Alphen centre wedding

Leevonne & Wade Jacobs | Alphen Centre Wedding

To love, laughter and happily ever after.

Some weddings have a very specific feeling from the moment you arrive. Leevonne and Wade’s wedding was one of those days. There was so much personality in the little details, from the green and gold colour scheme to the couple’s two dogs being part of the wedding party. There was plenty of elegance but there was also a lot of fun and that combination made this Alphen centre wedding such a memorable one to photograph.

Leevonne looked absolutely stunning in her long-sleeved white lace wedding dress. The amount of detail in the dress was beautiful and it suited her perfectly. Wade brought his own style to the day with a black suit, black velvet shoes and a stunning black and white checkered jacket.

Then there were the green shoes hidden underneath Leevonne’s dress, which were such a fun little detail.

The whole Alphen centre wedding came together in shades of green, gold, white and black with loads of greenery, flowers, candles and gold details throughout the reception.

But as beautiful as the styling was, what I loved most about this Alphen centre wedding was how much of Leevonne and Wade’s personalities were visible throughout the day.

A Beautiful Green and Gold Alphen centre wedding

The Alphen centre wedding colours were green and gold and they were carried through beautifully from the ceremony into the reception.

Gold underplates sat beneath the dinnerware while gold cutlery added another touch of warmth to the tables. Green serviettes were placed against the table settings and the centre of the tables was filled with greenery, flowers, candles and gold accessories.

There was also a green table runner running through the middle of the tables which helped bring all the different elements together.

The centrepieces at the Alphen centre wedding venue had plenty of green leaves mixed with flowers and candles. I loved how the greenery softened the gold details rather than allowing the gold to become too dominant.

Fairy lights were also used throughout the venue which added another layer of atmosphere to the reception. Once the lights were glowing, the space had such a warm and inviting feeling.

It was a colour combination that worked beautifully for this Alphen centre wedding because it allowed the couple to have an elegant setting while still bringing in lots of natural elements.

Leevonne’s Stunning Lace Wedding Dress

Leevonne’s wedding dress was one of those dresses where you could keep looking at it and notice another detail every time.

She wore a beautiful long-sleeved white lace dress with so much detail throughout. The lace gave the dress a romantic and timeless feeling while the long sleeves added another elegant element.

And then there were those green shoes.

I absolutely loved that little surprise underneath the dress.

From the outside, she had the classic white wedding dress but underneath she had brought some of the wedding colour into her outfit with her green shoes.

Those are the kinds of little personal details I love capturing during an Alphen centre wedding because they say something about the couple without needing a huge explanation.

Wade’s Black and White Checkered Jacket

Wade looked equally stylish. He wore a black suit with black velvet shoes and a black and white checkered jacket that really stood out.

The velvet shoes added a subtle texture to his outfit while the checkered jacket gave him something a little different from a traditional plain suit.

It was a great match for Leevonne’s elegant dress because their outfits were both classic but still had their own personality. The groomsman also had their own look with white suit jackets and grey trousers. Then the bridesmaid brought the green into the bridal party with their green a dress.

Looking at everyone together, you could immediately see how the colours had been thought through. The green dresses connected with the flowers and table décor while the white and grey suits kept the bridal party looking clean and balanced.

The Most Special Walk Down the Aisle

One of the moments that stood out to me during this Alphen centre wedding was seeing Leevonne’s grandmother and her mom walk down the aisle together. They were wearing matching flowery dresses which made the moment even more special.

Weddings are full of traditions but I always love seeing couples add their own meaning to those traditions. Having her grandmother and mother walk down the aisle together created a beautiful family moment and was something that made the ceremony feel particularly personal.

These are the moments that I want to make sure I don’t miss when photographing a wedding. There are the obvious photographs everyone expects but then there are the moments that happen because of the people involved.

A grandmother walking down the aisle. A mother beside her. A bride watching. A family seeing someone they love begin a new chapter. Those moments can become some of the most meaningful photographs in the gallery.

Their Two Dogs Were Part of the Wedding Party at Alphen centre wedding venue

And then there were the two dogs!

Leevonne and Wade included their two dogs as part of their wedding party which I thought was absolutely brilliant. Anyone who considers their pets part of the family will understand why having them involved can make a wedding day feel even more personal.

Of course, whenever dogs are involved there is always an element of unpredictability and that is part of the fun. They were part of the celebration rather than simply being left at home while everyone else went off to the wedding.

I always love when couples find ways to make their wedding day feel like their wedding and including their dogs was definitely one of those details that made this Alphen centre wedding different.

The Reception Details ar Alphen centre wedding venue

The reception styling at Alphen centre wedding venue was beautiful.

Green serviettes, gold underplates, gold cutlery and a green table runner created the base for the tables. Then there were flowers, greenery, candles and gold accessories layered through the centrepieces. The greenery at the Alphen centre wedding venue was especially beautiful because there was plenty of it.

Rather than using only flowers, the tables had lots of leaves and foliage which gave the centrepieces a fuller and more natural appearance. The candles added warmth while the gold details caught the light. And then the fairy lights around the Alphen centre wedding venue made everything feel even more magical as the day moved into the evening.

For me, this is where all the little details of an Alphen centre wedding really come together in photographs. During the day you might notice one table setting or one floral arrangement but once everything is photographed as part of the whole reception, you can see how all the pieces were designed to work together.

A Harvest Table Full of Good Food

There was also a beautiful harvest table filled with food for guests to enjoy. There were oysters, pastries and wraps along with juice and breads.

I love photographing food at weddings because it is another part of the day that often gets forgotten when couples think about their wedding gallery. Food is part of the experience at Alphen centre wedding venue.

People gather around it. They talk while they eat. They share plates. They celebrate. And eventually, years later, seeing a photograph of a harvest table can bring back memories of what the reception actually felt like.

The starters included a salad and calamari rings before the rest of the meal. And then came dessert.

Cake, Tarts and Ice Cream

The dessert selection sounded absolutely delicious.

There was cake, tarts and ice cream and from what I remember it was a real highlight. But the wedding cake itself was also something quite special. It was a two-tier creation with a rather unexpected bottom tier.

Instead of being a traditional cake, the bottom tier was made from doughnuts. Above it was a smaller cake decorated in a beautiful beige colour with flowers and green leaves. I thought this was such a fun idea. It looked like a wedding cake but had a playful twist that fitted perfectly with the overall feeling of the day.

This is exactly the kind of detail at the Alphen centre wedding venue I want to capture during Alphen centre wedding photography. The photographs should show the beautiful things but also the choices that made the wedding feel personal.

Their Wedding Band: Zoe Zana and RhyVoX

Music was another important part of the reception.

The wedding band was Zoe Zana and RhyVoX, who brought the entertainment to the celebration. Live music can completely change the feeling of a reception. Once the band starts playing, the atmosphere shifts and everyone gets a chance to relax and enjoy themselves after the formal parts of the day.

With the fairy lights glowing, the green and gold reception décor around them and the band playing, it created a lovely setting for the evening celebrations.

A Little McDonald’s Stop

And then we did something a little different. After taking some couple photographs, we stopped at McDonald’s.

Yes, you read that correctly.

McDonald’s.

And honestly, I loved it.

This is one of those moments that makes me smile when I think back on this Alphen centre wedding because it was completely them. We took some photographs while they ordered and enjoyed their favourite comfort food before heading off for more couple photographs.

It was spontaneous, fun and completely different from the traditional wedding portraits you normally see. And it is exactly why I think couples should feel free to think outside the box when planning their photographs. You do not have to spend your entire portrait session standing in front of a beautiful wall or walking through a field.

If you have a favourite place, a favourite snack or something you genuinely enjoy doing together, why not include it?

That is where mc donalds wedding photographs come in. It sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud but those photographs ended up being such a fun part of their story. They were not pretending to be somewhere glamorous.

They were simply being themselves. Ordering food. Enjoying each other’s company. Having a laugh. And that is often where the best photographs happen.

Unique Wedding Photo Ideas Don’t Have to Be Complicated

This is also why I love finding unique wedding photo ideas that actually mean something to the couple.

Unique does not have to mean extravagant. It does not have to mean hiring a helicopter or travelling somewhere completely unexpected. Sometimes it can simply mean stopping at the place where you always get your favourite food.

Sometimes it means bringing your dogs along. Sometimes it means wearing green shoes underneath a traditional wedding dress. Sometimes it means having doughnuts as the bottom tier of your wedding cake.

Those details might seem small to someone else but they can become some of the photographs that mean the most to you. For me, unique wedding photo ideas work best when they come naturally from the couple. I would much rather photograph two people laughing together while eating their favourite comfort food than create a photograph that looks impressive but does not feel like them.

Leevonne and Wade gave me plenty of opportunities to photograph their personalities and that made their couple session so much fun.

Couple Photos With a Difference

After the wedding celebrations and formal photographs, we had some time for couple portraits. Of course, we took the beautiful photographs you would expect from a wedding gallery but we also had fun with the session. Their stop at McDonald’s gave us something completely different.

There was no pressure to make every photograph look perfectly polished. Instead, we could capture them interacting naturally. That is one of the things I enjoy most about photographing couples. I want the photographs to show how you actually interact with each other.

If you laugh a lot, I want photographs of you laughing. If you tease each other, I want to see that. If you have a favourite comfort food, I want to know about it. If your dogs are part of your family, bring them into the story.

A wedding is already a very personal day so I think the photographs should be personal too. That is what made this Alphen centre wedding gallery so much fun to create.

The Little Moments That Make a Wedding

There were so many individual details throughout Leevonne and Wade’s day that could easily have been overlooked.

The green shoes. The black velvet shoes. The checkered jacket. The matching floral dresses worn by Leevonne’s grandmother and mom. The dogs. The doughnut wedding cake. The green and gold tables. The fairy lights. The harvest table. And then, of course, the McDonald’s stop. Individually, they are all small details. Together, they tell you a lot about the people getting married.

That is what I love about wedding photography. I am not only there to photograph what a wedding looks like. I am there to photograph what makes it theirs.

Looking Back at Leevonne & Wade’s Day

When I think back on Leevonne and Wade’s Alphen centre wedding, I think of green and gold, beautiful lace, fairy lights, flowers, candles and lots of greenery.

I think of the way their reception came together with the gold cutlery and underplates against the green serviettes and table runner. I think of the beautiful flowers and the soft glow of the candles. I think of Leevonne’s green shoes. I think of Wade’s incredible checkered jacket.

I think of their two dogs being part of the wedding party. And I definitely think of the McDonald’s stop. Because sometimes those unexpected little moments are exactly what make a wedding gallery memorable.

Leevonne and Wade’s wedding had all the beautiful details you would expect from a carefully planned celebration but it also had plenty of personality. It was elegant but fun. It was romantic but relaxed. And most importantly, it felt like them.

Their Happily Ever After Begins Here

To love, laughter and happily ever after. Happily ever after begins here.

Leevonne and Wade, thank you for allowing me to be part of your wedding day and for trusting me to capture all those little pieces of your story.

From your beautiful green and gold reception to your two dogs and our very unexpected McDonald’s adventure, your wedding was definitely one that I will remember.

I loved being able to capture not only the beautiful photographs but also the fun, unexpected moments that made your day uniquely yours. That is what I love most about being a wedding photographer.

Years from now, I hope you can look through your photographs and remember more than what everything looked like.

I hope you remember how you felt. The people who were there. The laughter. The little details. The food. The music. Your dogs. Your family. And maybe even that McDonald’s stop.

Wedding Suppliers

Bridesmaid Dresses: Pretty Perfect
Suits: Pretty Perfect
Cake: Gourmet Meals
Nails: J9_Beauty X
Flowers & Bouquets: Dawn’s Dazzling Flowers
Decor: Aby’s Unique Decor & Hiring
Catering: Gourmet Meals
Cutlery & Crockery: Queen & Chan Hiring
Venue: Alphen Centre Constantia
Pastors: Apostle Vincent Alexander and Pastor Marylin Alexander
Band: Zoe Zana and RhyVoX
Photography: Poplap Photography & Design

If you are planning your own wedding and want photographs that capture both the beautiful details and the completely unexpected moments, I would love to hear from you.