If you are looking for a unique South African wedding venue out in nature, this is my honest A-List of the mountain, forest, beach, and bushveld spots worth a little peek. This started as a brainstorm with one of my favourite people, wedding planner Rebecca Kooiker. Between the two of us we have a lot of dirt-road, mountain-mist, salt-air experience to share. I have photographed over 350 weddings and elopements, from the Drakensberg to the Garden Route, and even on a volcanic mountainside in Iceland! So this article comes from real days, real weather, and real cake hauled up real mountains.

My A-List comes first, sorted by the type of surroundings you have to choose from. My advice and thinking points follow. Because choosing a unique South African wedding venue can be an absolute joy! But it might also bring a few logistical puzzles with it.

Have a scroll through the list and then be sure to read on so you can choose with your whole heart, and a clear head too.

My A-List of Unique South African Wedding Venues

These are some of my favourites with outdoor ceremony options, and I have photographed at every one of them. Click through to any that catch your eye, then come back for the part that helps you decide.

Unique South African Wedding Venues Near The Mountains

South African Wedding Venues With Forest Magic

Unique South African Beach Wedding Venues

South African Game Reserve and Safari Wedding Venues

Unique South African Wedding Venues with Orchards

Found a place that makes your heart beat faster? Follow the path! I have shot at every one of these venues myself, so if you would love someone who already knows these places to come and document your day, come and say hello. No pressure, just a chat about your wild idea.

How to Choose Your Unique South African Wedding Venue

Choosing well comes down to five honest questions. Get clear on your why. Decide whether to plan it yourself or hire a coordinator. Know whether you would move the ceremony if you had to. Make peace with the weather, and accept that the guest list may shrink. Answer those five and you can move forward well-prepared and ready for anything!

Deciding on a non-traditional location is not always simple. There is sooooooo much to consider, and so many opinions arriving from family and friends. In those moments, remember this: you are allowed (that word matters) to simplify your plans to fit the people, or take the people out of the plans to fit the adventure.

That is gentler than it sounds. We are not talking about cutting your aunt because she is questioning why you chose a ceremony space that doesn’t suit her needs. We are talking about a proper heart-to-heart with your partner. Get crystal clear about the options before you fall all the way in love with a spot.

There might be a few tough questions ahead, but the clearer you are from the beginning, the better! On a side note, the explosion of creative micro-weddings has exposed a lot of ‘traditional’ guests to out of the box thinking from brides and grooms. You now have more permission to do whatever your wedding heart desires than in any moment in your history… why not embrace it 🙂

First, Get Clear On Your WHY

Your wedding ceremony is the official start of your life together. Many of my clients choose to take that first step in a place that truly means something to them. The allure of being out in nature instead of choosing a traditional wedding venue is also another huge pull for adventurous couples. But understanding why you have chosen a unique South African wedding venue is one of the biggest treasures you can uncover.

Getting down to your real ‘why’ is a process of elimination. I was once advised: start with the question and then ask yourself (or each other) ‘why?’ for each answer until you aren’t able to anymore… until you hit the answer that feels right to your soul and that gentle feeling of peace washes over you.

Once you know it, that why becomes your compass. It guides every twist, turn, and big or small choice. You will always know which decision is in alignment with it. Your ‘why’ is a glorious thing! It will become your Northern Star as you head off on your wedding journey!

Do it Yourself, Or Hire A Coordinator

Do you hate pressure? Or are you the easygoing type who feels that everything will be alright in the end? If you are the former type who worries about details and timelines and logistics, then get a wedding coordinator.

If I am honest, even if you are the latter, a wedding coordinator will make the world of difference.

Couples who have a wedding coordinator generally have a peaceful aura. That is not to say that the stress of the day is completely removed, but daaaaamn it is an amazing feeling to know someone else has to get that cake to the top of the mountain and look after it until the guests eat it.

It is an equally incredible feeling to know that your wedding guests have someone looking out for them! There is nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING that heightens stress more than family and friends constantly coming into the suite to ask questions while you are getting ready.

Navigating uneven ground and getting chairs, infrastructure, a cake table, properly packed glasses, rubbish bags, ice buckets and champagne to the location, and then having things ready for guests when they get to the wedding reception venue (if different) is then the job of your wedding coordinator.

The more remote the location, the more you will want either a planner or a pared-back plan. More on that next.

Would You Move The Ceremony If You Had To?

Every single one of your choices carries a logistical thread. “We want a mountaintop wedding” quickly becomes a string of questions: How are you getting up there? Are guests coming too? Is the terrain even? Will Gran need a hand? Are there bathrooms for a 45-minute ceremony? Who is carrying the chairs up and down? And is the confetti biodegradable and picked and dried in time? It adds up fast.

You can add a slew of questions to the list above, and it’s understandable that not every logistical obstacle can be solved by the two of you. When you get to that point you’ll need to decide if you can simplify or outsource. Oftentimes outsourcing to a planner will help you solve any of the logistical difficulties that you are experiencing, but other times simplification of the location is the best way to go.

If you end up choosing not to have your ceremony in your favourite location, it does not mean that you cannot still incorporate that location into your wedding day in some way. Many of my clients have chosen to use their ‘heart’ location in other ways like having a first look there, or incorporating it into their couple photography session.

Bianca and JP wanted to have their wedding on the beach at Forest Hall. They decided the logistics were just too complicated and had a gorgeous lawn ceremony instead. However, they used their beloved beach for their couple photo session AND for a family picnic the next morning. Best of both!

Can You Make Peace With The Weather?

Along with the acceptance of working within your limits comes the acceptance of the weather being whatever the heck it is going to be. Sometimes there will be mist, sometimes there will be wind, sometimes there will be rain, sometimes there will be lightning, sometimes there will even be hail.

I have been at weddings where we took cover in an outbuilding whilst the hail was pelting down and then ran out and played in the white fields, with everyone excitedly chatting about what just unfolded. Conversely, I have been at weddings where the family flat out refused to have photos outside in the wind.

You know your people best.

So think about your guests as well as yourselves, then decide what is wonderful and what might be too much to ask of your guests. Two practical things to settle early: First, if the weather turns, can you still physically reach the location? And second, do you have a solid Plan B, so you can rest easy knowing you are covered either way?

Are You OK With A Smaller Guest List?

Forging ahead with your ideal spot may mean fewer guests. Not just the ones who are full of nonsense, but ones you might not have thought of. A new mother who cannot bundu-bash. Someone who cannot risk the elements. A guest who needs a bathroom close by for a medical reason. The list goes on.

So going against the grain means getting reeeeeeeal comfortable with radical acceptance, and this is exactly why your why means so damn much. Keep the real reason front of mind, and you will find yourself making peace with things as they are, and dreaming up clever ways to keep the people you love close anyway.

Unique South African Wedding Venue FAQs

What is the most unique wedding venue in South Africa?

There is no single answer, because “unique” depends on the wild you love. Looking for mountains? St Bernards Lake and the Drakensberg are hard to beat. For forest, Forest Hall near Plettenberg Bay is magic. For bushveld, a game reserve like Lalibela delivers the open plains. The most unique venue is the one that matches your why.

Do you need a wedding coordinator for an outdoor venue?

For a remote or non-traditional location, yes, a coordinator is worth every cent. Outdoor and mountain venues come with real logistics: transport over uneven ground, equipment, timing, and guest care. A coordinator carries all of that so you can stay present. If you would rather not, then simplify the plan instead.

What happens if it rains at an outdoor South African wedding?

You make peace with it ahead of time and you build a Plan B. Some of the most memorable weddings I have photographed had mist, wind, or hail that turned into pure joy. Confirm your venue is still accessible in bad weather, and have a covered option ready, so whatever the sky does, you are covered.

Can you legally get married out in nature in South Africa?

You can, as long as a registered marriage officer conducts the ceremony and the paperwork is in order. Many couples have the legal signing at their nature venue, while others handle the official part separately and keep the wild spot for the celebration. Your officiant or planner will guide the specifics.

And That Is That!

My wish is that you walk away from this armed with SOOOOO much more clarity about your unique South African wedding venue. Be prepared, be fearless, and be happy. This is one of the biggest moments of your life, and you deserve to have it play out just the way you want it to.

I am always up for an adventure so if you’re looking for the ultimate photographer to join you, please get in touch.

Want to see a few of these venues in real weddings? Here are three featured above.