When we first saw Laura and Andrew’s intimate South Africa destination wedding at Natte Valleij, we collectively said, “awww!” You can just feel the love they have for each other through these simply gorgeous photos by Dearheart Photos. We’re all heart eyes over Laura’s dreamy Bo and Luca dress that pairs so nicely with her groom’s Marks and Spencers suit. And if outdoor, family-style dining is your thing, you absolutely have to see this reception set up at Natte Valleij with rentals from In and Out, insanely beautiful florals by Rowenna at Botanica, and eats and drinks from Slippery Spoon and Urban Tonic!

The Couple:

Laura & Andrew

The Wedding:

Natte Vallei, Stellenbosch, South Africa

We absolutely LOVED working with Rowenna at Botanica Flowers. We had sent her a relatively open ended brief, she managed to get a really good sense of the vision we were after, sending us a well put together mood board for review. She was easy to work with throughout the process, and the end result was incredible. The first glimpse I got of the floral structures for the ceremony and dining table were when I was walking down the aisle, I was absolutely gobsmacked.

Choosing the venue was one of the most challenging parts of the whole process! Living in New Zealand whilst planning a wedding in South Africa meant that we unfortunately had to choose based on internet searches alone, and we would not get a chance to view the venue until the week prior to the event. We did most of the research by looking through weddings blogged by our favourite South African wedding photographers.

Having a destination wedding we were limited with the amount we could feasibly DIY – one thing we did do was to hire a table tennis table for our guests to enjoy during the cocktail reception, with a set of personalized wedding bats that we’d designed and had a guest bring from the states.

The quality of the catering was also hugely important – as self confessed foodies and avid dinner party hosts, we wanted to create a vibe that reflected the kind of evening we would want to throw in our own home with shared plates and all guests dining on one table rather than a more formal wedding meal.

Congratulations and cheers to Laura and Andrew — we are so happy your South Africa designation wedding dreams came true at Natte Valleij! Many thanks to Dearheart Photos for sharing this day with us! For more South Africa wedding inspiration, we think you will love this magical minimalist South African forest wedding at Haycroft Farm.