CELESTE & GERMAINNE: WEDDING

THE DATE: SATURDAY, 19TH DECEMBER 2010
THE VENUE: LAGOON BEACH HOTEL, MILNERTON


To quote Billy Idol, it was a ‘nice day for a white wedding’! In fact, it was a great day – the sun shone bright as ever and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Unfortunately, there also wasn’t any shade on the pool deck at the Lagoon Beach Hotel!

We met Celeste in her room with her two young children playing excitedly at her feet. We snapped away as she did her make-up and laughed when Germainne came into the room with eyes fast shut feeling his way along the wall to the en-suite where he got himself dressed and ready! It was the first time we’d experienced the bride and groom getting ready in the same room, but since he wasn’t looking we figured it was still in keeping with tradition, and therefore no luck was lost!


The ceremony, set up on the pool deck just up from the beach was in full sun and some of the guests had to line up alongside the hotel to escape sunburn! Celeste looked gorgeous walking down the aisle in a simple white dress with a beautiful orchid bouquet in hand to meet her groom standing beneath a white pagoda wearing loose white linen pants and shirt to match. It was the perfect beach wedding.


Table Mountain stood out prominently and made the perfect backdrop for a big group photos which we took on the beach before whisking the bridal couple off for an exclusive photo shoot on the beach a little further up. The conditions were perfect – mountain view, tranquil blue sea, gorgeous couple. We managed to get some amazing shots and since Celeste and Germaine were so natural and spontaneous, shooting them and capturing their day proved a dream!

We returned to the hotel and spent a while coordinating group shots indoors (with bright sun comes squinting and shadows and indoors seemed the best possible place!) before moving to the reception hall. The tables were decorated with seashells and sand and the theme was carried over to the cake which was beautifully decorated with white chocolate shells and marine life.


We got some lovely photos of the kids taking over the dance floor and later the bride and groom dancing with friends and family – it was a celebration and the photos definitely reflect the happiness of this day.


Links:
http://www.lagoonbeachhotel.co.za/

MELANIE & GARTH: WEDDING

The Date:     Wednesday, 16th December 2009
The Venue:   The Duck Pond, Welmoed Wine Estate

The Duck Pond in Stellenbosch is quaint and tranquil and perfect for a small wedding like this one. For a photographer, though, it poses a few challenges!

Firstly, with the ceremony being held on a small island in the middle of the pond, it’s tricky to capture all the guests and the wedding couple together without actually taking a plunge into the water and shooting from there! I decided to risk a shot from the front and gingerly crept onto the reeds, doing my best not to make too much noise and disturb the vows being affirmed and hoping I could execute the shot I’d envisaged before sinking into the mud.

Secondly, the afternoon sun proved difficult for family poses and it was hard to capture the moments without squinted eyes and harsh shadows. The venue also didn’t give us much to work with by way of ideal locations for couple photos; but Tim (from Tim Holmes Photography) and I applied a some additional creativity and a little experimentation and despite all these challenges, managed to get some great shots of the lovely couple!

The reception was a striking black and white theme in an alfresco setting beside the pond. This was broken up by the guests’ outfits and the colourful DVDs the wedding couple had thoughtfully created for all their guests.

The mood was festive and as the light faded and the duck pond disappeared into the darkness, I left the wedding party to continue their celebrations into the night.

Links:
The Duck Pond at Welmoed Wine Estate: http://www.duckpond.co.za/
Tim Holmes Photography: http://www.timholmesphotography.co.za/

LLIZANE & NATASHA: WEDDING

THE DATE: SATURDAY, 28th NOVEMBER 2009

THE VENUE: KIRSTENBOSCH GARDENS, NEWLANDS

The photography for this wedding started at the actual ceremony, as the brides were walking down the aisle. It was a gorgeous summer’s day and the clouds hung like cotton balls in the blue sky.

The girls were kitted in custom made dress and suit and made their way down the aisle flanked by black chairs with red ribbons to the archway which was decorated with white drapes and red roses and stood out boldly from the green scenery.

The ceremony was intimate and both bride and bride were bundles of nerves and excitement and were ultimately thrilled to finally be tying the knot after a very bumpy road of wedding planning. There was a beautiful pouring of coloured sand ceremony to signify their union and we got some terrific shots of the created layered glass sandbox.

While the guests gathered on the lawns outside the restaurant having drinks, we took the brides and bridal party off around the gardens for a few photos. We took some fun action shots of the two with their son and later some intimate ones of the couple in the wake of the mountain and used a quaint footbridge as a setting for the classic couple pics.

We later found out that Kirstenbosch Gardens held particular meaning to the couple as it was where they first met and also had their first kiss and had waited a year before Kirstenbosch allowed gay weddings to take place on their grounds.


The happiness that surrounded the couple carried into the reception where it was very clear they were much loved amongst friends and we got some great pictures of them all breaking it down on the dance floor and celebrating the marriage.


Links:
http://www.sanbi.org/

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Emma Jane Photography photoblog! This is an alternative gateway to my world of photography and is currently a work in progress.

Starting off it will encompass all aspects of wedding photography - everything from the venues to the crazy mothers in law! In time I will be adding material on more general photography - human interest, places visited in South Africa, wine estates ... the opportunities are endless!

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For more information visit my website: http://www.emmajanephotography.com/
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