Weddingbee Blog

The time has come for Mr. Lightning and I to select a venue for photographs. We have decided to buck tradition once again and have our formal photographs taken before the ceremony for two reasons. One: because it makes use of the best light, considering our wedding is in the evening. Two: because we won’t have to leave our beloved guests unattended with our reception to follow directly after the ceremony (it being the same venue for both, after all).

With the decision to take photographs before the wedding, we are also now able to select a unique location in which to take them. With Cape Town being such a beautiful and diverse city, it hasn’t been easy to pin down the right location for us (we need good weather and wet weather options). But just to let you in on what we are looking at, these are some of the contenders thus far…

The East Fort in Hout Bay. The East fort is (apparently) the oldest operating gun battery in the world. The ruins below are of an old house that look out over the East Fort and Hout Bay Harbour, making this the closest photo location to our venue. My photographer recommended this location, as it is where she had her portraits taken for her own wedding. I really love the idea of having a location that is in stark contrast to our formal attire.

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Rhodes Memorial. This monument is situated next to the University of Cape Town and overlooks the city’s southern suburbs. This location is quite powerful to behold and regularly used for photo shoots.

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Delos, a landmark in the Historic Bo Kaap area. This magnificent store is just up the road from us, and when you drive past it, you are almost blinded by the glimmer from the thousands of beautiful crystals that adorn the chandeliers which this shop produces. I’m not sure how well these would photograph, but if the pictures below are anything to go by, I think it might make for some interesting portraits.

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The New Space Theatre. Another historic Cape Town landmark, this theatre has recently been refurbished, but still boasts its old world charm.

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The Grand Daddy Hotel’s Penthouse Trailer park. This unique hotel has it’s very own collection of vintage Airstream trailers on its roof!! It’s a great hotel with an equally awesome bar, known as the Daddy Cool bar and a host of other quirky treats. The vintage trailers and restored elevator (it’s old and beautiful) are what have made this an option for us.

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Does anyone have any preferences from my list so far? All these locations have a vintage/old world theme, so I’ll be looking at some urban/modern options as well (again, perhaps a nice contrast to our slightly vintage attire).