JANUARY 16th-JANUARY 18th 2026
Giulietta & Johnnie’s pre-wedding party!
This January, we’ll be celebrating our engagement with our favourite people in Giulietta’s hometown — Cape Town. This is not our formal wedding, but rather a special family gathering and party with friends from around the world.
The celebration will take place at a beautiful wine farm just outside Cape Town called Montpellier de Tulbach.
There will be live music, flowing South African wine, and delicious farm-to-table food.
I can’t wait to share my magical home with you and celebrate together! x
For questions or recommendations, contact Giulietta directly:
Whatsapp: +44 747 11 757 33
Email: giuliettabateman@gmail.com
ITINERARY
SATURDAY 17th JAN
Morning
09:00-10:00 (fixed)- Breakfast
Lunch at your leisure
• Explore Tulbagh town if you wish
16:00 PM - Drinks and canapés reception at Montpellier
17:00 PM- Band starts
19:00- 02:00 - Dinner, music and dancing
02:00 – late - An after-party for those wanting to continue, led by Johnnie Kerr at the lake
Dress for the evening: Smart
FRIDAY 16th JAN
12:00 PM - Arrive at Montpellier Wine Farm
• Check into your rooms (I have pre-booked all rooms, we will sort payment in due course but it’s £70 for the weekend)
• Order yourself some lunch at the restaurant or relax at the pool
17:30- 23:00 PM - Join us when you’re ready for a traditional South African welcome braai in the forest
Dress: Smart casual
SUNDAY 18th JAN
09-10:00 AM (fixed) - Hangover debrief breakfast. Please provide some good stories from the night before. .
After brunch - Sloooooowly check out and depart back to Cape Town
Dress: As casual and post-party chic as you like..your outfit from the night before, your tracksuit, pjs, bikini, mankini, dressing gown..anything
ONWARD TRAVEL ITINERARY
A quick note: This is not meant to be a holiday of constant “organised fun,” so please feel completely free to opt out of anything — or everything — and do your own thing! However, if you do want to explore parts of the city, I’ve put together an itinerary for the week.
For anyone wanting to join activities, including lunches, please make a list of the things you want to partake in, and let me know ASAP, as it’s busy season and everything needs to be booked well in advance!
SUNDAY 18th JAN
11:00 AM onwards- Drive from Montpellier farm to our individual Cape Town nests for a recovery day
19:00 PM- Evening beach sundowners and picnic at Llandudno beach (might be ambitious, let’s see)
MONDAY 19th JAN
07:30 AM – Hike up Table Mountain (I’ll send the exact meeting point the night before)
19:30 PM – Dinner at The Bungalow
TUESDAY 20th JAN
11:00 AM- Leave Cape Town and drive to Franschhoek (about 1 hour from the city centre) for lunch at Babylonstoren wine farm
19:30 PM - Bateman home braai — relaxed, casual, poolside vibes- bring swimming costumes
WEDNESDAY 21st JAN
10:30 AM SHARP- Leave Cape Town for the Franschhoek Wine Tram day trip
You will get drunk and it will be hot
We’ll be taking a bus in the morning (meeting point TBC) so no one has to worry about driving
THURSDAY 22nd JAN
11:00 AM - Camps Bay Beach day
18:30 PM- Pre-dinner drinks at the Cape Town Club, a historic private members’ club
20:00 PM- Dinner at Kloof Street House
FRIDAY 23rd JAN
05:15 AM - Meet at the bottom of Lion’s Head for a sunrise hike
12:00 PM- Drive to Kalk Bay (bring swimming costumes and cash- great African hippy shopping market!)
12:30 PM- Quick drink at Cape to Cuba
13:15 PM- Lunch at Harbour House
SATURDAY 24th JAN (times TBC)
Mount Nelson for tea
Chapmans Peak Drive and 12 Apostles- incredible massages available to book
The Lawns OR Evening beach sundowners and picnic at Llandudno beach
SUNDAY 25th JAN
14:00 PM- Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for a picnic and the evening Bombino concert (if you want to come to this, please book your ticket ASAP, they will run out!)
BUY TICKETS HERE: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Performance.aspx?itemid=1577241783
OTHER THINGS TO DO INSTEAD OF THE ABOVE
Click on links below for more details:
Boulders Beach to see the penguin colony
Shark cage diving, if you dare…(this is a full day excursion and needs booking well in advance)
La Colombe (the best fine dining restaurant in Africa, will need booking well in advance)
The Waterfront and next to it, the Zeitz Mocaa Silo Gallery
Constantia Glen wine farm (those staying in the city could do a brunch or lunch here, the view is stunning and it’s right in the middle of the city!)
Kayaking with sea life (often dolphins, sometimes whales) in False Bay or at The Waterfront.
WHAT TO PACK
Weather & General Vibe
It will be lovely and HOT — hallelujah (or not, if you’re Scottish)
No matter how hot it is in the day time, evenings can get extremely windy, so bring a light down jacket / windbreaker (If you don’t have one, you can easily buy one in Cape Town)
Swim & Pool Time
We’ll be swimming a lot, and there are beautiful pools at both Montpellier and at my houses, so bring:
Swimsuits (ideally more than one so the other can dry out)
A cover-up if you like
Flip-flops / sandals
Daytime Activities
We’ll be spending lots of time outdoors, so pack:
Comfortable walking shoes
Hiking clothes (light but protective comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting dirty)
Casual Daywear
Cape Town is very relaxed, so think:
Boho/hippy
T-shirts
Shorts
Skirts
Light dresses
Sneakers
Evening Outfits
Please pack:
One smart outfit for Saturday night at Montpellier (the main dinner and party)
One smart-casual outfit for the Friday welcome drinks and braai
A couple of dinner outfits for the city (though everywhere is very relaxed)
Sun Protection
Absolutely essential at all times:
Hat
Sunglasses
Suncream — lots of it
If You Forget Anything…
Don’t worry. There’s a shopping centre very close by, and you can buy everything cheaply.
HOW TO GET AROUND
OPTIONS:
Uber is super cheap and easy in Cape Town- I use it all the time. For the girls, if you’re Ubering alone at night, South African Uber has a fantastic feature where you can request a female driver on the app for peace of mind.
If you want more freedom to drive further afield, grab yourself a hire car from the airport. Please do let me know how many of you will be hiring cars- it will help me understand the overall group transport situation.
I also have a private driver, Mahmood, who I’ve used before and who has confirmed he’s available for the 2 weeks if anyone would like to book him out for themselves, he’s amazing and has a nice car. First come, first serve!