BLOG

wedding photography, wedding photographers Wynand van der Merwe wedding photography, wedding photographers Wynand van der Merwe

Lerato & Anele | Wedding | Traditional wedding, Freestate {Day2&3}

Wow, 3 days of wedding bliss! The rain couldn’t stop this amazing and special wedding! Day 2 and 3

Day 2 and 3 of Lerato and Anele’s wedding was such a fun day! This was their traditional celebration in Welkom at their family’s homes. I had so much fun capturing their traditional African Wedding as well!

Read More
wedding photography, wedding photographers Wynand van der Merwe wedding photography, wedding photographers Wynand van der Merwe

Lerato & Anele | Wedding | Pont de Val, Freestate {Day1}

Wow, 3 days of wedding bliss! The rain couldn’t stop this amazing and special wedding!

There is always a first in everything. I have been a photographer for more than 10 years, but I have never photographed a traditional African Wedding before…until now!

Lerato and Anele entrusted me to capture their love story over three days, and what I found out was that the wedding actually went on for another 2 days. Wow, their wedding was 5 days long.

The first day was their white dress wedding at Pont De Val, Freestate. South Africa had crazy rains this year, and during April it almost had a climax, with most rivers in Gauteng, Freestate and Limpopo flooding. Pont De Val is right next to Vaalriver and the river rose almost 2 meters, and the usual reception venue got completely flooded, with only the roof visible. The buidling where they set up the ceremony almost got flooded as well. Pont De Val made a plan by erecting a tent on higher grounds, and it turned out quite amazingly beautiful. It was not the usual Pont de Val splendour, but it was still beautiful and special.

The second day was their traditional wedding in Welkom, Freestate, at their family homes. What a celebration! It was my first time witnessing the traditional side of a wedding, and how much each respective families are involved in African Weddings. I definitely didn’t understand everything that happened in front of me. I have found out after the wedding that the MC even tolk jokes about me during the reception, and I was laughing with everyone not knowing the joke was about me.

The third day was with their respective families at their homes.

Thank you for allowing me to witness the union between you two, and also between the two families! Congrats again and may God grant you happiness and peace during your marriage!

Suppliers who made the day possible:

Venue: @pontdeval | Jewellery - sterns (@sternssharejoy) | Stationery - @LN_Bespoke | Makeup - @moteesignatures (Motee) | Hair - @briblisshairandbeauty (Mapuleng) | Wedding Dress - @diamondlovebridal | Shoes - @Bequest_bridal_shoes | Flowers - @LN_Bespoke | Cake - @ChefZondi

 
 



Read More
wedding photographers, wedding photography Wynand van der Merwe wedding photographers, wedding photography Wynand van der Merwe

Kyle and Ashton | Wedding | Kuthaba Bush Lodge

I just love bush weddings, and this was one of the best! what a special wedding at Kuthaba Bush Lodge!

“You are every reason, every hope and every dream I’ve ever had.” Nicholas Sparks

I love Bush weddings, and Kuthaba Bush Lodge is still one of my favourite wedding venues to shoot at!

So many people believe that rain is a blessing during your wedding, so Kyle and Ashton must be SUPER BLESSED….wow, we got wet, but it luckily cleared later during the day. They even had a true African Bushveld sunset! Wow.

The more weddings I cover the more I love shooting during the afterparty. Wow, these are a super cool bunch of people and they surely know how to party. When you party at the end of the day, the stress is gone and you can just enjoy the remainder of the day! What fun, and it shows in the photos!

We also did their wedding video, and I cant wait to share the sneakpeak!

Enough said. Congrats again Kyle and Ashton, may your years be blessed and may your love for each other fuel the passion you have in life! Enjoy the photos! Thank you for allowing us to witness your beautiful day!

Suppliers who made the day possible:
Venue: Kuthaba Bush Lodge | Decor and flowers: The Love Knot | Photos and Video: Wynand van der Merwe Photography | DJ: Alex Donaldson | Make-up: Kim Roberts | Hair: Santa Holmes | Wedding dress: Timeless Bridal Couture | Wedding Suit: London Royal | Bridesmaid dresses: custom-made at The Bridal House | Groomsmen and MC suits: Black Tie | Stationery: Say it Creative | Cake: Baker Boys | Rings: Clare Appleyard from Katannuta Diamonds

 
 
Read More
wedding photographers, wedding photography Wynand van der Merwe wedding photographers, wedding photography Wynand van der Merwe

Teaser! Kyle and Ashton | Wedding | Kuthaba Bush Lodge

Teaser! Wow, what a special wedding at Kuthaba Bush Lodge!

“You are every reason, every hope and every dream I’ve ever had.” Nicholas Sparks

Venue: Kuthaba Bush Lodge | Photos and Video: Wynand van der Merwe Photography | DJ: Alex Donaldson | Make-up: Kim Roberts | Hair: Santa Holmes | Wedding dress: Timeless Bridal Couture | Wedding Suit: London Royal | Bridesmaid dresses: custom- made at The Bridal House | Groomsmen and MC suits: Black Tie | Stationery: Say it Creative | Cake: Baker Boys | Rings: Clare Appleyard from Katannuta Diamonds

 
 
Read More
wedding photographers, wedding photography Wynand van der Merwe wedding photographers, wedding photography Wynand van der Merwe

Mario and Marissa | Wedding | Harmonie Proteas

The love Mario and Marissa have for each other was sooooo tangible on their wedding day!! Marissa you looked incredible and I could see Mario was biting his lip not to cry when you walked down the aisle!

 

PLAY ME!

 

I have ticked a bucket list with Mario and Marissa’s wedding! I have done a few engagement shoots at Harmonie Proteas, but this was my first wedding shoot….and I fell in love with this venue on another level! WOW, just look at their photos against the red of the proteas!

Mario and Marissa are South Africans working and residing in the Netherlands, and they got married here because their friends are here. And due to this fact, their wedding had moved quite a bit due to Covid.

Thank you Mario and Marissa for trusting me with my crazy ideas…they left me completely to do my magic and to push my creative boundaries….which I loved. They are such an easy couple to photograph, and the love they have for each other was sooooo tangible! Marissa you looked incredible and I could see Mario was biting his lip not to cry when you walked down the aisle!

Enough said, congrats again on your union! May God bless you in your walk in your marriage but also in the Netherlands!

Please leave a comment at the end for the couple! A little love can go a long way!

Vendors making the day possible:

Venue: @harmonieproteas | Flowers: @floral_by_dd | Dress: @bruidspaleis | DJ: @gauteng_dj | Shoes: @annafield_official | Cake: @ddcc_cakes | Rings: @poggenpoeljewel

 
 
Read More
wedding photographers, wedding photography Wynand van der Merwe wedding photographers, wedding photography Wynand van der Merwe

Krzyz and Nastasja | Wedding | Memoire Venue

Wow, I am still pinching myself over this wedding! Krzyz and Nastasja celebrated their wedding at the gorgeous Memoire Wedding Venue…wow! They are GORGEOUS!

 

“Love recognises no barriers, it jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination, full of hope.” Maya Angelou

 
 
Wedding photos fun couple memoire wedding venue
 

I am still pinching myself over this wedding. Wow, a lot of emotions, and man oh man…these 2 are GORGEOUS! Nastasja says she has no modelling experience, and I remember her bridesmaids were like mobile fashionistas helping her with how to pose and to look oh-so-wonderful…and it worked! I am considering hiring them for my future shoots…hahaha.

Covid is real and in your face everyday, but it was the first wedding where I could feel Covid’s interference on my skin. Krzyz and Nastasja’s wedding was super emotional.

Krzyz and Nastasja celebrated their third wedding ( due to Covid) at Memoire Wedding Venue. The first wedding was a very small event at home, because Nastasja is a lawyer and she had to get married and she registered under her new surname. Covid was in full swing a year later (last year) and they had another small wedding, because they made bookings they couldn’t cancel. They initially thought the wedding will happen, but it was dependant on the borders opening up (Krzyz and his side of the family is Polish), but Covid got worse especially across the borders due their winter being in our summer time. So they posponed the big wedding to a year later with all the family that couldn’t join because of the restrictions. It was a little stressful because they moved the date a few times, and finally settled on December and amazingly the restrictions got lighter in SA, and everyone thought the wedding is going to go as planned. But low and behold…the borders abruptly closed for the UK, and Nastasja’s brother couldn’t be at the wedding. Wow, the days had massive lows and massive highs. During the ceremony Nastasja was chatting with her brother on video call, and the tears were streaming, and a special moment was was when everyone sang for her brother’s birthday. It was his birthday on their wedding day! Congrats again to you both!

Enough said. Enjoy the photos and please leave a comment at the end!

Venue: @memoireweddingvenue | DJ: Discotech Events SA | Makeup: @paigepestana | Dress:@tarikedizofficial (dress came all the way from Turkey!) | Flowers: @memoirelanguageofflowers | Cake: @jaybagels_sa | Nails: Rene Nailtech Studio

 
 
Read More