This amazing wedding was at Holden Manz Wine Estate, Franschoek in the Western Cape. Franschoek is historically very important in South Africa as this is the town where the French Hugenots settled way back in the 1600’s to escape religious persecution at the time. Some of the Hugenots brought with them vine saplings from the French winegrowing districts around Bordeaux. Some of those historical vines still produce wine-making grapes. The ‘terroire’ being similar to that of parts of Bordeaux, France, these ancient vine wines have put South Africa on the world map as a wine producing country of excellence. Since many of our wine estates are beautifully situated amongst magnificent mountainous areas, these wine estates have also expanded into the hospitality industry by establishing wedding venues on their premises.
The location was absolutely beautiful set amongst lush vineyards against the backdrop of the Great Drakenstein Mountain range which was responsible for magnificent views all around. On top of that the gardens in which the actual wedding venue is set, had the most incredible ancient trees dating back to the time of the French Hugenots. Finding a super spot to take photographs was easy because everywhere I looked, there were these stunning picture perfect hot spots, options galore!
I was second shooter to my colleague on the day of the wedding. My job was to focus predominantly on the Groom and his groom’s men on the day. Unbeknown to me, the groom, Alex and all his groom’s men, were French speaking with hardly any English speaking capability. We managed to communicate via hand gestures and had an absolute blast because we were laughing so much. At one time I had to show them pics on Pinterest on my cell phone in order for them to understand what I was trying to communicate to them. It really was hilarious, no ice breakers needed at all. Alex was on a study/business trip to South Africa when he met his South African bride, Fiona. And, as only the French can do it, it was love at first sight.
I must say, this wedding was one of the most fun wedding photography days I have ever experienced. Most probably, having to communicate via Pinterest and strange hand gestures, added to the great fun which was had by all! Everybody had fun! Lots of wine was served but nobody got rowdy. On top of it all, we had the best time of day to do the photography, towards the end of the day when natural light is at its best. The sunset illuminated the mountains exquisitely which gave a fairytale kind of look to a few of the photos, the iconic one being when the couple were saying their vows, the receding sun lit up the trees almost magically. Célébrer la vie et l’amour!
