Get ready for a stylish weekend-long destination beach wedding in shades of bold blue, pewter and gorgeous greys, held on Mother City's much loved West Coast! Sweethearts Katie and Theoniel, who love travelling, discovered Paternoster on a West Coast trip and immediately fell in love with the natural beauty of the fishermen's village. They knew instantly that it was the place that they wanted to exchange vows! This became the concept behind their West Coast wedding - sharing one of their special travelling experiences with close friends and family.

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Celebrations began at the Noise Oyster on the Thursday night, continuing with a crayfish braai on Friday night and culminating in a sleek beach wedding the Saturday, complete with an amazing West Coast style feast. The Sunday morning they ended the weekend's itinerary with a relaxed breakfast at the Paternoster Lodge overlooking the ocean. Shot by Jules Morgan Photography, the weekend is nothing short of sea-side perfection!

West Coast Destination Beach Wedding Look

Katie's bouquet was created from a mix of white Casa Blanca lilies and lavender filler stems. The Casa Blanca lilies were both a visually beautiful and sweetly sentimental choice for her bouquet, being the very same flowers with which Theoniel often surprises her.

West Coast Destination Beach Wedding Dress:The Casa Blanca lilly was also the inspiration for Katie's wedding dress design: "I had my wedding dress made of chiffon. All the detail of the dress was created by using the material itself, and nothing was added to the dress. The dress was designed in panels, so that it moved with the wind on the beach."

West Coast Destination Beach Wedding Bridesmaids Dresses: Katie's very talented mother-in-law lovingly created the bridesmaids and flower girls' dresses in palettes of pewter and grey, styling them with beautiful, flowing silhouettes. Katie chose two shades of greys for the bridesmaids to blend in with the surrounding setting.

Katie used veld flowers for the bridesmaid's bouquets, which come from the South African West Coast.

West Coast Destination Beach Wedding Ceremony

"We chose the venue because we fell in love with the exquisite atmosphere. We didn't want to take away from it. We had wooden chairs on the beach with paper umbrellas for our guests. We had a timber structure with bunting (made from the left over bridesmaid's material) under which we got married. My aunt played the accordion while I walked down the rocky pathway. After the service we spent time with our guests snaking on a bread table and having drinks on the beach."

Katie and Theoniel's Love Story

Katie shares the tale of how they met: "Theoniel and I met through mutual friends. From the start we had a lot in common; we both love travelling, discovering new places, people and ways of life. As we are both extroverts we gravitate towards the people in our lives, being our family and close friends. But most of all we love being together and having loads of fun. I am an architect and Theoniel is a financial planner. We operate in different professional fields although find each other's careers very interesting."

Katie and Theoniel's Proposal

Katie describes their proposal: "Theoniel flew me down to Cape Town for a surprise engagement weekend. He decided to experience Cape Town for our engagement weekend. We acted like real tourists, doing the things that we never get to do when visiting Cape Town. We bought tickets for the hop on hop off bus. We went to the Aquarium, Green Market Square where we bought Paul Coelho books, one of our favourite authors. We then went to District Six and up Table Mountain. We had a late lunch in Camps bay with cocktails then headed back to our hotel in Bantry Bay were we got engaged. We ended our awesome day at Saigon an Asian restaurant in Kloof Street, drinking red wine on their roof top."

West Coast Destination Beach Wedding Reception

Their décor was simple, natural and beautiful. The couple opted for a toned down look and feel in order to accentuate the beautiful natural setting that the beach and venue provided.

West Coast Destination Beach Wedding Decor: With the help of their friends, Theoniel and Katie created their wedding invites, table name tags and the gorgeous rustic candle logs for our tables.

West Coast Destination Beach Wedding Ambience: Tables were pure white creating a beautiful backdrop for the driftwood candle holders which the couple made themselves. Strings of fairy lights hung throughout the reception area brought in a touch of romance.

Real Bride Katie's Tips for Brides-to-be

• Enjoy this special day! Realize that you are marring your best friend on a day where you are surrounded by your friends and family that love you. And that is amazing!
• Allow those who want to contribute, to do so. let everyone who wants to contribute their talent to your wedding be able to take part, everyone enjoys being involved in a wedding of someone close to them.
• Selecting a naturally beautiful venue saves time and money. By choosing a beautiful setting nature has already done most of the work for you, and you don't have to complicate your wedding by trying to dress up a dark, cold, empty room.

If you're planning a beach wedding be sure to take a peek at this Handmade Rustic Beach Wedding {Strandkombuis Beach} and be inspired by our selection of fave beach wedding invitations perfectly suited for a sea-side soiree.

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Vendors

Photography : Jules Morgan Photography Wedding Venue: Paternoster Lodge | Ceremony Venue: Betty's Bay in Paternoster | Catering & Bar: Paternoster Lodge | Dress: Schalk van Zyl | Bridal Shoes: Aldo shoes | Bridesmaids Dresses: Bride's Mother in law | Suits: Options | Pastor/Officiator: Gerhard McDonald and Craige Salzmann | Wedding Décor: Bedazzeled from Vredenburg

Founding Editor: Storm Buckingham