Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 2026

1. Who We Are

Cape Vows is an online wedding venue directory dedicated to the Western Cape, South Africa. We operate the website at capevows.co.za.

For the purposes of POPIA, Cape Vows is the Responsible Party, the entity that determines the purpose and means of processing your personal information.

Information Officer

As required by POPIA, Cape Vows has designated a registered Information Officer who is responsible for ensuring compliance with this policy and applicable data protection law.

Regulator Registration Number: 2026-013846
Registration Date: 10 May 2026
Email: [email protected]
Website: capevows.co.za
Location: Western Cape, South Africa

2. What Personal Information We Collect

We only collect personal information that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. This may include:

Information you provide via the venue enquiry form

When you submit an enquiry about a wedding venue through capevows.co.za, we collect:

• Your full name
• Your email address
• Your phone number (optional field)
• Your message and any wedding details you choose to share
• The venue name and region your enquiry relates to (appended automatically)

This information is submitted through Formspree, a third-party form processing service, and is delivered to us by email. See Section 6 for details on Formspree and Section 8 for information on cross-border data transfers.

Information you provide directly by email

• Your name and email address when you contact us at [email protected]
• Any additional information you include in your message
• Business details if you enquire about listing your venue or services

Information collected automatically

• Website usage data via Google Analytics (pages visited, time on site, device type, approximate location by country/city)
• IP address and browser type (collected automatically by web servers and analytics tools)

What we do not collect

• We do not collect payment information. Cape Vows has no e-commerce functionality
• We do not collect sensitive personal information such as identity numbers, race, health data, or financial records
• We do not run newsletter mailing lists or email marketing campaigns

3. Why We Collect Your Information (Purpose)

Under POPIA, we may only process personal information for specific, explicitly defined, and lawful purposes. We collect and use your information for the following purposes:

• To facilitate venue enquiries: when you submit an enquiry form, we use your contact details to pass your enquiry to the relevant venue and/or respond to you directly
• To respond to your direct communications: when you email us, we use your name and email address to reply
• To manage venue and vendor listings: if you are a venue or vendor owner, we may use your business contact details to maintain accurate directory listings
• To improve our website: anonymised analytics data helps us understand how visitors use Cape Vows and make it better
• To comply with legal obligations: we may process information if required to do so by law

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information on the following lawful grounds under POPIA:

• Legitimate interest: when you submit a venue enquiry, you are initiating a transaction and have a clear expectation that your details will be used to progress that enquiry. Processing your information for this purpose is necessary for our legitimate business interest in operating a wedding directory, and does not override your rights
• Consent: where you have voluntarily provided your information (e.g. by emailing us directly or submitting a form)
• Legal obligation: where we are required to process information by applicable law

5. How We Store and Protect Your Information

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised access, or disclosure. Specifically:

• Our website is served over HTTPS (SSL encryption via Cloudflare)
• Enquiry form submissions are processed by Formspree over encrypted connections before being delivered to us by email
• Email correspondence is stored within Gmail, which applies industry-standard security measures including two-factor authentication
• We do not store personal information in unsecured spreadsheets or unencrypted local files
• Access to any personal information we hold is limited to Cape Vows personnel only

Please be aware that no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.

We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

Formspree (enquiry form processor)

Venue enquiry submissions are processed by Formspree, Inc., a US-based form handling service. Formspree receives your name, email, phone number, message, and the venue your enquiry relates to, and transmits this information to us by email. Formspree acts as a data processor on our behalf and does not use your information for any other purpose. You can read Formspree's privacy policy at formspree.io/legal/privacy-policy. We have a signed Data Processing Agreement and Standard Contractual Clauses in place with Formspree governing the processing and cross-border transfer of personal information.

Please note that Formspree is based in the United States. See Section 8 for information on cross-border data transfers and your rights in this regard.

Venue forwarding

When you submit a venue enquiry, your contact details and message may be forwarded to the relevant wedding venue so they can respond to your enquiry. By submitting an enquiry form, you acknowledge that your details will be shared with the venue you are enquiring about for this purpose.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect anonymised information about how visitors use our website. Google processes this data on our behalf. You can read Google's privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy.

Legal requirements

If required by law, court order, or regulatory authority, we may disclose personal information to comply with that obligation.

Business transfer

In the unlikely event Cape Vows is sold or transferred, personal information held may form part of the transferred assets, subject to the same privacy protections described in this policy.

7. Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.

• Venue enquiry submissions: retained for up to 12 months from the date of receipt, after which they are permanently deleted from our inbox
• General email correspondence: retained for up to 2 years, then deleted unless an ongoing relationship requires longer retention
• Venue and vendor listing information: retained for as long as the listing is active. Venues and vendors may request removal at any time
• Analytics data: Google Analytics retains data in accordance with our configured retention settings (currently 14 months)

When retention periods expire, personal information is securely deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be associated with you.

8. Cross-Border Data Transfers

Under POPIA Section 72, personal information may only be transferred to a foreign country if that country provides an adequate level of protection, or if certain other conditions are met.

Formspree (United States)

Venue enquiry form data is processed by Formspree, Inc. in the United States. The US does not have a national data protection law equivalent to POPIA. We have addressed this transfer on the following grounds:

• Consent: by submitting a venue enquiry form on capevows.co.za, you consent to your personal information being transferred to and processed by Formspree in the United States for the purpose of transmitting your enquiry to us
• Contractual necessity: the transfer is necessary to fulfil the purpose for which you provided your information (i.e. your venue enquiry)
• Standard Contractual Clauses — we have executed the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) with Formspree, which provide additional contractual safeguards for personal information transferred to the United States

Formspree applies industry-standard security measures and does not use your information for purposes beyond delivering your form submission. You can review Formspree's security practices at formspree.io/legal/privacy-policy.

Google Analytics (United States)

Google Analytics is operated by Google LLC, based in the United States. Analytics data is anonymised before transmission and does not include personally identifiable information. Google participates in applicable data transfer frameworks and applies standard contractual clauses for international data transfers.

9. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights:

• Right to access: you may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Right to correction: you may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information
• Right to deletion: you may request that we delete your personal information, subject to any legal obligations we may have to retain it
• Right to object: you may object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances, including where processing is based on legitimate interest
• Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal
• Right to lodge a complaint: you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa (see Section 11 below)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Information Officer at [email protected]. We will respond within a reasonable time and no later than 30 days.

10. Cookies and Analytics

Cape Vows uses Google Analytics to collect anonymised information about how visitors use our website. Google Analytics uses cookies, small text files stored on your device, to collect this data.

The information collected includes pages visited, time spent on the site, device and browser type, and approximate geographic location (country/city level). This information is aggregated and does not identify you personally.

Our website displays a cookie consent notice when you first visit. You can also opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, or by adjusting your browser's cookie settings.

Cape Vows does not use advertising cookies, third-party retargeting tools, or any cookies beyond those required for Google Analytics.

11. The Information Regulator

The Information Regulator is the South African authority responsible for overseeing compliance with POPIA. If you believe your rights under POPIA have been violated and we have not adequately addressed your concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator:

• Website: www.inforegulator.org.za
• Email: [email protected]
• Address: JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001

12. Third-Party Websites

Cape Vows contains links to venue and vendor websites. These third-party websites have their own privacy policies and we have no control over their content or practices. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information to them.

13. Children's Privacy

Cape Vows is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected] and we will delete it promptly.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. We will indicate the date of the most recent update at the top of this page. Continued use of the Cape Vows website after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.