Author: gaby

Colour Story: Toile & Rose

by gaby

Hey lovelies! Following my feature of the Toile & Rose shoot this morning, I wanted to take another look at the Toile & Rose suite created for us by The Invitation Gallery. Canvas Stationery Boutique did a brilliant job in interpreting the inspiration board that started it all…

Full inspiration board credits here

I might have mentioned this before, but I LOVE it! And along with the suggestions I gave earlier for recreating the French country look at your own wedding, I’ve put together some pretty toile items to inspire. Now, obviously, you are not going to use EVERYTHING toile in a wedding design – as with all prints, less is definitely more! But there are some really pretty touches, from bridesmaid gifts to fabric (with a South African twist, nogal) and even a to-die-for Claire Pettibone toile de jouy wedding dress. Dying over that one!

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How to Create a Toile & Rose Wedding

by gaby

Hello lovelies! Today we’re not featuring a wedding, but instead a shoot that was styled by little ol’ me, and that I am still so in love with even though it was put together over a year ago. In that time, it’s had a huge spread in SA wedding magazine, Wedding Inspirations, and been featured on two of my all-time favourite blogs, Magnolia Rouge and b.loved. I consciously don’t style a lot of shoots, and it’s been an honour to have those I have done featured so widely. So you may have seen Toile & Rose in one of these places before. But I thought it was high time I showcased the shoot here on SBB, along with my top tips for recreating the look for your own wedding.Read More

How to Style a Cheese Wedding Cake

by gaby

I don’t know about you, but I love cheese wedding cakes – they’re by far my favourite alternative to the traditional wedding cake. It’s not just the abundance of delicious cheese (cheese!) but the fact that they can be so prettily styled. Fruit, crackers, edible flowers, herbs, drizzled honey, ribbon and of course different varieties, colours and shapes of cheeses can make each cake look unique and work to suit just about any wedding style. Plus, it’s easy to put this together yourself (see our cheese wedding cake DIY instructions here). Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a big fan of actual cake, but it doesn’t suit all couples and I think it’s great that nowadays people don’t feel pressured to spend a fortune on something they don’t want to eat themselves. A few weeks ago we looked at dessert table alternatives, but today I thought I would round up 20 gorgeous examples of cheese towers to give you style inspiration! Which is your favourite? Oh and PS, you can see more of the latest cheese wedding cake looks on our special Pinterest board.Read More

Real Garden Wedding {Kerry & Adam}

by gaby

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times. I love details at weddings (make that LOVE in capital letters) but the details that really light up a wedding are the ones that come from the heart. Well, today’s wedding is ALL about personal significance. From the ceremony venue (a labyrinth built by the bride’s grandfather in her family garden – how amazing is that?) to a beautiful bouquet ceremony, to an intimate picnic dinner, it’s chock-full of ideas that were thought out for their significance and connection to family and friends. I can only imagine what a wonderful, memorable celebration it must have been, but luckily we have Lauren Kriedemann‘s gorgeous pics to inspire us. Ah garden weddings! How I do love them!Read More

Real Wedding at Vrede en Lust {Rienne & Johan}

by gaby

Get ready, friends. Some of you are about to have a new favourite wedding to inspire you. You’re definitely about to wear out your Pin It button, or fall in love with a whole new colour scheme. I know I have. But back to the beginning… Today’s wedding is the marriage of two winemakers, one from Australia and one from South Africa, who met in California (love it!). I’m honoured that Rienne chose her husband’s homeland (and mine) as the venue for their wedding because of the love Johan has for South Africa, and Vrede en Lust rewarded them with incredible views and a light, bright, contemporary classic appeal. Which their decor more than did justice to. Long hessian/burlap runners, coloured glassware, a base of purples, blues and neutrals accented with spectacular pops of green, orange and yellow. Wow. Giant balloons. Little coloured eggs as favours. Oh, the list goes on! The spectacular Catherine Mac did an amazing job as always capturing every detail, from Rienne’s drop dead gorgeous lace detail dress to the happiness radiating between bride and groom. As a sign at the reception said, this truly was “made with love”.Read More

Inspiration Board: Modern Romantic

by gaby

Another Monday, another inspiration board, and I have to say, I am more than a little in love with this one. I’ve had a lot of requests over the last year for blush and mint weddings, and when I came across this invitation suite from Hey Look I was BLOWN AWAY by how amazing this soft, romantic colour combination works with the modern graphic black and white. With just a touch of gold, of course. It immediately got me thinking of how I often hear brides saying they want something modern but also vintage, and I think maybe this board is a little of what they mean – a contemporary feel without being too stark, and a romantic dreamy backdrop without being too fluffy. The combination sort of reminds me of Audrey Hepburn, who managed to be cutting edge stylish and incredibly classic all at the same time. Beautiful!

PS Just a little reminder for anyone who has been trying to contact me, that I am currently on leave without access to emails. I will get back to you asap!

Colours: Blush, pastel green, graphic black and white with a touch of gold

Top row (l-r): Invitation suite {Michaela Egger/Hey Look}; shoes {Harwell Photography}; striped umbrella
Row 2: Bridesmaids {Alison Mayfield Photography Studio}; boutonnieres {Simply Bloom}; vintage wedding car {Jose Villa}; tassel garland
Row 3: Striped tent; lily bouquet {Jose Villa/Mindy Weiss}; striped tie back {Landon Jacob Productions/Parkside Wedding Studio}; macaroons; cake with chevron.

 

BHLDN Summer Bridal Lookbook

by gaby

We’re off to sunny climes for our afternoon adventure today. And my goodness, are you about to be swept up in a tropical bohemian haze of beautiful dresses, chic accessories and a dreamy location. If I were to be shipwrecked, I think I’d be quite happy as long as I also had a treasure chest full of BHLDN wedding and bridesmaid dresses to dress up and frolic about in! Head over to the BHLDN website to check out their full collection of dresses – although be ready to spend some time there, as each one of their collection is more swoony than the last. I can’t WAIT to see these on real brides.Read More

50 Newlywed Shoe Game Questions

by gaby

Newlywed Shoe Game Questions

Over the last year or so I’ve been noticing quite a few brides and grooms playing this fun little game at their reception, including Oded and Sarah, whose wedding we featured last week. The shoe game works a little like the Newlywed Game on TV, but with shoes (and anything with shoes is good, right?). But how does it work and what are the best newlywed shoe game questions? Read on! *This post includes affiliate links.

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L is for Love

by gaby

I have such a fab shoot to share with you today! I absolutely love a bit of colour, and this styled inspiration, from the awesome Louise of b.loved and EFC Photography, is ALL about colour. And not just in the decor, which has a super fun pop art vibe to it, but in four different, really gorgeous looks perfect for a statement bride. This is the kind of shoot that is a perfect example of why I think inspiration shoots are good for the wedding industry. Sure, you might not reproduce the entire ensemble for your big day, but everywhere you look here, there’s a great idea. Pick one or two, and they’ll really jazz up your wedding with that extra edge of ‘specialness’ (for lack of a better word).Read More

Real Wedding at La Petite Dauphine {Natalie & Alex}

by gaby

It’s such a pleasure to me to be able to share the stories of so many brides and grooms here on SBB. But it’s even more of a pleasure when I get to share the love story of someone I know, and that’s what I get to do today! Natalie is a fellow Minervianer (which for the non-Stellenbosch crowd means we were in the same res at uni). She’s the loveliest person, and very beautiful, and I always knew some dashing man would sweep her off her feet. It turned out to be one of those stories where Nats fell in love with her best friend (love those, right?!) – I finally got a chance to spend some time with the couple here in London recently and they are ADORABLE. What I love most about their wedding day is that you can see the sheer joy radiating from both of their faces, and in fact this is the first thing Cheryl McEwan, their fab photographer, said to me afterwards, that the love on their big day was so tangible. This is what it’s all about, people! Well, that and a lovely in lavender intimate French-style reception at La Petite Dauphine and a bride in a romantic Suzanne Neville dress… but mostly the love. ;) Don’t miss Nats’ goosebumpworthy description of how they met and got together!Read More