Melissa + Adam’s Wedding: 2/12/2010 – My 2010 wedding season couldn’t have started any better than with Mel and Adam‘s memorable day last Friday. Not only are these two insanely in love with each other, but they have a group of amazing family and friends that care so much about them.
We started the day at a nearby hotel capturing Mel and the girls getting ready, followed by photos of Adam and the guys re-getting ready at the church’s men restroom :). The church that they go to must be one of the most modern and biggest ones I’ve ever seen!
The night was filled with so much emotion; the toasts from Mel’s sister and Adam’s brother were memorable to say the least. Then we had a blast partying the night away with some killer dance music and yes, guitars from the DJ/MC, Curtis Whipple. Special thanks to my past groom and now wedding photographer Austin Kurtz for flying all the way out from Chicago to assist me, what a trooper he was! And a big congrats to Mel + Adam. I’ll be seeing these crazy kids again next Wednesday for their day after portrait session, woohoo!
Liesl + Greg’s Wedding: 12/21/2009 – Before saying goodbye to South Africa back in December, I second shot for the third time in a four-day span with Christine Meintjes. Although all the weddings I worked with her was incredibly beautiful (the venue, flowers, details…everything!), each one was so unique and different from the others. Liesl and Greg were such kind and thoughtful people. It’s no surprise their amazing day right along the coast of Cape Town was filled with so much love and joy.
I shot Greg and his brothers getting ready and even had a chance to chat with them before the ceremony started. Within minutes, the family was calling me by my first name, asking how I was doing, and just treating me like part of the wedding. You couldn’t be happier for two people like Liesl and Greg! Although I met them on their wedding day, I truly felt like I’ve known L + G for a while.
And once again, extra special thanks to Christine for inviting me to shoot three ever-amazing weddings with her and also to Iaan for showing Nancy and me all around Stellenbosch/Cape Town. It was truly an experience of a lifetime, one I’ll never forget. See you guys in Vegas at WPPI!
Cari + Lawrence’s Wedding: 12/19/2009 – Could I just second shoot for Christine Meintjes at every one of her weddings? Not only does she totally rock, but all her couples and weddings are off the charts! No wonder she has a blast doing what she does :). After shooting Getha and Llewellyn’s wedding on the coast of Jacobsbaai, we drove back to Stellenbosch for Cari and Lawrence’s the following day. And boy was Stellenbosch beautiful! It’s also Christine’s home. If I were her, I wouldn’t do anything else but photograph awesome couples everyday in that city. Seriously!
While Christine and her sister, who came along to assist us, were shooting Cari and the girls, I hung out at the Hidden Valley Estate venue to capture the guests arriving and details of the day. I met Lawrence literally an hour before the start of the ceremony, and let me tell you, I haven’t seen a smile on a groom as big as his. He greeted me with open arms and treated me like I was an old friend. Thank you Lawrence and to your beautiful wife Cari for inviting me to your special day.
Be sure to also check out Christine’s post on Cari and Lawrence’s wedding. She got some KILLER portrait and detail shots. KILLER I say, KILLER! :) Stay tuned for photos from the grand finale, third wedding I second shot with Christine in the next week or so. If you live anywhere close to South Africa, run, don’t walk to Christine’s house and do whatever you can to second shoot with her. She’s just that awesome!
Getha + Llewellyn’s Wedding: 12/18/2009 – After photographing Vasti and Pieter‘s wedding in Pretoria, South Africa last month, Nancy and I hoped on over to a plane to Cape Town. We we greeted with open arms and smiles from South Africa’s very best wedding photographer Christine Meintjes and her partner in crime/web guru Iaan van Niekerk.
It’s so amazing how one thing leads to another. Christine was so nice enough to let me second shoot not one, not two, but three weddings with her while I was in South Africa. Not only that, but she’s also the most giving photographer I’ve ever met, sharing her business and knowledge with me. Both her and Iaan were just SO awesome to hang out with. Also, special thanks to Christine’s colleagues Nastassja and Adri for picking us up at the airport. Nancy and I felt like we were meeting up with old friends the whole time we hung out with everyone.
For the first wedding, Christine, Iaan, and I headed out to the Western coast of South Africa, about a 2-hour drive from Stellenbosch/Cape Town area, called Jacobsbaai. There we had an unbelievable time photographing Getha and Llewellyn’s beach wedding. It was already amazing meeting Christine and Iaan for the very first time literally the morning of this wedding, but then meeting Getha and Llewellyn also for the first time at their wedding and being treated like a family and friend, it simply didn’t get any better!
The venue, details, and attires everyone wore were beautiful. But what I loved the most was how Getha and Llewellyn opened up their hearts to their small group of loved ones. It was the little things throughout the day that I enjoyed so much about their wedding. I can literally go on and on and on about G + L’s magical day. Not to mention it was so much fun working with Christine and Iaan, thanks guys for everything :). Please enjoy the silly video clips and photos for now! Also, be sure to check out Christine’s blog post for super yummy photos from Getha and Llewellyn’s big day…
