This Blog has Moved!

Hi All,

My apologies for not positng this earlier, but the blog is currently on hold and will be moved to my new website.  Please visit www.emmajanephotography.com for more info!

Cheers,
Em

NICKY & DAMIEN: WEDDING

THE DATE: SATURDAY, 27TH MARCH 2010
THE VENUE: SACRED MOUNTAIN LODGE, NOORDHOEK


When we opened the curtain that morning we saw every bride’s nightmare – grey sky and clouds heavy with rain; but this did little to dampen our moods and it seemed the bride had the same attitude! Nicky had travelled all the way from the UK to get married here and that’s exactly what she was going to do!

We met Nicky at Sacred Mountain Lodge, a charming B&B nestled in the midst of paddocks and farms fields in Noordhoek. We took a few photos of her getting ready with her sister before Mum arrived to help her into her dress. Dad wandered in and out with a glass of champagne, trying not to look nervous!


The ceremony was moved from an open part of the garden to the reception area which was set up beneath a big white Bedouin tent. It all came together rather nicely as the beautiful pink lilies which adorned the pagoda complemented the yellow and white of the table decorations and the starkness of the white tent made everything look bright and alive.


The rain pelted down as Nicky made her way up the grassy aisle but the tent held strong. Both bride and groom couldn’t stop smiling and the sneaky sideways glances they kept throwing each other made for some great ‘caught in the moment’ shots.

Unfortunately the only suitable spot for group photos was outdoors but we managed to get a few decent shots in between downpours, taking it in turns to hold an umbrella over the camera during drizzle. The price tag on the dress was far too big to warrant a couple photo shoot in the muddy common, so we made do with some well positioned poses around the gardens of the lodge. This included a lovely un-posed shot of groom with bouquet in hand holding a pink umbrella over his new wife as she walked to cover.


The mood of the reception was festive and intimate and fairy lights and lanterns were strung up on the trees and bushes that flanked the tent which shed a magical light on the reception. Toward the end of the night the sky cleared and the stars came out and we left the happy couple to the rest of their festivities.


Links:
Sacred Mountain Lodge - http://www.sacredmountain.co.za/

DENISE & HERSCHEL: WEDDING

THE DATE: SATURDAY, 20TH FEBRUARY 2010
THE VENUE: MOUNT NELSON HOTEL, CAPE TOWN

This was by no means a small wedding and the size and grandeur of the Mount Nelson Hotel gave evidence to this. We arrived early – at high tea o’clock - to suss the venue out and had an iced coffee on the patio to bide time and provide short-lived relief from the heat. It was quite easily the hottest day of the year! That said – bright sunshine is better than rain. Sadly, it also provides shadows and the wedding ceremony was set in one of the lower gardens in the dappled shade of several giant palms.


We took a few photos of Denise having her make-up done in her hotel suite, and then getting in to her dress – which was altogether too large for a girl of her petite stature to get into on her own. Once on though, it fitted like a glove and looked simply stunning. Denise was running a little behind schedule so we split up and I ran down to the ceremony area to find Herschel looking nervously at his watch!

The guests were dressed in an assortment of bright colours which made for some gorgeous photos, especially the group shot which proved very difficult to coordinate as there were some 120 guests! We had to recruit the help of hotel staff to re-arrange an entire patio of outdoor seating in order to clear the stage for the shot and keep other hotel guests from walking across the frame! After a string of smaller group photos near the swimming pool we whisked the bride and groom away for an intimate shoot around the grounds in what little time we had.

We were welcomed to the reception hall, not only by a room full of waiting guests, but the blast of cool air from the air-conditioner which was VERY welcome!

Tim Holmes (of Tim Holmes Photography) took over from me at the reception as I had a prior engagement to attend. He got down to business tackling the table by table group shots and putting the guests at ease. The reception ceremony included an exchanging of trays of sweetmeats and delicacies between the families of the bride and groom which was a unique feature and started off the celebrations for the evening.

As the proceedings were running a little late and our shift was coming to an end, bride and groom staged a premature ‘over the threshold’ scene in their suite and Herschel literally threw his bride onto the bed. We stopped filming before things got too heated and left the couple to rejoin their guests and party into the night.

Links:

Mount Nelson Hotel - www.mountnelson.co.za
Tim Holmes Photography - www.timholmesphotography.co.za

ALEXA & PAUL-HENRI: WEDDING

THE DATE: SATURDAY, 6TH FEBRUARY 2010
THE VENUE: SUIKERBOSSIE, HOUT BAY

As we sat planning the day’s shots, having calamari at Chapman’s Peak hotel we mused over how nice it was not to be rushed and to be fully prepared for the wedding ahead. In this case, though, it applied only to us!

We arrived at Tintswalo Atlantic Lodge(http://www.tintswalo.com/Atlantic/about_hotel.html) to find that the bride was running late coming back from her hair and make-up appointment in town, and when she finally bustled through the door we were caught up in a bit of a bridal frenzy! The bride was relatively calm – her main concern not leaving her husband-to-be waiting longer than necessary - it was her bridesmaids that were flitting about her! The boutique hotel had magnificent views over the bay – if we had more time it would have been ideal for a few pics of the bride, but we still managed to snap away as the bride got ready in the flurry that surrounded her. Before we knew it we were winging our way back over Chapman’s Peak, headed for Suikerbossie!

The ceremony was set up outside but the chilly wind did little to dampen the spirits of the guests, forty of which had flown in from France. The bride walked down the aisle to the beat of a live Marimba band – putting an authentic African spin on the wedding. One thing that stood out for this couple was their great ‘you may kiss the bride’ kiss – you know what they say about French men! It lasted long enough for all budding photographers in the congregation to get a decent shot! The Marimba band kept the atmosphere upbeat and the guests entertained with dances and face painting while we got underway with the group photos! These proved harder to organise than expected, for one the girls were all screeching as cold gusts of wind blew their skirts up, and for another there was a slight language barrier – which was an added obstacle, however entertaining!

Just before dusk we left the guests to get started on the impressive champagne fountain and stole the bridal couple away in their chauffeured Volvo for a photo shoot on Llandudno beach. The bride took a tumble on the rocky steps but hubby had his arm around her within seconds. Her main concern was a) to save her champagne which, miraculously, she did; and b) whether or not we got it on camera, which sadly, we didn’t!

The couple were in their element in the fading sun and we got some great pics, including one of Paul whisking her bride up and away from the surging tide.


When we returned to the reception we were glad we had already got the shots of the champagne fountain as it was all but evaporated, the evidence of it in the liveliness of the guests. And things only got more spirited as the night progressed. The table shots the bride wanted were out of the question as most of the wedding party were on the dance floor for the majority of the evening, some even before their dinner plates had been cleared! We did, however, get some brilliant action shots of people doing the twist, girls vying for the limelight lining up for photos with their friends and once the formalities were over, we left the bridal couple to dance the night away with their very entertaining guests!

DENISE & HERSCHEL: ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

THE DATE: 13TH FEBRUARY 2010
THE VENUE: LAGOON BEACH, MILNERTON

Just a few sneak peeks from the engagement shoot we did with Denise & Herschel at Lagoon Beach. It’s evident that all the worries she had about her make-up being okay for the beach lighting were in vain – the pics came out beautifully and she’s going to make a stunning bride!

We had the couple pose on the pier with the majestic Table Mountain as a backdrop – getting some great silhouette shots. They were naturally affectionate and happy to carry out any poses we suggested, including having them dance on the shoreline, Herschel with a rose between his teeth!

A freak surge in the tide left the couple knee deep in sea water, but this did little to diminish their good humour and it made for an interesting shot!

RENE & RUAN: WEDDING

THE DATE:       23RD JANUARY 2010
THE VENUE:     ZEVENWACHT WINE ESTATE, STELLENBOSCH

Three of the main elements that come into play when shooting a wedding are: the weather, the venue and the couple. We were lucky with Rene and Ruan’s wedding in these respects – the sun shone endlessly with not a cloud in the sky; we knew the venue inside and out from shooting previous weddings there and from the first meeting the couple struck us as carefree and fun loving and we knew we were guaranteed to get some good shots! We were right!

We captured some great moments on camera – after the intimate ceremony we began the challenging task of coordinating the group photos. The vivacious bridesmaids graciously posed as suggested but it proved a bit harder to organise the cheeky groomsmen who needed persuading that at least one or two formal photos were customary for a wedding such as this!

We stole the couple away for an hour for their private shoot and were excited to find that they weren’t averse to doing whatever was needed to get some fun photos. Rene’s dress dragged on gravel between the vines and collected a few twigs as they strolled among the ripening grapes. They risked splinters on the seesaw and dodged wobbly slats on the pier, trusting that their photographers wouldn’t push them to such lengths unless the photos would be worth it. It was thirsty work and we thought it only fair to allow the couple a quiet moment together to sip champagne on the lawn and prepare themselves for the attention from the lively gaggle of family and friends that awaited them at the reception hall.

Rene and Ruan, both motorbike fundies with boundless energy, opted to spice up the traditional wedding formalities with a few variations from the norm, which came as a welcome surprise to us photographers as well as the guests. The father-daughter dance started off as a traditional slow dance which was cut short almost immediately when it broke into an Elvis rock song with choreography to match. They even had the bridal party join in to show off their synchronised moves.

We also captured some terrific action shots of Ruan animatedly feeding a giant piece of wedding cake to his new bride. To the amusement of all who were watching, Rene, as payback, teased him by twirling the garter on her finger while he rummaged under her dress looking for it with no success. After the congo line had weaved its way between the tables for the second time, and we felt satisfied with the shots of the day, shots of a different kind were being lined up along the bar and we took this as our cue to pack up the cameras and leave the party to carry on into the night.