Photo: Kristine Arellano of Presshaus LA1/45We wanted a simple, sleek letterpress invitation in muted tones that would evoke the spirit of the South African bush. I chose vintage stamps so the envelope would mimic an old piece of luggage. From her impressive work on business cards at my favorite neighborhood stores, I tracked down Kristine Arellano of Presshaus L.A. She not only designed and printed our invitations, but also built a custom website in the same palette and created all of the paper goods for the entire wedding weekend—from welcome notes and itineraries to place cards, menus, and programs.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures2/45Four tiny planes brought our 65 guests from Johannesburg to Londolozi, a family-run private game reserve in Kruger National Park. Watching our friends and family, who traveled from all over the world, arrive together in this remote and special part of South Africa was incredibly surreal.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures3/45Many of us spent the week in Cape Town to kick off the festivities and fend off jet lag. We organized welcome dinners, wine tastings, beach days, and hikes, but Londolozi was always on our minds. It’s our favorite place on earth, and we were ecstatic to finally be back!
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures4/45Everyone’s first ride in the classic Land Rover Defender (a recently discontinued model after 67 years in production)—en route to settle in and have lunch.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures5/45Welcome lunch is served! The first of many seasonal and local meals created by Londolozi executive chef Anna Ridgewell, whose culinary curation was an adventure in its own right.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures6/45Champagne on arrival in front of giraffe heads made out of jacaranda wood from Swaziland. Jacaranda trees are found all over South Africa, and when in bloom, they produce vibrant purple flowers. Ryan’s dad’s recording studio is named after these trees, as they lined the street he grew up on in Johannesburg.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures7/45It was the morning of the wedding, 5:30 a.m., and I was conspiring with my brother Landon (who would officiate the ceremony later that day), his girlfriend, Kerry, and our tracker, Jerry Hambana, to catch up with a rare sighting in the area, a pack of wild dogs. Jerry has worked at Londolozi for 22 years and is one of the most renowned trackers in Africa.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures8/45In addition to seating assignments, we organized vehicle assignments for twice-daily game drives. Our vehicle of immediate family allowed for extra quality time. Here, we had come across a hyena guarding a clan of its cubs—no one was laughing.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures9/45Watching animals in the wild connects us to them in a way that is hard to explain. Elephants are our favorite, and this pair, feasting on some fresh grass, was part of a “memory” of elephants nearby. To note: These are not the elephants that later stampeded our vehicle!
Photo: Kyly Zakheim10/45Jerry, our tracker, and James Tyrrell, our ranger, tracked this Mashaba female and her cub. Monkeys were cackling in a tree above us, and pictured here is the young female beginning her ascent. We watched her get stuck in the trees, searching for prey while her mother looked on, observing her first attempts at hunting.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures11/45We packed all of the paper goods in our carry-on luggage. Kristine (of Presshaus L.A.) also did all of the weekend calligraphy, and these place cards were waiting for our guests at the entrance of the rehearsal dinner.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures12/45As our guests emerged from their afternoon game drive to the surprise rehearsal dinner in the middle of the bush, they were greeted by the sounds of the local Shangaan choir.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures13/45This image was in my head from the second we started planning the wedding. Not far from where this photo was taken, Ryan proposed one year earlier in a similarly glowing setting. I really wanted to capture that same lantern-lit magic of a fireside braai (South African barbecue) beneath the stars and surrounded by wildlife. Rangers drove guests directly from their game drive to this remote dinner location . . . no one had a chance to change clothes, but when the Land Rovers pulled up to this scene, no one cared.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures14/45We laughed and cried as friends and family toasted us. Not pictured: The clan of hyenas waiting in the nearby darkness to scavenge for scraps once we departed.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures15/45On the morning of our wedding, James took us off course to visit the site of our engagement.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures16/45Ryan took some time before putting on his suit to handwrite his vows from his printed copy.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures17/45Ten thousand miles made it impossible to arrange for makeup and hair trials, which was totally fine, as I wanted to look as natural as possible. Lesley Whitby (makeup) and Karen van Wyngaard (hair) were absolute pros and flew in just for the day from Johannesburg. As Lesley finished up my makeup, I spotted a hippo out of water through the window. It was huge!
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures18/45I carried my wedding dress and veil, both Vera Wang, on the 22-hour journey from L.A. to South Africa. I was relieved to see the dress in its final destination, hanging among the mosquito netting.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures19/45I got ready with my maid of honor, my mom, and my soon-to-be mother-in-law. I had just given each of them a personal gift to commemorate the day. Aside from some mischievous monkeys attempting to steal lunch, the mood was very calm, which I loved.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures20/45Tracy, my maid of honor, helped me carefully put on my dress. After trying it on so many times, it’s hard to believe I still couldn’t put it on myself!
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures21/45I gave Ryan these cuff links for his birthday in October. He was running a bit late, so my dad helped quickly fasten them before he ran out the door.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures22/45I’m on my way to see Ryan for the first time in the dress!
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures23/45I was surprisingly nervous, but once I made it down the stairs, the whole “reveal” moment became incredibly exciting. Ryan’s suit and shoes are Burberry. He had a gift with him . . . a pair of antique diamond and sapphire and emerald rings that he knew I had my eye on.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures24/45We aren’t religious, but we feel connected to our Jewish heritage and included certain traditions on our wedding day. Signing a Keith Haring–inspired ketubah was one of them.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures25/45This is the site of our intimate ceremony, shaded by an ebony tree. The Londolozi team, led by Tammy Surtees and Jacqui Hemphill, made our vision come to life. Planning and implementing this setup in the middle of the bush was no small feat, and we were so lucky to have them and are even luckier now to call them friends.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures26/45Upon arrival at the ceremony, guests were offered mini champagne bottles and water displayed in a mokoro adorned with proteas, South Africa’s national flower. A mokoro is a type of canoe commonly used in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures27/45We wanted our chuppah to look like it belonged in the bush naturally and not distract from the environment. We worked with a local florist, Classic Flowers by Marelize, in Nelspruit, a small town two hours away. Marelize used a mix of white king proteas and protea repens from Cape Town with white lisianthus, echeverias, and gray brunia along with local ferns, asparagus, eucalyptus, and leather leaves.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures28/45Walking down the aisle, I was surrounded by love. Guests traveled collectsively more than 570,000 miles from six countries and 11 cities to be with us. This moment was the only time I saw the ceremony location in person. A tower of giraffes was looking on nearby.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures29/45Aside from a line of Land Rovers creating a border, we practically drove right up to the aisle. My veil scooped up some sticks, twigs, and leaves en route, and my mom stepped in some dry elephant dung, which is good luck!
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures30/45My brother officiated the ceremony and it was truly the most thoughtful, funny, profound, and relevant moment of our lives. He just nailed it—he really blew our minds and basically stole the show, which was totally okay, because it was just that good. Toward the end of the ceremony, he said, “Let’s wrap this up,” and our guests shouted (between laughs and tears): “No!”
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures31/45Unlike most brides and grooms, we decided to try a new thing and end the ceremony with a kiss!
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures32/45Friends tossed combretum pods, which grow locally on bushwillow trees, as we headed back down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Rabin. We asked guests to wear “safari chic” attire (cocktail attire in neutral tones) to blend in with the colors of the bush.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures33/45We spent 10 years together leading up to this moment and it was finally official. “Just Married!”: The Londolozi team surprised us with this custom decal on the Land Rover.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures34/45There’s nothing quite like the light as the sun goes down in the South African bush. It’s pretty nuts that our favorite wedding photo includes a tree knocked down by an elephant.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures35/45This was actually not planned, but when we finished portraits and drove to meet everyone for the cocktail hour, I decided to ride on the tracker seat. Problem was I honestly couldn’t get down on my own, so this became our “carry across the threshold” moment by default.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures36/45A little idea I had that Londolozi made possible—champagne on ice in the back of a vintage Land Rover during the cocktail hour.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures37/45Londolozi has existed for 90 years, made up of several camps that overlook the Sand River. Our reception was held on Varty Deck, the original camp, which was flooded with lantern light, candles, and lush rows of florals using local greenery and proteas, which looked like they spilled right off the tables and into the bush.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures38/45Guests found their seats at one of three long tables. Although we spent a lot of time curating the seating assignments, after a week together, everyone was on a nickname basis and played musical chairs.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures39/45Guests grabbed yet another drink as they entered the reception. We secured place cards to champagne glasses—a win-win for both form and function.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures40/45As Ryan is a musician from a family of musicians, live music and exceptional players were an essential component of the evening. The band Moonshine played ’40s/’50s jazz standards during dinner (Ry’s favorites) and a very vibe-y swing set for dancing. The giraffe in the background is one of five that decorated the deck. They were built by Simon Bannister, an artist in residence at Londolozi in 2013. This installation won him Wildlife Artist of the Year.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures41/45We chose Marvin Gaye’s “You’re All I Need to Get By” for our first dance because it doesn’t get more romantic than Marvin, and the lyrics of this song ring so true for us.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures42/45We hoped dinner would linger like an intimate evening at home, so we planned for a leisurely paced meal. Between courses, our parents, maid of honor, and best men each made speeches. With the culmination of all of our plans having gone off seamlessly, we were able to sit back and enjoy the company of our friends and family with full hearts.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures43/45We didn’t plan to cut a cake! As dinner was a four-course plated meal, we opted for a serve-yourself dessert bar. Among the many treats, we included a cake, because we love cake. Chef Anna refused to cut it, saying even though it wasn’t the wedding cake, it was still a cake at a wedding, so it didn’t feel right. We ran over while everyone was dancing and cut it, just the two of us. It was thick and required quite a bit of pressure . . .
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures44/45Ryan, a cigar, and team Londolozi. It got rowdy. From here, Ry, friends, family, and even some rangers hit the stage for an impromptu late-night jam session.
Photo: Travis and Maike McNeill / welovepictures45/45Ryan would like me to note that his white hair is a natural loss of pigment, not some random dye job. This photo was taken around 3:00 in the morning. Shortly after, as all the guests got ready for an early-morning game drive, we fell asleep on Varty Deck, our first night as a married couple!
