Real Wedding: A Little Story About Leonie and Lukas

November 6, 2026

Real Wedding: A Little Story About Leonie and Lukas

On July 31, 2026, I was contacted and asked whether I could organize a small, intimate wedding in Cape Town for Leonie and Lukas. They are both German citizens, have never been married before, and are coming to South Africa just the two of them.

Of course, in theory, this was no problem. But then came the requested wedding date: September 19, 2026 — leaving us just under seven weeks to prepare everything.

Phew! The tight timeline was less of a challenge for me personally. But would the two of them manage to get all their documents ready in time?

What needs to be organized for a wedding in Cape Town?

The most important person, of course, is the marriage officer.
Two official witnesses are also required.
A beautiful location — in this case, a beach, which naturally also requires an approved beach permit.
A café where we can sign the marriage register, as required by South African law.
A photographer for one to two hours to capture the most romantic moments.
A small bridal bouquet and a little beach decoration.

The challenges with this wedding request

Definitely the tight timeline!
But everything worked out!
The international certificate of no impediment to marriage arrived in my hands after just two weeks.
A few days later, the apostille from the German regional court was sent to me as well.
Luckily, my favourite marriage officer was available, so we quickly arranged our preliminary meeting with him for the day before the wedding.
Leonie and Lukas also had a Zoom call with my lovely Pat to get to know each other better and discuss personal details for the ceremony.
The photographer was booked in no time.
The bridal bouquet was discussed with the florist and ordered.
My dear friend and I served as the official witnesses.
And the wedding licence from Cape Town arrived at my office just in time!

Everything was planned and organized. Now it was time to bring it all to life!

The big day

We all met the day before the wedding to discuss the final details.
The weather was on our side and absolutely gorgeous: sunny, but not too hot.
Everyone was excited and deeply moved.
Of course, we weren’t alone on the beach, but I found a lovely, cosy little spot with a fantastic view of the Twelve Apostles mountain range, part of Table Mountain.
And suddenly, four wonderful black ladies appeared above our little spot, clapping and cheering with joy!
It couldn’t have been more perfect!
The photoshoot continued all the way into the sunset, with feet in the sand and both trousers and dress getting a little wet in the ocean.