Nicola and Oliver chose a private, luxury safari wedding in South Africa, hosted by our team and attended by our special four-legged guests, the Ants horses and rhinos.
The enchanting beauty and romance of the African bush stays with you forever. Nicola experienced this firsthand when she fell in love on her first visit to South Africa and which has brought her back several times over the past seven years. So it was no surprise that when Oliver proposed to her, she knew exactly where she wanted them to get married!
© Lotty H. Photography
Eloping for a safari wedding in South Africa
The couple chose to have a simple wedding that was just about them and the bush. We were honoured to arrange their luxury safari wedding in the South African bushveld (and Oliver’s first trip to South Africa). They travelled from their home in Germany to the Ants private game reserve in April, with the team ready to make this special day, and their entire stay, a celebration worthy of big love and commitment.
© Lotty H. Photography
The only other people at the ceremony were Shane Dowington from Horizon Horseback who performed a beautiful blessing, Lotty our local photographer extraordinaire (check out her work here), and Ant, Amanda and Lucas from Ants were on-hand to assist. There were another two members of the bridal party who almost stole the show – Garonga (Nicola’s horse) and Tafika (Oliver’s horse).
© Lotty H. Photography
Celebrating love in the wild
Nicola made her way down the aisle on horseback, Garonga carrying her gracefully to where Oliver was waiting. The ceremony was performed on the mountain, followed by a ride up to another beautiful spot – Nicola on Garonga and Oliver on Tafika. They clinked glasses of champagne and enjoyed small nibbles while watching the sun set over the reserve. And then the day ended with a wonderfully ‘wild’ surprise!
© Lotty H. Photography
During their sundowners, there was a radio call to say the rhinos had been found. So the bride and groom, together with Ant and Lotty, took a ‘Ferrari safari’ in the Ants jeep to meet the rhinos before they moved off. After a spectacular shoot with this magnificent crew, Nicola and Oliver were bought back to the lodge for a celebratory dinner in the boma. Our other guests that had come from America, Brazil and France joined in and made it a festive evening under the African night sky.
© Lotty H. Photography
After a magical wedding day, Nicola and Oliver agree that you can’t beat a luxury safari wedding in the South African bush. We invite you to celebrate long-lasting love in the company of horses, nature’s breath-taking beauty, and our team that takes care of all the details.
Contact us if this sounds like your dream wedding just waiting to happen!
