African wedding at Lourensford Estate

October kicked off with a bang! Our usual team of Jo-Lizna and Elandi split up to cover two weddings. Jo-Lizna was at Vrede en Lust (coming soon) and Elandi covered this very special African wedding at Lourensford Estate.

For Afolabi & Debola, originally from Nigeria, it was a hard choice to decide on a wedding location. But eventually Cape Town pipped the south of France for the honours to host their special day. Friends and family from Johannesburg, Nigeria, the USA, London, Spain, Germany, Dubai and India flew in to see Afolabi walk down the aisle of St Georges Cathedral in Cape Town in her stunning timeless lace dress by Rosa Clara.

A wedding reception with exceptional food and wine was at the top of the priority list for our couple and Lourensford Estate in Somerset West ticked all the boxes.  The reception started with a very engaging cocktail hour; a mini wine tasting at the beginning of cocktail hour so guests could experience the uniqueness of the wines at Lourensford, followed by a violinist serenading the guests.

Thereafter the guests were ushered inside for an intimate dinner, with the bride and groom sitting at the center. The bride is a chocolatier and wanted a touch of chocolate in all the desserts. From the macaroons to the wedding cake, guests were sure to have a dose of chocolate!

Waiting at the dinner table, were gift boxes, made by the couples parents.  It was filled with tea-time favourites such as marmalade, jam, honey, tea, tea cups ( inscribed with their wedding monogram), flasks as well as an inspirational daily calendar for each guest.

The couple flew in Morientez to serenade the guests during dinner. As the end of the night grew closer, guests were entertained by a ballerina who started off with the Brides favourite song from Breakfast at Tiffany’s “Moon River” and then ended her performance with the couples favourite Nigerian songs.

After the formalities, Afolabi changed into her second gown made by Nigerian designer Deola Sagoe – a custom and timeless dress that was as simple and elegant as the bride herself.  While the bride was changing outfits, the guests were mingling at the whiskey and bubbly station, and finally treated to a surprise fire performance by Fire Tribe.

The night ended with glow sticks, chocolates, cotton candy, waffles and merry guests.

Photos by Elandi Coetzee & Annerien Nel.