Real wedding · Cavalli Estate, Somerset West · 26 September 2019

Pinkie & Joe

A phone call on a Saturday, a yes on the Tuesday, and a Thursday wedding under the Helderberg less than a fortnight after the first hello. White orchids for the bride, white roses for her bridesmaids in pink.

Story published October 2026 · Florals by Fabulous Flowers & Gifts, Claremont, since 1999
Pinkie and Joe kiss above the vineyards at their Cavalli Estate wedding in Somerset West, her cascading white orchid bouquet over his shoulder
DateThursday, 26 September 2019
VenueCavalli Estate, Somerset West
PlannerKevin Zhou, VIP Hosting
NoticeUnder two weeks from first call to wedding day
PhotographyAgape Studio
Their story

A Cavalli Estate wedding, planned in under two weeks

Pinkie and Joe were married at Cavalli Estate, between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, on Thursday, 26 September 2019, with flowers by Fabulous Flowers & Gifts, the Cape Town wedding florist founded by Josie van Aswegen in 1999. The wedding flowers by our Cape Town studio came together in less than a fortnight. Their planner, Kevin Zhou of VIP Hosting, first phoned our Claremont studio on Saturday 14 September. Josie van Aswegen confirmed on the Tuesday. Pinkie carried a cascading bouquet of white phalaenopsis orchids, her bridesmaids in pink carried round posies of white roses, and the top table held pink roses in gold.

Pinkie and Joe's Cavalli Estate wedding was built on trust between planner and florist. Kevin Zhou sent us the bride's ideas in a single PDF on Monday 16 September 2019, and from that point the wedding planner and florist worked as one team to bring them to life at speed. The palette was clear and classic, white and blush pink, set against the vineyards and peaks of the Helderberg. If you are weighing up venues in the area, our guide to Cape Town wedding venues covers the Winelands and beyond, and Fabulous Flowers delivers to Somerset West too.

I · Saturday, 14 September 2019

A last minute wedding florist, found on a Saturday

Saturdays in a flower shop are loud. Buckets being moved, the cold room door opening and closing, bouquets going out to people who forgot an anniversary until breakfast. It was on a Saturday in September that the phone rang and Lillian answered it.

On the line was Kevin Zhou, Weddings and Events Coordinator at VIP Hosting. He had a couple, a venue and a date. The venue was Cavalli Estate. The date was Thursday, 26 September. That was less than two weeks away.

Most wedding flowers we design are planned over months. There are meetings, mood boards, a season of emails. Kevin had, in his own words, “very little time towards the wedding.”

We have always believed that the first conversation decides more than people think. A planner who calls with under two weeks to go needs to hear two things quickly: that someone is listening, and that an answer will come soon.

Nobody at the studio knew then what Pinkie's flowers would look like. We only knew that a bride was getting married in under two weeks, and that she needed a florist.

II · Monday, 16 September

Wedding planner and florist, working from one PDF

On the Monday, Kevin emailed. Attached was a PDF titled “Pinkie & Joe Florals”, the bride's ideas gathered in one place.

When a planner sends the brief, we are reading a bride through someone else's eyes. That is not a problem. Good planners are translators. They know which pictures the bride lingered over and which ones she added because a friend said so. Kevin had pulled the bride’s ideas together in one place, which is exactly where we needed to start.

Working with a planner also changes the shape of a short notice job. There is one person to answer questions, one timeline to follow, one set of venue details to work from. The event and wedding flowers we do with planners tend to move faster for exactly this reason. Nothing gets lost between three different family members and a group chat.

Josie read the PDF. A short brief at short notice is a test of judgement more than of time. The question is never only whether the flowers can be found. It is whether they can be found at the quality a bride deserves, in the quantity the day needs, by Thursday week.

She was satisfied they could.

III · Tuesday, 17 September

Saying yes to a Cavalli Estate wedding at short notice

On Tuesday, Josie confirmed. Kevin went ahead the same day, and wrote back a line that every florist who has ever said yes to a tight deadline will recognise: “Thank you for willing to work with me at such a short notice.”

Nine days is enough time, if you know what you are doing and you are honest about what is possible. The flowers that make short notice weddings work are the ones that are reliable. Roses and phalaenopsis orchids are reliable all year, which is why we built Pinkie's palette on them. A palette built on reliable flowers is a palette you can promise.

Late September is spring in the Western Cape, and the markets are generous. It is the time of year when we can buy well, choose the best heads from each bunch, and still have room to swap a variety if one disappoints. If you would like to know more about which flowers suit which occasion, our guide to choosing the right bouquet for an event is a good start.

The other half of short notice is people. A wedding needs hands at the studio for conditioning and making, a vehicle and a route for the drive out, and a team on site for set-up. Those are booked the moment a wedding is confirmed. By Tuesday, Pinkie and Joe were in the diary.

Speed never meant cutting corners. It meant making each decision once and making it well.

Pinkie holding her cascading white phalaenopsis orchid bouquet at Cavalli Estate, between Joe in navy and a man in a white tuxedo, with the Helderberg peaks behind
White orchids, falling well below the waist
IV · The bride

A cascading white orchid bridal bouquet

Pinkie's bouquet was the most dramatic flower of the day. In the photographs it falls from her hands to well below her waist, a long cascade of white phalaenopsis orchids from top to tail.

Cascading bouquets are a classic for good reason. They follow the line of a full skirt and make a bride look taller. They also photograph beautifully from a distance, which matters at a venue like Cavalli, where so many pictures are taken against wide views of vineyards and mountains. In the portrait of Pinkie and Joe kissing above the valley, the orchids rest over his shoulder like a white wing.

Orchids are the natural choice for a cascade. Each phalaenopsis stem already arches, so the bouquet falls with the flowers rather than against them. They are lighter than they look, and they hold their shape for hours in spring sun. Massed at the binding point, the orchids give the bouquet a soft, full top and a place for her hands. Our white flower bouquets keep to the same quiet palette.

White on white is a quiet choice. Against a white gown, a white bouquet does not compete. It extends the dress. It lets the bride's face be the brightest thing in the picture, which is how it should be. If you are curious about why white has carried so much meaning at weddings for so long, our note on wedding flower symbolism explains.

When a wedding is planned fast, the bridal bouquet is where we spend the most care. It is the one piece the bride holds all day, the one in every photograph. Pinkie's had to be right. In the pictures, it was.

V · The bridesmaids

Pink and white bridesmaid bouquets under the Helderberg

In the photograph there are six bridesmaids, all in blush pink, all laughing. Each held a small round posy of white roses, tight and domed, with a little green at the edges.

Posies like these are the perfect partner for a cascade. The bride's bouquet is long and flowing. The bridesmaids' are compact and round, so they never compete with hers and they line up beautifully in a group photograph. The colour plan is simple too: blush dresses, white flowers. Pink and white is one of the most reliable pairings in floristry, and the heart of our pink and white rose arrangements.

Notice how the posies sit at the same height in the photograph, six small white circles across a row of pink. That is the point of making them identical. Individually they are modest. Together they make a line that draws the eye straight to the bride in the middle, holding the only flowers that fall.

Behind them, the jagged peaks of the Helderberg catch the late afternoon light. The paving is warm, the trees are in new spring leaf, and the sky is that clear September blue the Cape does so well after the winter rain.

For groomsmen and fathers we usually match buttonholes to the bridesmaids' flowers, a single white rose with a little greenery. Our buttonholes and corsages follow the same principle: small, neat, and from the same family as everything else.

Bride with a cascading white orchid bouquet and six bridesmaids in blush pink holding white rose posies at Cavalli Estate, with the Helderberg mountains behind
Six posies, one cascade
Candlelit gold top table at Cavalli Estate with small arrangements of pink and cream roses in gold vases beside tall white tapers
Pink roses in gold, by candlelight
VI · The top table

Top table flowers at a Somerset West wedding venue

On the top table, the flowers changed key. White gave way to pink: pink ranunculus, pink lisianthus and pink roses, with cream roses among them and fine, feathery waxflower reaching out at the sides, set in a footed gold vase.

Gold is a confident choice on a wedding table, and it needs restraint. Here it came in a gold vase, slim gold candlesticks with tall white tapers, and a gleaming gold table top that doubled everything in reflection. With so much shine, the flowers stayed small and soft. A big arrangement would have fought the metal. A low, loose one in blush and cream let the gold do the glittering.

Ranunculus are one of the joys of a Cape spring. Their tightly layered petals look almost like paper roses, and in soft pink they read as romance without any sweetness. Mixed with pink roses they give a small arrangement depth, because the two flowers are similar in colour and completely different in texture.

The candlesticks matter too. Tall tapers lift the eye above the flowers, so the top table has height without anything blocking the couple from their guests. It is a trick we use often on long tables, and our ideas for wedding table flowers show other ways to get the same effect.

Pink for the table, white for the bridal party. Two colours, used in two places, and never muddled. That kind of discipline is what lets a wedding planned in days look like it was planned for a year. It is the same thinking behind our luxury flower arrangements.

VII · November 2019

The photographs, two months later

On 19 November, Kevin sent us the photographs. “Thank you for doing such an amazing job.”

Josie wrote back. “They are really lovely and what a fabulous couple.” She meant both halves of that sentence. Florists look at wedding photographs differently from everyone else. We look first at the flowers, to see if they held. Then we look at the people, and forget about the flowers entirely.

Two days later Kevin replied. “It was my pleasure to work with you fabulous people. I look forward to more.” In a business built on referrals and relationships, there are few nicer things a planner can write.

Josie said it simply afterwards: “It was such a pleasure working with Kevin Zhou.” Under two weeks, one PDF, a handful of emails and a wedding at Cavalli Estate. Some weddings take a year to plan. This one took less than a fortnight, and it did not look rushed in a single frame.

If your own date is closer than you would like, call us anyway. Our wedding florists in Cape Town would rather hear from you than have you assume it is too late.

Pinkie and Joe walk out through a shower of petals at their Cavalli Estate wedding, bridesmaids in blush pink beside them holding white rose posies
Out through the petals

“Thank you for willing to work with me at such a short notice.”

Kevin Zhou, September 2019
Cavalli Estate reception hall in Somerset West set with long gold tables, tall pink rose arrangements and crystal chandeliers
The reception room, set in gold and blush
Pink and cream roses with waxflower in a ribbed gold vase on the gold top table at Pinkie and Joe’s Cavalli Estate wedding
Tall wedding centrepiece of pink roses and trailing greenery on a gold stand above a reception table at Cavalli Estate
Crystal candelabra with white candles and small pink and red rose posies on a gold reception table at Cavalli Estate
Close detail of pink ranunculus, pink roses and cream roses with waxflower in a gold vase
The flowers

Pinkie and Joe's wedding flowers, piece by piece

Bridal bouquet
A long cascade of white phalaenopsis orchids, falling well below her waist.
Bridesmaids
Small round posies of white roses, matched to blush pink dresses. See our luxury bouquets for similar work.
Top table
Pink ranunculus, pink lisianthus, pink and cream roses and waxflower in a footed gold vase, beside gold candlesticks and white tapers.
Orchid whiteRose creamBlushRanunculus pinkGold
In the mix

Bouquet: a cascade of white phalaenopsis orchids. Bridesmaids: posies of white roses. Top table: pink ranunculus, pink lisianthus, pink and cream roses and waxflower, in a footed gold vase.

Outdoor wedding ceremony set up at Cavalli Estate, Somerset West, with a white geometric backdrop, clear chairs and the Helderberg mountains behind
The place

Cavalli Estate wedding venue, Somerset West: wedding flowers for a Helderberg wine estate

Cavalli Estate sits on the R44 between Stellenbosch and Somerset West, below the Helderberg, and the photographs show why couples choose it: vineyards falling away below, open farmland, and the sharp peaks of the mountains behind. Ceremonies here are often held in the Sunken Garden, a formal hedged garden beside the main function venue, whose floor to ceiling glass doors look out over the water to the mountains. Pinkie and Joe's portraits were taken in late afternoon light, with the valley glowing behind them.

A view like this changes how we design. Wide landscapes reward flowers with a clear shape that can be read from a distance, which is one reason the cascading orchid bouquet worked so well here. Indoors, the top table photograph shows a bright white room and a gold table, a setting that suits restrained arrangements. Both points are worth thinking about when you plan your own Cavalli Estate wedding.

Practically, Somerset West is an easy drive from our Claremont studio. We load the vans in the morning with flowers already conditioned and arranged, travel with water and spare stems, and finish on site. For weddings further into the Winelands we work the same way, and we deliver flowers to Stellenbosch too.

If you are still comparing the Somerset West wedding venues, start with our guide to the best Cape Town venues, then come and see us. We will talk you through what each space needs.

FloralsFabulous Flowers & Gifts, Claremont (Josie van Aswegen, since 1999)
PlanningKevin Zhou, VIP Hosting
VenueCavalli Estate, Somerset West
PhotographyAgape Studio
Planning notes

Planning a Cavalli Estate wedding at short notice: what this wedding taught us

  1. Call first, then send the brief

    Kevin phoned on a Saturday and sent the bride's ideas on the Monday. A call gets your date into the diary while the details follow.

  2. Let your planner be the single contact

    One person answering questions makes a short timeline workable. The wedding planner and florist can settle most details in a single email.

  3. Choose flowers you can count on

    At short notice, build on flowers that are reliable all year, such as roses and phalaenopsis orchids, as Pinkie and Joe's white and blush palette did.

  4. Give the bridesmaids a smaller echo

    Round white posies beside a long cascade make the bride's flowers the clear focus, and they line up beautifully in group photographs.

  5. Keep flowers soft beside metallics

    With gold vases, gold candlesticks and a gold table, Pinkie and Joe's top table flowers stayed low, loose and blush. Let the metal shine and the flowers soften it.

Gallery
Long gold reception tables at Cavalli Estate lined with tall pink rose centrepieces on gold stands, the garden visible through the glassGroomsmen in pale blue and bridesmaids in blush pink with white rose posies walking down the steps at Pinkie and Joe’s Cavalli Estate weddingPink rose and greenery arrangement on a tall gold stand over a white reception table at Cavalli Estate, Somerset West
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you book a wedding florist at short notice in Cape Town?

Yes, Fabulous Flowers confirmed Pinkie and Joe's wedding flowers on 17 September 2019, nine days before their Cavalli Estate wedding. Call us as soon as you have a date, send any pictures you love, and Josie van Aswegen will tell you honestly what is possible. Short notice works best with flowers that are reliable all year, such as roses and phalaenopsis orchids.

Can a Cape Town florist do flowers for a Cavalli Estate wedding?

Yes, Fabulous Flowers designed Pinkie and Joe's Cavalli Estate wedding flowers in our Claremont studio for their wedding on 26 September 2019, working with their planner, Kevin Zhou of VIP Hosting. Somerset West is an easy drive from Claremont, and the team travels with water and spare stems so everything arrives fresh, then finishes on site.

Where are wedding ceremonies held at Cavalli Estate?

Cavalli Estate, on the R44 between Stellenbosch and Somerset West below the Helderberg, uses its Sunken Garden, a formal hedged garden beside the main function venue, for ceremonies or pre-drinks. The main venue seats up to 300 guests behind floor to ceiling glass doors that look over the water to the mountains. Fabulous Flowers did the flowers for Pinkie and Joe's Cavalli Estate wedding on 26 September 2019.

What flowers are in season in September in the Western Cape?

September is early spring in the Western Cape, and Pinkie and Joe's top table at Cavalli Estate on 26 September 2019 held pink ranunculus beside pink and cream roses. Growers have good supplies of roses at that time of year, and many proteas and fynbos are in season. Roses and phalaenopsis orchids are reliable all year, which is why Pinkie's white and blush palette was built on them.

What is a cascading orchid bouquet?

A cascading orchid bouquet is a bridal bouquet that falls in a long trail below the bride's hands, built from orchids such as phalaenopsis whose stems arch naturally. Pinkie's bouquet for her Cavalli Estate wedding on 26 September 2019 was a cascade of white phalaenopsis orchids, falling well below her waist. See the Fabulous Flowers orchid collection for the flowers we use.

Should my wedding planner and florist work together?

Yes, a wedding planner and florist should work together directly, because decisions happen faster and nothing is lost when the planner shares the brief, timeline and venue details. For Pinkie and Joe's Cavalli Estate wedding, Kevin Zhou of VIP Hosting sent Fabulous Flowers one clear PDF on 16 September 2019, and the flowers were confirmed the next day.

Do bridesmaids' bouquets have to match the bride's?

No, bridesmaids' bouquets do not have to match the bride's, and they work best when they complement it. Smaller, rounder posies in the same flowers or colours keep the bride's bouquet the focus. At Pinkie and Joe's Cavalli Estate wedding in September 2019, the bridesmaids in pink carried white rose posies beside her orchid cascade. Our pink flower bouquets suit bridesmaids in white dresses.

Your wedding

Tell us about your day

Under two weeks was enough for Pinkie and Joe. If your date is a year away or next week, tell us about it and Josie will tell you what is possible.

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