collaborate on a styled shoot with me. Just beautiful!
Bold and beautiful | Styled shoot | Hertford Country Hotel
In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities. János Arany
I love bold and vibrant colours at weddings! I approached Simone from The Wedding Event to collaborate on a styled shoot with me. I wanted to use bold and vibrant colours, but also to use the Pantone Colour of the Year (2016, Rose Quarts and Serenity). Simone did most of the styling, and Tamyrin from Bespoke Blooms did the flowers arrangements and table settings! The amazing stationery was made by Rude Design and Trendy Paperworks. We used the beautiful Hertford Country Hotel as backdrop and Liezl was our model for the day. Liezl used to work for the Hotel at the time of the shoot, and she managed the wedding and event side of the Hotel. The wedding dress was Liezl's own dress, and the blush dress was from Lunar Clothing. Shandin Watson from Erin Smylie Hair and Makeup did her makeup and hair. The exquisite cake was made by Sweet Joy and Denver from Reload Media did the interviews and behind-the-scenes video.
Thank you all for participating in this shoot and I just loved how everything worked out in the end!
Enjoy the photos and please leave a comment at the end!
Gold, teal & pink magic | Mini Styled Shoot | Hertford Country Hotel
Wow, I enjoyed capturing Laykanne, in a beautiful Gelique dress, for my mini-styled session at the incredible 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
Wow, I am in love with David & Irene's safari style wedding at Kuthaba Bush Lodge! Irene's Bride & Co dress was out of this world!
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!
Jorge & Kerry-Ann | Royal Johannesburg & Kensington | Wedding
Oh wow, what a wedding! I have not enjoyed a reception as much I did with Jorge & Kerry-Ann's wedding! They are such cool people and their wedding were super special!
“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” —Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook
I am sometimes speechless when I comes to writing something about my clients and their gorgeous wedding. The whole day was so relaxed and full of laughter. They are fun loving, great friends and family is very important factor in their lives. As a photographer you want to really connect with your clients and from the first time I met Jorge and Kerry-Ann I fell in love with who they are and how much they love each other! Priceless.
I must say that I have not enjoyed a reception at a wedding as much as with their wedding. Instead of throwing the garter and flower bouquet, they handed the flowers over to the eldest married couple in honor of marriage and they played a game to "win" privilege to spend time with Jorge & Kerry-Ann in the following year. Wow, I had a laugh. There were 10 entrants, and with each round an entrant falls out if he can't return to a seat, while the seats become less as with musical chairs, after he or she attempts to bring an item at the wedding back to a chair, such as a shoe, or business card, or a bra....yes...you read correctly...the last item was a bra. The guy who won got his wife to take off her bra in just a few seconds to be crowned the winner...so much fun!
I felt truly blessed to a part of their Big Day...I felt like I was family. And one of the most special moments for me during the day was seeing Kerry-Ann's Dad's expression when he saw her at the church. Thank you for choosing me to capture your Big Day. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment.
Corinna, who were second shooting with me, says the following about Jorge & Kerry-Ann: "They are a beautiful couple who clearly enjoy spending time together creating awesome memories." Here most memorable moment was the game they played during reception. She says it is the perfect event to capture, and it was amazing to see how people enjoyed it! Corinna captured Jorge and the guys and I captured Kerry-Ann and the girls as they got dressed.
Here are the other suppliers who made this amazing day possible!
Make-up: Courtney Chadwick Make-Up Artist {Courtney is incredible!}
Church: Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Malvern {Such a beautiful church and I just loved how Father Tony handled the wedding, so special}
Reception venue and catering: Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club
Wedding planner: Jenene Bernhardt at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club
Wedding dress: Bride & Co
Jorge's Suit: Euro Suit
Flowers: Kerry-Ann did her own flowers at the venue, and House Of Flowers did they bouquet and flowers at the Church
2nd shoot: Corinna Tannian
Sit back and enjoy the beautiful wedding photos! Please leave a comment at the end!
A dash of gold at Toadbury {Stefan & Ele's e-session}
Stefan & Ele's beautiful gold toned engagement shoot pictures, done at Toadbury Hall Country Hotel, are on my blog!
"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 beautiful safari celebration {Awe & Elandi's wedding}
Awe & Elandi's safari wedding at Zebra Country lodge is on my blog!
“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}
Kate & David's South African Wedding is on my blog!
“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}
Christo & Laraine's wedding celebration is on my blog!
“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
