Tag Archives: Flower Girls

There is only one word to describe Suzi and Steve’s wedding perfectly… EPIC!! Think a bevy of Scotsmen in full regalia, a breathtaking Grecian style creation of a wedding dress, a flurry of cherubic flower girls… Think a dazzling array of exquisite Fleur le Cordeur floral creations, meters of a gorgeous, candlelit layed tables, Le Franschhoek Hotel’s views over the mountains at sunset… Think a custom designed and installed nightclub, oysters, a marimba band and magician to entertain the guests… All this perfectly put together by the amazing team at Wedding Concepts with a vision to make Suzi and Steve’s day unforgettable. This gorgeous couple became a new family on this day and sumptuous surroundings and details aside, it was so clear to see their joy. That is really what’s epic. It’s what makes me so grateful that I get to do this wonderful job. Uncountable thanks go to my official second shooter for the day Kristi Agier – thank you for helping me tell their story – and trusty right hand gal Illyan Cloete for assisting like a pro! I would not have made it without you girls Suzi and Steve, thank you so much for choosing me to be there with you… To see more photos for their two pre-events have a peek here.

What an incredible treat it was to shoot the gorgeous Bianca and James’ wedding in Plettenberg Bay. Such a wonderful couple and a stunningly different area for me – it was like a breath of fresh air! They got married in the wine cellar of the lovely Bramon Wine Estate which is totally my kind of venue Beautiful, friendly and fun/modern/wine farmy! The guests tables at the reception were even tucked in between the vines – love it! Everyone made us feel so welcome so far from home Bianca got ready at the breath-taking Trogon House and Forest Spa high up in the forest canopy – all I can say is ‘Wow!’ Jamie and his guys were trimmed, combed and groomed at Bianca’s dad’s barber shop in Knysna The Men’s Club. Awwwwesome place with heaps of retro charm! Their whole day really had the perfect heart to it –  full of friends, lots of laughter (see the photo booth pics here!!), bottles of Bramon bubbles and barber-shop beers – what a happy celebration!! And how are those shoes???

Alweri & Konrad had the most gorgeously colourful wedding at the stunning Beloftebos just  outside Stanford. They had such a happy, upbeat colour palette of purple, red and green and, would you believe it, even nature chose to share in the colourful joy with the new spring green leaves and carpets of purple flowers in the surrounding fields – amazing! I just LOVED shooting at Beloftebos – the ancient heart of trees set in a beautifully pastoral landscape. Quite unique! And did you see the boutonnieres and matching stripey socks? Love Enjoy the pics of these two – such a perfect fit together…

I got to know Lloy-Ann through the (many!) visits to our Doctor’s rooms where she works as the medical receptionist. I was forever traipsing sick kids in and out and she was always so understanding and forever smiling through it all! So when she told me she was getting married and wanted me to take the photos I felt it was definitely my chance to say thanks for all her patience Lloy-Ann and Angelo, you guys are so gorgeous together and I know there are so many happy years ahead of you two! I hope you love the photos tx

Family weddings are THE BEST and getting to shoot them is just such an honour! Jess (my gorgeous youngest cousin) and Rhodes got married at our old school St Anne’s, on a crisp Natal winter’s day in the heart of the snowy Midlands. This one was a wedding to remember…

The day before we had scouted the venue and roamed the countryside finding waterfalls, flower strewn meadows and breathtaking vistas for the couple shoot -well, fate had other plans… They came in the form of a tetchy pregnant Nguni cow (with horns – big ones!!) who, on the wedding day, took an instant dislike to us tramping through her field and proceeded to charge us down – scattering bride, groom, cameras and brave assistants (thanks Dons!). Rhodes, what a gentleman , created a human shield while us screaming girls ran for cover! Jess, that man’s a keeper!! There really are only so many couples who will take this in their stride and be just as happy to have their couple shoot in the cow pen as they would have been in front of a cascading waterfall – what more can I ask for! Well, I actually ADORE the cow pen photos and can’t wait to tell the story of their day here… (I may also need to mention the crazy horse that stole and downed the Best Man’s beer while we were shooting the bridal party photos – it’s like the Wild West and I’m not making any of this up!).

The day was put together with effortless ease and attention to detail by Faye from Poetry Weddings (so lovely working with you ) and hosted at Nicolson’s Country Cafe by Jess’ chef brother Jonty – a rising culinary star! The flowers were all done by family and friends and the beautiful cake was crafted by my other aunt Sharon McKenzie – such a wonderful family affair! Enjoy the photos…

Nicky & Marc were married at South Hill on a crisp autumn afternoon among the vines. When we first started talking about what they wanted, in terms of the wedding photography, it was clear straight away that their gorgeous kids were also going to be the stars of the show! Relaxed, casual and very family friendly were the order of the day – not too much looking at the camera, posey posing! I love this kind of wedding so much – it’s all about the details, the smiles, the tears and the small moments… p.s Don’t you just love her shoes?!

Some extra second shoot photos… See the divine work of principle photographer Christine Meintjes. Enjoy tx

I’ve just been going over some work I’ve done this year as a second shooter and thought it may be worth it’s own post. Second shooting isn’t something I’ve done much of, but when Christine Meintjes emailed me to see if I was free to help with some weddings I jumped at the chance – Christine, as I am sure you all know, is something of a force in the wedding photography scene of South Africa – a force of creativity,  the ideas and cogs behind umpteen business initiatives, mentoring programs and the fantastically useful Kiki – an industry-galvanising website that aims to help and inspire photographers through open forum and available resources to build and promote their own businesses. It also helps that Christine and her husband Iaan are some of the most super and delightful people you’ll ever meet Apparently you can have it all

So with camera in hand I wandered, a little blind, into the world of second shooting – and I’m telling you now that it’s not for the faint hearted! I had wrongly assumed this may be somewhat of a stress-free way to shoot more weddings, but what I hadn’t figured on is that it’s a totally different ballgame to what I’m used to, shootings weddings for myself!

Second shooting is all about trying to find a different approach – sure, a lot of it is carrying bags (which I have done plenty of in my days of assisting!!), cleaning and changing lenses, carrying drinks and keeping out the way while staying in armshot – but more than that it’s about trying to find another angle that the principle photographer isn’t covering, ferreting out details they wouldn’t have time to shoot, catching granny at her best and the kids at their cutest, shooting the bridesmaids while they aren’t looking, capturing the behind-the-scenes action and tears quickly wiped away before anyone’s seen them… And all this while paying 100% attention to what your photographer needs now and what she may need in 5 minutes – which lenses are likely to be needed next, how many memory cards do you have left for her and have you been keeping tabs on how far along she is with the one she’s using? – she can’t miss that vital shot when her card’s run out and you are snoozing!

For anyone looking to second shoot, I think it’s important to make the distinction between being a help for your photographer and creating more work for your own portfolio. This isn’t about your portfolio – sure, you have an invaluable opportunity to work with people that have a wealth and depth of knowledge that far outstrips your own, and will hopefully help to inform your future picture taking – but rather it’s about augmenting their work for the day and just being plain helpful! My advice for you would be to rest up – it’s going to be a busy day! And smile! A lot! You are really going to enjoy it!