Happy weekend my lovely friends – hope you’ve been having a good one? It’s been curling up inside weather again here in London, so I’ve been feasting on comfort food like homemade bangers and mash with lashings of gravy, sipping on some New Zealand sauv blanc and hibernating with some films. This evening I’m off to a fab engagement party – always lovely to toast a new couple at the start of their wedding journey! Whatever you’ve been doing, hope it’s been a good one!
Afternoon friends! A few weeks back, we took a look at coloured wedding dresses as a big trend for 2013, and I have to say, I fell in love. Not just with the colour trend, but with the concept of using a special occasion dress that wasn’t necessarily designed with a bride in mind. Every time I see a bold bride doing this I fall more in love with the idea – they look spectacular. But where, I wondered, would you go looking for a dress like this? Well, there are two accessible designers that come up again and again for me – both are popular for bridesmaid dresses, but I reckon you could happily wear one of their creations as a bride (although if you’re going for a traditional dress, hopefully this will inspire you for your girls). And the best part? Not one costs more than £300 including post and packaging. Seriously. Now that’s something to make you sit up and take note, right? Because the wedding dresses that usually go for this price can be a little plain, and not everyone can afford high end designer, let’s be honest. The labels I’m thinking of are Adrianna Papell and Elliot Claire, and just for fun I thought I would round up some gorgeous inspiration on Pinterest combined with a budget friendly version from one of these designers. Which is your favourite?
Good morning, friends! We have some fabulous inspiration for you this Friday, starting with a gorgeous inspiration shoot all the way from Canada! Mona Abo Said of Birds & Honey Events dreamed up this lovely shoot – a fuse of urban red brick chic and modern styling with a ballerina-esque bride, and a few dreamy vintage touches (the quote from Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourites!). Love it. I also love the cake with all its many ‘I do’s – so joyful! Thanks so much for sharing, Mona!Read More
Afternoon, lovelies! What a busy week it has been, but there’s still time to share this wonderful wedding that I’ve been so looking forward to bringing to SBB’s pages. Annemarie might be one of my favourite brides – she has been such a star in getting me her story and favourite pics from her wedding. But not just that – I adore her taste. For one thing, she wore one of the most spectacular (pink) dresses I’ve yet seen (with a gorgeous lace top for the ceremony) and accessorised it with an exquisite statement necklace that, get this, she designed and made herself. What makes this detail extra special is that this was the beginning of a new journey for Rhys and Annemarie, who now own their own jewellery shop in Franschhoek. Talk about a personal detail! I also just love her floral design, and the inclusion of white candy Easter eggs on the tables to celebrate the season in a subtle and incredibly pretty way. It’s an absolute treat, not least because of the amazing pictures by SBB fave Vivid Blue Photography. Sigh. I do love weddings.Read More
EXCITEMENT! I have a little announcement today that I have been looking forward to for some time. Since I started SouthBound Bride three years ago, my mission has been threefold. One, to inspire and support all of you lovely brides (which hopefully, I do every day). Two, to promote South Africa as a wedding destination. And finally, to promote the amazing talents of the South African wedding industry. This year will be seeing a few big moves in that direction, and today is the first. Ladies and gents, allow me to introduce The Editorial Wedding.
What is The Editorial Wedding?
Put simply, it’s a way of looking at wedding photography through an editor’s eyes. Many photographers take beautiful pictures, and many want to promote their business through publication both in print and online, but not all know how to go about doing this. Which publication to choose, which pictures to submit and how to do so through effective pitches and networking. With competition growing each year in the industry, this is the knowledge I have seen take photographers to the next level, strengthening individual brands and creating international opportunities. As an editor, I see the mistakes made and opportunities missed every day, but I want my photographer friends to make their businesses everything they can be! I’m dying to share the tools and insider tips I’ve learned to help them get published.
But my knowledge as an editor is just half of the equation. Knowing how to shoot a wedding in an editorial way is just as important. Using details to tell a story, making the most of what’s available, framing the narrative. Each photographer has their own style (and every wedding is different), but those who are consistently published are able to do so not just because they shoot beautiful weddings, but because they know what to shoot. And when I think of a photographer who has used these skills to create a powerful marketing engine for her business, I think of Anneli Marinovich. Anneli has been published in multiple magazines and blogs (including SouthBound Bride), and she has an amazing understanding of where she’d like her business to go and how to take it there – bloggers love working with her, because she really ‘gets it’.
Today, I’m thrilled to announce that Anneli and I have joined together to launch The Editorial Wedding: Getting Your Photography Published, a brand new workshop for photographers. Our very first full-day workshop will be next month (9 April) here in London! Even better, the workshop will include a styled shoot by the awesome Louise of b.loved!
What will the workshop cover?
Participants will have lots of time to ask questions, take photographs at the styled shoot and get to know their fellow photographers. They’ll also be taking home a ‘cheat sheet’ guide to UK and international publications to keep handy for whenever they have images ready to submit.
Cost for the workshop is £325 (including lunch). Places are limited – find out more and book on www.theeditorialwedding.com or head over to our Facebook page.
Hello lovelies! I have an exciting announcement coming up this afternoon, but first, here’s a sweet little game lodge wedding from Gauteng photographer Alexander Smith. Carol and Joggie were married at Bushfellows, a private lodge in Limpopo. They chose to enjoy the simple beauty of their natural surroundings, with long tables, Italian food, and classic white wedding details including menus printed on their napkins and lanterns swaying gently in the breeze. We don’t have our usual questionnaire today, but make sure you check out the video at the end (also from Alexander), which is a super fun roundup from Carol and Joggie’s photobooth – this is my absolute favourite way for photobooth pics to be ‘displayed’!Read More
Credits: Dauphine Press via Sweet Paper (left); source (right)
I honestly thought that all my stationery-loving heart had beat its fastest when I discovered letterpress, especially when we started seeing letterpress combined with hand drawn calligraphy fonts. Amazing. But the latest big trend in wedding invitations has taken it one step further. Foil, you guys. It is the gorgeous-est. And from a few beautiful collections last year to an absolute explosion of foil stamped goodness for 2013, this is one trend that is absolutely made for brides. It’s pretty, it’s tactile, it’s classic… and every time I see a new foiled invite I have the urge to run my fingers over it and go ‘ooh, shiny shiny!’. I’m a magpie, what can you do.Read More
A few months ago, I asked you all to head over to the SBB Facebook page and vote for your favourite inspiration board of 2012. This was far and away the one you liked best!
Full inspiration board credits here
The bright, fresh combination of coral and mint really hit the right note, so in designing the latest invitation suite to join our SBB Collection from The Invitation Gallery, our designer focused on these lovely colours, marrying them with two trends that are very much of-the-moment! Watercolour has been a big design shift in the last year, and it’s all kinds of soft prettiness for a wedding day, so I absolutely love the watercolour background to these invites. Calligraphy fonts are another of my faves, and we have that too! Ladies and gents, allow me to present Summer Rain! (And just in case you can’t get enough of that gorgeous colour combo, I’ve put together a few lovely colourboards to inspire!)
Good morning, lovelies! It’s a new day, a new week: what will you accomplish? I’m feeling super fired up myself, as this week we’re launching a little project that’s been developing off-camera for quite some time, and I can’t wait to share it with you! So look out for an announcement (especially my lovely photographer friends and followers!). Anyway, let’s move on to today’s wedding inspiration, which is a request from reader Natassja. She’s chosen nautical rustic as her theme, and I absolutely fell in love with the concept! Natassja is getting married at Swartvlei beach, and she’s using a classic nautical palette of blue, red and off white. The great thing about nautical style is that there are lots of rustic textures, and texture is what rustic styling is all about. Think lots of rope, net and real boating ephemera. I love the idea of the rope table numbers especially, and the rope wrapped vases (both easy and effective DIY projects). Use the same big textures as statement pieces at the ceremony, or knot a rope curtain at your makeshift altar. Keep stationery crisp, or incorporate the gorgeous watercolour motif that’s so popular at the moment. I especially like the semaphore motif, which has the couple’s monogram spelled out with flags! And just because we’re going nautical doesn’t mean I couldn’t include this year’s rustic wedding must-have: the naked cake! How gorgeous (and delicious!) is this red velvet creation? I absolutely love this look – hope you do too, Natassja!
Colours: Navy, cherry red, off-white, taupe
Top row (l-r): Rope heart {Rachel Peters Photography/Kiss The Bride}; red velvet naked cake {Michelle March/Unearthed Vintage}; cake toppers {Jaco le Roux}; rope table number {}; origami boat {Purple Tree Wedding Photography/Affairy Event}
Row 2: Invitation {Swiss Cottage Designs/Love* Jenna Calligraphy}; ceremony area {Erin hearts Court/Five Star Weddings and Events}; rope vases {Bayside Bride}; bridesmaid with yay sign {Captured Photography by Jenny/My Event Boutique }
Row 3: Ship’s netting decoration {Fox Fotography/Dairing Events}; red anemone bouquet {Michelle March/Unearthed Vintage}; semaphore invitation {}; bride and groom with ship wheel {Troy and Aimee Grover}.
Happy Sunday friends! What have you got up to? Yesterday I ventured out to East London (I hate East London, I feel like everyone who walks past is cooler than me) for the London Wedding Emporium, a brand new wedding fair. My friend Louise of b.loved was exhibiting her awesome styling services in the prettiest stand imaginable, so I got to help out a bit and see some other wedding friends and services. It’s only a few pounds entrance, so definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area today! After that I spent the evening eating yummy salmon and polishing off a bottle of red with my friend Jodi, but today I plan to spend curled up with my laptop and a hot cup of something – it’s cold out there!
