A Poetic South African Wedding Rich in Earthy Texture & Soulful Energy

At Kruijd in Wellington, in the heart of the Cape Winelands, Alexandra and Jan moved away from the traditional vineyard wedding aesthetic and embraced a world of tactile textures, earthy tones, and playful contrasts. Cascading raffia, organic ceramics, linen, amber orchids, chrome accents, and candlelight brought warmth and effortless sophistication to the raw landscape. The celebration moved from a waterfall ceremony to cocktails by the pond and a dinner beneath the stars, with each space carrying its own distinct atmosphere. Alexandra’s bridal looks followed the same philosophy: timeless, clean, and understated, from her sculptural gown and heart-shaped shoes to her sparkling after-party dress. With a soundtrack shaped by carefully chosen DJs, live percussion, and a mirror-lined disco space revealed only after dark, the wedding became a celebration of nature, design, music, and connection — a true reflection of the couple’s modern, grounded, and deeply personal approach to celebration.

Our Rehearsal Dinner

The Location

Doolhof Wine Estate in Wellington, in the Cape Winelands. It is a stunning old Cape Dutch estate set in a tranquil valley at the foot of the Bainskloof Pass, surrounded by vineyards, forest, fynbos, and three mountain ranges, with the Kromme River running through it. You enter along a romantic country road past horse paddocks and rows of white roses, and it feels completely private and removed from everything. The estate has horses you can ride through the vineyards, wine tasting, a pool, hiking and biking trails, and a historic white manor house with a pillared veranda overlooking the valley. We held everything by the pool, with the mountains right there behind us.

Décor & Ambiance

A typical South African braai, with everyone eating together and sitting around the pool. Relaxed and warm, it was exactly the kind of evening we wanted to ease everyone into the celebrations. Friends settling in, good food, and no formality.

Our Welcome Party

Décor & Ambiance

Casual and easy, centered around the pool. Drinks and bites in the sun while everyone arrived and settled in. The highlight was Bongeziwe Mabandla playing live as the sun set. He has been our favorite artist for a long time. When Jan and I first started dating, we used to send each other his music all the time, and we still listen to him now, so having him there meant the world to us. While he played and the sun was setting, everyone was holding each other and singing along. It was one of the most beautiful moments of the whole wedding for us. After his set, one of our favorite DJs in Cape Town, Vivien Paul, took over, and the party really got going. Everyone was up and dancing — it was so much fun.

Our Style

Bright and colorful, playful, and relaxed. Lots of orange against the earthy, neutral tones of the wedding day. It made the two events feel like completely separate experiences.

Our Love Story

The Day We Met

We met almost 20 years ago, in 2007, while we were both studying law at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. We had a crush on each other from afar back then, but besides having talked maybe once or twice, it never went anywhere. In 2010, Jan moved to South Africa permanently to pursue his LLM, and we lost touch for over a decade, apart from maybe one message a year exchanged through social media. Then, in 2022, I traveled to Cape Town with my best friend, and on the very first night of the trip, I ran into Jan again. We started talking, and something clicked immediately. It was only later that we realized we had both been carrying the same crush back in 2007 — telling our best friends about it, but never each other… until 2022. A few months later, I moved to South Africa and never left.

The Proposal

Jan proposed at Alluvia Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. He told me we had to attend a work function there, which I didn’t question at all since we had been to functions in that area before. He led me to a lake surrounded by the beautiful Stellenbosch mountains, and as the sun was setting, he got down on one knee. He had prepared an entire setup with candles and rose petals, along with a dinner table next to the lake. I had no idea it was coming. He even gave a whole speech, but I was so nervous that I completely zoned out and didn’t hear a single word of what he said. But I was over the moon. He had also planned a surprise trip to Indonesia the very next day so we could go surfing together, and we had the most incredible engagement moon in Uluwatu.

The Engagement Ring

Jan designed the engagement ring and wedding ring himself, together with a jeweler in Johannesburg. It is a pear-shaped diamond on a simple, delicate gold band. In my opinion, he couldn’t have chosen better — I absolutely love it. We made Jan’s wedding ring from scratch ourselves, the two of us together in Cape Town.

Our Wedding

The Vision

We knew exactly what we wanted: a wedding that drew on my mixed African heritage and on South Africa, the place where we found each other again. We wanted it to feel raw, natural, and tactile rather than polished or conventional. Raffia, linen, organic textures, earthy ceramics, amber orchids, and chrome details. Nothing like the typical Cape Winelands wine estate wedding you see all the time. The vision was always rooted in who we are as a couple: close to nature, down-to-earth, easygoing, and uncomplicated. It felt like us.

Our Team of Vendors

We were so lucky with our team. I saw our planner Hannes’ work four years ago already, and I knew that if I ever got married, he would be my preferred planner to work with. Hannes’ aesthetic and vision are out of this world, and he and the rest of the team at Kraak and Kruijd brought the magic and made it all happen. And, of course, Kruijd as a venue held it all so beautifully. Hanru Marais captured everything on camera with his signature flash photography style, Amarens made sure all the phone content was created, and Vision on Fire created such an amazing video teaser. And, of course, the music — with our favorite DJs — was a huge part of what made the celebration so fun and exciting.

The Location

We got married at Kruijd in Wellington, in the Cape Winelands. It is a raw and rustic property with a character entirely its own, set against the mountains with red earth underfoot. It stood out immediately because it felt nothing like the wine estates where most weddings in the Cape take place. Rather than a venue with a fixed identity, it felt like something different. Out of the box. Us.

The Ceremony

We had everyone seated next to a beautiful waterfall. As the water ran through the rocks, our officiant, Eitan, who is also a friend of ours, shared some words. We exchanged our vows and burned a candle for my late mother to honor her presence. Jan’s mom tied a piece of lace around our hands, following a Belgian tradition.

The Cocktail Hour

The cocktail hour took place next to a pond, surrounded by the mountains. We had Jason, the percussionist, playing drums and African-inspired music while everyone enjoyed appetizers and cocktails. The sun was setting, and the mountains turned pink. Every part of the day unfolded in a different area of the property, and this was one of my favorite settings. The harvest table had a natural, abundant quality to it. Earthy ceramic vessels, stacked flatbreads, olives, and charcuterie were all arranged on white linen, with small linen lampshades on brass stands glowing softly among the food. Abundant without being overdone.

The Reception

The dinner table was set directly on the red earth, dressed in raw linen with cascading raffia tied to each chair, sweeping down onto the ground. Jan had made a video of my mom and me, which played alongside footage of the two of us during dinner, as black-and-white projections moved across the wall. Later in the night, the celebration moved to our dance floor, and the party truly began.

The Special Touches

The mirror box was a moment in itself. It was built specifically for our wedding, made up of four mirrored walls with no ceiling, so it was completely open to the sky and surrounded by nature. Filled with disco balls and draped with golden curtains, it sat covered in the open field all day and was only revealed at night, allowing all our friends to dance inside it — quite literally “underneath the stars.” 

Other special touches included: the candle we lit for my late mom and the video Jan made of my mom and me as a surprise; the black-and-white projections of Jan and me on linen, spread across the property; different DJs throughout different phases of the day, each one shifting the mood as day turned into night.

Our Favorite Moment

The moment the mirror box opened and all our guests immediately started dancing. And simply being surrounded by our friends and family, all in one place, in a setting that felt completely aligned with who we are.

Our Style

The Bridal Looks

I had a clear vision from the beginning: simple, classical, and timeless. No lace, nothing overly complex. Something clean and natural that felt honest rather than trend-driven. My first look was Eva Lendel — the first dress I tried on, in the first store I walked into in Cape Town — paired with white, heart-shaped Alaïa shoes and Vivienne Westwood earrings. My second look was a Retrofête embellished mini dress, paired with sparkly chandelier René Caovilla shoes. I wore diamond jewelry from my mom throughout.

Our Advice

For the Planning Process

Send your planner clear mood boards of what you want and have a rough idea of your vision going in. Then trust the process and try not to stress about the details. It will all work out. Trust the process and the people you work with. Let go and embrace it. Don’t forget to enjoy the planning and creating process too. It is much more fun than you initially think.

For On The Day

Just enjoy the day to the fullest and take in every moment. Take your time. There’s no rush and no emergency. Know that there probably won’t be another day when you have all your closest friends and family in one place. Keeping the wedding small and intimate helped too, I think. Just go with the flow and enjoy. And, all clichés aside, it truly is one of the most beautiful days of your life, so sit back and relax.

For Post-Wedding

It took us a couple of weeks to land back in reality. We had everyone stay with us for over a week, with five days of celebrations: a bachelor’s and bachelorette weekend, followed by three days of wedding celebrations. The last guests only left two weeks after the wedding. So my advice is to soak it all in. It is usually only afterward that you realize just how unreal those moments were.