The Most Lavish Wedding At Val De Vie
Val De Vie
Think luxury, think over the top, think helicopters, ballet dancers, french champaign, polo match… the list goes on! Sebastien and Fatuma’s wedding at Val De Vie was definitely the grandest and highest budget wedding that I have seen at South Africa’s foremost Polo Estate.
For Sebastien, a high flying French banker and Christiana (Fatuma) from Angola, it was love at first sight. Our groom pulled out all the stops to make their wedding day the most memorable day of their lives. Sebastien and the boys got ready at the newly built Villa’s at Val de Vie. It was the first time that I did preparations there and I must say, I was very impressed with the modern and clean lines, the decor and furnishings. But what impressed me most was the amount of light these villas let in – a photographers dream! Just have a look at how sauve these gentlemen looked in their tailored Tom Ford Suits! Actually, everything Sebastien wore was bespoke and mostly Tom Ford, even the shoes, cuff links, shirt – you name it!
Christiana and the girls also got ready at Val de Vie. You’ve probably seen a lot of bridal preparation shots at this house, but it never seizes to impress me. Our Bride and her bridesmaids arrived in a brilliant white vintage Bentley, but only after the boys landed, James-Bond-Like, in a helicopter, while the guests already seated for the ceremony, looked on. But wait there is a lot more wowing to come!
Photos by Stefan Steenkamp & Jaun Pierre Buys.
Zarazoo Wedding from ZaraZoo Cine on Vimeo.
Most Luxurious, Lavish Wedding in South Africa
The outdoor ceremony was very emotional and sweet and ended off with Sebastien pledging his life to his bride. A series of printed signs were flipped over while Christiana’s favourite song was played in the background.
After the ceremony, guests were treated to a polo match while the French champagne flowed and the most appetising canapés were served. Our couple opted to have their couple shoot the next day. So we had a bit more time to cover the decor of the reception hall. Well yes, we needed a lot of time, as there was so much to take photos of! Just the flowers alone, done by Fleur le Cordeur, ran into 6 figures!!! I have to stop here and give credit to the coordination team of The Event Planners!
Niki and Madri did an outstanding job to organise this wedding – take into account that neither bride or groom live in SA and that neither of them speaks English as a first language. Kudos to them! I guess this is where their experience in the wedding industry came in! Seriously, – I do not know a lot of other planners that could pull off an event of this magnitude so flawlessly!
The reception was amazing! Sebastien and Christiana just did not stop wooing each other! First, there was the company of classical ballerinas, then an insane physical performance by a duo of acrobats. This was followed by jugglers and by Christiana and her girls giving Sebastien a private rehearsed dance. The food was out of this world and the cake… OMW… where do I start? It had 9 tiers and was made by the cake wizards from Wades Cakes!
And for a spectacular end to a jam-packed day, Sebastien treated his new wife to a romantic fire show. This was display by the very talented fire dancers of FireTribe.
Photoshoot with Cheetahs!
Oh yes, how dare I forget the unusual shoot request for the next day. I must say, I was a bit nervous to incorporate real live Cheetahs into the post-wedding shoot the next day. Not only have I never been so close to a big cat, but also nor did I know how our couple would handle it. To top it, the extremely windy conditions outside meant we had to do the whole shoot with the cheetahs indoors. Just imagine being confined in a room with two killer cats! Well, it was not so bad in the end. I must say these two kitties were very well behaved – they must have had a decent meal before they got there. But one thing is certain, while my one eye looked through the lens, the other one kept a close eye on their every move…
Top Wedding Photographers in South Africa
If you liked this Wedding at Val de Vie, then have a look at a few others we have covered there recently:
- Spring – Thembi & Tando
- Summer – Ebun & Segun – Wedding Concepts
- Summer – Kara & Dirk – The Aleit Group
- Early Summer – Pontsho & Luthando
- Early Summer – Dincer & Tammy
- Summer – Tendai & Shari – The Aleit Group
- Val de Vie Venue Review
- Top Billing Wedding @ Val de Vie
Val de Vie is one of the top Wedding Venues in the Cape. If you are venue hunting and want to see more venues like these in the Cape Winelands, follow this link to the Paarl Venues listed in the Pink Book Wedding Directory.
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