Dan & Shelby

Two-Stepping Into Forever

We met through a shared love of two-stepping. After the first date, Shelby wasn’t exactly sold on a second — she had just uprooted her entire life and moved to an off-grid cabin in the middle of nowhere, where she was raising a stray cow alongside her dog Madison. But Dan pursued her anyway.

Within a month, it was clear we shared a vision for life that most people don’t understand. Living off the land. Lots of dogs and animals. Starting a family. All the adventure we could dream of. We both wanted peace, and we both wanted to do things a little differently.

Six months in, we decided we wanted to do life together and raise a family. With concerns about timing, we started trying — and to everyone’s surprise, baby Axel was made on a trip to Africa only a few months later. During that trip, Shelby took Dan to her favorite place on Earth, a place she’d known about for over a decade: Babylonstoren.

Sort of as a joke, we met with the wedding coordinator there. But it became instantly, undeniably clear — this is the place where we wanted to promise forever to each other in front of the people we love most.

A year later, baby Axel was born, and the wedding planning has begun. We can’t wait to celebrate our love for one another over a week in South Africa with you.

Why Babylonstoren?

Nestled in the Franschhoek wine valley with the Drakenstein Mountains as a backdrop, Babylonstoren is a 350-year-old Cape Dutch farm meticulously restored into one of the world’s most beautiful boutique hotels.

The property features an 8-acre garden inspired by the biblical Garden of Babel, an on-site gelato shop, cheese shop, meat shop, bakery, and olive oil production. Their farm-to-table restaurants use ingredients picked fresh from the garden each morning. They have water buffalo, a world-class newly renovated spa, incredible wine tastings, bread-making classes, and mountain pool picnics.

It’s not just a venue — it’s an all-in-one experience that represents everything we love: nature, incredible food, adventure, and gathering the people we love most. The food, wine, and olive oil are probably the freshest and most incredible we’ve ever tasted. The breakfast alone is legendary. And the buffalo milk gelato? Life-changing.

This is a truly once-in-a-lifetime destination.

The Best Breakfast in the World
& So Much More

Every morning of your stay begins with Babylonstoren’s legendary breakfast — an abundant spread devised from what’s in season that very day. Fresh-blended juices, seasonal fruit, homemade muesli, thick farm yoghurts, warm bread from the wood-fired bakery, the farm’s own honey, and so much more. Breakfast is included every morning.

What’s in Season for Your Wedding

Babylonstoren’s master gardeners, Gundula and Constance, will handcraft all of the floral arrangements, bouquets, and table decor using flowers, herbs, and produce picked fresh from the farm. Here’s what will be blooming and bearing fruit during our potential wedding months:

Unique to summer at Babylonstoren: dahlias, sunflowers, plums, figs, grapes & watermelon

Seven Days You’ll Never Forget

This isn’t a weekend wedding — it’s a week-long celebration on a 200-hectare South African farm. Activities like morning water buffalo experiences, garden tours, bread making, olive oil tours, wine tastings, and spa appointments will be available throughout the week at your leisure.

What to Expect: Cost Estimates

We believe in full transparency. All accommodation rates reflect a special 15–20% group discount negotiated through Authenteco Travel. Rates include breakfast daily and are quoted at approximately 16 ZAR to 1 USD. Final pricing confirmed at booking.

Accommodation — 8 Days / 7 Nights Per Couple

Rates include breakfast daily and the group discount. A 1% tourism levy is additional.

Accommodation — 5 Days / 4 Nights Per Couple

Shorter stays are welcome! We recommend arriving by Day 3 at the latest to enjoy the rehearsal dinner and full wedding experience.

Other Estimated Costs Per Person

We know this is a significant investment. That’s why we’re asking early — so you have maximum time to plan and save. There is absolutely no pressure, and we will love you just the same whether you’re there in person or in spirit.

Make It the Trip of a Lifetime

South Africa is one of Shelby’s favorite countries in the world, and she wants to help you experience as much of it as possible. We’re putting together optional add-on experiences that Authenteco Travel will coordinate for anyone interested.

More information on all add-on experiences is coming soon. Let us know on your RSVP if any of these interest you!

Nearby Accommodation

If you’d prefer accommodations at a lower price point, there are wonderful options nearby. You’d still join us on the farm for all wedding events and activities.

Important Notes

A Note From Us

We’ve dreamed about this wedding for a long time, and there is simply no place on earth that represents who we are as a couple more than Babylonstoren. The farm, the garden, the mountains, the food, the wine — it’s where we feel most alive and most ourselves.

We chose this place because we want our wedding week to be about more than just one day. We want it to be about slow mornings in the garden, long dinners under the stars, adventures in the mountains, and making memories with the people who matter most to us.

If you can be there, it would mean the absolute world to us. If you can’t, we completely understand — no explanation needed, and absolutely no hard feelings. We’ll find ways to celebrate with you before or after.

With all our love,
Shelby & Danny