This post took us to wine country but not stateside, for an extraordinary wedding at a winery in South Africa. Did you know South Africa produces some pretty exceptional wine? Add a day of tasting when in town for your wedding!
Yvette and Aldo’s story is quite an ever-after for the books! After studying abroad in Germany, Yvette returned to Bloemfontein to stay with her parents. During her stay, Yvette’s unremitting sister, Sally, had consistently spoke of her fiancé’s best friend, Aldo, while also speaking to Aldo about Yvette, in hopes of proving that they would be perfect for one another if they would only meet. Finally, when Yvette visited her sister in Cape Town, opportunity arose for the two to meet. After an arranged double date with Sally and her fiancé, Aldo recalled it being “love at first sight”. Although with Yvette returning to Bloemfontein, a relationship was yielded from being pursued right away. However, such chemistry was visible that the two kept communicating. A year later, when Sally’s wedding rolled around, fate had found its way, and fate it was. When Yvette made it to the Cape Town for the wedding, she was Sally’s maid of honor, and a shocking surprise…Aldo was the best man of the groom! Was this a cupid moment or was it just coincidence? The day after the wedding, Yvette and Aldo decided it was not just a coincidence; love was knocking on their doors. After a year of long distance dating, Yvette moved to Cape Town where three months passed and Aldo popped the big question on Yvette’s birthday – yes, an engagement and wedding planning was now in motion!
Yvette and Aldo wed in the midst of Franschloek Mountains, atop a piazza with a spectacular view! With the help of Aleit Wedding Coordination, the wedding was fabulous! It was an intimate affair with twenty guests at the Clouds Guesthouse. When the grand moment approached, Yvette captivated everyone with her champagne-colored dress designed by Albert Gillis, as she stepped onto the aisle, escorted by her father. Aldo also looked charmingly dashing in his Fabiani Suit, as he admired Yvette ascending the steps towards him. It was a magical moment for the couple, but Aldo recalls the most memorable moment of the wedding being their first kiss as husband and wife!
After the ceremony, guests were charmed by the vibes of the Jazz duo as everyone enjoyed one another’s company and the pre-dinner beverages and canapés of mango and duck rolls, chicken satays, and shot glasses of fragrant Thai butternut soup. At a long, beautifully embellished table with assorted glass vases full of vibrant arrangements of bukkara roses, cymbidium orchids, stargazer lilies, and Proteas and single blooms afloat in decorative containers, guests were seated for dining in such an air of royalty. The floral design was for the feasting table created by Flower Floral Design. The charming blend of colors from the table cloth to the flowers to the silver candle holders and vases all set a captivating and oh-so romantic and extraordinary ambiance of this cultured South African wedding!
Yvette and Aldo continued their celebration in Mauritius, where they traveled for their honeymoon full of quad biking, canoeing, mountain biking, skiing, and abseiling.
Congratulations Yvette and Aldo!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Joe Dreyer
