Wedding Planning and Management : Information


As popular Cape Town wedding venues are in high demand, please contact us well in advance of your planned wedding date to enable preliminary communications and bookings to be carried out timeously. A lead time of the order of 15 to 18 months is recommended, especially for the months of November through March. The more time you allow, the better the chance that everything will fit in with your plans. You may wish to consider a range of dates, and their order of preference. If you are considering a Valentine's Day wedding, a lead time of at least 24 months is recommended.

While the above lead times are preferable, we will nevertheless try to meet your requirements should you wish a wedding to be arranged at shorter notice.


The following is provided to the best of our knowledge and as a guideline only. As requirements may change, we will confirm these with the relevant authorities in South Africa for each wedding which we arrange. We recommend that foreign visitors intending to marry in South Africa also check these with the relevant authorities in their home country before departure. There may also be exceptions, particularly in relation to the documents which may be required, as well as specific situations in which alternate or additional documents are needed.


The official documents, from your home country, which both bride and groom will need to provide, are:

DOCUMENT SA citizens & permanent residents non-SA passport holders
SA Identification Document Y null
Birth Certificate Y (if no ID Document) null
Passport null Y
Visa (proof of legal presence in SA) null Y
If you have been previously married, a final order of divorce, or a death certificate of the deceased spouse Y Y
If you have had your name changed, an official document specifying the details Y Y
If you are a minor, written approval by a parent or legal guardian Y Y



After you are legally married you will receive an abridged marriage certificate. This is usually sufficient for South African couples residing in South Africa. However, couples who wish to have their marriage legally recognised in a country other than South Africa may select from the following options:
(i) an unabridged marriage certificate;
(ii) an unabridged marriage certificate with an apostille;
(iii) a copy of the record of the marriage.


Note that in order to comply with the requirements for a couple to be legally married by way of a ceremony conducted in South Africa, certain important points relate specifically to outdoor weddings. Should you be interested in having an outdoor wedding, we will explain these to you in more detail. Issues such as these are always discussed with the relevant marriage official prior to the marriage in order to prevent any possible misunderstandings.

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