I am so excited to finally be able to share these photos with you! You may remember Nicole & Craig’s Connection Session, which was done just days before their wedding as they were getting married in Stellenbosch but actually reside in Gauteng. The nerves before this wedding were unreal due to the impending will there/won’t there be a lockdown, and are weddings allowed, but it all came together.
As I arrived at Nicole, her sister Andrea had already started her make up. While Nicole sat there peacefully listening to Craig Lucas (one of the calmest brides ever), I got acquainted with their dad’s parrot – who simply had to join the party. I think I can safely say I fully understand how pets become more a part of the family than anything else! Also while Andrea was doing her make up, her little girl kept on coming in to see her Aunt Nicole. From the beginning, Craig and Nicole had made it clear that family is the most important thing to them, and this was made abundantly transparent throughout the day.
Looking at Nicole’s dress, it had a beautiful Grecian feel to it, and when Nicole told me that her favorite memory of her and Craig was during their vacation in Greece, this made complete sense (even if it wasn’t a conscious choice!) Andrea also spoke of how she can see that her sister is truly loved by Craig, and that he has a calming effect on Nicole. After Andrea was done with Nicole’s make up, Sam stepped in to do her hair. Sam turned out to be an old family friend, who even did Andrea’s hair on her wedding day, years before that.
During the getting ready, we still joked about how if Craig didn’t cry or the wrong song was playing, Nicole would turn around and start again – luckily, neither happened! Craig only had eyes for his beautiful bride as she entered the spiral towards the love of her life at Stellenrust Farm, smiled upon by all the family members that were there. These family members were vital in the planning of this wedding, and it would not have come to life if it wasn’t for their efforts.
While “Aunty Desi” was officiating her first wedding, the occasion was also marked by the lighting of candle ceremony – which had to come with some difficulty in the form of a lazy lighter. After the couple said their vows and left to sign the register, all guests came to the front of the venue and before they could seal their marriage with a kiss (they made them wait for it!), the men in the family blessed the couple in a touching prayer ceremony.
As we left to take photos nearby, the family was able to get out of the sun and enjoy their appetizers. Once the reception started, Nicole and Craig had thoughtfully requested for the favorite song of each couple present to be paid, which is just a testament to how much family means to them. Soon, lunch was served, but after that the dancefloor was unofficially opened by a blindfolded Craig(who knew masks could keep out sight as well?), showing off his dance moves as the other “participants” all stood silently on the side.
These dance moves have definitely been inherited by Craig’s sons, as the kids were soon on the dance floor, moving around to every song that came up. But after all the dancing, Nicole & Craig organized an epic exit to nonother than “All I do is win”, after which they (literally) drove off into the sunset, the start of their happily ever after.
A big thank you to RMSCaptured for assisting me on this amazing day!
Parvenu Photography 