Our South African Winery Wedding.
This gorgeous wedding took place at Webersburg Wine Estate – a stunning wine farm not far from Stellenbosch in South Africa. Just over 85 guests from Europe, Canada, Mauritius and South Africa travelled to celebrated the day with Caroline and John. Their beautiful wedding photography was captured by Jules Morgan.
Location: Stellenbosch, South Africa
From: London
Number of guests: 85
Nearest Airport: Cape Town
Our Destination…
When we got engaged we quickly came to the agreement that a wedding in London wouldn’t be suitable. As I have family in the South of France, this also came to mind but the idea of having a civil ceremony before our wedding coupled with the stringent residency rules put paid to that idea. John, my husband, is originally from Stellenbosch and suggested that we have our wedding in his home town to make it a special experience for us and our families and friends.
Planning…
I did all the planning myself: it was such hard work sourcing all of the suppliers, choosing stand-out details all via telephone and email. I was very nervous about booking people that I hadn’t even met for the biggest day of our lives!
My family came out a week before and were all fully involved in the preparations: my Mum and Aunty did the flowers and my bouquet, my cousins helped with the favours and table arrangements. Everyone was so relaxed and happy to be there, not just for the wedding but it felt like we were all on holiday together.
Our Wedding Day…
The day itself was beautiful; the morning rain gave way to a hot, sunny afternoon with a little breeze. I could not fault any of the suppliers that I had booked although I must admit we were both nervous about the band playing our first dance song without having heard them play before. Everything went perfectly and we were even treated to a moonlit boat ride around the lake courtesy of John’s cousins!
We stayed overnight on the farm with 15 of our nearest and dearest. Our caterer had very kindly put a platter of leftovers from dinner and the rest of the cake in our room to enjoy. I had also asked for a few cases of wine to be brought over and the party continued until the early hours. Some even jumped into the pool for a pre-bedtime swim!
Our Honeymoon…
The next day we left for our mini-moon in the Karoo National Park. We spent 3 days doing safari drives around the park, learning about the history of the park, having barbeques while watching the sunset. It was the ideal place to wind-down from the stress of organising the wedding and spend some time with my new husband.
The Perfect Partners
Venue: Webersberg Wine Estate // Dress: Caroline Castigliano (London) // Photographer: Jules Morgan // Hair and makeup: Candice Leigh //Catering: Food Fanatics // Cake: Wades Cakes // Flowers: The Flower Cottage // Hiring: Top Table // Bar and Waitrons: Shake and Serve // Music: Sound Image