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This weekend’s wedding was held at the little stone church across the road from Kirstenbosch, with the reception at Silvertree Restaurant in the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens.

We’re so lucky to be living in Cape Town, where such spectacular venues are but a few minutes’ drive away. The garden was ablaze with spring flowers, the weather was perfect, the bride and groom and their families were delightful, and there were about nine cute little children (aaawwww!) – not to mention all the fellows in their kilts.

Adding the final touches to her make-up.

Getting into the dress.

Dress detail

Almost ready to go.

A radiantly beautiful bride about to enter the church.

One of the retinue of many leading the way.

Wedding kiss

Rough and tumble on the lawn. Trying to get nine kids in one picture isn't easy!

More kid chaos ... love it!

A toast to each other.

A traditional portrait of the couple in the Aloe Garden.

For more pics of Julia and Craig’s wedding, please take a look here.

Many women select the boudoir shoot as part of their wedding package, either as a gift to their new husband, or simply as a bachelorette gift to themselves.

The common opening line is ‘I’ve never done this before … I’m really nervous,’ quickly followed by ‘I’m not very photogenic.’ Well, unless you’re a model or a movie start, it’s quite likely that you’ve never done this before. As for being unphotogenic – leave that bit to me!

It’s a fun photo session, definitely worth a try!

But we all know the only way to get into shape, and stay that way, is through diet and exercise. And if you exercise cleverly – and regularly – the diet bit isn’t so bad. I can vouch, from personal experience, that a personal trainer is a guaranteed (almost – nothing in life is guaranteed) way of getting into shape, and doing it fairly quickly.

If you live in Cape Town, I can highly recommend Lucas from Fizeeks in Training. He has been pummelling my body for about ten weeks now, and not once have I felt I want to give up … well, okay, in the middle of a session, maybe, for a moment …

Incorporating weights, cardio, Pilates and boxing, each session is different, so you never feel stale or bored … tired, yes, gasping for air, but not bored! And, as encouraging as he is, the greatest encouragement is when you zip up those jeans and they go ‘ZZIIIPP!’ (not ‘ungh … ugh … zhiph …’) and when your partner starts poking at your thighs going … ‘Geez … firming up!’

If this all sounds like too much hard work to you, he also teaches Zumba, which is a great way to wake those snoozing muscles. You’ll dance, you’ll laugh and you’ll work up a sweat, growing fitter without even knowing it. For the more agile, there’s Cape ‘oeira, the Afro-Brazilian fusion of martial arts and culture, apparently created by the African slaves in Brazil back in the days of slavery – beautiful to watch and, I should imagine, great fun to do.

Take a look at his website here or join his ning network here. And then don’t sit around – get out there!

Take a look at the website of Andrew and Julian Emdon here and their You Tube clips here or send an enquiry to info@emdonvideos.co.za

Away from it all was a quiet patch. Fadia had stationed herself near the window and was quietly getting on with things. I particularly liked how Fadia’s models turned out, but thought I may have had it all wrong when suddenly she packed up and said good-bye … Was it possible that she had done all four models if all the other make-up artists were still agonising over models number two or three? My jaw dropped … did she do only one model? Was I confused? Nope. Four it was.

So, when I urgently needed a make-up artist recently, I gave her a call. She turned up on time, with a cheerful smile on her face, got on with the job without incessant natter, and was done and out of there not even forty five minutes later! I couldn’t believe it – again!

My client was so blown away by her transformation that she almost cried. Only the danger of smudging the eyeliner kept her in control.

Fadia has lots of in-store make-up experience, and works on sets as well as doing make-up for portraits and weddings. If you need to contact Fadia, please contact me, and I’ll pass your request on to her.

Make-up by Fadia Williams

The view as one enters Knorhoek Farm, with guesthouses up ahead and to the right. The restaurant is in a little glen down below on the left (out of the picture).

The restaurant is fairly small, creating an intimate environment for a special occasion.

Organza curtains divided the venue in two, so that the ceremony could be held away from the eating area.

The venue is intimate enough so that no one need miss out on a weepy moment. Large windows allow the natural light to stream in.

The restaurant is furnished with 'real' tables and chairs (not that plastic and laminate stuff), and the whitewashed beams and twigs against the reed ceiling create an airy feeling.

Old silverware decorates the ceiling.

Home-made preserves, books and flowers decorate the old piano, and porcelain plates adorn the walls.

I love the decor of the place, as well as the mismatched silver cutlery and old porcelain crockery on the tables. The wholesome farmhouse-style food is placed on the tables in large serving dishes, so there is no queuing for food. The portions are generous, and the staff pay a visit to each table to check if anyone would like more of anything.

Some guests had their hearty soup starter served in these delightful mini-tureens.

I can highly recommend their award-winning wines – not that I had the opportunity to sample too much, being on duty and all. However, I did have some of their Two Cubs White Blend, which is a John Platter three-star, and I made my way to their wine sales on the way home to buy a few bottles of excellent red to enjoy at home.

All good meals end with coffee. At Towerbosch, traditional moerkoffie is served.

A roaring fire in the fireplace keeps guests warm, and a small lounge area, complete with a bookcase groaning with books, provides a cosy place for becoming better acquainted with someone interesting. The wedding couple used this area to sign the register.

A lounge area is a good place for conversation, as well as a quirky, colourful place for photographs.

The venue is great for both summer and winter: the swimming pool and large lawn provide a great space for summer, and the large fireplace and roaring fire provide comfort and atmosphere in winter.

The twig-lined bridge provides a some extra detail to that going-away shot.

For more information about Knorhoek, their guesthouses and farms, and, of course, Towerbosch Restaurant, pay a visit to their website here – and do let me know if you’ve paid a visit to the farm itself, and what you think of it.