Work Together, Wherever!

One of the best things about being a creative in the wedding industry is being able to collaborate with others.

Yet in the Northern Cape it is so much more personal than that. Here we are a close-knit group of incredibly talented vendors and suppliers, which networks every now and again to have a little fun. This specific shoot was a collaboration of creative female entrepreneurs. For Ann Lee from Ann Lee Couture, working together with other self-employed ladies was exhilarating and fulfilling. She says: “We all know what hard work it takes to make a business successful, but if we get the opportunity to play a little, we enjoy and make the most of it. It gives one the opportunity to put creative ideas together and make them come alive.”

The shoot took place on a farm just outside of Kanoneiland, in a magazine-pretty garden, cared for by Comien Botes. There were so many beautiful spots to choose from, that the team struggled to finish before sunset. The Gypsy element is very visible and alive in the fashion for this season. In this business you also have to keep up with trends and that’s why this group chose something current.

The clothes designed for the shoot were definitely unique and true to the theme. They combined colourful, floral print fabric, knitted pieces, flowy skirts and chunky costume jewelry from Tiketa store to compliment each look. Wooden chandelier earrings, chunky neckpieces with a lot of bangles, and bulky bracelets made of multi-coloured stones and pendants, as well as a pair of dark brown leather, knee-high boots finished off the look perfectly.

The wedding dress in particular was the traditional white ball gown with an interesting handmade, strapless bodice of lace and applique. With Lize Engelbrecht’s (model) hair they decided to wrap a shaded pink scarf with fringes, around the head. Marquette from salon M@r-Q-ette says: “When I think in the direction of Gypsy/Bohemian, the visual of natural, onopgesmik, but still a ladylike element comes to mind. This is why I implemented curling techniques and crimping to achieve maximum volume, without having it look overdone. For any occasion a side braid or messy bun works great with our Kalahari sun. The faux Mohawk was a little more edgy, but worked well with what we were trying to achieve.”

Chrisna Roos was the makeup artist for the day. “I decided, along with the stylist, that a more natural look for the makeup would be appropriate, seeing as it might disappear in the already busy picture of Gypsy accessories. The aim was to emphasize the features of the model, rather than to use bright fur colors that do not necessarily fit with her hair colour or eyes. The end product was a beautiful Gypsy.”

Click here to see another Northern Cape collaboration

Maria from Lens and Light Photography captured the day. “I found collaborating with this team to be a very creative process which I enjoyed from start to finish. We shared ideas on how to reach the end result. Once on location, the remainder of the team started setting up, while the hair and makeup team performed their magic, transforming our beautiful model for the first outfit.
The shooting style, angles, lighting and final editing were done to compliment the outfits, from romantic-classic, to more ‘contrasty.’ Having people assist with styling, holding light shapers and correcting stray hair or outfits, made my work much easier, as I am used to doing this all by myself. I am looking forward to collaborating with professionals in the respective fields again in future. Thank you, Ann-Lee, Marquette, Lizé and Chrisna, Comien and Elsabé. It was a privilege!”

We look forward to sharing more of these creative collaborations with you!