By: Sean Van Tonder
September 2020
The Covid 19 pandemic has affected the world. One day we were in business, the next day, floods of emails from clients wanting to postpone/cancel the day they have all dreamed about. This has had a huge impact on the wedding industry. Suppliers have had literally no business from the start of lockdown. But we are optimistic that it will pass soon.
To keep our creative minds going and to somewhat “forget” about the impact of the pandemic, some suppliers setup a zoom call and decided on a styled shoot. Planning to a few days, creating mood boards and agreeing to the style of the shoot.
The Venue
Maroupi is a family owned and operated venue dedicated to bringing your wedding or event to life. Our mission at Maroupi is to offer you and your guests a unique, beautiful, natural setting to hold your wedding. We take pride in our service excellence. Our facilities are designed to make your experience feel at home while remaining professional at all times. There isn’t a better place to have your guests catered for, with breath taking views of the Maroupi trademark farm and the hills of Umhlali. This is a place that will indulge and invigorate your senses while you create beautiful and memorable memories of this, your special day. A special thank you to Janine who made it her mission to ensure our team was well looked after.
RECEPTION LOOKS
We are so excited to showcase two intimate wedding reception looks. With the help of Nearest & Dearest and JP Designs, Janine created two trendsetting reception looks. From concept right through to execution, these wedding service providers helped create the most incredible reception inspiration for your big day.
Romantic Blue and White
It is no secret that blue and white is always a winning wedding look. There is something so beautiful about these colours merging together to create an overflow of whimsical delight, and when combined with a pop of copper and chic table accents, the end result is magical! For this reception look, we wanted to have a strong focus on lush florals and striking decor pieces. We are not going to lie, a little understated opulence always makes for a winning reception look. Stationary by JP Design set the tone with their decadent and luxurious textured wedding stationary. Tez the beauty and brains behind Nearest & Dearest certainly outdid herself with a lush floral arrangement complete with textured greenery – certainly paying homage to the landscapes around her. Shades of blue and white were brought to life with pops of greenery all perfectly positioned to create an organic and natural statement arrangement.
Janine certainly brought the heat to this reception look with their fabulous decor pieces. This dynamic team offer their clients a wide variety of decor essentials and their amazing stock caters to all wedding styles, themes and budgets. For this intimate reception look, the stylish decor pieces added the perfect finishing touch. Modern glass candlesticks and floral vases set the tone! A contemporary modernised classic bridal look!
Modern Black & Blush
Often brides are a little hesitant when it comes to using black as a focal decor piece but Janine felt that she wanted to create something different. This modern black and blush wedding reception look focuses on layering textures with beautiful pink flowers and ambient lighting. Achieving the right balance with a black and blush wedding look is all about mastering the perfect blend between romantic and masculine. Soften the look with lighter tones and lush blooms and add depth and height with candles.
For this dreamy reception look, Janine used modern glass underplates complete with pink dinner plates and a much-needed floral underlay. Not only do we love the play on sizes but the little pop of pink highlights the beautiful flowers and candles create a great mood. Modern vases and candle sticks in various sizes, and chic black and gold cutlery add the ultimate stylish statement to this trend setting reception look. Janine included single stemmed pink and peach roses and foraged foliage on the table with a strong focus on interesting textures and tones. This sustainable floral choice allows you to achieve really unique and interesting floral arrangements perfectly highlighted by your stylish decor.
The Bridal Gowns
Amy Hodgson, the owner of Sposabella Bridal Boutique in Umhlanga, is passionate about helping brides find their dream dress and it delights us to see the end result of a happy, radiant and beautiful Bride!
Sposabella is Exclusive KZN stockist of Enzoani Beautiful Collection, Étoile and Sincerity by Justin Alexander. We really want to offer our brides gorgeous dresses of quality fabric & embellishments and the latest on trend styles.
The four dresses used in the shoot are all from the 2021 Étoile collection. Étoile launched in 2020, updating the Beautiful Bridal line from Enzoani. This range has a unique personality all its own with a fresh infusion of elegance and youthful style. Étoile will delight brides with its signature body contouring fit in classic and contemporary silhouettes.
Étoile, French for “STAR”, accentuates each brides own natural brilliance allowing her to shine… exactly what stars are meant to do.
Aimee Bridal Gown
Aimee is romantic and ethereal; perfect for that boho bride. Samantha, our model, looked every bit that fairy tale princess ready to walk down the aisle, on the day of the shoot. With flirty shoulder tulle detailing, a plunging illusion neckline, and exquisite floral embroidered lace this gown is gorgeous from every angle for those picture-perfect moments.
Andromeda Bridal Gown
Want a new version on a classic, vintage gown? Then look no further than Andromeda with her a sculptured neckline and draped Mikado that flatters any shape and size. This gown is effortlessly flawless and will capture the hearts of your guests just like it did with ours at the shoot. The elegance and drama of this gown will make any bride shine bright just like the Andromeda constellation.
Evangeline Bridal Gown
Evangeline is everything dreams are made of and then more. There just aren’t enough adjectives in the English language to describe how beautiful she is. This mermaid gown features both floral embroidered and Chantilly lace with a sculptured hem that brings all the drama and elegance. The romantic off the shoulder straps are detachable creating a versatile element detail. Hope, our model, was stunning coming and going.
Paris Bridal Gown
Paris is the quintessence of sexy. If she isn’t Pinterest dreams come to life, then we don’t know what is. A show stopper in her own right, this gown features delicate, hand-beaded slim straps, sparkling floral embroidered lace, and a signature Étoile sculpted hem. On the day of the shoot, we were inspired by how exquisite and dramatic the train is.
Bridal Beauty
Bridal Makeup
Morgane from Makeup by Morgane Nalson is an amazing artist. Morgane says “I feel my duty as a makeup artist is to not change the way you look with makeup but enhancing your natural beauty to make you feel like the best version of yourself. Throughout the makeup look, I stuck to natural, earthy tones just to accentuate the features of Hope and Samantha. The key to a natural looking bronzed – is to frame the face and skin with a warm glow. Bronzer is a great way to making your skin looking radiant, healthy and to create the illusions of shadows on the skin. Highlighter is my favorite step to giving brides a fresh, glowy, youthful skin”. Amazing work Morgane.
Bridal Hair
Your wedding hair is so important to pull your bridal look together. Shaé from Plush Hair Design did a phenomenal job with the bridal hair! The wedding gown were beautifully complimented with loose bridal curls really drawing attention to the bridal gowns. The sleek, modern bridal look draws your eye to the makeup and creates a fabulous contrast between a full bridal face and sleek hair! Shaé, you are amazing!
Bridal Accessories
In order to pull off an elegant bridal look your bridal accessories need to have the right impact without overshadowing your dream wedding gown. We were lucky enough to partner up with Cristy-Anne Jewellery for a few bridal accessories.
Chisty-Anne Jewellery
Christy-Anne Jewellery explores beauty in simplicity and value in craftsmanship. From everyday life to special moments, each piece is thoughtfully designed with the wearer in mind and lovingly hand-made by Christy-Anne and her team of manufacturers at our studio in Durban.
Behind the Lens
Sean van Tonderis truly a master of his craft. Sean’s style of photography focuses on images being taken using a combination of natural and artificial light. Offering his discerning clientele, a bespoke luxury experience, Sean goes above and beyond to ensure her clients are left with beautiful, editorial images that are timeless. “It was truly an incredible experience watching Sean in action”. ~ Amy.
Vendors
Venue / Flowers/Decor: Maroupi Weddings And Functions www.maroupiweddingvenue.co.za
Decor: Nearest And Dearest Events www.facebook.com/Nearest-and-Dearest-Events
Dresses: Sposabella www.sposabellakzn.co.za
Jewelery: Christy-Anne Jewellery www.christyannejewellery.com
Photos: Sean Van Tonder Photography www.seanvantonder.co.za
Video: Video Occasions www.videoccasions.co.za
Makeup: Makeup By Morgane Nalson www.facebook.com/makeupbymorganenalson
Hair: Plush Hair Design www.facebook.com/plushballito
Stationary: JP Design www.jp-design.co.za
Models: Hope Mbhele and Samantha Penny
