A South African wedding at Lourensford Wine Estate

G r e t h e & B e r n a r d

{all images Du Wayne Photography}

Grethe and Bernard got married in December last year. The South African couple had a spectacular wedding at Lourensford Wine Estate, a picturesque wine farm near the Cape Winelands region.

The Meeting…

Grethe and Bernard met during an outreach programme when Grethe was still in high school. At the time, she didn’t pay too much attention to Bernard, who was slightly older and already a university student. However, shortly after the outreach, Grethe graduated from high school and attended the same university as Bernard””and it wasn’t long before the two started dating.

The couple got engaged early in 2013 and married shortly after Christmas.

The Proposal…

When Bernard proposed, Grethe didn’t expect it at all. Bernard, a professional wedding photographer, planned a romantic day for Grethe around the Cape Town region. Due to the overcast weather, the couple couldn’t take the cable car up Table Mountain as Bernard had planned yet they went for a romantic drive along the Camps Bay seafront.

Grethe recalls stopping at a secluded area to snap some photos of the seascape, however they were not the only couple to stop and admire the view. When Bernard asked Grethe to pose for a photograph, he got down on his knee and instead of taking out his camera he held out a ring! The couple that also stopped at the lookout point turned out to be photographers that Bernard hired to capture the moment when Grethe said yes.

Bernard chose a striking 9-carat rose-gold engagement ring for Grethe, which he designed based on what he saw she had liked on Pinterest.

The Dress…

Grethe shopped around a lot before she finally decided to have her wedding dress custom made. The style she chose was a hybrid of all the things she loved in different dresses. Her dress, made by designer Zani Denton, had an exquisite illusion-neckline that consisted of lace carefully selected to match Grethe’s skin tone. Her advice to future brides is to be open-minded when it comes to the wedding dress since you will probably end up choosing a style that is completely different to what you initially wanted.

The Venue…

Grethe and Bernard wanted a beautiful backdrop for their big day. The couple chose the magnificent Lourensford Wine Estate, which is located at the foot of the Helderberg Mountains in the Somerset West region in South Africa. They also chose Lourensford because they felt that the venue didn’t bind them to any theme or style””and Grethe admits that the exquisite chandeliers won her over!

The Theme…

The couple had a beautiful ceremony in a garden located near their reception venue. For both their ceremony and reception, they chose white and different shades of gold as their colour palette.

Since their venue was spacious and quite plain, they wanted striking decor and decided to use bold tablecloths. Their tablecloths were made from a finely sequined, golden fabric””which they eventually found through a company that imported the fabric from the USA.

In order to compliment their striking tablecloths, the couple had an understated and extremely elegant table setting with stylish candleholders and crisp white flowers as their centrepieces.

The Menu…

Grethe and Bernard’s guests were able to enjoy the splendid summer weather as they were served canapés of cold meats, cheese, pickles and dips outside the couple’s reception venue at Lourensford Estate. For the main course, the couple served traditional chicken and leek pie, potato gnocchi, seasonal roast vegetables and salad while their gold and white dessert table boasted with a wide selection of delicate biscuits, cakes and sweet treats.