21 Jan The Secret shoot: The African experience

I’m thrilled to share this lovely anniversary photo shoot with you! Whitney & Ross, all the way from New York City, contacted us in early 2013 to book a photo session to coincide with their one year wedding anniversary trip that they were planning in South Africa. We thought it would be apt to do something with a “South African twist” to ensure that they remember our beautiful country forever! We contacted the Cheetah Outreach in Somerset West to get their star attraction, Joseph, the cheetah, on board. We had so much fun pulling this together with some very creative and talented local service providers and below you’ll also find some words from the Bride. We hope that you’ll love the anniversary images as much as we – and the couple – do!

Credits:
Thank you to all the providers that made this shoot possible:
Photography: Adene Photography www.facebook.com/adenephotography
Flowers & styling & decor: Anli Wahl – Flowers & Event décor www.facebook.com/anliwahlflowers
Dress: Alana van Heerden – Fashion & Bridal
Shoes: Fendi
Make-up & Hair: Iza Cloete – Hair & Makeup Artist
Videography: www.whitelines.co.za – GO CHECK OUT the VIDEO
Stationary: Red Fox Designs www.facebook.com/redfoxdesigns
Venue & Cheetah: www.cheetah.co.za
Feathers in Whitney’s Hair: Phoenix Feathers – Feather Hair Extensions

Description:
From the Bride: I had come across Adene’s work on Style Me Pretty before my wedding. Knowing that it would be difficult to fly her in from South Africa to photograph our special day, I had reached out to her to see if I could schedule a one year wedding anniversary photo shoot since my husband and I were travelling to South Africa for a belated honeymoon. We exchanged emails and I was thrilled to hear that her and her talented sidekick, Anli of Anli Wahl Flowers & Event Styling, were delighted to set up a styled shoot to commemorate our time in their beautiful country. Adene informed me that she had a wild idea to have a live cheetah incorporated into the pictures and I immediately knew that we had chosen the right photographer to capture and ensure that we would remember our travels forever. For weeks leading up to the trip and photo shoot, my husband and I were very excited to hear all about the set up (although some details were a surprise for us from Anli and Adene) and day of details unfold. One the day of the photo shoot, when Joseph the cheetah arrived to our set up, we were filled with pure adrenaline. We were so excited to spend intimate time with such a beautiful animal… that was, until we saw his mouth open wide to growl (or perhaps it was a very large yawn). We quickly got over any nerves we had when we met Dawn, his handler, and the volunteers who helped out on the day of the shoot to ensure our safety and Joseph’s comfort at all times. It was an unbelievable experience for all of us involved to see such a magnificent creature up close and personal and to celebrate the best year of our lives in such a beautiful South African setting near Cape Town. We’ll forever carry the gorgeous country of South Africa with us in our hearts and we’re thrilled to be sharing these incredible images with our friends and family now that we’re back in the States.