Alexandra and Andrew’s glorious destination wedding blended extraordinary ocean vistas with the vibrant colours and rich local flavours of Cape Town.
Alexandra and Andrew decided on Cape Town as the location for their wedding celebration after a search that also took in venues across the UK. In part, Cape Town won the day because Andrew grew up in South Africa and has close family ties there, but another factor was that they both know and love the city. Alexandra says: “It is a place close to both of our hearts and we have very special memories there”. In a region known the world over for amazing landscapes, culture and hospitality, they were spoilt for choice when it came to choosing a venue. After considering the Winelands and a variety of other locations, they decided on Tintswalo Atlantic.
This stunning boutique hotel located down a private road in Table Mountain National Park has views over the Atlantic Ocean and Sentinel Mountain. “We were able to get married directly overlooking the beach, making this a stunning backdrop for photography and videography,” says Andrew. “We could also hire the whole venue to ensure total privacy – something that was very important to us”.
Another factor in their decision was that the hotel offered superb accommodation for family and friends, many of whom were travelling long distances to celebrate with them. With individually designed oceanfront suites, and vistas over the bay from every function room, this was a place just designed for a relaxed party. “It meant we could host family and friends altogether the night before the wedding for the rehearsal dinner and on the night of the wedding.”
Alexandra and Andrew had a clear idea of the theme of the day. Alexandra says: “We wanted the ceremony to be a celebration of local colours, with flowers such as proteas in the wedding bouquets and table decoration.” A key feature was a floral ceiling, using a palette of pale pink and blue, lilac and white hanging orchids.
Blended with hints of gold, these colours were carried through the other key elements of the design, including place-name cards and dessert table. There were also distinctively African references. Rather than numbers, each table was assigned a vintage safari animal drawing to identify it.
As anyone who has visited the Cape Town region can testify, food is a real star and for Alexandra and Andrew this was central to the whole celebration. Alexandra says: “We chose a seafood tower and oyster station to start, with mixed canapés. Then we featured South African dishes, expertly put together by Chef Guy, including kudu, ostrich fillet and dukkah-crusted tofu with rooibos sweet potato.”
Wedding Sourcebook
Photography: Shanna Jones; shannajones.com
Venue: Tintswalo Atlantic; tintswalo.com/atlantic
Flowers: Heike Hayward from Fleur Le Cordeur; fleurlecordeur.co.za
Cake: Wade from Wades Cakes; wadescakes.co.za
Bridal make-up: Algria Ferreira; instagram.com/algriax
Bridal hair: Kevin Epstein; kevinhairguru.com
Videography: Ian Badenhorst; visiononfire.co.za
