On the morning of the shoot, the clouds were very dark and it seemed like it was going to rain. But lucky for all of us, the weather played along for us to get some lovely pics.

The decor was exceptional. The party, real fun! The food, divine. And the day, blessed. Despite all the intricate details that were planned exceptionally well, by Sarah and Anne Mann, the weather was the one thing they could not control. And as ‘luck’ would have it, it rained. Buckets and buckets came pouring down. But as they say, rain on your wedding day is a blessing. And so we believe it was :)

Their wedding took place at Molenvliet Estate, just outside Stellenbosch, South Africa. The ceremony was followed by a wonderful pre-dinner party with colourful decorations, a fabulous live band and some amazing canapés. Thereafter, the dinner was served inside, under a roof filled with chandeliers and shimmering candle light and gorgeous flower arrangements.

A big thank you to the family, Sarah and Liam for being willing to sand outside, in the cold, for a few scenic family and couple photos :) 

Anneri is one of the sweetest girls I’ve ever met. She is beautiful. Inside and out. She loves pink and is a real girl! Pieter is a real gentleman. By the way he treats Anneri, it is obvious to everyone that he really loves her. They always smile. I know people love to be around them, because they are filled with positivity and joy. With their presence, they never fail to light up a room!

On their wedding day, I had the privilege to meet Anneri’s dad. He was a gentle, kind and loving man. Over the weekend I received a sms from Anneri to say that he unfortunately passed away. I had no words. At that very moment, I was busy editing their photos. Seeing her dad in the photos brought tears to my eyes. As I scanned though all the photos, I realized how these photos brought back happy memories of a very special day that Anneri will always share with her dad. I am so privileged to be a photographer.

My little sister Lydia got married this weekend. Like Lydia said in her speech: ‘My sister and I are very different, but so similar.’ And that is probably the best way to describe us :) Lyds has always been my little sister and those of you who have a younger sister, you will know what I mean. I’ve always felt like I need to protect her, help her and coach her. But this weekend I realized she all grown up. She’s turned into a lady and now a wife!

To spend this day with my sister, as one of her bridesmaids (and not photograph the wedding), was one of the best decisions I could have made. To photograph a wedding is a great honor, but to walk down the aisle with your little sister is something very special. Even though my eyes were filled with tears, my heart was bursting with joy for her. She found the perfect man for her and I know they will be very happy.

I would like to thank two very special people (apart from my mom, dad, all the bridesmaids and people who helped with the setup). Catherine Mac (my sister’s photographer) and Alicia Buckle the amazing make-up artist. We can’t wait to see the photos Catherine…I see she already uploaded a little sneak peak! :)

Here is the only photo I took of the whole day! An iPhone picture on our way to the church :)

Ps to see Lyds’ kitchen tea photos, visit ThePrettyBlog.com

for more information and to support Caine, visit cainesarcade.com

These words make me want to jump up and down. Do my happy dance. Write down all my goals and then start ticking them off. And then I can’t help but wonder, what keeps us from doing the things we really want to? or always wanted to do?

I believe we get caught up in what we call ‘life‘. But have you ever considered ’life’ doesn’t have to be like that? You have the power to choose. Sure crappy stuff happens, like our break in in December, but am I going to let it get to me in such a way that it puts me back? (ok, maybe the first month I was a bit down, but now I’ve put it behind me and I’m moving on)

We have the power to choose our attitude. We have the power to choose our friends. We have the power to choose how we view the world. In each one of us lies tremendous amounts of creativity. And by creativity, I mean creative ideas. You might not be the best painter. I sure am not. But I’m sure you can think of creative ways to keep the kids busy. Make them smile. I’m sure you can think of a creative idea to make your spouse/partner feel loved? I’m sure you can think of a creative and innovative business idea? I’m sure you can think of a creative way to use all the left over ingredients in your kitchen to make a yummy meal. I’m sure your much more creative that you ever thought you were!

And through all these random ramblings, what I’m trying to get to, is live your life to the fullest. Stop comparing. Each one of us is different. Have different abilities. Are blessed with different talents. Use what you have to make this world a better place. And dream. Never stop dreaming!!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Marianne Williamson

Why not make that list of goals/dreams? One of my biggest dreams is to photograph weddings in the followings locations. (I’m just putting it out there :)

• A beach in the Maldives
• The Dunes of Dubai
• The city of New York
• Hawaii
• Somewhere in Brazil
• Somewhere in France
• Italy
• Spain/Majorca
• Hong Kong
• Australia
• Bali
• Can I add Mexico to the list too? Why not!! :)

Photo from Apartment Therapy

Iaan and our friend Sergio has been working on this WordPress plug-in for months! The plug-in will make it easy for any blogger to link back to vendors/service providers/people you worked with etc. The plug-in is absolutely free (if you’d like to send the boys a little donation, there is an option to do so :)

Check out the video below and if you like what you see, you can download it on the KIKI website. Enjoy!

Iaan and I met up with the couple at their hotel and celebrated an emotional filled ceremony with just the two of them and the minister, surrounded by the Cape Town mountains and over looking the Atlantic ocean. After the ceremony we jumped in the car and chased the sunset to Llandudno beach, to take a few pictures on the beach before the sun disappeared. Lucky for me the Nikon D3S has very high ISO capabilities, because we made it just in time :)

Yesterday was one of those moments where I realized once again that I have such an amazing job. I get to meet wonderful couples from all over the world. Have the privilege to capture the most special moments, in one of the top destinations in the world. I’m blessed.

I specially put this slideshow together for all their friends and family in Adelaide, Australia that couldn’t share the day with them. I hope you enjoy it.

Selena and Sam, you guys rock!

Hair & Make-up by Helga Bridal

This is part 2 of Wouter and Betina’s exquisite wedding! If you haven’t seen part 1, you can view it here. As well as their slideshow here.