You know, every time I feature a wedding that has proteas as a key element, I get a bunch of extra hits, and not just from inside SA. What can I say – the world loves a protea. So it’s no surprise that our national flower has become a defining feature of South African wedding style (in fact, this blog almost got called something along the lines of Protea Brides, but I decided it sounded like it was for cricket WAGs. It also almost got called Braaied, but that’s another story). Today I have another breathtaking protea-filled wedding for you, this time from the talented Laura Jane Photography at Likweti Lodge in Mpumalanga. Flip and Claudine’s lovely wedding walks that line between traditional and modern – I particularly love the variety of proteas, vases (both glass and silver) and heights in the table arrangements, as well as the lovely crocheted tablecloths, which they sourced from family and friends. Their ceremony area is also one of my favourites ever – how wonderful are all the fabric ribbons hanging from the tree? And my goodness, that sweetie bar has me craving some homemade fudge. So take your lunch hour to enjoy these lovely pics – but don’t forget to come back later when I have an AMAZEBALLS e-session to share!Read More
One of the biggest trends of the last couple of years has to be the move away from uniform bridesmaid dresses, to putting your girls in a variety of styles or colours that complement each other. I still get a little thrill whenever I see this done well, and I know that it’s made many bridesmaids themselves happy, including me. But what if you really want your girls to wear the same dresses, and still want to distinguish them? To let them each express their personality a little? Then this series of posts is for you. In Part 1 we’ll be looking at the mini-trend of individual bouquets. This has to be one of my all-time favourite bridesmaid trends! Probably because of how much I love flowers – the idea of having several beautiful bouquets instead of just one with variations really excites me.Read More
Surprise! That’s what today’s wedding is, literally. I’ve always loved the idea of a surprise wedding – there’s something that’s so heartfelt and quirky about it. So when I heard that one of my favourite wedding and lifestyle bloggers (Vicki of the amazing I Want That and I Want That Wedding brands) had a surprise wedding in favourite spot, Kalk Bay, I just knew I had to feature it. That was before I had even met Vicki properly (PS she’s just as fab in real life) and heard her and Justin’s story. And yes, heartfelt is definitely the word. The result is a laid back, intimate, special people-oriented wedding and couple shoot rolled into one that feels quintessentially Cape Town and 100% personal. And speaking of personal touches, how much do I LOVE the way Vicki and The Captain customised the ‘This is Your Life’ poster? It’s this kind of detail that makes me love the job I do. I also loved the way Vicki and Justin spent time having pics on their own and with his girls, together with the awesome Lar Leslie,before the big reveal. Read More
It’s Inspiration Board Monday! And today it’s a reader request. I just love it when you ladies give me a creative challenge, so when I heard from bride Tanja about her vintage golf-themed wedding I couldn’t WAIT to get started! The wedding is set for autumn, so Tanja’s chosen a palette of red, green and dusky pink (which I think is perfect for this theme and time of year). Tanja’s fiance is crazy for golf and they both love old things, so they merged these loves together to create their theme of old world golf, and they’re hosting it at a golf resort as well. Tanja also wanted to include elements like lace and proteas, which grow wild in the area. I started off by looking at lots of golf-themed weddings, and wow, some of them are a liiiittle cheesy. So as with all themes, subtlety is key. My first recommendation is that Tanja and her fiance hire a great designer, because stationery would really tie everything together here. Ask them to use argyle in your colours as a motif throughout, and combine it with vintage golfing imagery or clip art (similar to the birthday invitation below) to create a sort of ‘brand’ for all the paper goods- this is a great way of making an unusual theme work cohesively. You can reflect the argyll in the gents’ attire (how cute are groomsmen in sweater vests?) or just their socks if you’d prefer them to wear suits. You can even give them tee boutonnieres! For the bridesmaids, you can’t go wrong with green dresses, but you could use red or pink instead (or even have each of them in a different colour). For the bride, I love this vintagey lace dress with a birdcage veil (red lipstick is a must!) and statement protea bouquet. Tanja can subtley extend the golfing theme using trays of wheatgrass with little golfing flags for escort cards, and either number her tables like golf holes, or name them after famous courses. But my favourite detail is the use of vintage trophies (golfing or otherwise) as vases throughout the table decor. This is a classy nod to the sport, without resorting to jars full of golfballs or similar! Tanja – I hope you like the board and good luck with your planning journey. I can’t WAIT to see how it turns out!
Welcome to Part 2 of our Moroccan-themed inspiration Friday! Didn’t you just love the dresses I showcased this morning? Not to mention the gorgeous backdrop… Of course, I’ve never actually been to Morocco (although I have done Tunisia and Egypt) but it is most definitely on the list. There’s just something so romantic and English Patienty about it all, isn’t there? Which is probably why it makes a great wedding theme, and I’ve been seeing full-scale Moroccan style weddings or just weddings with Moroccan touches popping up all over the place. But there’s one big word of warning here. Going overboard will make this theme look like a cheap Christmas party. Do not – I repeat, do NOT – go overboard. Don’t lean towards the obvious, but rather be inspired by the general North African design aesthetic, and then have fun with it.Read More
I do love a bit of designer dress inspiration, and I’ve been dying to share this with you ever since I saw the pics of Stephanie Allin‘s 2013 collection (Night and Day) which debuted at the White Gallery this year (boo, I was in Durban and missed it). Then I read that the collection was being shot in Fez, and had partly been inspired by the soft pinks and blues, amber, and metallics found in Morocco, with a bit of a seventies flare added in, and I knew I had to wait until the official pictures were released. So worth the wait. I absolutely love this soft and feminine collection, with layers of texture, and Morocco makes the perfect exotic backdrop to show it off. It has me yearning for a trip back to North Africa to swan around in souks and rock the riads. Maybe even frequent a couple of gin joints. But until then, here are some of my favourites from the collection – and come back later today when I’ll have lots more Moroccan inspiration!Read More
You know, a lot of people, when they find out what I do, comment that organising a wedding these days is such an over-the-top thing. In the same way as I think my mother believes you can only be either a teetotal or a budding alcoholic (guess which side of that line I fall on?), I think many of them believe a wedding can either be a three day zillion Rand extravaganza with ice sculptures, chocolate fountains and swans in the swimming pool, or a pared down civil ceremony with zero decoration and lunch at a nearby restaurant. Well, you and I both know that’s rubbish. There’s a spectrum of weddings, and that’s what makes them so interesting and exciting. But one thing I do know is that adding just a few key details will raise your wedding’s game. Take today’s Sea Trader wedding (photographed by the lovely Bernard Bravenboer), for example. It isn’t over the top, but it is beautiful. Clever Misha and her wedding planning team knew exactly where to add those special details. Coloured glass on the tables. A beautiful rose bridesmaid dress and a flower girl in a baby’s breath crown. A picturesque beach ceremony. Interesting boutonnieres. Wedding newspapers. Pretty cocktails. No swans in the pool. No ice sculpures. Just the gorgeous pink fairytale wedding that Misha and Henri dreamed of. Simples.Read More
Ah, Kalk Bay. How I do love you. Except for the parking. True story: last time I went to Kalk Bay was a couple of months ago to meet my cousins for lunch. Beautiful hot day, summer Sunday afternoon… some kind of military show in Simonstown… traffic chaos. Kippie here decides to park right in the harbour, and let me tell you, after eleven years in London my parking skills are a**. Somehow I managed it, but came back to find an SUV wedged in next to me. What followed was ten minutes of stalling the car, twenty-point turning and an eventual offer from a complete stranger to drive my car out of the spot for me, which I politely declined before stalling the car yet again and finally getting on my way with the parking guard shaking his head after me. So. Humiliating. Meh, whatever, I still love Kalk Bay. And today I’m especially missing it as I’m featuring this sunny e-shoot by SBB friend and sponsor Cheryl McEwan. You saw her wedding last week, and today she’s showing you her moxy behind the lens. The result is a sweet and intimate engagement session for couple Riana and Shaun that captures the colour of this special part of the world. I especially love Riana’s styling – that dress is PERFECT for Kalk Bay! It’s definitely worth taking some time to think about the location of your shoot and dress to complement it (or the other way around) – I promise that the results will be worth it! Thanks for sharing, Cheryl!
Oh, and psssst! Come back later for another gorgey porgey wedding. Huzzah!Read More
Hello, lovelies. We had some minor technical gremlins today, but I have fought them off just for you and can’t wait to share this incredible Johannesburg wedding which I know will get your evening wedsite browsing off to an amazing start! It begins with a film-worthy romantic meeting, through a phenomenal, original, beautiful dress and a gaggle of elegant green-clad bridesmaids and dashing groomsmen, on to a sweet ceremony and a bright and breezy carnival-tastic reception, and ends on a packed dance floor. (As all the best weddings do.) And you guys, these photos by Rensche Mari will have you gasping. Seriously. This is the kind of wedding that makes me love what I do, so without further ado…Read More
Needless to say, I love every wedding I feature here on SBB. You brides are so full of creativity and general awesomeness. But there are some where as I go through the pics I am just blown away by the level of detail, and today’s lovely intimate high tea wedding at Schoone Oordt is one of those. I mean, even the ice cubes are pretty. I love all the paper decorations, love the cupcake menu placecards, love the picnic blanket ‘guest book’, love the vintagey paper pinwheels, love the gift bags, love the individual cakes, love love love. I could go on, but I’d just be wasting time that you could be feasting your eye holes on the English country tea party goodness, photographed so beautifully by our friends at Real Simple Photography (who, PS, will be in London for a visit in August – drop Jacques an email if you’d like to book a consultation).Read More
