Bobbi and Tanaka met in Sydney while living in student accommodation, both studying at the time. Tanaka had moved from Zimbabwe to complete his Master’s, and Bobbi had moved from a small town in Western Australia to study fashion in the city. They met at Bobbi’s birthday through a mutual friend and quickly discovered how much they had in common.
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Style: Modern Take on Classic Romance
Time of planning: Over 1 year
Number of guests: 80
Setting: Cape Winelands
Seven years later, Tanaka proposed at the hidden cocktail lounge where they had their first date, coordinating with the staff to bring out their cocktails under a smoky dome that lifted to reveal a ring. The ring itself was a placeholder, chosen so the two of them could design the real one together. When it came to the wedding, they wanted something intimate but also knew how much a big celebration mattered to their families. The answer was both: a small civil ceremony in Sydney with their closest friends, followed by a larger wedding celebration in South Africa.
What was the inspiration behind your wedding?
Tanaka and I both love fashion, design, and good food! We took inspiration from an event we had seen from the Australian tailoring brand P Johnson. They had hosted their collection preview at one of Sydney’s coolest jazz bars, Caterpillar Club, and we were completely in awe of the use of red roses with their sharp tailoring.
We took our guests on a journey through the Cape Winelands; from our ceremony in Stellenbosch at Johannesdal Villa Farm & Sea, to our reception celebrations in Franschhoek’s Sandstone House. The theme of our wedding was a modern take on classic romance. From conceptualizing it, it took us just over a year to plan. It was a true labor of love, and Tanaka even unlocked a hidden talent for planning and creative direction!
Could you walk us through your wedding looks?
My dress and corset were Vivienne Westwood from the 2025 Bridal collection, which I purchased through Bloom Australia after trying the pieces on at their trunk show in Sydney. The team at Bloom went above and beyond to help me place a last-minute order (after I had to pivot from a custom dress with another vendor that just wasn’t working out).
The Vivienne Westwood pieces arrived a month before the wedding, and Sam & Alicia from Bloom connected me with Tailored by Tamara. Tamara was incredible, she completed my alterations within just 2 weeks. I’m so grateful to the three of them!
After all the stress of securing my dream dress, I knew I didn’t want to wear a second look but rather enjoy every moment in it, which was the best decision. I wore my hair in a classic French twist and my makeup artist, Hannah from Wolf Bridal, created the perfect soft, glowing look inspired by looks I had seen from the talented Nina Park. For fragrance, I wore Carmina by Creed, a gift from Tanaka that I had first worn for our civil ceremony in Sydney.
Tanaka’s Tuxedos were from P Johnson, a tailor established in Sydney. Both tuxedos were paired with patent-leather Oxfords from Morjas, and a hint of gold shirt studs and cuff links from P Johnson. Both tuxedos had custom embroidery reading “1 of 1” under the collars and our initials, T&B, in the inner chest pocket for an added personal touch.
P Johnson was the obvious choice due to their refined tailoring, timeless style, and relaxed aesthetic. The off-white jacket for the ceremony felt right due to its cinematic elegance. Whilst going all black was, at the end of the day, only fitting as we got ready to party all night.
Where was your wedding?
After viewing plenty of venues in Cape Town city and the Winelands, we were shown Sandstone House in Franschhoek. When we arrived at the venue, we instantly knew it was the one. It was an elegant and classic manor house surrounded by mountains; it really took our breath away. When we arrived at the venue, a Netflix documentary was being filmed there, so we knew it was pretty spectacular! Initially, we were going to have both our ceremony and reception at Sandstone House, but as we returned to Australia and our guest numbers grew so we opted for a second venue for our ceremony.
We saw Bettina Looney’s beautiful vow renewal at Johannesdal Villa and asked our coordinator to video call us during a site visit. It was absolutely perfect for our ceremony, and when we finally viewed it in real life the day before the wedding, it was even better than the photos!
You both live in Australia but got married in South Africa. How did the planning process work?
We had a summer wedding in Cape Town, South Africa, celebrating with 80 of our favorite people in a celebration that beautifully blended both our families and cultures. Every detail was curated to feel intentional and unique to us, even combining elements of Sydney with the beautiful mountain-lined setting of Cape Town.
Planning the wedding from afar was a bit of a challenge, but a visit to Cape Town a year before the wedding was essential for us to view venues. We had a coordinator on board to assist with logistics, but we were still across every detail, creating timelines and having Zoom meetings with vendors every other week.
Alongside wedding planning, we were also assisting our international guests with their travel arrangements, offering advice and even researching safaris for our families! It really felt like a part-time job making sure everything was on track.
How did you approach the color palette & floral design for your wedding?
We worked with the wonderful team at Okasie for our floral design. What made it so special was that their flower farm is located at the base of Johannesdal Villa, where we had our ceremony.
The red roses, paired with the beautiful mountain landscape, were breathtaking. We wanted the roses down the aisle to feel natural, as though they were growing from the ground with the greenery. This theme carried through to our dinner table, where the red roses were effortlessly styled down our long table with olive orchids. Our wedding was a few days before Valentine’s Day, so the roses were a perfect nod to that also.
The color red was a theme throughout the day; from the roses to the draping, the red cake, and the entire After Party ‘Red Room’concept. There was something so striking about it, and we wanted to create a point of difference. The Pisces in me went back and forth several times, questioning if all the red was the right choice, but we were intentional about executing the red elements tastefully so it never felt ‘gimmicky’. We’re so thankful for our amazing vendors who understood the vision perfectly and brought it to life in such a tasteful way.
Can you share more details about the stationery, signage, and that stunning "Just Married" fabric drape?
Studio Pen created our dreamy lace heart ‘Just Married’ sign, with pearl detailing. We had shared inspiration of signage draped from a Juliet balcony that we wanted to emulate, but Penni brought it to life in a way that felt completely original and so special. We were truly blown away when we first saw it. It became the most beautiful backdrop for our cocktail hour photos, and it even went viral on TikTok!
Studio Pen also designed our ‘B&T’ heart logo, which became a motif for our wedding. We later used it for our late-night smash burgers in the ‘Red Room’, printed by Love Wildly. Studio Pen also created our on-the-day itinerary maps, which were handed to guests on silver trays at the ceremony and served as a keepsake.
After working so closely together throughout the process, Penni has become a friend to Tanaka and I.
What was the food like, and how did you approach the menu and drinks?
Well before we were even engaged, I would save all of John Joseph’s incredible food installations on Instagram. Having John Joseph cater for our wedding was a non-negotiable, as his food styling is truly a work of art. We worked with Johnny and his amazing team to curate a menu that reflected our cultures and included all our favorite food, from biltong to burrata.
We took inspiration from some of our favorite Sydney restaurants and hotspots like Mimi’s Coogee, with their iconic caviar bumps and olive oil soft serves, as well as the steak frites from one of our favorite restaurants, Bistrot 916 (that sadly closed down)!
For our cocktail hour, Johnny curated a beautiful harvest table with the best of Cape Town’s offerings, styled with Roman busts and butter sculptures. We’re still dreaming about his peaches and cream!
Throughout the night, John Joseph continued to wow our guests, ending the night with his signature smash burgers as a late-night snack. For drinks, we opted for a martini cart, Negronis, Margaritas, Champagne, and a selection of local wines from the Cape Winelands.
The cake-cutting was one of our favorite moments! Initially, we had planned for a much smaller cake, but at the last minute we decided to make it a ‘wow-moment’ and surprise our guests with a 5-tier red cake brought out with sparklers and Burlesque dancers. The incredible team at Blos Bakery understood the assignment and made the cake of our dreams. I was initially nervous to go against the grain and have a red wedding cake, but it really set the tone for our ‘red room’ after-party and was one of our highlights!
What made the day unique?
Going into the planning of our wedding, we wanted it to feel like an ‘event’, where every touch point offered a surprise or a memorable moment for our guests. From the incredible harvest table to live pasta stations, caviar vodka bumps, a martini cart and cigar bar, and a variety of live music throughout the evening, it truly was a night to remember.
Advice from the couple:
• Enjoy the process, try not to let any stress cloud the beautiful journey, treat your vendors like friends, and enjoy every minute!
