Adele & Matthys

A beautiful Malgas Wedding for the books!  We were put in touch with Adele & Matthys by very dear friends of ours.  Listening to Adele describe their wedding day at our first meeting got us super excited about making the trip out to Malgas.

WHAT PUT MALGAS ON THE MAP?

Although we are Cape Town based wedding photographers, our job sometimes takes us to the most amazing places.  Malgas, formerly called Malagas, is a remote village which boasts the only remaining pont in South Africa.  The pont that is still in use today was built in 1914.  It works in the same manner as it did all those years ago.  Two men, using the strength of their legs and chain straps,  pull the pont over the river. Today the pont is still the only crossing over the Breede River between Swellendam and the sea.

It’s not every day that you get to cover a wedding at such an awesome location.  Shooting this Malgas wedding was a good excuse for us to take an extra day or two to have some down time amidst the crazy Cape Town wedding photography season.

ADELE & MATTHYS’S MALGAS WEDDING DAY

The boys got ready in Matthys’ family holiday home, while the girls did their preparations at the Malgas Hotel.  The wedding ceremony was held in the old stone chapel which dates back to the mid 1800’s.  A huge tent was erected on the family plot with the most amazing décor, flower and details.  While we were off taking the photos, guests enjoyed cold drinks, canapés, lawn games and boat cruise down the Breede River.  The windmill that became a synonymous logo to the wedding décor and stationary stood proud on the banks of the river.

Adele and Matthys had said from the start that they wanted their wedding day to be a feast and a party.  They wanted their guests to have a fun time.  And fun it certainly was, with a very festive reception!

Thank you Adele and Matthys for picking us as your wedding photographers.  What an honour it was to be part of your very special Malgas Wedding Celebration.

A FEW WORDS FROM THE BRIDE:

How did he propose?

We got engaged on 12 Sep 2014. He blindfolded me and guided me into a canola field through a narrow tunnel to a clearing that he cut by hand.

He took the blindfold off and I was standing in a field with beautiful yellow canola flowers all around, in a perfect picnic spot

What made it even more special, was that he went to pick me ‘aand blomme’  ( gladiolus tristis) in the ravine. These flowers can only be hand-picked, and are not really used for commercial purposes. The part of their farm that he asked me the big question is also named Aandblom, how sweet.

Special Memories from the wedding day

The night before the wedding, my sister told me that this will be the day that you feel like the most beautiful woman alive, and she was right. When I was walking down the aisle and my groom gave me the biggest smile, I’ve never felt more beautiful and special.

We got married in Malgas, in a small church that is almost 160 years old.  The reception was held next to the mighty Breede River where we met for the first time and where my mom grew up. We literally went back to where everything started. That was very special to me.

During the night, I had to stop for a minute every now and again just to take in everything.  It all came together so perfectly to create the simplistic farm feel that we wanted. Yet  all the detail Lucia brought in made it feel personal and like our own little wonder world.

Looking around and knowing that every person I saw was here because they love us and wanted to share this day with us, made me feel small and extremely loved.

WHAT WE LOVED ABOUT THIS MALGAS WEDDING DAY

• The gorgeous décor.  Matthys comes from a wheat and sheep farming family.  We loved the simplistic wheat bouquets and the little wooly coated cardboard sheep that added such a special personal touch.
• The only wedding we have ever photographed where the bride arrived at the church in a 4×4, left in a horse cart, and made her grand entrance to the reception in a speedboat!
• The cutest ring bearer we’ve every photographed.  The family sheep dog had this very important responsibility!
• The amazing location.  A diy venue right on the banks of the Breede River.
• Being able to photography a love story at the very BUILDING it began at – that’s pretty special!