The Venue

Planning a memorable and beautiful proposal starts with selecting a magical venue. Located at the foot of Table Mountain, the legendary Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel welcomes you! Certainly no stranger to any visitor in Cape Town, The Nellie is delightfully pink and fabulous with her lush gardens, statement entrance and world class service. Not only is this property an incredible place to experience the start of happily ever after, we guarantee that you will love your time there so much, that you'll definitely want to host your grand wedding celebration there too! Let's not forget that the Mount Nelson is also a firm favourite for memorable and downright luxurious wedding anniversary celebrations too.

Perfectly positioned in an ideal location, this hotel boasts the most incredible interiors and stellar five star service that is simply unmatched. Offering an all encompassing experience, the Mount Nelson certainly ticks every box when it comes to celebrating in style. Say ‘I do’ or ‘Yes’ to the love of your life with Table Mountain as your witness surrounded by lush gardens and a team committed to making your experience nothing short of spectacular. For the three different setups, the styled shoot dream team made use of three charming areas on the property. From the elegant and chic Planet Room Conservatory to the idyllic picnic setup and legendary celebration scene on the properties rolling lawns, we certainly were spoilt with so many stunning locations to shoot these swoon-worthy proposal setups! No matter if you’re planning a large and lavish bash or intimate and intentional, The Mount Nelson offers an exceptional variety of luxury packages to suit their discerning couples' needs.

The Picnic

A picnic is a delightful and romantic approach to a proposal, especially if you plan it the right way. If your beloved prefers to be out of the spotlight, a thoughtful picnic is a wonderful direction to go in. This simple concept can be elevated in so many ways and the Mount Nelson certainly offers a multitude of private and romantic spots in their lush gardens to enjoy a grand feast and to celebrate this grand moment. With the summer season officially here, there is no time like now to book a fabulous picnic at the hotel. Take a peak at these delicious treats from their baskets - a perfect mix between sweet and savoury, we're drooling already.

Décor Setup
The Happinest team created a simple and chic picnic setup that was as relaxing as it was artful and beautifully designed! A statement black drinks stand housed a variety of candles and kept the mandatory bubbly chilled and ready to pop! An organic and irresistibly beautiful floral arrangement adorned the side of the stand which added a perfect pop to this striking decor piece! A little bit of thought goes a long way and this statement stand creates a stylish and functional focal point for your setup!

Top Tip, if you’re planning on capturing this magical moment, a picnic is the perfect way to keep your photographer out of sight or to have your partner’s favourite people close by to join in on the festivities.

Florals
It is no secret that beautiful flowers always add an ultra luxurious and romantic touch to any artful setup. Whether you go large and lavish or petite and intentional, Groenigheid's florals are always top quality, long lasting and absolutely mesmerising. Specialising in the sale and importing of roses, carnations and anthuriums, they are a trusted supplier amongst the top florists and floral stylists in South Africa. Of course it goes without saying that the scent and quality is exceptional, long lasting and unrivalled. A more perfect event partner could not be found!

Stationery
Love Wildly Design Co, a stationery house dedicated to creating long lasting and ultra fabulous wedding and event stationery teamed up with us to create pure unfiltered proposal magic. Known and loved for their on-trend paper goods and stand out signage, this shoot was no different! Fiona created the dreamiest signage and stationery goods for this scene which acted as a perfect memento too! Don’t be afraid to add a personal touch to your proposal, after all, your love story is unique. We’re totally crushing on these cute drink tags and stirrers - a trendy touch to celebrate your new fiancé status!

Statement Cake
Amongst the picnic delights from the Mount Nelson, an irresistibly delicious and decadent Bento cake with the all important question hand piped could be found. Let's face it, all memorable celebrations deserve a beautifully designed cake! Hand baked with love by the multi-talented Sheena Henry Creative, you just know that anything she touches is pure gold. We adore this thoughtful and ultra unique touch to celebrate the fabulous new adventure you’re about to embark on!

Outfit and Hair & Makeup
For this scene, Zoë is dressed in a playful linen jumpsuit from Leocé Couture. Mustard, a beloved colour for the season suits everyone’s skin tones and can be accented with a wide variety of colours and patterns! For the makeup, Elizabeth Rae Makeup and Hair opted for a striking and bold eye using peachy tones, natural skin and full fluffy brow. The overall look is cute and causal with relaxed curls and minimal fuss, perfect for an afternoon with the love of your life!

The Conservatory

Décor Setup
For the love bird who prefers a more traditional setup, this look will certainly be right up your alley. Gone are the days of boring and uninspired, a traditional approach can still have the wow factor attached to it. All it takes is the right team and the correct venue to turn your vision into reality. Take note, a setup at this scale does have a pricier price tag attached to it but boy-oh-boy is the end result so worth it! Held in the Planet Room Conservatory, the tall windows provide the most glorious sights of the gardens and is perfectly complimented by a bold checkered floor. The epitome of classic and contemporary, the space is perfect for an intimate celebration.

Taking centre stage is Happinest's brand new Ribbed Sweetheart Table and Layered Arch, ready to frame your gorgeous setup! Bold and understated, these two statement decor pieces add the perfect focal point and wow factor to your elegant dinner setup. Accent with detailed floral arrangements, modern tableware, organic linen and plenty of candles to add that ultra romantic ambience to the proposal of the season. We're particularly crushing on these arched acrylic name tags from Love Wildly Design Co, a fabulous little keepsake to remember the best day ever. Adding texture and height to the table, the freeform slabs, pillar and dinner candles add a golden hue sure to make your engagement ring sparkle even brighter. Imagine walking into this and seeing the love of your life waiting for you on one knee, ready to ask the question that will change your life forever. Aaah a girl can dream! Now, if you really want to make the proposal a stand out moment, be sure to commemorate this moment whilst being a little closer to heaven. Adding a feature platform surrounded by lush florals and candles will add the wow factor you are after. Although this type of proposal is considered more expensive, when you assess the amount of thoughtful detail attached to this beautiful setup, you can understand why. This proposal screams romantic, timeless, memorable and magical!

Confectionery
Making us swoon with gleeful joy, Sheena Henry Creative brought their A-Game and provided the most breathtaking confectionery delights that tasted as delicious as they looked! An absolute work of art, Sheena Henry's skillset is not just limited to artfully designed wedding and celebration cakes, they are able to dream up and create the most awe-inspiring dessert displays sure to make your palate dance. Beautifully executed, this dynamic and highly creative team provided scrumptious tropical carrot cake with pistachio cream cheese slices, macarons and a variety of other small confectionery items that provided the perfect post dinner sweet boost! Get creative when it comes to cake, cake slices are still cake and you can cut them into different shapes to still create a WOW effect!

The Statement Dress and Hair & Makeup
Of course, this memorable moment deserves a fabulous and ultra chic outfit, after all, you have just levelled up to fiancé! Leocé is a high end fashion brand that speaks to the modern women on the go. For this shoot, Leocé created a bold and bright pink maxi dress with dramatic frill sleeve. Bang on trend and a little bit playful, this statement dress oozes sophistication with a touch of sexiness! The design rationale behind this master piece was simply to evoke feelings of being in love and to capture that playful romance a beautiful love story always has attached to it!

Elizabeth Rae Hair & Makeup opted for an elegant and modern approach to really allow this statement dress to do the talking. A soft natural eye with defining shadows in the crease perfectly compliments the sleek winged liner, fancy lashes and our absolute favourite, a divine statement lip that matches the cerise shade of the dress perfectly. Define the brow and make sure the skin application leaves a dewy and glowing effect. Veronique advises that a bold lip is so trendy and is the perfect pop of colour you need for your engagement shoot! Not confident with a bold lip? Honey, it is all about finding the correct shade. Once you do, you'll wonder why you hadn't migrated to this makeup look sooner! Complimenting the gorgeous makeup, a sleek low bun.

Rings
Every proposal deserves a beautiful engagement ring and who better help you seal the deal and welcome in forever better than Cape Diamonds. This unique local jewellery store specialises in Cape Town inspired diamond engagement rings and bespoke wedding bands. No matter your style or preference, Cape Diamonds will be able to help you select the dream ring. Renowned for the Cape Fynbos Diamond Engagement Ring Collection, the unique designs capture the beauty of the Western Cape’s floral kingdom in all her glory. We love it when art and nature combine to create something truly magical. With the highest rated selection of diamond engagement rings and fine jewellery in South Africa, browse through their popular collections or request a bespoke design for your one-of-a-kind romance.

The Celebration Scene

Of course, this memorable moment deserves a fabulous and celebratory party - after all you have just levelled up to fiancé! Celebrate this wonderful moment with your nearest and dearest by creating a show-stopping party spot to sip on bubbles, eat cake and show off your gorgeous new finger bling!

POP! Mobile Bar
Adding the perfect pop of decadence to the celebration of the season, POP! Mobile Bar is a fully designed Tuk Tuk which serves ice cold MCC and Gin & Tonic on demand. Ultra fancy, this mobile bar is the perfect accompaniment to any wedding or event, The ultimate crowd pleaser, guests will be queuing for more. Fitted with glass racks, a unique glass chiller and deodoriser, built in ice buckets and friendly and professional barman, POP! Mobile Bar is the service you never knew you needed until now. Stylish and statement, this mobile bar is also the best conversation piece and stylish statement to an incredible setup.

Décor Setup
Now that the proposal is out of the way, get creative with how you style and decorate your celebration space, especially if you have friends and family joining. After all, you want this magical moment to be forever frozen and for your guests to take plenty of photos that you can look back on fondly! Incorporate furniture, statement signage, larger than life installations and florals to create a space that is fun, fabulous and insta-worthy! We're not even going to lie, you had us at the pink moon! A great photo opportunity and a fun and playful element to add to the festivities of the day.

Statement Cake and Sweet Treats
We've said it once before and we will say it again, every grand celebration deserves a grand statement cake. No stranger to luxurious and beautiful wedding and celebration cakes, Sheena Henry Creative delivered yet another glorious masterpiece! Bright, bold and just the right amount of drama, this delicious and ultra moreish celebration cake picks up the unique décor elements seamlessly and adds the perfect pop to a phenomenal setup! Sheena's most popular cake flavours include devilishly delicious rich chocolate cake with salted caramel and vanilla cream cheese, fresh and fabulous orange cake with rose infused cream cheese and our absolute favourite, lemon poppy with lemon curd and cream cheese! In addition to this delightful statement cake, Sheena also created delicate macarons and meringue kisses to compliment all of the delicious sweet treats!

Stationery
Wedding and event signage has such a special place in our hearts and Love Wildly has certainly done it again! We're particularly crushing on this hot pink and red colour sign - a statement piece sure to get your guests snapping away! The sky is really the limit and this layered vinyl sign is giving us all the feels! The custom drink stirrers and tags are a perfect addition to truly stand out as the guests of the hour. Make sure your guests are capturing every moment with this cute 'If you Instagram Sign" with your own personalised hashtag! Use it throughout your wedding planning journey and keep the good times rolling. Let's face it, we all love a personalised moment and whether it is a drink tag or custom paper item, the sky is really the limit when it comes to the execution! Play with trending shapes, colour palettes, customised copy and sweet inside jokes. Adding your own personalised touch will ensure there is not a dry eye in the house!

Hair & Makeup
Elizabeth Rae created yet another show stopping hair and makeup look that we are completely and utterly obsessed with. If you're planning an engagement shoot, be sure to save these images and take note of the artist who created this masterpiece. Opting for a sleek natural curl seen in the top image bar, the hair was complimented by a statement pink eyeshadow look, bold lashes, our favourite fluffy brow and a nude lip. This look is sexy and sophisticated without being too bold and in your face. Catch the second hair and makeup inspiration and rationale in the Conservatory scene overview above.

Top Tip Elizabeth Rae advises her clients to always choose whether they want to enhance their eyes or lips! If you emphasise both, it can be too much and draws attention all over. Take a look at your outfit and a facial feature that you would like to draw emphasis on and communicate that with your artist. Trust us, the end result is absolutely going to blow your mind.

Photographer

The leading woman behind these incredible images is none other than ultra talented Mick Creative! An absolute force to be reckoned, Micke truly is a master of her craft. Specialising in high-end, highly creative documentary style wedding photography, she is able to perfectly capture raw, honest and truthful moments and emotions every single time without fault. Passionate about love and about people, Micke's incredible creative direction ensured our shoot ran without a hitch and our glorious models felt comfortable and relaxed. Needless to say it, Mick Creative is truly a gifted and brilliant photographer and adding her to your wedding dream team will be the second easiest yes you'll ever say!