I am one lucky girl. That’s all I can really say about the amount of love and spoiling that went into the pre-wedding events planned by my wonderful friends and family during my visit to South Africa. Apart from planning one heck of a bachelorettes, my bridesmaids planned not one, but two beautiful love-filled kitchen teas of note. It doesn’t get much better than that.
It all started when, on a Friday night, my sister picked me up from a dinner party with some random person laying in the back of the car. I immediately figured it must be one of her friends who had a bit too much to drink, when suddenly out jumped my dearest friend Inge, with a big smile on her face. She had flown down from Pretoria to surprise me (and to attend the weekend’s activities I would later learn about).
Okay, I was a little suspicious what with someone flying down for a random weekend, but my sister (who I now know is a very good liar), played everything so cool and had me convinced that we were simply going wine tasting the next day, to be followed by a boozy winefarm lunch in Franschhoek. So off we went for a “bridesmaid bonding day”.
I was so busy chatting (and chatting… and chatting…) to my friend, whom I hadn’t seen in months, that I didn’t really pick up on what was going on around me. We walked into the Green House at Babylonstoren and I looked up to find a table full of some of the most special ladies in the world and my MOM! She, as it turned out, also secretly flew down for the weekend. I had to fight hard to keep emotions intact and not become completely overwhelmed by the enormity of such a big moment.Read More
I read a lot of wedding blogs, but one that consistently inspires is the fab Magnolia Rouge – I never fail to be inspired by what Kate features! This week one of the pics she posted from a shoot by the fabulously talented Annabella Charles caught my eye, and I was immediately carried away with the idea of a beautiful Midsummer Night’s Dream garden party theme – a delicious twist on the soft pink, green and gold colour scheme that I know so many of you are in love with at the moment. Delicate climbing vines (how pretty is this table?), lush blooms, curly calligraphy, a mossy bed for the rings, a touch of glitz and a night dancing under the stars. It’s elegant, but soft and romantic and even a little bit playful – the perfect combination!
Oh glorious British summer! Sorry South Africans, but today I am 100% enjoying the sunshine. I made a cheeky trip up to Carnoustie in Scotland to attend my friend Nikki’s summer party last night, so as I write this, I’m sitting in the sunshine (sore head ‘n all), sipping a Pimms and watching Andy Murray (hopefully) win Wimbledon. If it happens, there’s going to be a lot of excitement up here! Anyway, I won’t stay long, but I wanted to stop by and share with you my favourite pins and finds of the week.
Happy Friday, lovelies! I have such a treat for you today! A while back, we asked the lovely Theresa Lazarevic of Creation Events to share her advice for bridesmaids and maids of honour. I knew her advice was good, but I couldn’t imagine how many times it would be read and shared by brides all over the world – it’s been consistently our top post ever since (over 125,000 views so far!), and has been pinned and repinned thousands of times on Pinterest as well. So we thought it was about time that we gave the guys a turn, and Theresa has been good enough to gather more of her straightforward, sensible advice for the groomsmen and best men of the world. Send this off to the hubs-to-be and his besties, pin it for future reference and rest assured that now your whole bridal party will know exactly what needs to be done. Thanks so much, Theresa! Over to you…
Are you ready… are you ready for love? Lordy, I’m clearly more than a little sleep deprived. I think I just quoted Elton John. Even so, it’s an appropriate question, since love is what you’ll find plenty of in today’s gorgeous real wedding. Love between the cute as anything bride and groom, love from their friends and family, and love-liness all over the place in their design and decor. You may remember me mentioning Keri and Andrew’s story last week, when I featured their engagement shoot (so cute) – after helping Keri out with an inspiration board I was dying to see how it all turned out and couldn’t wait to see Eileen Laubscher of Bright Girl‘s fantastic photos. Well, they were even better than I’d imagined – a rustic French-inspired palette with a handmade feel and very personal touches (LOVE those cow table plans!). Keri looked absolutely beautiful and natural, her groom seriously dapper, and I’m a sucker for her stylish mismatched navy bridesmaids’ look, especially in their fun shades! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Keri’s own blog, Midlands Musings – she’s a rising star in the SA blog scene, and you’ll soon be a fan ;)Read More
Afternoon, lovelies! I’m just stopping by to let you know about an exciting feature we have in the works with Luis and Kerry of Piteira Photography. Not only am I a big fan of their gorgeous photography, but this husband and wife team are just the loveliest, and I’m happy to count them as friends. In fact, I’m looking forward to seeing them when they’re working in South Africa this summer wedding season (December/January) and this is where the great news comes in – they have some availability, so if you’re still looking for a wedding photographer over the busy season, you can nab this awesome pair! Their work has been featured all over the place: Style Me Pretty, 100 Layer Cake, Ruffled, Bridal Musings, The Pretty Blog – and of course, right here on SouthBound Bride – so you know you’re in the best hands.
To celebrate their South African trip, Luis and Kerry have offered to step in as our experts for the day. They’ll be answering your questions about wedding photography, posing, light – whatever you’re wondering about. They also planned their own (gorgeous) South African wedding from abroad, so they have awesome insight into planning from afar. So here’s the deal: just leave your question at the end of the post (or on our Facebook page) and we’ll put all the answers together into a special post.
Some days, my job as a wedding blogger just doesn’t feel like work, and I have to say that this morning, as I put these gorgeous pictures of sparkly and shiny cakes together, the only difficulty was in narrowing down the selection. You’ll know by now that I’m a total magpie, and in love with everything that glimmers, but I think that love went to a new level when foiled wedding cakes came on the scene. I saw one for the first time in person last year in Durban, and it really does make an impression. I also love the way that it can be used as a texture, mixed in with ruffles, patterns, flowers, etc. As always, the line between glitzy and gaudy is a fine one, but here are 20 wedding cakes that I think walk the line perfectly. They’re almost too pretty to cut into, but the contrast between cake and metallic makes them look, if possible, even more delicious!Read More
Real wedding time! And boy, am I excited to share this one. It’s so beautiful, with a perfect blend of elegance and rustic goodness, it’s like one of my favourite inspiration boards come to life. And come to life it did, with smiles and infectious laughter, gorgeous flowers and a bevvy of mini bridesmaids. This is the kind of wedding that really shows off what our winelands are about, and why they’re such a sought-after wedding destination, year after year. Plus, the bride (whose nickname is Bubbles – you can’t NOT like someone with such a cute name) is a total rockstar – for her hen night she dressed up as a SuperWife and paraglided off Lion’s Head! Kind of appropriate though, since she was marrying a stuntman. But back to the wedding, in all its loveliness. Desmond and Toni of dna photographers were there to capture every special moment, every drop of sunshine, and a spectacular ‘first kiss’!Read More
Happy Monday SouthBound Brides! And happy first day of the month. Eeks, how did it get to be the second half of the year already? Anyway, for today’s inspiration colour scheme we have… no colour scheme. I’ve gone back to basics, because as much as punches of colour are fabulous, I still love a white on white wedding. Especially when you add some soft, country touches with just a whisper of rustic-ey vintage. Lush garden blooms, a beautiful open-sided marquee, and textured detailing like a ruffly cake and lace-iced biscuits. My favourite idea? Why not hang distressed white-painted mirrors in a row with table assignments written on them?
Let me tell you a story about me. When I was a small child, the day came (as it does for everyone) when my parents decided I was too old for a dummy. They announced this to me, and told me that my upcoming birthday would be the day when I would throw it away and be a big girl. Now, I should preface this by telling you that was not a child who embraced change. I once cried for hours when my mother took away the lamp in my bedroom, even though she was exchanging a large, heavy, ugly brown thing for a dinky one with polka dots. So the folks were understandably not convinced that their little plan was going to work. I was upset, but when the morning came, I solemnly got up and threw my dummy in the bin. And that was that.
Change happens. And not just the kind of change you plan on – the end of school or university, the new job, the much-anticipated baby. There are all those curveballs that show up just when the dust settles – the boyfriend who dumps you, the unidentified lump, the landlady who decides she wants her house back and serves you notice. That last one is what happened to me a couple of months ago. For the last few years, I’ve been sharing a lovely house on the London borders with an awesome couple and their two cats – I work at home during the day in my little upstairs office, then retire to my downstairs ‘suite’; when they want alone time at night, we have a second lounge. It’s pretty much perfect. Especially because I fell completely in love with the cats. And after some turbulent years, I was just settling into a routine – the house was my home; the centre of my world. And then we got our two months’ notice.
So I had a choice. I could cry about the lamp, or I could throw away my dummy. I decided to do the latter. I embraced change, because change was a-coming, so I might as well get on board. And instead of trying to find a new home here in London, I decided to take a break. Enjoy my freedom, and the flexibility that comes with being a freelance writer and being able to work from anywhere.
Of course, once I made that decision, it all got a lot easier. I told my parents to get ready for a house guest through the South African summer – a chance to spend time with them that I am grateful for, having lived overseas since I was 21. Then I decided to take a month off before heading south. I’d been dreaming of Tuscany, so that’s where I decided to go. I found an organic vineyard that needs housesitting and a bit of help for a few weeks and I bought my ticket. Three weeks in Italy, a stop-off in Dubai, and then South Africa until the new year. And after that? Probably London again, but who knows. I’m not planning. After all, we plan and God laughs.
I’m kind of excited about it all. We South Africans, we like to know where to put each other and ourselves. Are you married? What do you do? Where did you go to school? What sport do you play? But sometimes it’s okay to just carry on and see where life takes you. I think of myself at the moment in the same way as Truman Capote described Holly Golightly in the novella version of Breakfast at Tiffany’s: “I noticed that the mailbox belonging to Apt 2 had a name-slot fitted with a curious card. Printed, rather Cartier-formal, it read: Miss Holiday Golightly; and underneath, in the corner, Travelling.”
Anyway, here’s the deal. I’m here until the end of July. It’ll still be business as usual for you all in August, as I am lining up a huge variety of lovely posts, including all the usual features. You won’t even know I’m gone (seriously). Unless you email me, because I won’t reply. Three weeks without social media will be strange, but good. And then, I’ll be in South Africa. For industry and PR people, that means I am available for opportunities, meet-ups, greet-ups, consultancy, networking and, of course, fancy pants parties with champagne. Feel free to invite me. For everyone else, it means getting a refresher on South African venues, suppliers, on-the-ground problems and solutions, as well as working on a big project I have behind the scenes. And sunshine. Always the sunshine.
So that’s my story. Gaby Frescura, travelling. South Africa, I’ll see you soon.
