Arnold and Reinette held their wedding ceremony and reception at Diep in die Berg in Wapadrand, Pretoria. We photographed Reinette’s niece’s wedding last year in Polokwane (Pietersburg) and blogged about it >HERE<.

It was a morning wedding, which was nice for a change. We took our eldest daughter along (AFTER clearing it with Arnold and Reinette) and gave her one of our backup cameras to play with. For a nine-year-old she actually shot quite few keepers!

This was my second wedding at Diep in die Berg; my first was back in 2006. Their chapel is surprisingly light on the inside and makes it possible to photograph with fast lenses without flash or with moderate bounced flash with normal zoom lenses.

Her father brought her in and my hubby snapped away from behind. If you look closely you can see him behind her left elbow… We have been complimented on how out-of-sight we operate during ceremonies and receptions.

After the service, rose petal throwing and well wishes we had a couple of minutes alone with the bride and groom. We started in the chapel and used the soft natural light for a couple of classic portrait shots.

Diep in die Berg has beautiful gardens and a couple of nice water features as well. We walked all around the grounds and snapped away. Arnold has since let me know MORE than once that this was the absolute best photo session he’s ever had in his life! Hubby dryly asked - “so how many others did he have?” It’s still funny for us when just about every couple afterwards say that they’ve had loads of fun and thank us for it. It sure is nice to fun with all these different couples.

Their function rooms are also photographers’ dreams, as the ceilings are low and white. This reflects incoming natural and flash light beautifully and provides warm, soft portrait shots. Soooooooo much easier for us photographers than thatch roofs etc. Remember people: photo = light & graph = draw. If we don’t have enough light, we can’t draw the way we’d like to.

Reinette’s brother delivered a great intro speech in the style of old testament family registers. Boy did we laugh at the funny used of words and presidential terms to indicate dates!

It was a family focussed wedding, with the ceremony involving the children and underlining the importance of joining the two families and not just the bride and groom.

Diep in die Berg is an excellent wedding venue for small to medium weddings. Their coordinator was very professional and the food and general service top notch. It comes away with a Joretha Taljaard Wedding Photography “Highly Recommended” badge. Batteries not included…

Joretha and Cobus Taljaard