Are you looking for winter wedding venues around Cape Town? Our featured Bride of the month, Dané Horn and her husband Marno’s favourite season was winter and decided to have their wedding on a cold and rainy day out in the Cape Winelands here in Paarl. Their storm cloud filled day surrounded by the fresh earth after the heavy rains helped create beautiful photographic moments here at Rhebokskloof Wine Estate.

While we are known for our large and extravagant weddings here at Rhebokskloof, did you know we also cater for smaller more intimate ceremonies and receptions? Dane and Marno Horn celebrated their wedding reception with 57 guests on 21^st May 2021 on a chilly late Autumn Day.  Their reception was held in the Rhebok Restaurant which was transformed into a rustic autumnal harvest theme. The restaurant welcomed guests inside to a cosy setting with a roaring fire, candle lit tables and a makeshift dance floor to party the night away.

“I immediately fell in love with the restaurant interior’s aesthetic. I told my friend then already that my wedding was going to take place here one day!”

Tell us more about you and Marno’s love story.

My niece who attended high school in Worcester would always mention to her teacher about her brunette aunt who was a wedding planner and she would always talk about her high school teacher to me. They actually tried to arrange for us to meet over coffee before COVID, but it never happened. It was also impossible to up meet during the lockdown period. Marno and I kept in touch via Facebook until my mother sent him a permit to visit us in Clanwilliam! It was during the level 4 lockdown that we were finally able to meet in person. On meeting him that day…I just knew we were meant to be!

Your wedding took place in the heart of winter, not a common season for most brides! Tell us what made you choose this particular date and season?

Marno and I LOVE the winter season! We really wanted a cosy setting for our wedding with winter warming hearty food.

Where did you have your actual ceremony and why?

We were wedded at the Dutch Reformed Church in Worcester as most of our guests were from there. Our wedding also took place on a Friday, so we had to take into consideration that many of our guests were working that day and had to make the drive to the ceremony.

What made you decide to hold your wedding reception at Rhebokskloof? Why did you choose our Rhebok Restaurant venue out of all the winter wedding venues around cape town?

My first time visiting Rhebokskloof was in 2020 on a coffee date with some friends. I immediately fell in love with the restaurant interior’s aesthetic and told my friend then already that my wedding was going to take place here one day! This restaurant was always in my thoughts!

Just before Marno and I got engaged, we brought him to Rhebokskloof to show him the restaurant and his exact words were, “It’s so home-y!” We then enquired about their package option for the restaurant for our reception venue and booked!

“…the most beautiful sunset awaited us at Rhebokskloof that we will never forget. It was freezing at our reception, but with the fireplace roaring and the candles lit, it was so cosy which created a stunning winter’s evening to celebrate a wedding!”

The décor looked stunning, with elements of autumnal and winter earth tones and flora. Discuss your theme and why you chose it.

The “rustic” décor style was the trend in the wedding industry that year and I also thought it fit in perfect with my winter season wedding theme.

I interned with Liezl Kotze Floral Art as a student and had her assist with my flowers and décor for my big day. I gave her mood boards about what I had envisioned and trusted her with everything. It was very special to me that she assisted with my décor.

The décor was an overall surprise, but we loved the minimal, earthy look and feel. It was all brought together so beautifully!

You are the owner of your own bridal events company, Veil Events! How was it to decorate and plan your own wedding?

Yes, I am a professional wedding planner and the owner of Veil Events. It was pretty easy as I am familiar with the workings of wedding events, and I already had a strong vision for my wedding day. It was also really important to include Marno in the wedding decisions -such as organising the music and beverages, which he knew much more about that me. Overall, I really enjoyed planning my own wedding as I kept it simple and to the point!

Give us more details about your wedding cake and menu choice.

We had a menu tasting a month before our wedding so we could adjust our food choices. We wanted a “Braai Menu”, so most of our food was inspired by fiery, coal flavours with a variety of sides.
Our lovely wedding cake was a gift from my sister-in-law!

Your wedding had grey skies and a bit of cold and rain before the sun came out. Did it affect your wedding photos and mood? How did you make it work?

The weather will always affect how your photos turn out and the cold rainy weather set the mood and look for our wedding album. Our wedding day started off with strong wind as there was a huge storm in the Western Cape the day before. In my experience in the bridal industry, I learnt that there is no point in stressing about the weather and decided I am going to be calm and have faith. We walked out of the church to clear skies and confetti and the most beautiful sunset awaited us at Rhebokskloof that we will never forget. It was freezing at our reception, but with the fireplace roaring and the candles lit, it was so cosy which created a stunning winter’s evening to celebrate a wedding!

Photography and video by Jacques of He Is Visual.

Tell us your personal favourite moment/s about your wedding reception at Rhebokskloof.

My favourite moments was going out into the vineyards for our couple shoot while my husband’s favourite moment was dancing at our reception as husband and wife.

As a wedding events/décor planner, you would have the most experienced and best advice of all the brides, tell us your best tip/s for planning your dream wedding?

My number one tip would be to honour and stick to your budget. Balance out your budget across all the factors for your wedding so you can also allocate the right amounts for food, the dress, décor, photographer etc so that you don’t compromise on the quality. Think about the experience you want to have and for your guests to make your wedding as memorable as can be.

Tips for decorating winter wedding venues around Cape Town and in the Winelands!

The Florist/Decor Team

Dané worked with Liezl Kotze Floral Art to help create her vision and create our space into one of the most beautiful winter venues around Cape Town and the Winelands. We spoke to Liezl on how she created these beautiful pieces and her advice for brides.

What was the inspiration behind the colour scheme in the flowers?

Dané wanted a clean and modern feel in her décor that still exuded a cosy and warm feel. We decided to embrace the winter season and the aesthetic of the natural environment during this time.

Winter in the Cape Winelands offers a variety of rich flora with beautiful textures that we used in Dané’s flowers. She is also such a kind and loving soul, and while she was open to a lot of ideas, we had to find a way to exude her warm personality into the décor.

How did the elements such as the fruit and vegetables fit in?

Based on The Rhebok Restaurant’s own décor, we worked on the venue’s elements with its rustic yet modem interior. We loved the pumpkin wallpaper and the take on a modern Cape farm-style kitchen interior of the venue.

We decided to create a still life piece for the reception based on the Cape Winter’s natural environment and added pumpkins and fruit to compliment the venue itself.

Any tips on choosing/creating wedding flower décor for brides out there?

My advice would be to work with your venue, base your décor and flowers on the venue’s interior and exterior elements. I will also advise brides to work with the season of your wedding day and use the beautiful natural setting of the landscape to help set the mood and define the decorative aspects.

I always think less is more as it can create more impact. For example, you can opt for a lot of flowers and elements that can create an average setting due to there being so much. However, rather base your décor on one or two key striking flowers or elements that make it unique and memorable. Lastly, be clever and stick to your budget!

A special thank you to our beautiful Rhebokskloof Bride of the Month for August 2022 for letting us go behind the scenes of her beautiful winter wedding in the Cape Winelands. We hope this will inspire more brides to opt for the quieter and colder seasons for their weddings as it offers a truly romantic atmosphere!

If you are looking for winter wedding venues around Cape Town to accommodate any size, please contact our banqueting manager, Christine at banqueting@rhebokskloof.co.za today. You can also opt to fill in the form below and or take a look at our current wedding packages.