“She buried her ears into the calm of his heartbeat and in a matter of seconds, fell terribly in love with the way her loneliness fell softly and suddenly asleep on his chest.”  – Christopher Poindexter

Oxbow Country Estate Wedding Photography ©www.shantivphotography.co.za 2018

This was not love at first sight.  Liesl did not share Nico’s early affections for her.  It took her quite some time to see him, to see his heart and to lose hers.  It takes a determined and strong man to not give up for months on the girl he sees himself growing old with.  He’ll tell you her meeting his dog finally sealed the deal.  She’ll laugh and deny it.  Her being a huge animal lover, I think he could be onto something here.  While we are on the subject of loving animals:  Being a vegan, I have to mention the fantastic job the kitchen staff at Oxbow did at serving us vegan folk real good vegan dishes.  Thanks guys!

Currently working in Kuwait, these two invited friends from all over the world to share their celebration with them.  They had their wedding at Oxbow Country Estate in Bronkhorstspruit on a lovely winter’s day.  Liesl is elegant and gentle.  This clearly showed in her choice in flowers, decor and then her dress.  Her dress was really amazing!  It traveled all the way from Kuwait to South Africa – no creases.  An impossible feat mastered!  I don’t think I have ever mastered the art of packing any satin without getting a few good creases on there.

Every wedding has those little moments that makes it stand out from the rest.  The moments that you will always remember about that specific wedding.  This was the first wedding I have done were the couple had a ‘first look.’  I thought it was really special.  It’s always the groom’s face that says a thousand words.  But Liesl’s face said just as much.  In that moment I saw a delicateness and her face literally beamed “And… what do you think?”  I saw the excitement of a first date, a first touch, a first kiss – all wrapped up into one moment in time.  Another thing that stood out for me, was Nico’s father’s pure joy for his son.  This man had joy and pride in his son ooze out of him all day long.  His smile lit fires.  His eyes threw sparks.  All of the guests where really joyful souls.  I think I’ll always remember this about this wedding.  The complete joy and purity of heart that was present.

Liesl’s list of fantastic suppliers that I got to work with:

Venue – Oxbow Country Estate

Flowers & Decor – Oopsiedaisy

Dress – Cătălina Fashions (Kuwait)

Groom’s attire – Italian shop (Kuwait)

Bridesmaids – HSC

Flower girls – Nika Couture

Groomsmen – Black Tie

DJ – Cream Cheese

Cinematography – Schoeman Film