The Wedding Album Magazine

Seth spotted his future bride while lunching with a mutual friend, Eric, at the restaurant where Kathryn was a waitress. Unbeknown to Seth, Eric lingered afterwards to ask Kathryn’s permission to give Seth her number. ‘I thought any friend of Eric’s couldn’t be too bad so I obliged,’ says Kathryn. ‘Seth called that week to arrange a date and we have been together ever since.’

Five years passed before Seth proposed in the gardens overlooking Schönbrunn Palace and the city of Vienna. ‘We took a few pictures and then I yelled to the crowd, “I just got engaged!”’ she reminisces.

The couple lives in Seattle but Kathryn, originally from South Africa, dreamed of marrying here and Seth was sold on the idea after his first visit. ‘I always wanted a beach wedding and Seth wanted something casual. Picking the Strandkombuis as a venue satisfied both visions,’ she says.

Most guests came from abroad, so the couple planned a two-week tour for them, with the wedding in the middle. ‘Everyone was definitely in holiday mode so there was such a carefree, happy atmosphere on the day.’

The theme was Simple Sophistication and most of the inspiration developed from the venue itself. A mainly white colour scheme was naturalised with touches of green to match the West Coast vegetation, with browns and champagne hues to suggest sand, shells and stones.

‘I kept everything very wild. I really just wanted to enhance what was already there, using raw elements and organic shapes. For the centrepieces, whitewashed baskets, sticks, driftwood, pebbles and shells were used as accessories in a contemporary fashion,’ says Kathryn. Floral arrangements were created from a selection of succulents combined with indigenous coastal foliage and classic florals displayed in handmade vessels.

Kathryn walked down the aisle to a traditional African love song performed by Abavuki. ‘I remember feeling so happy and honoured that all these people had travelled so far to see us get married,’ she says.

The ceremony was carried out barefoot on the beach and most guests decided to keep their shoes off for the reception. A power outage was perfectly timed to conclude their first dance. ‘We danced the rumba to Michael Bublé’s “Everything”. Right when I took the dip at the end and Seth kissed me, the power went out. Everyone said we were so electrifying, we blew the power!’ they laugh.

After a candlelit dinner of home-made breads, salad, soup and a selection of local seafood, a bonfire was lit on the beach and many guests stayed up to watch the sunrise. ‘The beautiful weather, exquisite sunset and amazing location shared with guests from five continents will never be forgotten.’

Address book
Cake Kanya Hunt +27 (0)82 375 5200
Flowers and decor Okasie +27 (0)21 887 9904
Photographer Jean-Pierre Uys +27 (0)84 577 4686
Stationery Lara’s Designs +27 (0)82 681 4500
Venue and catering Strandkombuis +27 (0)82 575 9683
Wedding management & co-ordination Wedding Concepts +27 (0)21 426 5783