Meloti Valley wedding photography

I enjoyed the beautiful drive to Meloti Valley Lodge in Middelburg. It always so nice to get out of town for a wedding.  Jacky and Henk’s wedding was a relaxed party with a close group of family and friends attending. One that I won’t easily forget, not only because of the beautiful surroundings, but also because of the very special and decent people that Jacky and Henk are.

I asked Jacky a couple of questions about their wedding:

How did you meet?
Henk and I were speaking on the phone for about six months before we actually met.  He was the buyer at one of the companies I supplied and we were on the phone with each other numerous times a day checking stock and prices.  One day we finally decided to meet up for “farewell” drinks as he was about to go on holiday.  We ended up going out for dinner and have been inseparable since….

Henk planned the proposal out very well and did a good job of keeping things a surprise.  Weeks before our planned holiday to Thailand he was frantically designing my engagement ring and planning his proposal.  The first night we were in Khao Lak, we went for a walk on the beach during sunset.  Little did I know this was part of Henk’s master plan 🙂  I couldn’t understand why he kept telling me to stop looking for shells and sit with him for a while….until I turned around and there he was on one knee.  Of course I said “Yes” and it was the perfect start to a wonderful holiday and our lives together.

There are so many wonderful memories we have of our wedding day… all our friends and family who could be there to share the special day with us….everyone who gave so much of their time and effort to make the day truly special for us.  A special highlight for us was the surprise bachelor and bachelorette parties our friends and family planned for us the night before, it was really the last thing I expected and was blown away by the thoughtfulness of all the arrangements made and the behind the scenes preparations done by so many people.   Countless thank you’s to everyone there.

The dress
My sister was the “lucky” one who was dragged from one dress shop to another, sweating it out, getting me into one dress after another…until we by chance stopped at GF Bridal in Fourways between two other appointments we had planned for the day.  We started going through the dresses and in the end we both picked out the same dress from opposite sides of the dress rail.  It was a sign….I was in love from the first fitting, but consistent with my indecisive nature I didn’t want to make a decision there and then.  But, after thinking about the dress for the rest of the weekend, and knowing nothing else would come close…I went back on Monday afternoon and bought it there and then.  I am sure my sister had a huge sigh of relief knowing the search was over.

The Flowers
We had the best florist in the world, one who only offers her services to a select few and by contributing her time and efforts to our wedding, we felt truly blessed.  Our florist was the one and only “Oumatjie”
In keeping with our outdoor and natural theme we had square glass vases filled with granny smith apples and green and white flowers.  The final result was perfect and everything I could have dreamed of.  Baie dankie Oumatjie, and the other helpers we had along the way. xx

Highlight of the wedding
There are so many highlights it is difficult to choose only one…. a moment that will always have a special place in my heart was where I saw Henk waiting for me at the altar.  Until that moment I was extremely nervous and because I am shy by nature, I think the thought of being the centre of attention was the most daunting to me.  The moment I saw him and realised this was it, this was our moment, I was overwhelmed by emotion and the tears started streaming down my face.  I knew it was the happiest moment in my life, I was about to marry my “blueprint”.  Nothing I could have imagined would have come close to how truly beautiful and pure that moment was for me.

Was there any drama
hahaha, is there ever a wedding without drama?
Luckily the only thing that really went “wrong” for us was a mix up with the lady doing our wedding cake.  She mistakenly thought our cake only had to be ready on Saturday and not Friday afternoon as requested, as we still needed to transport it from JHB to Middelburg.  So that resulted in last minute scrambles on Saturday morning to get everything sorted and in place.  But luckily everything was resolved and our cake arrived in time.

The Honeymoon
We were looking of an unconventional honeymoon and wanted to get away from the run of the mill beach honeymoon.  So after months of research and changing our minds countless times we finally decided on the Middle East.  We thoroughly enjoyed a once in a lifetime trip to Jordan and Israel.  It was without a doubt the perfect choice for us.

While doing numerous on line searches for photographers, I came across JC’s website.  I can’t tell you exactly what it was that made me sit up and pay attention, but I can tell you that I could see the passion he has for photography come across in the photos he has displayed on his website.  I was sold.  Now, I just had to convince Henk 🙂  After setting up a meeting, he was luckily also very happy and we made the booking with JC  the next day.  I can honestly say we have enjoyed working with JC every step of the way.  He has delivered every promise he has made, has always been prompt and professional with his replies even on my gazillion questions and queries.
The photos he took are of course the highlight and exceeded our every expectation they are truly priceless.  JC, all we can say is thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Glamour Girls in Kempton Park

Hannelie – 0744396278 – hannelienuskin@gmail.com’

DJ Sean Samwell – Mpumalanga – 082 693 0089 or www.djsean.co.za

Where was your honeymoon?

Jordan and Israel

Pretoria wedding Photographer – JC Crafford Photography

JC Crafford Photography is a family owned business, we specialise in wedding photography and wedding videography. We live in Pretoria but will travel to any destination where YOU want to have your special day. We just love the romance and the feeling at a wedding. For us this is the Top job in the world. Read more about our wedding photography and our wedding videography