South Africa is a top wedding destination, with many beautiful venues to choose from. From outdoor wine farm weddings to beautiful hotels with big banquet halls, there is no shortage of traditional options. For the couple with a sense of adventure, there are unique options as well.
Here is our list of unique wedding venues to make your day stand out.
De Hoop Nature Reserve
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Getting married outside may be cliché but there is nothing boring about having your wedding in one of the country’s most spectacular nature reserves. This is an especially good choice for nature lovers, who would welcome the singing of the area’s birds and rippling of the water alongside their ceremony.
There are options as to where exactly in the reserve you’d like to have your wedding, so it can be tailored to your taste. Choose to say “I do” under a beautiful Fig Tree, alongside the Reserve’s 19km vlei or an indoor wedding in a rustic “shed” venue.
The area’s pristine white sand dunes also make for a great backdrop for those important wedding photos.
Backsberg Wine Estate
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Wine estates are not usually a particularly unique option but Backsberg offers something unlike most others, the option to get married in a cellar among the massive wine barrels. Wine lovers, this one is for you.
Walk down the aisle as guests sit on either side as the huge old oak barrels tower over the ceremony and chandeliers give the scene a warm glow. Although pretty big, the set-up of this cellar makes for a cozier feel and more intimate ceremony.
The Zeitz MOCAA
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Arguably the most striking building in Cape Town, the Zeitz MOCAA is a great museum wedding venue option for art and architecture lovers alike. You can have your ceremony on the roof with Table Mountain framed by the polygon windows behind you while your guests sit on the glass ceiling of the museum’s main chamber.
Hold your reception in the dining room of the hotel’s restaurant and dine on world-class food by their chef.
Greater Kruger National Park
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Bush weddings, while available across the country, are a truly South African choice. While many offer a wedding venue in their lodge which is beautiful, getting married right in the bush is truly unique.
Some game reserves outside of Kruger National Park, such as Timbavati, offer the unique experience of having the ceremony outdoors in a dry riverbed on the reserve. These kind of venues get you right into the bushveld and offer the opportunity for some local wildlife to pass as you say your vows.
Table Mountain
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This is for the venue for a true Capetonian couple as nothing is closer to the city’s heart than its mountain. The mountain boasts six different wedding venue options, both outside and inside, that look over the city from this magnificent peak.
Guests and the wedding party will make their way up to this incredible spot on the cable car, taking in the view as they prepare to celebrate your big day. The Table Mountain function team will have whichever location you choose set up for you as well.
Centre for the Book
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The Centre for the Book in Cape Town is an old Edwardian building which is impressive on the outside and inside. Originally built for the University of the Cape of Good Hope, it now houses the South African Library’s special collections. This makes it perfect for all those book nerds out there!
You can host your reception here, on the lower floor surrounded by stacked, old wooden bookshelves above. This provides a very antique aesthetic feel and makes for beautiful photographs.
It is a public space so renting it out is a bit more complicated than somewhere already geared for events.
uShaka Marine World
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Marine lovers, this one’s for you, uShaka Marine World lets your special day take place among the sounds of the ocean. With the cool blues of the water dancing off the table and your dress, it has the ambiance built right in.
Couples can hold their ceremony in the park’s Shipwreck Aquarium where your guests and the fish can share in your big day.
Rovos Rail
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This venue is for those who love a bit of old-world charm and find something romantic in the idea of a train journey. Rovos Rail’s Events Train can be hired as a wedding venue replete with all the luxury you would expect.
You can choose to hold the ceremony at the private Edwardian station after the bride makes her entrance in the private cab of a steam locomotive. The reception is then held on board the train as it makes a three-hour roundtrip journey.
This charming option will also make you feel like you’ve had a destination wedding, without even leaving the country.
Image:@zeitzmocaaevenets/Instagram
Escort cards are an adorable way to continue your wedding theme and personalise your wedding seating. They are the informal sister of place cards, and direct guests to…
The South African wedding industry has taken a hard knock amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Most vendors are unable to perform their services, meaning they don’t earn any money.
Current regulations stipulate that social gatherings and events, such as weddings are not allowed. People may marry at Home Affairs but cannot have a wedding in the traditional sense.
The Association of Wedding Professionals in South Africa is now taking government to court to reopen the industry.
“The amount of employment lost at the moment, the amount of businesses closing at the moment in the wedding industry is astronomical,” Jurie Smit of the Association said in an interview with eNCA. “We just can’t keep going on as it is at the moment.”
The Wedding industry wants to get back to work. The Association of Wedding Professionals in South Africa is taking the Government to court. @MasegoRahlaga talks to Jurie Smit from the Association. #COVID19 #Level #eNCA Courtesy #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/a08tav0gud
— eNCA (@eNCA) July 11, 2020
Smit argues that wedding venues with chapels can fall under the category of a religious institution, and venues that serve food can technically be considered restaurants, both of which are open to the public under Level 3 regulations.
He further argues that people are having their own intimate weddings at home, regardless of regulations banning social gatherings, and that in many cases people do not follow safety and health regulations.
He says that if they were to reopen the industry, vendors would follow social distancing and health measures.
Feature image: Pexels
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Brooklyn Beckham and model Nicola Peltz recently got engaged. The photographer and eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham announced their big news on Saturday, July 11.
Taking to Instagram, Beckham wrote a sweet message to his new fianceé and posted a stunning picture of the pair, taken by his little sister Harper.
“Two weeks ago I asked my soulmate to marry me and she said yes xx I am the luckiest man in the world. I promise to be the best husband and the best daddy one day ❤️ I love you baby xx,” he wrote on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCgN-Vel63f/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Peltz shared the same image, captioning it, “you’ve made me the luckiest girl in the world. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life by your side. your love is the most precious gift. I love you so so much baby and thank you harper for this pic ?”
The family seem to have all given their seal of approval, as they all took to Instagram with well wishes for the pair. Mom Victoria wrote on Instagram, “The MOST exciting news!! We could not be happier… Wishing you so much love and a lifetime of happiness. We all love you both so much x”.
Dad David said, “Congratulations to these two beautiful people ♥️ As they begin this exciting journey together we are so so happy for you guys.”
Beckham and Peltz began dating in late 2019, and went ‘Instagram official’ in early January 2020. Congrats to the happy couple!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7G75mEJscX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Feature image: Instagram / Brooklyn Beckham
While many lockdown regulations were eased as we entered Level 3, there are many things that are still not allowed. Despite this, citizens seem to be losing patience…
We all want our weddings to be a perfect occasion, however, we can’t control everything. At times, silly things happen and the best we can do is laugh it off.
Considering that weddings are one of the most celebrated occasions, the likelihood of mishaps becomes all too possible. Sometimes, we’re lucky enough to catch it on camera.
When something goes wrong on a wedding day, we shouldn’t let it get to us, those are the moments that make memories. After all, it’s the imperfections that make things unique.
If you’ve experienced a wedding mistake, you may be embarrassed about it. Just know, that it’s quite common. Here are some silly wedding mishaps to get you chuckling:
This groom had breakfast on his mind, and his bride couldn’t contain her laughter.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-U1RcSp2Xx/
Oh no! The Cake!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1vytyjI9F_/
Handing over wedding rings shouldn’t have been this tough
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hL1P0BK4I/
When your guests go overboard with the sendoff
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1tjE74H2GY/
Perhaps they should have practiced this
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ztVWrH0Lb/
Giraffe wants in on the wedding photoshoot fun
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9-FgWhnHbc/
Some guests just can’t contain their excitement
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_8dflZJESf/
We get it, wedding days are tiring
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Hplh0H_M5/
Wedding dress sabotages bride
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvdjVryFWvb/
Shocked faces after newlyweds are attacked by their decor
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2McQRwBrI8/
You can’t have a wedding on the beach without getting your feet wet
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvyOy9LHeYs/
Page boy just doesn’t like his partner, opts for another one
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_t3R9PH9o1/
When the pool is just too inviting
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2uOgFVny9W/
This guy has some dangerous dance moves
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-abEP-j03h/
What’s a wedding without a good photobomb?
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-cGiEODsgO/
Image: Unsplash