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 walking together across the lawns at Saronsberg Wine Estate in Tulbagh with mountains in the background.

Documentary
wedding photography rooted in presence.

Bride walking to the ceremony at Kalmoesfontein as her bridesmaids and siblings help carry her wedding dress.
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.
Bride's mother embracing the groom before the ceremony as the bride and her father look on at Saronsberg Cellar.

I photograph the people, relationships and atmosphere that give each wedding its character.

Knowing where to look, when to wait,

and when to step in.

  • I look beyond the central events: who is watching, how people move through a space, what happens at the edges of a gathering, and how the atmosphere changes as the day unfolds.

    In the final edit, these observations become more than individual photographs. Their sequence reveals a fuller account of the celebration and the people who shaped it.

    I photograph weddings throughout Cape Town and the Western Cape, with a particular connection to the Cape Winelands and Tulbagh Valley.

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.

SELECTED WEDDINGS

Bride standing by a window after putting on her wedding gown, looking over her shoulder towards her mother before the ceremony.
Black and white photo of a wedding reception with guests smiling and taking photos of bride and groom during their first dance at Nooitgedacht. Elegant chandeliers and large hanging lamps illuminate the room, which has high ceilings and rustic decor.
Bride and Groom embracing outdoors during sunset, at Olijvenkraal Olive & Wine Estate. The bride is wearing a white wedding gown from The Wedding Boutique and holds a pastel colored bouquet made by Oriantive.

“All the small moments we missed, she saw and because of her we did too.”

- Jessica Wilkinson

A 35mm film photo of a bride's reflection in a large gold framed mirror, getting into her wedding gown with help from her bridesmaid and mother in the Saronsberg Wine Cellar cottages.
A 35mm film photo of guests at an outdoor dinner party at Olive Rock during sunset, with a large floral arrangement on a table and string lights hanging in trees in the background.
A bride and groom standing together outdoors on a porch, surrounded by greenery and a blue wall with a tilted window, bfore their Stanford ceremony on their wedding day. 35mm film photo
Bride with long, curly hair is looking into a room through a doorway. She is wearing a dressing gown with ruffled sleeves and is softly illuminated by natural light.
Table set for a formal wedding dinner at Olive Rock with white tablecloth, clear glassware, silverware, a green napkin, and small floral arrangements, with wooden chairs in the background. Captured on 35mm film.
People at Olive Rock during an outdoor wedding celebration, largely smiling, with a woman raising her hand and cheering as the couple enters the space, in a setting decorated with string lights and surrounded by greenery. Documented on 35mm film.
A bride and her bridesmaid caught mid walk on 35mm film heading to an outdoor ceremony at Saronsberg Wine Cellar in Tulbagh. The day was overcast and the light in the image is subtle and soft.

DIGITAL & ANALOGUE FILM.

I work across digital and 35mm analogue film photography, choosing each medium for what it contributes to the story.

Together, they form a considered visual record of your celebration, each bringing its own texture, pace and way of seeing.

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.
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.