International brides flock to the
Cape winelands
Bridal couples from around the
globe are flocking to the Cape winelands to celebrate their special
day, with an estimated R120 million being spent by bridal parties in
the region in the past year.
Top-end wedding co-ordinators attribute this growth to the success
of the
winelands becoming a truly outstanding wedding destination and to
the South
African industry pushing the boundaries of wedding trends to create
world-class
experiences.
Recent wedding trends reflect bridal couples seeking out authentic
wine estates,
boutique hotels and guest houses in the Cape winelands that offer
flexibility,
multiple venues and exclusivity.
Premium wedding co-ordination company Wedding Concepts hosted over
twenty
international couples and 1,000 international guests in the Cape
last season
alone. The bridal parties travelled from the United Kingdom, Europe,
the United
States, the Far East and Australia.
According to Christina Holt, managing director of Wedding Concepts,
the average
number of guests at an international winelands wedding is 100 with
bridal parties
spending between one to two nights in the winelands, during a 10 to
14 day stay
in South Africa.
Based on the average spend per wedding, Holt estimates the total
investment
into the winelands over the last season by destination wedding
parties to be
R120 million. The peak wedding season runs from September to April.
Holt is regularly asked to source locations that are hidden gems in
Stellenbosch,
Franschhoek and Paarl and increasingly the lesser-known wine regions
of Elgin,
Darling and Helderberg, recommending venues that will provide the
right setting
for her clients.
"Our bridal couples often opt for lavish marquee weddings on wine
estates and
also prefer wineland venues that allow freedom in creative design
and décor,
versatile spaces for ceremonies, pre drinks, dinner and dancing, as
well as outside
caterers who give the celebration its own culinary signature."
Some of the most sought-after wineland wedding venues are
established estates
such as Vrede en Lust, Alle Bleue and the Lanzerac Manor, plus a
range of
emerging new locations including Waterkloof, La Petite Dauphine and
Grande
Provence.
"These venues offer the wedding party remarkable mountain and
vineyard views
together with the choice of a marquee, manor house or courtyard
setting," says
Holt. "More and more wine estates are now opening their doors to
wedding
functions, as well as building new venues, refurbishing historic
buildings and
employing and training more staff to accommodate the demand for
wineland
weddings."
Weddings can take any form on these estates - an alfresco-lunch in a
"shabby
chic" barn; a marriage ceremony among lavender fields; or a grand
Bedouin tent
on the lawns of a historic manor house.
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