“It was such a beautiful, emotional moment,” Sagal says. “My mum walked me down the aisle. Having her by my side in that moment and seeing Richard smiling at me as I walked towards him will always be a cherished memory for me. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything quite as special. Having all the people we love most witnessing it with us was just a dream.”
Afterwards, they walked back down the aisle through a burst of confetti and then moved straight into cocktail hour, where saxophonist Jamo Harrison and percussionist Jason Ward set the tone with soulful Afro House tunes that quickly got guests into an early party mood. Cocktails were flowing, alongside canapés and a harvest table featuring artisanal breads, whipped butter, local cheeses, and other seasonal bites.
During cocktail hour, the newlyweds caught their breath, took photos with family and friends, and enjoyed a few drinks. They then had a private first look at the reception space, which was illuminated by the glow of more than 600 candles and half a dozen chandeliers. “I grew up in Copenhagen, and one of my favorite childhood memories is that instant feeling of love and coziness—or what we would call ‘hygge’ in Denmark—that transforms any environment as soon as a candle is lit,” Sagal explains. “So I knew I wanted to create a candle-lit experience for our reception dinner that felt whimsical and romantic.”
Dinner was served family-style, with slow-roasted Karoo lamb, Cape linefish with Malay curry velouté, crispy roasted potatoes, jollof rice, and roasted root vegetables. The couple’s friend Joss served as MC and guided the reception through heartfelt speeches. “One of the most special moments of the night was our first dance, where Sagal and I danced to ‘Ginger Me’ by Rema, surrounded by guests waving confetti swirlers,” Richard remembers. “From there, the night turned into a full party.”
The after-party directive from the couple was simple and straightforward: It needed to be all about the dancing. “We wanted to have an Amapiano and Afrobeats rave that went on all night with disco balls, fun lights, and confetti, the works,” Sagal says. “It was exactly what we got thanks to our DJs. The first thing I did as soon as we set a date for the wedding was text Johannesburg-based DJs Zano Nkosi and Francesco Mbele. I had met Zano a couple of years prior, after interviewing her for a feature I wrote on the mainstream rise of Amapiano music—a South African subgenre of house music. Between her and one of my close friends Abisola, a London-based DJ, I knew we had the perfect line-up.”
Sagal wanted something vintage for her after-party look, so she went to Studio Dorothy NYC, who pulled a backless silk high-neck dress for her from one of Temperley London’s early bridal collections. “As soon as I put it on, I didn’t want to take it off,” Sagal admits.
Looking back almost two months later, Richard recalls how special it was sharing the weekend with family and friends. “Especially knowing that so many of them flew into Cape Town from all over the world—including New York, London, Copenhagen, Accra, Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, and Mexico City,” he remembers. “There is something really humbling about seeing people cross oceans and continents just to be present for your love story, and we felt that love so deeply throughout the celebration.”
“What we will remember most is not just how beautiful everything looked, but how present everyone felt,” Sagal adds. “It has become this surreal shared memory between not just the two of us but our loved ones who were there to celebrate with us.”
