Rochelle & Herschel Stewart | La Roche Estate wedding
“Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.”
Some weddings are beautiful because of the venue. Some because of the dress, the flowers or the incredible attention to detail. And then there are weddings where everything comes together in a way that makes the whole day feel like a storybook.
Rochelle and Herschel’s La Roche Estate wedding was one of those weddings for me.
There was something so romantic about the entire day. From Rochelle’s beautiful lace wedding dress and Herschel’s classic grey suit to the pink and white flowers, candles, hanging plants and little fairytale details throughout the reception, everything felt like it belonged in an enchanted garden.
But what makes this wedding even more special when I look back at it now is the story behind it.
This was a wedding that happened during a very strange time in the world. Covid was still very much part of everyday life. Masks were still being worn and weddings looked very different from the celebrations we were used to. Yet Rochelle and Herschel went ahead and celebrated their love.
Their love story survived Covid and their wedding day became a beautiful reminder that sometimes the most important thing is simply choosing each other and celebrating whatever you can, even when the world around you feels uncertain.
A La Roche Estate Wedding in Franschhoek
If you have ever visited La Roche Estate wedding venue, you will understand why it makes such a beautiful wedding setting.
Situated in the Franschhoek Valley, the estate combines vineyards, gardens, mountains and beautiful architecture. There is something wonderfully secluded about La Roche Estate wedding venue while still being close to the heart of Franschhoek.
As a Franschhoek wedding photographer, I love having the opportunity to photograph weddings in places where the surroundings become part of the story. Franschhoek has so much character and La Roche Estate wedding venue has its own very distinctive atmosphere.
La Roche Estate wedding venue offers two beautiful wedding spaces, including The Sanctuary which is built on an island in the middle of a lake and The Festival Hall with its grand architecture, wooden beams, high ceilings and warm terracotta floor. La Roche Estate wedding venue is the kind of venue where you can create a wedding that feels completely personal to you.
For Rochelle and Herschel, the La Roche Estate wedding venue worked beautifully with the romantic theme they had created.
Rochelle’s Beautiful Wedding Dress
Rochelle looked absolutely stunning in her white lace wedding dress.
The long lace sleeves added such a timeless and romantic feeling to her bridal look. It suited the fairytale atmosphere of the La Roche Estate wedding perfectly without feeling overly complicated.
There is something about lace that photographs so beautifully. It catches the light, adds texture to photographs and creates those little details that become lovely to photograph throughout the day. Herschel wore a classic grey suit which worked beautifully alongside Rochelle’s white dress.
The bridal party continued the colour palette with the men wearing grey suits while the bridesmaids wore beautiful pink dresses. Together, the colours created a soft romantic look that fitted perfectly with the rest of the wedding styling.
A Pink and White Fairytale
The decor was one of the things that immediately stood out to me.
The combination of pink and white gave the reception a beautiful Disney princess feeling with a little touch of Beauty and the Beast thrown into the mix. There were flowers and candles throughout the reception which created a warm and romantic atmosphere. Plants were hanging inside bird cages which gave the decor an enchanted garden feeling.
And then there were the flowers displayed underneath glass.
Those little glass-covered floral arrangements immediately reminded me of the enchanted rose from Beauty and the Beast. It was such a lovely detail and one of those things that made the wedding feel personal rather than simply following a standard wedding theme. This is one of the things I love most about wedding photography. It isn’t only about photographing the couple. It is about noticing all the little details they spent so much time choosing.
When you look back at your wedding gallery years later, those details can bring the whole day back.
The Little Details That Made the Day Special
Rochelle and Herschel had some incredibly sweet touches throughout their wedding at La Roche Estate wedding venue. The guest thank-you gifts were little cookies made in the shape of Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage.
I absolutely loved this detail.
It fitted the fairytale theme perfectly and was also something guests could actually enjoy. It is the kind of small detail that can easily be overlooked when you’re busy with everything happening on the wedding day but it becomes part of the story when photographed. The cake was another beautiful part of the reception.
It was a timeless five-tier white wedding cake with a simple elegant design. Rather than covering it in lots of decoration, the clean white finish allowed the cake to keep that classic look. On top was a little castle with the words “Happily Ever After”.
It couldn’t have been more perfect for this wedding at La Roche Estate wedding venue.
A Warm and Cosy Wedding Reception at La Roche Estate wedding venue
Cape Town weather has a personality of its own and May can definitely bring some cooler evenings. Thankfully, the reception at this La Roche Estate wedding had a beautiful fire burning behind the couple’s main table.
Not only did it add to the atmosphere but it also kept Rochelle and Herschel warm while they sat at their table. With the fire glowing behind them, candles throughout the room and flowers surrounding the reception, it created the most beautiful warm atmosphere.
I remember looking at that setup and thinking how perfectly everything worked together. The romantic pink and white flowers, the candlelight, the fire and the little fairytale details created something that felt cosy rather than overly formal.
Photographing Rochelle & Herschel Around Franschhoek
One of my favourite things about photographing weddings is taking some time away from the reception to create portraits that feel different from the rest of the day.
For Rochelle and Herschel, we also photographed around the Huguenot Memorial in Franschhoek.
The memorial and surrounding area gave us a completely different setting from the gardens and wedding reception at La Roche Estate. As a Franschhoek wedding photographer, having the opportunity to incorporate some of the character of Franschhoek into a wedding gallery is something I really enjoy.
Your wedding photographs don’t all need to look the same. Some can be romantic and softly posed. Others can be candid. Some can focus on the venue while others can simply be about the two of you together.
I like having that variety because when you look through your complete wedding gallery, it should feel like you are reliving the day rather than looking through a collection of identical poses.
A Wedding During an Unforgettable Time
There is another reason this La Roche Estate wedding has stayed with me. It happened during Covid.
At the time, weddings had become complicated. There were restrictions, masks and so much uncertainty about what the next few months would bring. Couples had to adapt their plans and sometimes make difficult decisions about their celebrations.
Rochelle and Herschel still chose to celebrate. There were people wearing masks and reminders of the world outside the wedding but inside that celebration there was still love, laughter and happiness.
And perhaps that is what makes the day even more meaningful when looking back at it. A wedding doesn’t have to happen under perfect circumstances to be perfect for the people getting married.
Sometimes the most memorable weddings are the ones where you can see how much the couple wanted to be there together. Their love story survived an incredibly unusual chapter in history and they still managed to create something beautiful.
More Than Just a Wedding Gallery
One of the things that makes Rochelle and Herschel’s wedding especially meaningful to me is what happened after their wedding day. I have had the privilege of photographing this family many times since then.
That is something I never take for granted. When someone books me as their La Roche Estate wedding photographer, I am there to photograph one of the biggest days of their life. But sometimes that relationship continues beyond the wedding.
I have been able to photograph this family again and again and watch their story continue. That is one of the reasons I love what I do. A wedding gallery isn’t just a collection of pretty photographs. It becomes a piece of family history.
Years from now, the flowers may be gone. The cake will definitely be long gone and the candles will have burned out. The dresses will be packed away and the little details that took months to organise will become memories.
But the photographs remain.
They bring you back to how you felt.
They remind you who was there.
They remind you what everyone looked like.
And sometimes they remind you of a chapter in your life that you didn’t realise would become so important.
Why I Loved Photographing This La Roche Estate Wedding
There was so much to love about Rochelle and Herschel’s day.
The fairytale-inspired styling was beautiful. Rochelle’s lace dress was timeless. The grey suits and pink bridesmaids’ dresses worked perfectly together. The flowers and candles created a romantic atmosphere and those little touches like the Cinderella carriage cookies and enchanted-rose-inspired flowers made the wedding feel uniquely theirs.
But for me, it was always going to be about the people.
The best wedding photographs aren’t necessarily the ones where everything looks perfect.
They are the photographs where you can feel something.
A nervous bride getting ready.
A groom waiting to see his bride.
Parents looking on.
Friends laughing together.
A couple disappearing for a few quiet minutes to take photographs.
Someone wiping away a tear.
A room full of people celebrating two people they love.
Those are the photographs that tell the real story. And that is exactly what I want my wedding photography to do.
As a La Roche Estate wedding photographer, I want to capture more than what your wedding looked like. I want to capture what it felt like to be there.
Rochelle & Herschel’s Happily Ever After
Looking back at Rochelle and Herschel’s wedding now, the words they chose feel incredibly fitting:
“Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.”
Their wedding really did have that fairytale feeling. There were pink flowers, candles, castles, Cinderella cookies and a beautiful setting in the Franschhoek Valley.
But their real fairytale wasn’t the decor. It was the two of them.
It was choosing to celebrate their love during a difficult time. It was continuing their story after the wedding and building a life together. And for me, it has been such a privilege to photograph not only their La Roche Estate wedding but also more chapters of their family story since then.
That is the part of being a wedding photographer I treasure most.
I get to meet people at one of the biggest moments of their lives and sometimes, years later, I get to see them again with a whole new chapter to photograph.
Rochelle and Herschel, thank you for trusting me with such an important part of your story. Your wedding may have had its fairytale details but the love behind it is what made it truly beautiful.
Wedding Suppliers
Photographer: Poplap Photography & Design
Videographer: Brush Wedding Films
Photo Booth: Apollo Kombi Hire
Marriage Officiant: Ds Rademeyeer
Bride’s Dress: Lizelle van Jaarsveld
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Lizelle van Jaarsveld
Flower Girl Dresses: Lizelle van Jaarsveld
Suits: Smart Men Suit Hire, Shoprite Park
Groom’s Suit: Tidy Tusc Tailor, Cape Gate
Cake: Hetties Cakes
Flowers: Marilise Summers Weddings & Events
Decor: Marilise Summers Weddings & Events
Makeup: Blush Make-up
Hair: Style Bar
Catering: MS Catering
Venue: La Roche Estate wedding venue, Franschhoek
DJ: Echano Events
Stationery: Marilise Summers Weddings & Events
Wedding Planner & Coordinator: Marilise Summers Weddings & Events
Browse through Rochelle and Herschel’s La Roche Estate wedding gallery and experience their day through the photographs. From the beautiful details and fairytale-inspired decor to the emotional moments, laughter and portraits around Franschhoek, every image tells a little piece of their story.
Take your time, look through the gallery and imagine yourself there with them at La Roche Estate. This is exactly why I love wedding photography, because a photograph can take you back to a moment and let you experience it all over again.
Scroll through their images below and enjoy a little glimpse into Rochelle and Herschel’s happily ever after.
