I don’t care what De La Soul think. Sometimes, one is the magic number. The number of children in my family. The number of hits Chesney Hawkes will ever have. The number of times I hope I will ever break down near Mooi River. And also, the perfect number of blooms for a chic but cost conscious bride (or just one who is in love with this trend as much as I am). Ladies and gents, the single bloom bouquet. Isn’t it PURDY?
I know, I know. You’re thinking it looks sad and sparse. You’re picturing a sad little rose clutched in your hands as you walk down the aisle, or a lone lily on your arm. No no no. Sparseness (sparsity? what will I do without my OED) is not the point here. This trend is all about allowing one lush bloom to provide focus and structure as a bouquet – to be centre stage and steal the show. Exhibit One: The Magnolia.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens… Whoa there, showtunes. But seriously readers, I can’t help but think that today’s stunning Café Felix wedding is absolutely chokka with a few of my favourite things (and yours). Lace, roses, mismatched dresses, ribbon, chalkboards, lavender, tulips, postcard luggage labels, brunia, succulents, bell jars (am I pushing your buttons yet here?), beautiful stationery, milk glass and silver, hanging birdcages. It’s like a smorgasbord of loveliness right now. Topped off, of course, with work by some of my favourite Cape service providers including bright and beautiful pictures by Adene Photography, and a sweetly smiling, clearly head-over-heels bride and groom. It’s just perfection for your Tuesday morning. So go on. Dive in. (PS You’re totally going to be singing Julie Andrews all day. Sorry!)Read More
Good morning, lovelies! Before we get to today’s inspiration board (which I have been saving rather impatiently for you), I have good news and bad news. Let’s start with the good. Last week, I was absolutely thrilled and honoured to be included in a list on the Fair Lady blog of FL’s favourite tweeters! Not only is it always super satisfying to know that people like what I do here, but you guys, I grew UP reading Fair Lady. When I was a little girl, I would read my mother’s old stack cover to cover and my secret teenage fantasy was to work there one day. So this was extra special supery dupery exciting. It rocked. Merci, FL. (And if YOU don’t follow me on Twitter yet, do!)
Now the bad news. Sigh. I regret (and I really do mean regret – remember I’m an editor by trade, so missing a deadline totally cuts me up, especially when it’s one I set myself) to tell you that the new Cap Classique website will not be launching at the beginning of December. Unfortunately, some technical issues that I have no control over have got right in the way, and while the delay is only about 10 days, with Christmas coming, it only makes sense to put it off until January. Which kind of blows, but when I thought about it, I decided it was kind of cool. New year, new site, new everything. I really am disappointed, and sorry to keep you all waiting. I hope you won’t mind waiting just a liiiiiittle bit longer. Although, now that I’ve had to rejig my whole schedule for December, I do have something quite cool up my sleeve, which you’ll hopefully like. So there you go. Please don’t hate me!
And now, before I get all depro about this again, I am going to cheer us all up with some sparkle. YAY! As you know, gorgeous colours mixed in with metallics have been huge news this year, and I think we’ll see lots more of that this season. Here’s my little take on a sort of royal wedding/princessy theme, which includes my current colour obsession (navy) combined with the prettiest powder blue, champagne and then some sparkly metallics. I can’t get enough of it! It’s almost enough to make a grown woman believe in fairytales… ;)
Woo, it’s Friday! What will you all be doing this weekend? Before that gets started, here’s a little something special for you. You may already know how much Cap Classique luurves Monica Dart, not only because she shoots beautiful weddings, but because she managed to make me look half decent in our photoshoot a couple of months ago. What you may not know about Moni is that she also shoots shut-the-front-door-beautiful boudoir pictures. Now I know what you’re thinking: ugh, boudoir. Rudey dudey pictures of you in your nuddies trying to look like a model from your husband’s FHM collection. Or maybe you’re thinking: “maybe, if I were thinner”. Because when you’re going to be wearing undies in front of a camera, you can never be skinny enough, right girls? Wrong. See, here’s what I have discovered about boudoir in the last couple of years, since it’s become a bit of a trend here in wedding world. One, you may give it as a gift to your husband-to-be, but really, it’s something you need to do for YOU. It’s not only a lovely experience to be dolled up and pampered, and a liberating one to be part-clothed in front of a photographer, but what it really is is an acknowledgment to yourself that even with your lumps and bumps, you deserve to be turned into a piece of art. And art is exactly what a photographer like Monica produces – yes, you’ll be frozen in time looking hawt, but this kind of shoot is as much about what you don’t see as what you do, and it’s class all the way. As with an engagement shoot, you’ll want to think about styling and making it a reflection of who you are, and then just having fun with it. The ladies I know who have been there have all said that it made them feel incredible, and really accept themselves and their bodies in a way they hadn’t before. Sounds bloody fantastic, I’d say. Sign me up, Moni!
PS And yes, your eyes do not deceive you. Below you’ll find boudoir shot on an empty South African Airways aeroplane. How. Awesome. Is. That?!?
You didn’t think I’d let this week go by without something Twilight-related, did you? I have to admit, although a few years ago I never would have thought I’d be a fan, I can’t WAIT to go and see the latest film. A wedding! In a forest! Jacob with his shirt off! All my favourite things. I’m guessing lots of you will be feeling the same way, and although it may sound a bit cheesy, Twilight actually makes a great little theme for a bachelorette or hen party (assuming the bride is a fan, of course!). Here’s everything you need to know to make it Twi-umphant rather than Twi-hard, and turn your bestie into a bitten smitten kitten.
Hello, lovelies! It’s time for another roundup, and today I’m not only bringing you some detail candy, but also some fab DIYs to help you incorporate the origami trend into your wedding. I’m personally a big fan of wedding origami, and as both an easy DIY and one that’s flexible enough to look great in a number of different styles of weddings, I can see why it’s become more popular recently. Origami cranes are, of course, the big one when it comes to weddings (and they have special meaning – brides and grooms are supposed to fold 1,000 cranes for luck, since the patience and perseverance in folding all that paper is supposed to be a small taste of the qualities needed for a happy marriage). But recently I’ve seen some other lovely (and basic) origami details emerging as well, and I’ve rounded them up here. If you’d like to add a handmade touch to your day without going to DIY hell, if you feel like your tables need that little extra something, or you’re looking for cute escort cards or origami invitations, or or or… this may just be the post for you! Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.
Attitude, baby. It’s all about attitude. In life, in work – even in weddings. The truth is (and I need to remind myself of this a LOT), that there’s a limited amount of control you have over the material you have to work with every day, but the one thing you always have control over is how you deal with it. I don’t know today’s bride, but I feel like she gets that. She planned her Clouds Estate wedding herself (with lots of help from friends and family) and put a lot of thought and effort into the perfectly pink details (how much do I love the Mr and Mrs style favours?). But on the day, she let it all go and spent her day basking in marrying her husband and spending time with all the people she loves. You just need to take one look at her radiant smile in these absolutely gorgeous photos by Lauren Kriedemann to know that kind of attitude was working for her, and then some! So even if you usually skip the text, make sure you read it today, because Iné really has some great, down-to-earth advice!Read More
Good morning friends! Hope you had a fab weekend! Mine was good – I had the privilege of spending yesterday with a group of fantastic wedding industry people assisting on a shoot for my friend Louise of (aka @bijouxbride). Lots of hard work, but it was so fun, and I can’t wait to see the pictures. I know there are a lot of people who don’t like inspiration shoots, but for me, they’re a great way to pull together an idea (like a mood board, but on a bigger scale) and I know they’re where I get a lot of the ideas I use in my boards. Plus, they’re great for table settings, which I know brides struggle with sometimes. What do you think? Love ’em or hate ’em?
Anyway, on to today’s board. While it’s gone very cold and grey in London town, I know everyone in South Africa is on the other side of the spring/autumn equation, so I thought I would bring you a lovely spring palette to enjoy. A lot of brides shy away from yellow because it’s such a strong colour, but if canary yellow is too bold and mustard is too yellow, consider a soft pastel lemon. Combined with pale green and grey, it’s fresh and flattering, and it brought to mind for me the pretty gardeny side of the Kate Moss nuptials – a traditional church, lots of little flowergirls in white, wildflowers. Add in yellow shoes and a polka dot dress, plus of course a little hair braid (because we do love braids, don’t we!). And if you like the lovely invitations pictured here by my clever friends at Brancoprata, you can download the template for free right here. Perfect, non?
What’s that expression about the best laid plans? Well, I had the BEST laid plans for you all this week, and one after another they’ve gone awry, largely due to the fact that we keep losing power (and then internet for hours afterwards) in my road. It’s driving me mental. Especially since I had not one but two posts almost lined up for you yesterday and another for today. BUT, patience is a virtue, and I’m doing a quick switcheroo and bringing you yesterday’s wedding today, and the other two posts next week. Bonus. Brushing all that annoyance off, I’m still SUPER excited to share this wedding with you, since it not only features a real Cape landmark but also a couple I know, which is always fun. I met Ker and Russ through my friend Belinda (one of the gorgeous bridesmaids in these pics), so I have been hearing all about this wedding from Day One. And when I saw the absolutely spectacular pictures that Judy Stofberg of Just Judy Photography had taken, I asked Kerri if I could feature their big day right here. Now castle weddings might be a dime a dozen here in the UK, but they’re a rarity down Africa way. The Castle of Good Hope, which is a wonderful historic choice as a venue, is actually the oldest colonial building in South Africa, and replaced a small fort built by Jan Van Riebeeck in the 1600s. It’s a real slice of South Africa’s cultural heritage, and just wait until you see the spectacular Cape views! I love how Kerri and Russell made the most of their venue with formal touches like the piper on the roof (seriously, how cool is that?) and the deep purple they chose as their accent colour. The great thing about choosing a backdrop like this is that you don’t need to go mental on the decor, just let your guests soak in the atmosphere.Read More
Today’s post is inspired by my dear friend Shannon, who just so happens to work at Penguin, and just so happens to be getting married next year. I don’t think she’s using Penguin books as part of her decor, but probably because of her I’ve been more aware of a few instances of them coming up in weddings recently. I have to say though, that I wouldn’t call this a trend – it’s certainly not for everyone. But for a certain type of bride and groom (library wedding, love of books, English Lit graduates, writers or editors, etc.) it makes a lovely and personal motif. All books would, of course, but Penguin books marry literature so successfully with iconic design. There are, of course, the original Penguins – those single colour covers that we all instantly recognise. But more recently, there’s been the work of Coralie Bickford-Smith, a senior designer at Penguin who has won awards and acclaim for her beautiful, covetable covers (I own a complete set of the Fitzgerald ones and I’M COMPLETELY IN LOVE with them). Including these in your decor immediately adds an element of great design, and I think that’s why some couples have been using them so successfully. Let’s have a look. Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.
