Loosely translated, the Afrikaans word kuier, in English, translates to the word visit, but it means much more than just that.

In fact, kuier is more about a gathering of family and friends; usually around a fire, with icy cold beers, good food and wholesome conversation.

Actually, kuier is the type of experience that leaves you with a warm smile on your face, when you reminisce on the day and makes you realise that you should kuier more often.  Well, that is exactly how we felt when leaving Bernice's and Nic's wedding.

I know I mention it all the time, but, Bernice's and Nic's wedding was just so extraordinary. They opted to have their intimate ceremony out on a deck, overlooking the Roodeplaat Dam.

 

There were fire urns, couches on the lawn, blankets, cold beers, hospitable guests and lots of delicious food. 

Whilst a wedding is not normally part of a kuier, I reckon Bernice and Nic may have just upgraded kuier to a new level.

It's miserably cold on this side of the world and I have three little midgets nagging me as to when we will be making our pizza, so I am going to make the post short and let the images speak for themselves.

A BIG thank you to Nic and Bernice - I, personally, would have skipped Roxette for such a special kuier! ;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the reaction Bernice received from Nic's sister when she walked down the aisle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fluffy little guest propped up by this little girl so that he too could get a glimpse of the ceremony.

 

 

 

I absolutely love this one above, probably my favourite image to date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I awoke on the morning of Kath's and Carl's wedding day I almost shed tears, as there was a horrible misty drizzle - the type of rainfall that is usually confined to the UK, or Cape Town.   It was a continuous downpour of small measly drops, with no peak, no ebb, no thunder.   You know, the kind of rain you'll resign yourself to the fact that it will linger the entire day. I kept checking the skies in the hope that it would clear, but, to no avail.  Cloudy and overcast is OK - but please no rain.

As I arrived at Kath's home, her bridesmaids were doing exactly that; continuously scanning the gloomy heavens and providing Kath with optimistic forecasts, such as how a certain teeny-weeny gap of lighter raincloud was a definite sign that it would clear. It seems that all our hoping actually paid off, because just following the ceremony, the rainfall stopped and we had beautiful, fluffy clouds right on cue.  Perfect!

What a blast and what a bash!  There are so many amazing moments to share, so here's a small selection of my personal favourites.

Oh, actually, before I commit this post, I simply have to disclose something, which may even be helpful for other photographers who may read this blog.  Years back, through some obscure website, I read that when a couple kiss, the female, almost 90% of the time, tilts her head to the RIGHT, so ever since then, I've always applied this statistic at each of my weddings.  Please do not ask me where, or from which blog/website, I obtained this handy hint, as I can not even remember my children's' names at the best of times.

 
Anyway, during the ceremony, as I am anticipating "The Kiss", you will find me tilting my head to the right, in an attempt to mimic the brides position and work out the best possible point I should be at to capture the moment.

Well, I am about to reveal an important detail about Carl and Kath (enter drum roll),.... they do not fall into that 90% group, since Kath tilts her head to the LEFT. As you can imagine, this quirk entertained us throughout our portrait shoot, so there wasn't any need to say smile (or cheese), as I think Kath and Carl laughed throughout the entire exercise.

Before my ramblings come to a close, I have to say a HUGE thank you to Carl and Kath, for being so much fun to hang around with and allowing us to be part of this very special day.

 

 

 

Flowers by Fields of Colour

 

 

 

 

The groom usually throws on a suit and is ready to go. I found the next series quite amusing as you do not just throw on a white dress...It is quiet a process.

 

 

 

 

First you need to find an entrance route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then you need to navigate your way through with out smudging your make-up.

 

 

 

 

Bride coming through........made it! 

 

   Then there is the puffery of the layers and finding the button to pin up the dress.

 

  

Followed by buttoning the dress and the application of the veil, which may cause some discomfort.

 

  

 

 

...and finally the looks of approval.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kath's dad just before she walked down the aisle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am the type of person that will walk into someone's home and meticulously view all the photos on display.  Rude?  Maybe?   But, I really do love looking at photographs.

There is something sacred and meaningful about them.  Looking at photos from the 80s with all the dodgy haircuts; the holiday by the sea; looking at the scattered toys in the background; recognising a few being the exact same ones we had when we were small; looking at the outfits, the expressions on faces and remembering things you never want to forget.

I felt just like that upon entering Una's and Matt's wedding, as there were loads of pictures in the reception area.  Images of great-grandmothers and grandfathers, giving us an insight into their background, how much the kids have changed and grown and how these two families are now unifying, with a new chapter ahead of them - that of Una and Matt.

Think bright flowers.   Think of a groom playing the saxophone .  Think down-to-earth and genuine. Una's and Matt's wedding was awesome in every sense.

 
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share your day with you and to have had the privilege of documenting it.

 

 

 

A neighbour put together these beautiful flower arrangements, are they not just too gorgeous with all those colours?

 

 

 

 

My first pair of Jimmy Choo's!

 

 

 

 

 

Matt and Una chose to read their own wedding vows.

 

Little guests doing what they do naturally best.

 

 

 

 

 

Wow!   It's that time of year again and I'm only a couple of weeks shy of the end of my crazy, busy season,  so, fingers crossed, things should start slowing down now.

I am super-excited to announce that RE.INVENT III is on the cards, which is a photography workshop that I will be hosting with the master himself....enter drumroll... Mr... Dror.... Eyal.

This time around, we have incorporated some extras, so RE.INVENT III should be bigger and better.  With the purpose of accommodating the bigger aspect, the workshop will be extended by one more day.

It aims to teach,  inspire,  rejuvenate and restore.  We would love to see you there, so if you are interested in joining us, please click here.

 

 

 

When Stella and I arrived at Bamboeshoek farm, we were besotted with the place. 

Hendrien had spent a lot of time on her uncle's farm, so it really was the perfect location for family, friends and the couple themselves to get together.  A barn, that usually houses sheep, was converted into the perfect wedding reception...insert sigh.

The sighs, ooohs and aaahs just kept on rolling out.

The décor, the details, their love story, the quaint setting on the farm, the charming groom, the beautiful bride; everything was just awesome. Insert more sighs.

Hendrien, who is a TV sports presenter, explained that because both herself and Cliffe are always in the spotlight (Cliffe being a famous cricketer), she wanted us to focus more on the day and the story itself, as opposed to mere photographs of the two of them. So I have tried doing just that during the selection process for this blog post.  But, it's been pretty difficult, when you have a gorgeous couple amid such an awesome setting.

I truly hope that these photos, in some measure, do succeed in portraying the wonderful atmosphere we experienced.  Thank you, Hendrien. Thank you, Cliffe. It was an absolute delight to photograph your nostalgic wedding.

THE MENU ON THE WALL: Each individual meal was homemade by an individual resident of Lady Grey and then dished up by that respective cook. Nothing beats a home-cooked meal made with love.

 

 

For Hendrien's and Cliffe's very nearest and dearest, Hendrien herself compiled picture-framed personalised messages for each and every single guest! Do I hear a sigh?

 

 

 

Hendrien's dress was made with 70-year-old antique lace.

 

Yes, the bouquet on the left also received huge ooohs and aaaahs, plus the odd sigh.

 

 

 

Hendrien and Cliffe arranged it that their pics would be taken before the ceremony, which meant that we had loads of time to photograph the two of them in Lady Grey. I simply had to post these, as they represent the first glimpse Cliffe managed to see of Hendrien in her dress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cliffe drove to the church in the car that Hendrien learnt to drive in, which is a Toyota Corolla 1.8. You can see the car was custom-made to accommodate Cliffe's physique... ;-) 

 

 

 

This is the reaction Cliffe received arriving at the church in the stylish Toyota Corolla.....1.8. I may add... there's no respect these days for an artisan-made automobile.

 

The flower girls arrived in the bakkie that Cliffe used for their first date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the overseas viewers, troukoek is wedding cake in Afrikaans. 

 

.....and, yes, ladies that's him...Ryk Neethling and he's gorgeous and, to top it all, down-to-earth in real life ...I know it's a tough job photographing people.