There is a gorgeous, soft quality of light that graces the Drakensberg in autumn, and a stillness that settles over the central valley. I watch and feel it year after year as a Drakensberg wedding photographer. Autumn in the Drakensberg is quite possibly my favourite season!

Between all the softness and stillness, was a wedding that refused to be quiet. Blue hair and a velvet suit. A hand-embroidered floral veil that made all of us swoon. A sweetheart of a pup named Sadie, with her own floral collar, who joined us for most of the day. And there was colour… so much joyful, vibrant colour everywhere you looked. This was the drakensberg wedding of Emily and Bern, and it was nothing short of SPECTACULAR!

Whilst she was getting ready, Emily told me about her holidays at Dragon Peaks with her Dad. She said that when they arrived in the Central Drakensberg she always felt calm, and in awe. Those feelings meant that choosing the valley for her own wedding felt less like a decision and more like an inevitability. Em and Bern spent years returning for holidays, and now they’d return to get married!

They booked me before they had a venue. Photographs, they told me, were one of the few tangible things you keep after a wedding, and they prioritised them accordingly. I love clients with priorities hahaha 💕

Getting Ready in The Drakensberg’s Champagne Valley

Bern’s wedding prep had the energy you’d expect from a man who lives and breathes drum and bass music. It was a morning that marched along to the rhythm of laughing family and dancing kids. It may also have involved a super special bottle of whiskey. And we cannot forget his exquisite blue velvet suit jacket, woweeeee!

Emily made sure her morning rolled out with as little pre-wedding mayhem as possible. She did her own hair and makeup, and had all of her DIY’d details laid out and organised. Before she put her dress on, she sat on the floor with her pup Sadie to fit a little floral collar. It was one of the most precious moments of the day! Sadie got so much love on the wedding day and it was toooooo cute for words.

When I walked in the door I instantly gravitated to Emily’s hand-embroidered veil. She embroidered every little flower… each a different colour, scattered across the full length of the tulle like a garden in bloom. It was something to behold. A real labour of love, made with hours and hours of dedication! Something so unique and perfectly… Emily. It was the ultimate accessory for her preloved Nicole Milano gown, which had a gorgeous lace detail on the bodice and a layered tulle skirt. Together, they looked like they were made for the valley.

Em had some amazing advice for DIY brides: “My advice to anyone like me (DIYers unite) is to know your limits and take on less than you think you can. Especially if you’re getting married anywhere more than 30 minutes from your house. You just cannot feasibly take all the hand crafted things you think you can. We chose a wedding planner that was happy to take our general preferences and create magic by themselves. Choose a team you trust and let them manage the parts they do best.”

Walking to the ceremony: A Drakensberg wedding photography MOMENT

Autumn in Champagne Valley is something to witness. The grasses turn a pale shade of gold, the trees start to flush with colour, and the Drakensberg escarpment recedes into blue and silver layers.

On the walk to the ceremony the bridal party crossed a wooden jetty over the lake, and the mountains in the background were everything! That image, with Emily’s veil trailing behind her and the Berg rising in the distance, will stay with me for a long time. It was so, SO beautiful!

If you’re considering getting married here, April and May are the most beautiful months to get married in the Drakensberg.

Emily and Bern’s Drakensberg Wedding Ceremony

The front of the ceremony space at Dragon Peaks Mountain Resort had a cool, cathedral quality to it, with a high, pointed window framing the wetland and the distant mountains. Elizabeth May Events brought in a gold geometric arch and wildflowers that added to the gorgeous backdrop. Sadie understood the assignment as she patiently sat on the E&B monogram aisle runner (getting love from everyone including Bern) waiting for her mom.

By the time Emily reached Bern and cupped his face in her hands, half the room was in tears. Their vows were full of emotion. Moving around the room and taking photos as their Drakensberg wedding photographer, I thought “this is exactly how a ceremony should feel”. These lovestruck humans were just SO STOKED to be getting married. And naturally, the first kiss came with a fist pump 🙌🏼

After The Ceremony: Drakensberg Wedding Photography in The Golden Sunlight

Next up: petals, laughter, a lot of hugging, and congrats in the late afternoon light. These were the moments that Emily and Bern had planned to embrace on their wedding day.

“We most loved having our wedding at a resort in the Drakensberg where all of our friends and family stayed for a least a night or two. Having everyone around over an extended time made the event not feel too rushed and allowed us to really bond and connect with everyone individually. We tried to remind each other to slow down and enjoy the weekend, which was wonderful.”

Our next stop was back over the jetty and onto the grass for family photos, with Cathkin Peak in the background and the sun slowly starting to dip. Those moments were incredibly special! A snapshot of a moment in time when the whole family was together and completely happy ❤️

Into The Mountains: Epic Drakensberg Couple Portraits

If you really want to see this Drakensberg wedding photographer beside herself with excitement, give me a golden hour that involves both soft sun AND a flush of colour on the mountains to end it off. Good gracious, this was the most incredible hour of light!

Sadie was there for some of it, which made it even better. There’s a photograph of Em and Bern on the Dragon Peaks road, autumn trees on either side, with Sadie wandering at the edge of the frame. That photo feels like the perfect summary of who this couple is. Vibrant, in love, remembering to take in quiet moments, and always keeping the ones they love close.

And as we sped towards higher ground, the sun dipped behind the mountains. What I didn’t anticipate was the incredible colour that the sky would turn, or the energy that it would inject into all of us. Suddenly we were all running along the Monks Cowl road in front of the majestic mountains, laughing and celebrating. Ah, it was the PERFECT way to end off their photoshoot and I adore every single one of these images!

The reception: Drakensberg wedding photography into the night

The ceremony room was transformed into the reception room during canapes. Elizabeth May Events filled the space with colour, and the jewel-toned glassware caught the candlelight. The room felt like it was glowing from the inside. Brightly coloured flowers, colourful tapered candles, gold cutlery, scalloped charger plates… every detail had been chosen for the joy they’d bring to the evening.

The couple chose to bring in local cheesecakes instead of a formal wedding cake. They were made at Scrumpy Jacks by Drakensberg Honey & Propolis Products, whose honey is produced on a family farm right here in Champagne Valley. Epic choice! Yes to cheesecake, forever and always hahaha!

Wrapped Up in Joy

Emily said something in her questionnaire that was so wise and beautiful. “We both knew and agreed that, so long as the day ended with us married, it would be the best day of our lives. That allowed us to let a lot of things go and not stress too much about unexpected changes or details once the weekend started.“

They promised to remind each other to slow down. To take mental snapshots, and to be present.

I noticed it and the guests noticed it too. And on a clear autumn afternoon in Champagne Valley, with the Drakensberg standing tall behind them, their energy made all the difference.

It was a privilege to be there as their Drakensberg wedding photographer. It always is, in these mountains, with the most incredible humans.

Thinking about a Drakensberg wedding of your own? I’d love to hear all about it. Let’s chat!

Suppliers

Dress: Preloved by Nicole Milano, nicolemilano.com Veil: Hand-embroidered by the bride Make-up & Hair: The bride Groom’s suit: Suit Hub Décor & florals: Elizabeth May Events Cake: Drakensberg Honey & Propolis Products DJ: Donny Basco Photography: Niki M Photography