Sleek City Wedding by Joe Dreyer & Aleit

Today’s wedding comes from co-ordinators The Aleit Group, and I’m so excited to share it with you! Not only is it absolutely gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous (not that I’d expect any less from this team), but it’s also completely unique and contemporary. The location for one thing, is the Lightbox Studio, a minimalist photographic studio and event space in Greenpoint, that has incredible views out over the city, harbour and Table Mountain. I just love venues that show off the urban cool side of Cape Town, and this is definitely one of them. The look is white on white with a dash of silver, which makes tiny bits of colour like the cocktails really pop. Instead of a seated meal, the couple opted for a cocktail party followed by dancing, and it all adds up to a celebration that just oozes sophistication. And the details… wow. My favourites: the cake topper, the bridesmaid’s dresses, the incredible photo wall/guest book, and Andrew’s super cool “(Hus)band” armband. And with this level of awesome, I know you also won’t be surprised to hear that pictures are by the always-brilliant Joe Dreyer.

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Rustic Beach Wedding at Paternoster Lodge by Just Judy Photography

It’s back to the beach for today’s wedding, and what a gorgeous wedding it is! So many of my favourite elements – intimate beach setting, gazebo, proteas, CHEESE CAKE. (Oh, how I do love a cheese cake. They just add that something unexpected, and they’re so absolutely perfect for a couple who are not that excited by the idea of a sweet dessert. And this one was 100% DIY! Amazing.) But what’s even more impressive is that all of this coastal rustic goodness was pulled together by a bride and groom who were living in Shanghai, China, with all the challenges that organising a wedding long distance can bring. Kira and Jason, you guys did an amazing job! Thank you for sharing your day with us. And thank you also to the lovely Judy Stofberg of Just Judy Photography, who took these stunning photographs.

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Inspiration Board: Shades of Pink & Grey

When I saw this fabulous post by Lana from lanalou style, I knew I would have to do a wedding inspiration board based on her idea of shades of pink and grey. I love the flexibility of using a range of different shades of a colour, and pink and grey look amazing (and very fresh) together. Add a bit of sparkle and hey presto, you have a modern, pretty and sophisticated palette.

Colours: Pink and grey

Top row (l-r): Flowers; bride & groom; groom’s tie and boutonniere; bridesmaid’s dress
Row 2: Macaroons; necklace; fortune cookies
Row 3: Peonies; bride with cupcake; diamonds; cake; shoes.

Apple Green Wedding at Rockhaven Farm by Lauren Kriedemann

When the very lovely Lauren Kriedemann offered to send over one of her favourite weddings from last season I was pretty excited. I am, after all, a huge fan of her work. But when I opened up the file I actually gave a little squeal of joy, because this wedding just bursts with pretty, rustic details! In fact, it’s so perfect that if you couldn’t see the very palpable joy and love between Lauren and Riaan in every picture, I might have mistaken it for a magazine shoot. It’s hard to narrow down, but my best bits: the fresh green signature colour (perfect for a wedding in apple country), the venue (how much are we loving Rockhaven right now?), the fun lovebird stationery, Lauren’s pearl bracelet and the clip in her hair, having afternoon tea for dessert and moving it outside, and of course the lawn games. And I’m not always sold on flower girls, but this has to be one of the cutest little girls ever, no? I love how Lauren K has caught her cheeky smile in the photos (especially the one above)! Many thanks to her, and to the happy couple, for sharing this amazing wedding – enjoy!

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Inspiration Board: Pine & Cider

Brrr! For all of you South Africans waking up to a chilly winter morning, here’s a little bit of inspiration to warm you up. Summer weddings are glorious, but I adore winter ones too – what an opportunity to make the most of all those lovely cold comforts: open fires, hot cider, butternut soup… I just love this woodsy combination of forest green and brown, and pinecones make a lovely motif for stationery, etc. And isn’t the pinecone bouquet is just gorgeous? I love the garland as well.

Colours: Forest green and chocolate brown, with touches of mocha and yellow

Top row (l-r): Cider; bridesmaid dress; pinecone bouquet; Uggs bride
Row 2: Lemon cookies; pinecone garland; caramel apples; programmes; butternut soup
Row 3: Wood invitations; cheese cake; mason jar candles; sapling favours.

Country Luncheon Wedding at La Petite Dauphine by Wedding Concepts & Adel Ferreira

Ah, this wedding… I just want to pack my boxes and live in this wedding. The table settings are exquisite, as is the ‘indoors-outdoors’ ceremony setting. Pops of bright colour, ribbons floating in the breeze, fedoras, beyond adorable flower girls. I am completely in love with the décor and the atmosphere created by co-ordinator Hannes Loubser from Wedding Concepts (a company I wouldn’t expect anything less from than this amount of awesome). But if that’s not enough for you, the other thing that really makes this wedding stand out is that it turned the traditional schedule on its head and focused on what was important to the couple, as well as the season and venue. The day started with a relaxed lunch (which meant a total of two amazing meals for the foodie groom), followed by a sunset ceremony (with speeches immediately after) and then dancing and chilling late into the night. Tom and Marguerite: thank you so much for sharing your super-inspiring day with us – may the rest of your lives together be just as sweet!

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Inspiration board: Aqua & watermelon

I had so much fun putting this one together! These shades of blue and pink really play off one another beautifully, and they have such a fresh, clean and fun feel about them. (They remind me of when I was a child, and my mother used to give me watermelon to eat in the pool since I used to get it all over the place. Yum!) They play off a simple white base perfectly, so use these pops of colour sparingly for maximum effect. I also like how the typewriter-style font for details like the confetti cones and the origami heart really ties this look together.

Colours: aqua blue, watermelon pink, white

Top row (l-r): Meringues; confetti; shoes; bride in car
Row 2: ‘I do!’ sticks; key necklace; origami heart; pom poms
Row 3: Bride; watermelon cocktail; bridesmaid; typewriter guest book.

Vintage Forest Wedding at Beloftebos by Gavin Casey

When I saw today’s wedding on photographer Gavin Casey’s blog, I was so excited that I emailed him straight away to ask if I could feature it. There’s a real cinematic quality to these pictures – I just love looking at them. I was even more excited to discover that it was co-ordinated by the Aleit team, as they always manage to bring something unique to their weddings. And this one has just that – starting with the venue. Ceremonies at Beloftebos are held under beautiful oak trees that form a roof so dense that you can legally sign the register! Other favourite details: the baby’s breath bouquets, mismatched bridesmaids’ dresses, succulents under glass, the vintage car and the broderie anglaise-style cake (with such a cute cake topper). I also loved that the couple played Pétanque (a form of boules) with their guests!

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Plum Festival Themed Wedding at Rhebokskloof by Monica Dart

I love it when I come across a couple that chooses to do their wedding differently. I love it even more when they don’t just do it to be cool or unique, but to reflect the things that mean something to them or share a part of their history with their friends and family. Rebecca and Jacques are one of those couples – they met at a music festival a couple of years ago, so for their wedding day decided to recreate that carefree summer vibe complete with a lakeside picnic and an awesome live band that had their guests dancing on the grass late into the night. In fact, I am totally jealous of anyone who got to go to this wedding, since it looks like so much FUN! Fortunately, the super lovely Monica Dart was there to capture the day through her photos, and she’s done an amazing job of bringing it to life. Enjoy!

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