On the morning of our wedding ceremony, we asked our wedding photographer to join us on the morning game drive. His photos gave us an entirely different perspective than those that we took. Stefan’s pictures confirmed to us that even though we have the same camera base (Canon 7D) – skill and type of lens (but mostly skill) make all the difference!
Up and at 'em! 5 AM and ready to see the big 5!
Our transportation for the week
Brett cracking me up as usual...what "Brettism" could he have possibly just said??
Treking through the bush to get closer to a group of giraffes
Morning coffee on game drive
Chatting with the gang about the weather report...it was calling for rain that night. Rain, rain go away!
Finding our perfect ceremony spot...an open area of the bush with a tree struck by lightning forming a natural archway. Of course the crew at Chitwa Chitwa transformed it later into something even more magical!
Brett taking a little bathroom break in the bush behind a termite mound...
With Tristan and Natalee talking ceremony details. I really do prefer candid shots. Thank you, Stefan for capturing every moment of the day!
Our version of a rehearsal...
As my favorite 2-year-old little girl, Drewsie Willson would say, "I am hap-hap-happy!"
I pray that we are still making each other laugh like this 40 years from now!
Trying my hand at photographing hungry lions
These big guys took down this baby Cape Buffalo and cleaned it out within 24 hours. Their bellies were so full they looked pregnant!
Nature is amazing. So is this photo!
With a pride of 4 male lions surrounding our range rover, I love the fact that we were still more interested in each other. Or as Cory Hutchinson and Brett Sweyer would mockingly sing, "Young love!"
Sitting down for breakfast after the drive. I swear we ate more on this 3-week trip than we usually do in an entire year!
At breakfast with the sweet and very helpful staff of Chitwa Chitwa. Thanks for the paparazzi-esque shot, Stefan!
Sitting down with the minister who married us later that day. Lovely man. Jesus lover and great joke teller. Killer combo.
After this breakfast we went for massages, manicures, and some down time in the room to finalize our wedding vows to each other. I highly recommend writing your own vows. We said the traditional ones as well – but saying our own made it even more special – and honestly, more real.
Wedding pictures up next!
All images courtesy of Stefan du Plessis Photography.
A Blonde in Beijing 
Love the photo of you under the tree. The “hap-hap-happy” one 🙂 Adorable – and you are dressed so fashionably for a safari!
Brilliant photos and such a great atmosphere to the whole post. A really nice read.
Thank you so much! It was a once in a lifetime experience.