Milena & Sven's wedding | Summerfields

Milena & Sven

A scorching hot day in the Lowveld. A stunning venue situated next to the Sabie River. A relaxed atmosphere and dress code. A beautiful bride. Put it all together and you have the recipe for an awesome wedding.

Milena and Sven were referred to me by a mutual friend. We met on a lovely winter’s afternoon at one of the local pubs in White River. I knew immediately that the eventual wedding day would turn out a roaring success judging by the way how relaxed and warm they were about the job of finding a wedding photographer on reasonable short notice.

The big day

It was my first time at the Summerfields Rose Retreat and Spa close to Hazyview. The dirt road turning off from the R536 winds its way through a macadamia farm all the way downhill to the Sabie River. No crocodiles or hippos were in sight but the river had water and looked spectacular. There was a beautiful rapid that lent itself to some long exposure and fun photos.

My highlight of the day was Milena’s entrance. Sven was facing away from her as she entered the ceremony and it made for such dramatic photos; portraying tension, excitement, joy and imminent reunion. I wish more grooms would do this at their weddings. After the vows and kiss the formals were taken and then we hit the “beach” next to the river. There were hippo tracks in the sand, keeping us on our toes with a watchful lookout towards the bulrushes.

Temperatures dropped markedly with sunset but it didn’t hold the guests back from a good boogie-woogie on the dance floor. It was nice to have a few mutual friends attend the wedding as well which made it more personal.

The wedding’s lighting conditions were quite challenging in the sense that for large portions of the day we were underneath or alongside trees. This normally is a good thing to soften harsh sunlight but it can create strong contrast between shade and light if sunrays do manage to directly fall on the subject.

As always a big thank you and shout out to Milena and Sven for entrusting me with the job. It was a real pleasure!