STORIES - Cherry On Top Productions

Wedding rings — Cherry On Top Productions

Duo Output™ — Real Stories

Cherry On Top Productions

Stories Cinematic without pretension. Documentary without losing beauty.

These are the real moments. Not the highlight reel, not the staged shot. The tremor in a father's voice, the silence just before the vows, the dust in the late afternoon light. Every story here was lived first and captured second.

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Gauteng & Pretoria Wedding & Portrait Stories

15+ Years 700+ Projects Benoni, East Rand

Meiring Troue 23 Mei 2026 @Rivierplaas Wedding venue

Meiring Troue 23 Mei 2026 @Rivierplaas Wedding venue

Toe Carla destyds haar hart vir die Here gegee het, was haar woorde eenvoudig: “Ek gaan net ’n dissipel wees, en ek gaan hemel toe sonder dat ek ooit trou.” Sy was nie op soek na liefde nie. Maar die lewe het ’n manier om jou planne sagkens te herskryf. In 2023, ná die verlies…

Donovan & Simone 02 may 2026 @ Green Leaves Country Lodge & Venue

Donovan & Simone 02 may 2026 @ Green Leaves Country Lodge & Venue

Love, Laughter, and Iron Horses: Donovan & Simone’s Next Chapter at Green Leaves There is a specific kind of magic that settles over the Magaliesberg mountains in early May. For Donovan and Simone, the lush grounds of Green Leaves Country Lodge & Venue provided more than just a backdrop; it was the canvas for a…

Jacques & Lizelle 10/04/2026 @Rivierplaas Wedding Venue

Jacques & Lizelle 10/04/2026 @Rivierplaas Wedding Venue

Jacques and Lizette | Rivierplaas Wedding Venue, Meyerton | Friday the 10th Some love stories announce themselves loudly. Others simply invite you in, pull up a chair, and make you feel right at home. Jacques and Lizette’s wedding on a beautiful Friday at Rivierplaas was unmistakably the latter. There is a phrase we…

Caitlin and Simni wedding film at Meyerton Golf Club in Gauteng

Caitlin & Simni | Wedding Film Gauteng

Caitlin & Simni Meyerton Golf Club • 28 February 2026 Some weddings follow a schedule. Others unfold like a story that was always meant to be told. Caitlin and Simni’s day at Meyerton Golf Club felt like the second kind. February in Gauteng carries a particular softness in the late afternoon. The sun hangs low,…

Black and white wedding portrait of Jared and Dyana wearing sunglasses at Makiti Wedding Venue in the West Rand, Gauteng

Makiti Wedding Video | Jared & Dyana’s Black & White Wedding Film | West Rand, Gauteng

Some weddings feel orchestrated. Others feel guided. Jared and Dyana’s wedding at Makiti in the West Rand carried a quiet certainty from the very beginning — the kind of certainty that does not need to announce itself. It was visible in their calm, in the way they moved toward each other, and in the steady…

Brand Manifesto: Duo Output™ and the End of the Format Gap

Brand Manifesto: Duo Output™ and the End of the Format Gap Across Gauteng’s corporate, industrial, educational, and cultural environments, visual communication has accelerated faster than vendor specialization. Companies now operate across distributed channels — corporate websites, LinkedIn, stakeholder decks, institutional archives, onboarding, PR, events, social platforms, and recruitment media — yet videography and photography are…

Sicon Group team on the Mall of Africa roof during a large-scale industrial roofing project.

CASE STUDY: SICON GROUP

Category: Media StudioClient: Sicon GroupVertical: Corporate + Industrial + ConstructionDeliverables: Videography + Photography + Unified Post-ProductionPrimary Use Case: Website + Corporate Communication + Client Engagement Context Sicon Group was updating its digital presence to better reflect its national footprint and technical expertise in industrial and commercial roofing infrastructure. The company required a cohesive visual identity…

Ariena Oosthuysen photographed during Rooi Rose editorial feature for Hannon makeover roadshow, July 2022

Featured in Rooi Rose Magazine

Featured in Rooi Rose Magazine Rooi Rose Editorial Feature — Beauty, Lifestyle & Brand Storytelling Rooi Rose Magazine featured South African photographer Ariena Oosthuysen in its beauty and lifestyle editorial series titled “Maak mooiwees maklik”, produced in collaboration with noted beauty expert Hannon Bothma. The national campaign highlighted Hannon’s beauty roadshow and makeover events, capturing…

PPMC Magazine feature of Ariena Oosthuysen, including her appointment as a Judge for the Photogenic & Cover Model Competition and a full editorial article on her work as a South African photographer.

Featured in PPMC Magazine

Featured in PPMC Magazine The Rise of Ariena Oosthuysen — Editorial Precision, Cinematic Elegance, and Visual Authority PPMC Magazine profiled South African photographer Ariena Oosthuysen, highlighting her identifiable visual language, technical mastery, and evolving influence across portraiture, editorial production, and brand storytelling. The feature traces Ariena’s journey from Hennenman to Gauteng’s creative scene, where she…

Featured image for the Hoërskool Waterkloof Grade 8 welcome blog post. Highlighting the new 'Druppels' class of 2026

’n Nuwe Hoofstuk Begin: Welkom aan die Hoërskool Waterkloof Druppels van 2026

Daar is ’n oomblik in elke jongmens se lewe wat alles verander—die oomblik wanneer jy by die hekke van Hoërskool Waterkloof instap. Vir die Graad 8-groep van 2026, bekend as die “Druppels,” is hierdie nie net die begin van hoërskool nie; dit is die begin van ’n reis waar drome beskerm en toekomstige leiers gevorm…

Stories Hub

Stories FAQs

Stories is the Cherry On Top journal — a curated archive of real weddings, portrait sessions, brand films, and production write-ups documented by Shaun and Ariena. Each entry is written from behind the lens, sharing the context, location, creative decisions, and human moments that shaped the final work. It is not a marketing blog; it is a record of genuine stories told with intention and honesty.

The journal covers real weddings documented across Gauteng — from rustic farmland ceremonies at venues like Rivierplaas in Meyerton to polished Pretoria East productions. It also features corporate brand stories, editorial portrait sessions, and reflections on the craft of visual storytelling. Every entry includes photography and film stills from the actual production, not stock or staged images.

Because context is what separates a great image from a meaningful one. When you read about Waldo and Whelene's wedding at Rivierplaas — the wind catching the dress, the laughter breaking through the ceremony tension, the children on hips during portraits — you understand not just what was captured, but how and why it matters. That transparency helps prospective couples and clients understand exactly what to expect when they book Cherry On Top, and it honours the people who trusted us with their day.

Yes, and we consider it a privilege when clients allow us to share their story. Features are written with care, always reviewed and approved by the couple or client before publishing. We never share identifying details, venue names, or personal context without explicit consent. If you would prefer your production remain completely private, that preference is fully respected — your images and film are yours.

Most photography blogs present galleries with minimal context. The Cherry On Top journal is written from a documentary perspective — capturing the texture of the day, the location's character, and the unscripted moments that defined it. As the studio describes it: "cinematic without pretension, documentary without losing beauty, and edited to stand the test of time." The writing reflects the same philosophy as the images — observational, honest, and precisely considered.

Absolutely. The journal is one of the most practical resources available to couples in Gauteng who are making decisions about photography and videography style, venue selection, and what to expect on the day. Reading a real wedding documented at a specific venue — with honest commentary on light, layout, and logistics — gives far more useful insight than a portfolio gallery alone. It answers the question: what is it actually like to work with this team?

Yes. The journal documents the full range of Cherry On Top work, including brand film productions, corporate portrait sessions, product cinematography, and event coverage. These entries tend to focus on the strategic brief behind the production — what the client needed to communicate, how the visual approach was designed to serve that objective, and what the final deliverable achieved. It is particularly useful for marketing managers and business owners evaluating whether Cherry On Top is the right fit for their next production.