Take our word:

Put a different spin on the seating arrangements and keep it stylishly casual with lounge furniture and one or two concept inspired tables for comfortable dining.

The Story:

A noticeable trend on the rise for modern and fun-loving couples is to move away from the traditional seated wedding reception, and towards a more relaxed layout that still presents stylish details in a sophisticated setting.

For Lisa and Darren – two “Foodie” Brit’s living in Australia – they wanted to recreate some of their favourite food memories from their travels around the world. The choice of venue was key and had to be celebrated for their cuisine and wine. Our team recommended Overture at Hidden Valley. Having been placed in the Top 10 Restaurant’s in South Africa for 3 years now, it was a Foodie match made in heaven!

The ceremony took place on the lawns overlooking the picturesque vistas of the Stellenbosch Valley. Lisa arrived in style in a vintage, black Cadillac. After the nuptials, guests showered the couple with confetti, which consisted of heart shaped cutouts from their favourite sheet music pieces. The wedding party then moved to the Overture Restaurant that had been converted into a chic and cosy lounge and cocktail space filled with an assortment of beautiful and eye-catching details.

The lounge area comprised of pockets that were created by handpicking key luxurious pieces. Gondola couches were paired with day beds and ottomans and complimented by signature oak elements. Lush ruby and plum velvet couches worked brilliantly alongside jade and copper coffee tables. Whilst a striking black velvet couch added a touch of drama amongst vintage chaise lounges adorned with gold and bronze antiques. Soft lighting was provided by a 9-meter curtain of fairy lights and bespoke table lamps that filled the lounge pockets.

For the Travelling Menu, a variety of food stations were fashioned within the lounge space, and each guest was given their very own Gastronomy Passport. Each passport contained the detailed menu items from every station, and guests were encouraged to visit the various tasty destinations. To ensure no one missed a station, a “clearance stamp” was stamped into their passports showing that they had sampled and visited. Lisa and Darren wanted to ensure their guests’ gourmet journey was a comfortable one – so fashioned from a similar design from their Food and Wine Club in Australia, our design team created plates, personliased with the couples wedding motif, that could also hold a wine glass. The plates were given to the guests as favours on the wedding night.

The wedding cake was also a fun gourmet feature! Here we included their favourite Lindt chocolate truffle flavor – peanut butter – which Lisa and Darren brought over from Australia, and were mixed amongst the white chocolate truffles, Stratiatelli and milk chocolate truffles.

For their dinner, kids indulged on Overture’s Executive Chef Bertus Basson‘s infamous decadent boerewors rolls. The adults were not forgotten and ended their global gourmet journey back in South Africa, and were served their “Gourmet Boerie Rolls” at midnight, as a delicious late night snack!

The Photographer: Tasha Seccombe