MARLI KOEN

Wedding aisle decorated with blue flowers at Boschendal Olive Press while a guest waits quietly before the ceremony.
Bride and groom surrounded by their parents as the priest blesses their marriage during their ceremony at Olijvenkraal Olive & Wine Estate.
Bride lifting her dress to step into a golf cart, revealing green wedding shoes as her mother admires the bridal bouquet.
Bridal bouquet in the foreground as a mother gently comforts her daughter before the ceremony at Boschendal Olive Press.
Bride and groom running together at sunset, smiling at each other with mountain views behind them.

Documentary
wedding photography rooted in presence.

Bride walking to the ceremony at Kalmoesfontein as her bridesmaids and siblings help carry her wedding dress.
Bridal bouquet made from flowers the bride foraged the day before her wedding in the gardens of Stanford
Bride and groom walking away together during golden hour in Stanford.
Bride and groom sharing a quiet moment in the garden after their first look in Stanford before their wedding ceremony.
Bride's mother embracing the groom before the ceremony as the bride and her father look on at Saronsberg Cellar.

I photograph weddings through movement, light, and quiet in-between moments.

No directing. No interrupting.
Just attention.

  • Every wedding has its own story. I don't approach two weddings in quite the same way. I work quietly and attentively, looking beyond the obvious moments to the people, relationships and small details that give a wedding its character.

    I pay attention to who is drawn to whom, what happens between the formalities, how a place shapes the day, and the unexpected moments that could easily be missed. Some photographs are immediate; others only reveal their meaning when they sit beside the frames around them.

    Rather than directing the story, I look for it as it unfolds.

    The result is not a set of images built from a standard wedding checklist, but a collection that belongs to your particular day.

Bride and groom kissing outside the Bosjes Chapel with the surrounding mountains reflected in the chapel windows
Bride and groom gently touching hands outside the Bosjes Chapel, highlighting the bride's gown and the groom's tuxedo.

VIEW
CAPE TOWN WEDDINGS

Bride standing by a window after putting on her wedding gown, looking over her shoulder towards her mother before the ceremony.
Bride and groom holding hands and smiling at each other after signing the marriage register during their church ceremony.
Bride walking up the stairs during cocktail hour for a quiet moment away from the celebration at Johannesdal
Close-up of the bride and groom holding their wedding rings in their open hands before exchanging vows at Johannesdal 1207.
Bride and groom sharing a laugh as they look at each other during a portrait session at Johannesdal 1207.
Bride fastening her wedding shoes as her sister hands her the bridal bouquet during the morning preparations.
Bride and groom walking through an olive orchard at sunset, with the groom carrying the bride's bouquet at Olijvenkraal Olive & Wine Estate.

I work across digital, analogue film, and motion film.

Each medium carries atmosphere differently.

  • Film has also changed the way I photograph. It slows me down. I watch a little longer, listen a little more and become more deliberate about when I press the shutter.

    The different mediums become part of the visual language of the day rather than separate products.

    I don't simply want to give you a record of everything that happened.

    I want the photographs to bring back the people, places, energy and quiet moments that made the day yours whilst revealing connections you may not have noticed while you were living it.

Bride pausing by a window with her bridal bouquet before the wedding ceremony at Boschendal Olive Press.
Bride holding her grandfather's hand as she and the groom share a joyful conversation with him after the ceremony at Boschendal Olive Press.
Bride sitting across the groom's lap as they share a glass of champagne and admire her wedding shoes after the ceremony at Boschendal Olive Press.
Bride sharing a quiet conversation with her father on the staircase of her childhood home in Tamboerskloof after the wedding ceremony as guests gather in the background.
Two flower girls sitting on the back of a sofa to peek out the living room window before the wedding at the bride's childhood home in Tamboerskloof.
Groom's father smiling as he watches the newlyweds during the confetti celebration at Webersburg Wine Estate while guests gather on the manor house steps.
Bride taking a quiet moment to admire her bridal bouquet before the ceremony at Langkloof Roses.
Bride's mother smiling up at her daughter as they share a quiet moment before the ceremony at Langkloof Roses.
Reception table styled with green and yellow floral arrangements, candles and layered décor at Langkloof Roses.
Groom jumping into a river after the wedding lunch in Stanford.

Some moments can’t be recreated.

They are lived once, in passing.

That is where I work.

Bride and groom walking through the gardens of Johannesdal 1207 with the surrounding mountains framing the scene.