Ronic and Rikus: Wedding at Jabulani Safari Lodge in Hoedspruit

If you’ve ever stood close to an elephant, you’ll know it’s not something you easily explain. There’s a quiet weight to it. It’s not something you try to understand, just something you experience. It settles in and stays with you — shifting something, even if you can’t quite put words to it.

That feeling carried so beautifully through Ronic and Rikus’ wedding day.

They chose to get married at Jabulani Safari Lodge in Hoedspruit, a place shaped not only by its setting, but by the presence of the elephants that move through it each day. Their quiet, unhurried rhythm has a way of softening everything around it - and their day seemed to follow that same pace.

It’s something I often notice in places like this — where the setting naturally slows things down, and the timeline is held a little more loosely.

The heat of the afternoon, the light sitting low over the water, the rhythm of everything — it all moved as it needed to, leaving space to feel each moment as it came.

A morning that unfolded easily

Ronic and Rikus got ready separately on the morning, choosing to see each other for the first time during the ceremony.

The spaces at Jabulani hold the morning beautifully — a mix of natural light, texture, and that quiet, tucked-away feeling that makes it easy to settle in. With the heat building outside, the air conditioners hummed softly in the background, and most of the morning was spent slowly indoors - a mix of laughter, conversation, and a few quiet tears in between.

Mornings like this are often where the tone of the whole day is set. When there’s space to settle in, everything that follows tends to feel more grounded, more present.

That calmness carried through the rest of the day.

A ceremony by the Dam

Once everyone was ready, we made our way out to the dam where the ceremony was set up and waiting for us. Getting there was part of the experience — driving through the reserve, with the landscape opening up around us, and passing animals along the way.

By the time we arrived, the heat had fully settled in. Guests sat beneath black umbrellas, dressed in soft, neutral tones that felt completely at home against the colours of the bush.

Ronic and Rikus stood with the water behind them and the mountains in the distance, and the ceremony followed in the same way — simple and heartfelt, with just the two of them and a handful of the people closest to them.

There’s something about keeping a ceremony this way — small, intentional, and held in a place like this — that allows the setting to become part of it, rather than just a backdrop.

A moment with Jabulani

At one point during the ceremony, Jabulani came through with the rings.

There’s something about being that close to an elephant that’s hard to describe. The atmosphere changes without effort — people grow still, everything slows, and the moment seems to deepen in a way that feels instinctive. It’s something you feel more than you can explain.

It settled over everything for a moment — before the energy began to shift.

The Confetti Toss

There’s always a slight change in the air just before the confetti toss takes place. It’s subtle — easy to miss — but it’s one of those moments on a wedding day I adore. You feel it as it swells through you - the way the weight of the ceremony gives way to something lighter, a joy that starts to spill forward out of everyone at once. It’s often one of those transitions on a wedding day — where everything softens and opens, and the celebration begins to take on a different energy. After that, the day shifts into something more relaxed. Drinks start flowing, laughter carries across the space, and everything settles into an easy rhythm.

Time together as the light softened

As the light began to soften, we spent some time around the dam capturing couple's portraits.

There's a quiet intention to this part of the day. It’s often the only time couples have to step away, to breathe, and to take in what’s just happened — and that space is just as important as the photographs themselves.

As the afternoon shifted into evening, the elephant herd began to move across the other side of the dam, following the same path they take each day as they return for the night.

It’s part of the rhythm of the place, but seeing it unfold in real time still feels special.

By then, the light had softened and the heat had started to ease. Ronic and Rikus stood near the water while the herd moved steadily in the background, and it became one of those moments you don’t easily forget.

A day that is hard to put into words

Some days are easy to describe. Others aren’t — not because they lack anything, but because they’re felt more than they’re explained.

This was one of those.

Ronic and Rikus — thank you for trusting me with your day. It was a special one to be part of.

📩 If you’re dreaming up something like this — a safari elopement or an intimate wedding out in the bush — you can get in touch here. I’d love to hear what you’re planning.

Venue: Jabulani Safari Lodge

HMUA: Hey Love Hair & Beauty

Dress: Rene H Couture

Flowers: Roots Flower Market

Photo & Video: Kelly Mae Photography