Author: gaby

SouthBound Sundays {10 Feb 2013}

by gaby

Hello my dear friends – how has your weekend been? I’ve had a lovely one. On Friday one of my bestest friends came over for sushi and way too much red wine, and we caught up and put the world to rights. On Saturday it was off to Oxford for lunch with more lovely friends – this time a group of ex-colleagues who have become dear friends and their husbands and children. So much fun! As for today, I’m spending it in bed, having been woken up in the middle of the night by a random drunk guy who broke into our porch – I eventually went to investigate some strange noises and found someone sticking their hand through our letterbox! Thank goodness I have a male housemate, who was very quickly shouted for and sorted it out. And the saga of the teenagers next door continues… Anyway, I’ve been pinning all kinds of loveliness from around the web, so here’s our little roundup!

♥ WEEKLY FAVES

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Q&A with Anneli Marinovich

by gaby

Good afternoon my dears, and a good afternoon it is when I get to introduce my readers to one of my very favourite industry people. Anneli Marinovich is a long-time supporter of the blog – she was one of our first sponsors and since then I have had the pleasure of getting to know Anneli both as a person (she’s lovely!) and as a businesswoman and photographer. And let me tell you, this girl is going places. Not only does Anneli shoot the most beautiful pictures that really capture the moment, but she’s super switched on, which has made working with her a pleasure. In fact, Anneli and I are currently working on a special project that I can’t wait to announce very soon! In the meanwhile, I thought it was high time I got my friend to answer a few questions for us. And remember – although Anneli is based in the UK as I am, she also shoots during the season in South Africa, and she’d love to hear from you!

Hi Anneli – thanks for joining us on SBB today! How did you get started as a photographer?
I’ve always enjoyed photography, especially travel and street photography and after we tied the knot in Cape Town in 2009, having had a wonderful experience with our own wedding photographer (Andre van Niekerk), I decided to look into wedding photography. I took an intensive course focusing on building a successful wedding photography business when we returned to the UK and realised that this was what I wanted to do… full time. I shot my first solo wedding in London in May 2010 and absolutely loved it. The decision to leave my full time job in advertising came in July 2011 after having shot weddings part-time for just over a year as well as second shooting with established wedding photographers, and I haven’t looked back since!Read More

Real Bridal Shower: Rustic Coral

by gaby

Happy Friday, friends! Later today we’ll be getting to know one of my favourite wedding peeps, but first, I’m super excited to share a lovely bridal shower sent in by photographer (and bridesmaid supreme) Alana Meyer. And here’s a really fun fact – part of the inspiration came from one of our very own boards! I just love that (and seeing how it evolved), and it shows that you don’t have to be planning a wedding to get ideas from SBB. I also love the way that Alana and co. really used the space they had – turning an outdoor area into the ultimate girly tea party location. It shows that throwing a party at home can be every bit as pretty as booking a fancy restaurant (and is a lot less hassle for set-up, as I know from personal experience!). But what I love most are the framed statements from the groom of what he loves most about his bride-to-be, which is pretty much my favourite shower idea in ages, and so easy to do! But enough from me – over to Alana to tell you all about it, from inspiration to reality. Links in bold denote affiliate links. SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

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Real Wedding at Cabrières {Tana & Arlo}

by gaby

Round these here parts, we love a bit of a French influence, and never more so than when it results in a pretty country wedding. Which is exactly what we have for you today – I’ve been dying to share this one with you ever since I was sent a link to Lauren Kriedemann‘s gorgeous photos. Tana and Arlo have an awesome story of how they met, and they chose to marry at the gorgeous Cabrières in Montagu, stringing bunting by the yard and filling their tables with proteas and blushing brides. I love their use of paper details, including flowers for the ladies, strings of birds and hearts, and even a wall of paper butterflies. It’s all so whimsical and delicious, and there’s even a beyond awesome getaway car! Enjoy…Read More

Coloured Wedding Dresses

by gaby

Image: Michèle M. Waite via Elizabeth Anne Designs

A few weeks back, I gave my predictions for wedding trends in 2013, and today I’m exploring one of my favourite. Coloured wedding dresses have become a huge style crush for me, and it seems like just about every designer feels the same way. And why not? White dresses weren’t even a part of wedding tradition until Queen Victoria married in one in 1840, and they weren’t the norm until after the Second World War. Many brides simply wore their best dress, whatever the colour. So you shouldn’t feel obliged to wear a white gown, any more than you’re obliged to wear a veil. And as wedding dresses themselves move toward evening gown shapes and embellishments (and sometimes even actual evening gowns worn as wedding dresses), the field is wide open for you to wear something that really makes your heart sing. I think what I like most is that, unlike the coloured wedding dresses of the ’90s (which were mostly red and black and wrong all over), most of these combine soft whispers of colour with elegant flowing fabrics, resulting in all the romance of a white ballgown, but with a bit of extra zip. But it’s all very well to read this, and to see the dresses on the catwalk. What do coloured dresses really look like on real brides? Here’s a rainbow of loveliness to show you!Read More

Notebook Inspired Engagement Shoot

by gaby

So, The Notebook. I have mixed feelings about this one, folks. Years ago, I read the novel as part of a book club and I HATED it. I mean, that last scene? Ew. I think I hated it so much I called up my friend at whatever time of night it was and ranted about it. I think I may have said that Nicholas Sparks had stolen several hours of my life. So I wasn’t exactly keen to see the film. But… you know, then I did. And Ryan Gosling was all, hey girl, and Rachel McAdams was all McAdamy, and it was so beautifully styled and okay, I admit it, I have it on DVD. Which might be one of the only times I will ever tell you that the film was way better than a novel. So when photographer Iz Labuschagne let me know that she had aNotebook-inspired engagement shoot to share, I got a little excited (especially since this one is one of my all-time faves). What I love about this is that the film is more of a loose influence rather than a theme – Chantel & Jon went for lovely vintage styling and it was shot in Cullinan in Gauteng, which is full of vintage shops and an old railway station, and they even included some old love letters, which is super appropriate. It just shows that taking styling inspiration from one of your favourite films can be a great place to start with your engagement shoot! (For more on movie-themed engagements, see here.)Read More

Marie Antoinette Rehearsal Dinner

by gaby

So. I’ve written this introduction six times, and I keep going back and deleting the whole thing. Because, basically, I seem to have run out of words to tell you how thrilled I am with this feature. It’s a first – we’ve never done rehearsal dinners before – but it’s also completely unique AND it comes from one of our very own Real Life Brides. That’s right – Candice is a married woman, and she’s back to share a couple of pre-wedding events before we do the big reveal of the Big Day. For those of you who have followed along, Candice is our Marie Antoinette bride – she and fiancé Justin were in love with and inspired by everything to do with Versailles. They even found the perfect venue, Casa Labia in Cape Town, but unfortunately had to change plans when they realised it was too small for their party. Now, most people would just give it up, maybe go back for an anniversary, but not these two. Instead, they decided to kick off their wedding celebrations with a rehearsal dinner at the venue (read the whole story here). And they dressed up for it in custom made period costume. And they did a couple shoot beforehand. AND Candice wore an exquisite lace dress she bought from Etsy. AND they got Catherine Mac (whose photos make me covet every one of her weddings) to be there with her camera. You guys, it’s pretty much a wedding blogger’s dream, and this isn’t even the wedding! So sit back and enjoy every inspirational image – with more to come from Candice very soon. (Oh and psssst, you can see more of Catherine’s lovely pics over on her blog.)Read More

Inspiration Board: Mint & Peach

by gaby

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}.

 

SouthBound Sundays {3 Feb 2013}

by gaby

Hello friends! How are you all doing? Hope your weekend has been nice and chilled, as mine has. Just after I finish this off, I’m about to head off to the kitchen and cook up a lovely batch of chicken cacciatore – perfect for what is a very chilly winter day! Then I may curl up with a Murder She Wrote marathon (don’t judge, Jessica’s ma girl) while I finish off the prettiness for the week – can’t wait to share! I also have a couple of special little projects I’m hoping to finally get off the ground soon, so here’s hoping it’s a productive week!

♥ WEEKLY FAVES

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Victoria Grech Masterclass Styled Shoot

by gaby

Hello again, SouthBound Brides! After my feature on this event this morning, it’s time to share the professional results. As I said earlier, we were so lucky to have the experience we did – I know lots of pro photographers who would kill to get to shoot three beautiful table setups and four models for their portfolio!

The models themselves had very different looks, from 1920s to Hollywood glam, to romantic and boho. Their dresses were from Bruce Oldfield and Sassi Holford, with gorgeous accessories by Hermione Harbutt and rings from Taylor & Co.. Aren’t they stunning?Read More