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!