Inspiration Board: V is for Violet

Good morning, SouthBound Brides, and a special welcome to all the new readers with Valentine’s Day proposals! You know, as you all start planning, some of you will find that you have a clear vision – a palette you’ve always loved, a style that’s distinctly your own, a venue that dictates where you go with your decor. But for others, it’s harder. You like some of this, some of that. I get the feeling that the bride who requested today’s pretty board falls into this category (and if you do too, worry not – it’s completely normal!) In her mail, Shylet asked for a board for her summer Zimbabwean wedding. She wanted it to be chic and contemporary, but she also wanted it to be vintage. She wanted extravagant centrepieces and a cake, but she also wanted DIY. It could be a bit of a mishmash, but I think I know what Shylet is after. See, what many brides now think of as vintage – lacey, girly, prettiness – doesn’t have to be old fashioned at all. And items can be DIY without looking crafty. It all starts with a great palette, and Shylet definitely has that covered – with purple, yellow and grey as her colours (I opted for a pretty violet that goes so nicely with a fresh lemon zest yellow!). In putting the board together, I immediately thought of this SBB wedding – notice how the tables have dramatic tall arrangements (made of baby’s breath, which saves a ton) as well as lower arrangements for colour. It’s a very effective look. The bride also chose an amazing cake, which was a replica of the stunning Peggy Porschen creation below. Team this with soft bouquets and frosted lemons on platters for a really elegant look. I’d limit DIYs to things like this pretty wall of table plan frames, or maybe to interesting favours (Martha Stewart’s Good Things are the perfect place to look for this sort of idea) – that way you can feel that you’ve made your personal mark without changing the overall sophistication of the look. Hope you like your board Shylet!

Colours: African violet, lemon zest, grey

Top row (l-r): Table setting {Adene Photography/Marina Moorcroft}; bouquet {Lavender & Twine Photography/Flowers By Roni}; cake {Nick Tucker/Peggy Porschen}; bridesmaids {Alejandra Vidal at Imaginale Design/Lettie Peterson at Rust and Lace}; dress with sash {Christian Oth Studio}
Row 2: Sugared lemons {Martha Stewart}; boutonnieres {Martha Stewart}; letterpress thumbprint invitations {Essie Letterpress}; peony centrepiece {Kate Preftakes Photography/Flowers by Fancy}; lemons {Jessica Schilling Photography}
Row 3: Bridesmaid’s bouquet {Jackie Wonders/Kristen Tencer}; shoes {Veil and Bow/Salt Harbor Designs}; table plan frame wall {Martha Stewart}; lavender champagne {Debra McClinton}; flower girl {NK Photography}.

 

Inspiration Board: Duck Egg & Peach

Happy Monday, friends – hope you had a lovely weekend! Are you all ready for Valentine’s Day? Last week we combined pretty peach with modern mint for an inspiration board that was probably my most shared in a while, and today we’re working with peach again, this time paired with a beautiful duck egg blue. As soon as reader Alana wrote to tell me about her colours I absolutely fell in love with them, and I’ve been really looking forward to this board. Alana is getting married in early spring/late winter at Kruger, so while this is a perfect warm weather palette I’ve included some more sophisticated touches for an indoor venue. Alana wanted a touch of vintage, so I included letterpress silhouettes and pretty bow-decked shoes. Peach bouquets (and a peach wedding dress!) look beautiful with the soft blue bridesmaid dresses, together with peach cocktails and an adorable blue cake. Greet guests with rolls wrapped up in blue napkins and fresh preserves, and serve cool peachy cocktails. Alana also asked for a few quirky touches – I loved the idea of bells for your guests (to be rung after the ceremony) and my all-time favourite quirky yet elegant touch is umbrellas suspended above the dance floor. It makes quite an impression, but is actually relatively easy to pull off. Hope you like your board Alana!

Colours: Duck egg blue & peach

Top row (l-r): peach wedding dress {Cluney Photo }; duck egg blue bridesmaids {Veil and Bow}; blue ruffle cake {Sweet & Saucy Shop}; peach cocktail {Cookie + Kate}
Row 2: Bread roll place card {Martha Stewart}; marmalade favour {Tink Photography}; thumb print guest tree {Verity Stubbs/Ginger and Mint Photography/Christina Prochazka/Chrisp Pictures}; bell favours {Beaux Arts Photographie}
Row 3: Bride & groom {Melanie Wessels}; silhouette letterpress {Farrell and Chase}; peach shoes {Insight Creative/Carbine Avenue}

Inspiration Board: Mint & Peach

It’s inspiration board day, and I have a little feeling you guys are going to looooove this one. First off, mint and peach are pretty much a combination made in colour palette heaven, and they just happen to be what I think will turn out to be the colours of the year. Peach brings warmth (but gentle, like) and mint brings cool with a hint of sweetness, like a sip of ice-cold lemonade on a sunny day. Reader Tam wrote in to tell me about her wedding using these colours, and she used words like ‘relaxed’, ‘romantic’, ‘elegant’ and ‘less is more’. With beautifully rustic Rockhaven as her summer venue, I immediately pictured a wedding that was soft and flowey (for want of a better word!) – very much Beth Helmsetter/Style Me Pretty/Jose Villa. Flowers are important, and I adore both the bouquet and the table arrangement on this board (notice how apart from the lemonade, the flowers do most of the work on this table – gorgeous cutlery, crockery and other details become a bonus rather than the main event). Bridesmaids wear long, loose dresses in peach, with a garland for the flower girls (who I’d put in simple white cotton dresses and leave barefoot). Guests are served cool cocktails and iced biscuits, before having their photos taken in front of a pretty mint ribbon backdrop in the gardens during cocktail hour. For the stationery, I’d definitely make use of the current trend for hand-painted watercolour – less is definitely more in this stunning suite. The concepts are simple, the execution is perfect, and it all adds up to a shedload of pretty. Hope you like your board, Tam!

Colours: Mint, peach and white

Top row (l-r): Barefoot bridesmaid {Clary Photo}; mint lemonade {Bryllupsglimt}; mint shoes {Lane Dittoe}; peach bridesmaids’ dresses {Leo Patrone Photography}; peach bouquet {Jill La Fleur/Flower Wild}
Row 2: Table setting {Jessica Lorren Organic Photography}; peach watercolour invitation {Minted}; sugar cookies {Paige + Blake Green}; rose biscuits & rose yoghurt {Food & Cook}
Row 3: Mint ribbon backdrop {J.R. Clubb/Ryan Farr}; peach cocktail {onelove photography/Stephanie Grace Designs}; bridesmaids {Joy Thigpen/Jose Villa}; cake {KT Merry/Nine Cakes}; flower girl {KT Merry Photography}.

 

Inspiration Board: Meet Me in Buenos Aires

Good morning, lovelies! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. I’m back from Abu Dhabi, feeling chilled out and even a little tanned, and ready for the week ahead. I’m still catching up from my jetsetting, and getting used to being four hours back again. But that aside, travel is just my best thing, and appropriately, today’s inspiration board is all about travel! Today we have another reader request, from German reader Esther. Now how’s this for an international tale of love – Esther and her Swiss fiance met in Buenos Aires (how ironic, when their home countries are so close together!) and they’ve decided to get married in Cape Town, which I obviously think is the best idea ever. Esther loves a bit of old fashioned elegance, and she wants to bring both Brazil and Africa into their design. She adores succulents (and succulent green) and would like to accent this with orange from pincushion proteas as a tribute to South Africa. Love this! I’d work with a neutral white backdrop, with bridesmaids in soft green and bold bouquets (but otherwise keeping the orange fairly soft). I’d also incorporate the elegant vintage with a travel theme, including maps, a globe ‘guest book’ and postcard escort cards. There are some really lovely Argentine traditions Esther can include – first off, the cake pull (where ribbons are baked into the cake, one with a ring attached, and all the single women pull them out in order to find out who will be married next), cocktails (although I’ve borrowed the pictured peach caipirinhas from neighbouring Brazil), a tango first dance and carnival carioca (where, late at night, guests don hats and props and have their own little carnival on the dancefloor – a perfect double use for your photobooth props!). It adds up to a sophisticated personal tribute to the couple’s history, rather than a theme party. Hope you like your board, Esther, and welcome to our beautiful country!

Colours: White, soft green, orange

Top row (l-r): Bride with carnival mask {Marisa Holmes/Wedding Italy}; globe {Rebecca Arthurs Photography}; pincushion and succulent bouquet {Q Weddings/Statue of Design}; green bridesmaid dress {Elizabeth Messina}; couple with map {Courtney Brooke}
Row 2: Table setting {Allyson Magda Photography/Glow Event Design}; postcard escort cards {KT Merry}; cake pulls {Nancy Ray/Kickstand Events/Weddings Etc. }; vintage passport invitation {Azzura Photography}; pincushion proteas {KT Merry/David Fittin/Parrish Designs}; individual cakes with succulents {Christa Elyce Photography/Ellanesque Weddings/Sugary + Chic Boutique}
Row 3: Tango {source unknown}; stationery with map; peach caipirinha {Simon Bevan}; groomsmen with orange ties {Esther Louise Photography}.

 

Inspiration Board: Emerald Aisle

Happy Monday lovelies! As you read this, I’ll be arriving in sunny Abu Dhabi – how exciting! It’s been ages since I travelled anywhere (or saw the sun!) and I can’t wait. So forgive me if I’m not on email/Facebook much this week – although the blog will continue as usual, starting with this lovely inspiration board for a lovely reader who has chosen emerald and grey as her wedding colours. I’m so excited to see you guys embracing the colour of the year! I’ve been seeing everything from emerald and aqua to emerald and gold all over the place this fortnight, but not so many grey pairings. Since I didn’t know anything else about the wedding design, I thought it would be good to show how you don’t always need to use blocks of what is in fact a very strong colour in order to use it. For this palette, you’ll find emerald in some of the stationery, in the frame of a window used for table names, and in the groomsmen’s ties, but all the rest of the emerald comes from more organic sources like glass and foliage. A touch of rosemary on a pretty grey napkin, a bit of greenery at the back of a chair, a beautiful bouquet. Everything else is white and grey, and I think it looks so elegant, don’t you? If you’d like to make a statement, I love the idea of the bride putting on a second, emerald dress later at the reception, but actually I think this is quite a simple look to get right. Although my love for calligraphy is clearly going strong! Hope you like it friends! Will any of you be using 2013’s colour of the year in your palette? (If you’d like more emerald ideas, click here.)

Colours: Emerald & grey

Top row (l-r): Bride and groom {Jose Villa}; bouquet {}; table setting {Isabelle Selby Photography/Exquisite Affairs Productions}; table names on window frame; bride and bridesmaid {Ali Harper Photography/Consultants Unlimited}
Row 2: Place setting with rosemary {Lyndsey Hamilton/Elisabeth Millay}; calligraphy menu; drinks table {Robert and Kathleen Photographers}; green bottles; wedding dress {Kurt Boomer}
Row 3: Chair decoration {Isabelle Selby Photography/Exquisite Affairs Productions}; rosemary name tags {Lyndsey Hamilton/Elisabeth Millay}; green ties {source unknown}; chair with decoration {Samm Blake}; emerald evening gown; place setting {Lyndsey Hamilton/Elisabeth Millay}.

 

Inspiration Board: Spain Meets South

Hello lovelies, I have an extra inspiration board for you today. This one is a request from reader Simone, who’s originally from SA but now lives in Melbourne with her Spanish fiance. So international! The wedding will take place in a beautiful town in central Spain, set on a hilltop with winding streets and castle ruins. What an impossibly romantic location! Being proudly South African, Simone wants to include South African elements, including King Proteas and aloes. Because the venue hadn’t been finalised when she wrote to me, Simone wasn’t sure of much of the design, but she’d picked coral and mint as her colours. I think this is a great choice – not just because they’re on trend, but the soft pink and warm pink will work well in a variety of settings (and, of course, with the proteas). I’d combine them with copper or brass vessels for a lovely Spanish colonial feel on the tables. Another Spanish touch I would make a lot of is lace – this makes a great motif, and doesn’t need to look Victorian vintage. For example, use just a touch in soft mint bridesmaid dresses, in the form of doily cupcake cases and even as a photobooth backdrop! My favourite lace detail is the cake – especially with that protea on top! It’s the perfect Spanish/South African combination. I also thought the tiles as table numbers were a charming touch. Simone is considering serving macaroons (great for the colour) but I love the idea of a late night serving of hot chocolate with churros and koeksusters. In fact, menu is a wonderful way to pay tribute to your home country, just as Princess Charlene did for her Monaco wedding. Another idea from that wedding is to include South African music in your service. Hope you like your board Simone – can’t wait to see your wedding!

Colours: Coral and mint

Top row (l-r): Mantilla; lace dress {Jimena Roquero}; protea centrepiece {Jennifer Sando/White Room Events}; doily cupcake case; cake with protea topper and lace detailing {Jennifer Sando/White Room Events}
Row 2: Macaroons; tile escort cards {KT Merry}; mint lace bridesmaid dresses {Melissa McClure Photography}; churro hearts
Row 3: Spanish doorway; table decor (3 images) {Joielala/Canvas & Canopy Events}; lace photobooth/ceremony backdrop {NGG Studios/Imbue Weddings}.

 

Inspiration Board: Lovelier Than Lilacs

It’s Monday, and Mondays mean one thing here on SBB, and that’s inspiration boards. Yay! So to kick off the week, I have a reader’s request that I’ve been looking forward to getting to. Georgie sent me a request before Christmas for her Johannesburg wedding – she said that with so many themed weddings around, she and her fiance wanted to bring their focus back to what was traditional, classic and elegant. Their venue in Parktown has a gorgeous view of the city, so they’d like that to be central, and will include lots of ambient light in the form of candles and fairy lights. Their palette is clean white with dove grey, lilac and celadon (a green very much like Pantone’s current Greyed Jade). Georgie had just one more request, and that was to include orchids, since they will remind them of India and Singapore – two places that are meaningful to the couple. So that was the brief, and that’s what we’ve got. No themes, no motifs, no gimmicks – just classical elements and a gorgeous set of colours. As with all weddings where white forms a big part of the canvas, texture is important, so I’ve included lots of it – feathery tulle in the bride’s dress, crisp linens on the tables, even a little touch of velvet ribbon, which I really like (especially since this is an autumn wedding). The orchids are there – nice, simple and soft, but I think roses on the table are a classically romantic statement so I’d probably stick to orchids in bouquets and in other special places like on the cake. Chandeliers and a twinkle light curtain add a festive touch, and I’d bring in the colour accents in soft ways – bridesmaid’s dresses, shoes and (my best) invitations with a subtle touch of celadon on the edges. Add a pretty hairpiece, updos for the bridal party, a touch of calligraphy and signature cocktails for while guests enjoy that magnificent view. Et voila. A return to elegance. Hope you like your board, Georgie!

Colours: White, lilac, dove grey & celadon

Top row (l-r): Orchid {Anouschka Rokebrand}; bride {Beth Helmstetter/Samuel Lippke Studios}; pale lilac shoes {SH Weddings/Hanle Productions}; calligraphy table number {Jose Villa}; chandelier {Tea Olive Photography}
Row 2: Invitations with celadon edging {Lucky Luxe Couture Correspondence}; elegant updo {Easton Events/Patricia Lyons Photography}; orchid and rose bouquet; lilac velvet ribbon; cake with white orchids {Jenna Walker Photographers/Creative Weddings}
Row 3: Bride and groom with fairy light curtain {Cory Ryan Photography/CLINK }; lilac cocktail with ribbon tags {Samm Blake}; diamond ring {KT Merry}; table setting {Kate Preftakes Photography}; lilac bridesmaid dresses {Samm Blake}.

 

Inspiration Board: Navy & Chalkboard

Hello friends! I’m rounding up this afternoon with a reader request board – you’ll be seeing a lot of these in the next few weeks as I am trying to finish all of them off from this year as I know there’ll be lots of new requests for 2013! I do try to do all of them, but it’s getting tough to keep up with demand, so do bear with me :) Anyway, this one is for the lovely Stacy, who’s getting married at Shalwyn in Natal next summer. She and her fiance chose the venue because of the relaxed feel and open fields, so they’re looking to reflect this with an elegantly rustic wedding in shades of navy, grey and white. LOVE. And I love even more that Stacy loves chalkboard and succulents. They go together just beautifully, and with a cool palette, you have that combination of elegance and rusticity (is that a word? no? should be.). Chalkboard can be quite beautiful, especially when combine with calligraphy, but my favourite detail here is the altar platform decorated with chalkboard paint and words of love. Hope you like your board, Stacy – enjoy your planning!

Colours: navy, light grey, white

Top row (l-r): Wedding dress {Elizabeth Scott Photography}; bridesmaid with succulent bouquet {Kate Harrison/Downey Street Events/Eventscapes}; navy shoes {Visions by Heather}; silver tipped glasses {Fiona Kelly/Helen Carter Weddings}; chalkboard programme
Row 2: Chalkboard ceremony platform {Sybrand Cillié/Aleit Wedding Coordination}; succulent and burlap decor {Kate Harrison Photography/Off the Beaten Path Weddings}; LOVE chalkboard {Tanamachi Studio}; striped navy paper straws
Row 3: Navy bridesmaids {Jen Huang Photography}; chalkboard; centrepiece {Eric Kelley/Lora Kelley and Mallory Joyce}; chevron cake with succulent accent {Sweet & Saucy}; Shalwyn couple {Brightgirl Photography}.

 

Inspiration Board: Zen Neutrals

Ah Friday. A thing of beauty. But before we all head off for the evening, I have another reader request inspiration board to share with you. This one came from a bride and groom – Andreas and Melanie – which is a first for me (love an involved groom!). They’ve chosen to have a simple, intimate wedding in McGregor at a fab venue I hadn’t come across before, Temenos, and are planning on a gorgeously subtle palette of silvery grey and earth tones. They want to create something casual but ceremonial, well-balanced spiritually and materially. I immediately thought back to this memorable wedding I featured a few months ago, including the bonsai trees that were on the tables (a simple, relatively hassle free, but very effective centrepiece that you can then give away or use in your home). I also loved the long tables and rustic Scandinavian feel of this wedding, including a teepee and a branch chandelier. Stone, feathers and wood are three more natural textures that add a bit of zen-like balance (as well as contemporary chic) to proceedings, and for an intimate wedding I really like the idea of lots of candles, creating an intimate glow. Dress bridesmaids in silvery grey goddess dresses, stick with creamy flowers, and use minimalist stationery. Finally, for an extra bit of zen, why not have your ceremony in the round? This is sure to be a beautiful wedding for a low maintenance couple – hope you like your board Andreas and Melanie!

Colours: Grey, taupe, stone, mocha

Top row (l-r): Dessert table {Oh, How Charming!/Mindy Rice Floral and Event Design/Aaron Delesie}; bridesmaid dress; balsa wood bouquet {Stephanie Williams}; stone candles; bride and groom {Iz Photography}
Row 2: Buddha; branch chandelier {Kate McLuckie}; bonsai centrepiece {Picture Me & U}; stationery
Row 3: Feathers {Arrow & Apple}; bonsai centrepieces {Picture Me & U}; ceremony in the round {Caroline + Ben}; white peacock.

 

Inspiration Board: Tropical Coral & Mint

Hidey ho, neighbours. How was your weekend? Mine has been absolutely chokka with work, and a separate project I have on this November which has really been taking me back in time a bit to a year I spent teaching English in Milan… really wishing I could just jump on a plane and spend some time in my second favourite country again! Anyway, we’re transporting ourselves somewhere else completely today, to tropical Colombia, where lucky reader Clara will be getting married at a restaurant venue. She’s chosen mint/aqua, coral, gold, ivory and white, and I have to say, I don’t think she could have picked a more perfect palette. It’s just the right mix of tropical, modern and romantic. My first find was the stationery set below, which I am completely in love with, and which I think completely gets across the location and the colour scheme. I also love the idea of adding in some fun tropical touches, like coral bands on the napkins and this cute enamel statement octopus ring – maybe a fun accessory for the bridesmaids, in their coral sundresses. Clara also likes shabby chic and lace, and while it’s not always easy to mix this with tropical, I’d do it using pretty tea glasses with coral roses, a fringe garland (why not include lace in this?) and a ruffly dress. The flowers are also a lovely mix between classic and tropical, and I love the bold use of a flash of gold. For the tables, I’d keep things simple – maybe using a nice print (chevron or stripes always work well) in the mint or aqua shade, with gold cutlery and glassware (or just keeping to simple white tables with beautiful stationery accents at each setting for a more sober look). Clara also asked about using flowers for the church and the restaurant and I think she has a few options, depending on the size of the party. If it’s intimate, I’d use smaller arrangements in the church placed at different heights, and then re-use these along the table (even bridesmaids’ bouquets can be placed in vases and double up as reception flowers). Or, if you’re going for big statement pieces in the church, place these standing or on stands around the reception and keep table flowers more simple. Finally, you could keep things very simple in the church – maybe forsaking flowers completely and using lots of candles, for example, and save the flowers for the reception. There are no hard and fast rules – do whatever your budget and wedding size allow. Hope you like your board, Clara, and good luck with the rest of your planning!

Colours: Mint, coral, gold, ivory, white

Top row (l-r): Bride and groom {efeunodos/William Banea}; roses in tea glasses; fringe garland; tropical bouquet {José Villa}; palm print {Stella McCartney}
Row 2: Coral and mint beach wedding invitation suite {Boudreaux by Wednesday Custom Designs}; enamel octopus ring; watermelon margarita pops; cake {}
Row 3: Coral bridesmaids dresses; aqua chevron print table decor {Kate Headley}; coral napkin holder {Wedding Concepts/Annemari Ruthven}; aqua shoes {Karen Hill/Loli Events}