Strap in, folks, because we’re about to jet off to Cape Town for an all-inclusive trip to Barbora and Adam’s divine destination wedding.
Chosen for its stunning outdoor offering, the pair tied the knot in a boho-casual Jewish ceremony at gorgeous Suikerbossie, Hout Bay, Cape Town. The laid-back style was set by groom, Adam, who fulfilled his dream of wearing suit shorts – we do love a groom in suit shorts!
Adam and Barbora proved that nothing is a disaster. From a bridal dress swap, just a fortnight before the wedding, to bridesmaids’ dress dramas, nothing kept these two from their dream day.
A wedding photo booth is always an amazing thing to have, but we’re particularly enamoured with the cute caravan exterior – what an utterly steal-able idea.
The day was full of fun, heart and personality – by the end of the party, even grandma was out of her wheelchair and swearing enthusiastically into the microphone, singing along to old-school music. What a sight that must have been to behold!
Massive props to Paul Toeman Photographers, for capturing such a big, beautiful production so beautifully and sensitively, and stay tuned for groom Adam’s brilliant and entertaining writeup of his big day with his beloved Babs. Over to Adam!
An outdoor experience
Adam, the groom: We got married at Suikerbossie, which is a wedding venue in Hout Bay, Cape Town. We loved this venue, mainly because of the location, and our plan was to try and create an outdoor experience, so this place was perfect.
The garden also had a really cool swing that Babs fell in love with from the moment she saw it! On top of that, the venue offer a Kosher menu, and also played a big role in the on-site management of all suppliers.
A boho daytime wedding
We wanted a semi-hippy theme with a mix of vintage, and a super relaxed vibe. Our idea was to create a day party. Typically in Cape Town, chuppahs start at 17:00 and the weddings goes on until 00:00/01:00. We wanted to start earlier and finish earlier, and create more of a daytime buzz.
We didn’t use a wedding planner, however we had a lot of support from my parents in Cape Town, who took over and did a fantastic job. The venue manager also acted as an on-site coordinator for the day and he was brilliant!
Paperless Post invitations
We designed something unique, and used Paperless Post as we a way to distribute it. This made life so easy. I can highly recommend Paperless Post.
Local vendor recommendations
As this was all coordinated from abroad, we needed to go with what our close friends and family recommended. Babs’ hair was done by Marlinette Newman, who did a fantastic job, and her makeup was done by by the super talented Sarah Hoberman (we can highly recommend her for anyone getting married in Cape Town). She wanted to keep her look as natural as possible, and looked absolutely amazing!
A bridal dress swap
Funny story, and consider this a condensed version – Babs bought her dress about eight months before the wedding (which probably wasn’t the best idea). She bought it in Tel-Aviv — at the time, she was absolutely crazy about it, although she never tried the dress on after that until about two weeks before, when she decided that this wasn’t the dress she had always dreamed of.
Luckily, one of our friends in Cape Town owns and runs a bridal dress shop called The Wedding Boutique. She literally saved the day with an incredible dress swap, one week before the wedding, and Babs got the wedding dress of her dreams.
Beautiful blue hydrangeas
Babs had a veil and her favourite flowers (blue hydrangeas) clipped into her hair. She didn’t want too many other accessories, as she wanted to keep it as simple as possible.
A groom in suit shorts
I was the reason behind the super casual style, my dream was to wear shorts to my wedding, so decided to wear a full suit but instead of the long pants, I went for a shorts option with loafers. I wasn’t too bothered with anything else, but I wanted everyone to be as comfortable as possible.
Bridesmaids in blue pink
Babs had seven bridesmaids who all wore different shades of pink. They all wore the wrap around style and once again, funny story that requires a condensed version. Lets just say that they were meant to wear different shades of blue, but about 10 days before, that changed to shades of pink. Babs banged her head against the wall for a good three months and there were some death threats along the way but thank G-d, all worked out in the end.
The keeper of the ring
We had a few special elements to the wedding. Firstly, the song I chose for Babs to walk down the aisle was one of her favourite songs sung on a Friday night at our Synagogue. I have the coolest Rabbi who even let me record him playing it on the guitar, and we sent it to the choir in Cape Town, who replicated it.
Another special element was more of a family tradition dating back to the early 1900s. A great grandmother had died and left her ring which all of her children and children’s children got married with. It was a special symbol as part of a tradition where we would use the ring under the chuppah and straight after, it would go back to the “keeper of the ring” my grandmother.
A hand-painted ketubah
The ketubah was also quite special. It was hand painted by a woman in South Africa, who used to hand paint many Ketubahs as a business. She retired around four years ago, but being a close friend of my aunty, she came out of ketubah retirement and created us a Ketubah based on our history, our connection and our personalities — it is really special.
Music to work grandma up
We had an awesome DJ who was an old friend which made it even more special. He came along with a saxophonist and a percussionist who kept us all entertained.
The music was spot on, old school and we played a song that even got my grandmother out of her wheel chair and swearing over microphone! “Alice, who the F*CK is Alice?”
Flowers chosen by an expert
This was all Babs, as she spent a lot of time working in flower shops making bouquets and had her favourites. They include: blue hydrangeas, roses, succulents and lots of greenery.
Our fabulous photographer
Two words — Paul Toeman. Representing Paul Toeman Photographers, Paul came along for the ride, and was one of the best decisions we ever made. A true gentleman that blended in with my family for five days, now feels like an old friend.
His work is unbelievable! He worked on his own for 240 guests, and did a fantastic job. He also helped control the flow of the day, which was an added benefit. We also did a day-after “trash the dress” shoot at Clifton beach. This was a mad experience!
Amazing catering
Two words again — Blondes, Beards. The overall catering was amazing. Suikerbossie did a fantastic job. The meat was unreal!!
A caravan photo booth
The only extra we had was caravan photo booth that Babs fell in love with. It was called Coco, and I think Babs probably spent most of her time in there! It was a cool feature!
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Don’t sweat the details! Its not worth the stress, hassle and aggravation. Sit back, relax, absorb and enjoy. Take time to reflect, and EAT!
Barbora & Adam’s little white book
Photographer – Paul Toeman Photographers
Videographer – FJS Productions
Venue and caterer – Suikerbossie
Bride’s dress – purchased at The Wedding Boutique
Hair + Makeup – Marlinette Newman and Sarah Hoberman
Decorations – Petal Groups
DJ – Neil Benjamin
Invitation – Paperless Post
