gaby | SouthBound Bride

Elegant Winter Town Hall Wedding by Dearheart Photos {Pietro & Adriaan}

7 October, 2015 by gaby

It probably says something about the range of South African wedding venues available that in five years of wedding blogging, I think this is the first time I’ve featured a town hall reception. But what a town hall! I had no idea this little vintage gem existed in Robertson, and it makes for the absolute PERFECT backdrop for Pietro and Adriaan’s chic winter wedding, as cosy as it is stylish. Pietro wore an absolutely breathtaking gown from SBB fave Janita Toerien, and put her girls in long sleeved emerald dresses, the perfect complement to the charcoal tablecloths and plum coloured florals at the reception. With candlelight glowing on the tables, and guests merry with good food, good wine and good company, this celebration showed just how to put the warmth into a winter wedding. And Dearheart Photos were there to capture it beautifully, pink skies and all!Read More

Elizabeth Stuart 2016 Collection

6 October, 2015 by gaby

It’s the time of year when I wish daily that teleportation was real, as emails flood in regarding the beautiful collections to be showing at New York Bridal Fashion Week. One I definitely wouldn’t have missed is Elizabeth Stuart‘s super chic 2016 line, which really stands out from the rest with its classic silhouettes, clean lines, and gorgeous fabrics. It’s thoroughly modern, and yet there’s a touch of delicious retro about it too (reflected in the to-die-for hair and makeup in this lovely lookbook) – I can imagine an old school Hollywood icon donning one of these beautiful gowns, just as well as any contemporary bride. Read More

Vineyard Blush Wedding at Landtscap by Agapé Studio & Wedding Concepts {Lara & Louis}

6 October, 2015 by gaby

Since we’re all about vineyard weddings this month, it’s only appropriate that we kick off our real weddings with a winelands celebration, and this bright beauty comes from some of our favourite wedding pros, including Wedding Concepts, Leipzig and Agapé Studio. What a lineup! Lara and Louis opted for a romantic modern style, employing 50 shades of pretty in pink across their flowers and decor, with just a touch of rose gold glitter. Everything about it is stylish and contemporary, but just the right amount of soft and girly too. But the best blush of all, is the blush of love across these lovebirds’ cheeks, as they celebrate their best day ever with family and friends and, of course, each other. Beautiful!Read More

Why Have a Winelands Wedding?

5 October, 2015 by gaby

For a lot of people, when you think ‘South African wedding’, one of the images that immediately springs to mind is the beautiful Cape winelands… a bride and groom walking hand in hand among the vines, great food and wine… you get the picture. After all, our wine route is one of the most beautiful places on earth (not that I’m biased as a Stellenbosch alum or anything, but they so are). And yes, we’ve all been to winelands weddings before, but from time to time, when I hear couples say that they avoided estate venues just to be different, I feel a little bit sad. That’s like saying you went to Italy and avoided Tuscany, just to be different. Not because we don’t have a wealth of other fantastic options, but because there are so many more reasons to consider a wine farm wedding than not. And so, since this month we’re celebrating everything vineyard, I thought it was the perfect time to round up my top ten of ’em.Read More

Inspiration Board: Rosé

5 October, 2015 by gaby

This month, we’re inspired by everything winelands (which yes, I am totally taking as an excuse to drink more wine). So I thought it might be fun to create some inspiration boards with a bit of a wine theme to them, in a totally stylish and non-cheesy way of course! Today we’re kicking things off with a rosé-coloured board – I have to say, I am LOVING the way that this peachy-coral-pink shade translates to wedding design. Add in lots of white, soft tulle, a smidgeon of grey, and a shimmer of rose gold, and you have a truly lovely palette that would be beyond perfect for an elegant vineyard wedding, no?

Colours: Rosé, peach, grey & white

Top row (l-r): Rosé wine {Claire Marie Photography}; bride in tulle dress {Chaviano Couture}; ring {Tamara Gruner/Belle Soul Weddings/Brian Gavin Diamonds/Nib & Pixel}
Row 2: Bridesmaid dresses {Sisterlee Photography}; table setting {Nancy Ray/Rebecca Rose Events}; rose gold wedding cake {Chen Sands Photography/Med Kärlek/Crummb}
Row 3: Shoes {KT Merry/JCG Events LLC}; bouquet {Melanie Duerkopp/Kayla Ton/Soulflower SF}; bride and groom {Jose Villa}

How to Make a Cheese Wheel Wedding Cake

2 October, 2015 by gaby

Wine farm brides and grooms, rejoice! This October on SBB, our theme is Vineyard Weddings, so we’ll be looking back at some of our favourites from SA’s wealth of wine farm venues, as well as rounding up lots of little details and lovelies that you can include to bring your location to life (or just bring a bit of the vineyard into whichever venue you choose!). When I think about wine (which is a lot), I also think about cheese – the two go together like love and marriage. So an obvious option for a vineyard wedding cake is to go for a cheese wheel tower instead of (or as well as) a traditional sweet cake. It may no longer be a new idea, but it’s always a crowd-pleaser! Because cheese, duh. And sure, you could just plonk a bunch of cheese on a tray or pile a few rounds up and call it a cake, but it’s much more fun to create something pretty with just as much panache as a classic cake. Depending on how you style your cake, it can fit in perfectly with a rustic wedding, a contemporary one – even a romantic or glamorous one! And the best part is that you (or a friend or family member) can do it yourselves, following our handy tips. And, of course, we’ve rounded up lots more gorgeous cheese wedding cakes (many from our own SBB weddings) to inspire you!Read More

Truvelle 2016 Lookbook

2 October, 2015 by gaby

Hey hey it’s Friday! And since weekends always get me dreaming about travel and far flung destinations, the perfect way to kick this one off is with a little virtual trip to a whitewashed village in the south of Spain, where we’re revisiting the gorgeous Truvelle 2016 Collection that we first brought you a couple of weeks ago. As you’ve probably gathered by now, I adore inspirational bridal fashion editorials, not just because they’re so pretty (and this one is PRETTY), but because they give you a chance to see the gowns ‘in action’ – and in the case of this brand new Truvelle lookbook, that means whispering lace, dreamy draping, and the kind of soft, flowing skirts that make you want to spin round and round like a little girl. So romantic. Once again, Blush Wedding Photography did the gorgeous photographic honours.Read More

Long Mix & Match Pastel Bridesmaid Dresses

1 October, 2015 by gaby

While it may be October officially today, we’re sticking with spring pastels for one more day so I can bring you this lovely roundup of long pastel bridesmaid gowns. Because really, this mini trend is too lovely not to. And, while I still love cute little ice cream pastel dresses on BMs, the latest version of the look is a little softer and a little more grown-up, with pale pastel shades and long lengths. Whether they’re paired with boho flower crowns or lush bouquets, these mix and match lineups of long pastel bridesmaid dresses are sure to make both your girls and your photographer very happy. I’ve gathered some lovely inspiration from real weddings, as well as some pretty dress options for mix and match pastel dresses for you to shop.
*Shopping sources in this post use affiliate links. This means SBB may earn a commission if you make a purchase from our links.

Rustic Navy, Sage & Blush Wedding at The Nutcracker Country Retreat by GingerAle Photography {Nadine & Renardo}

1 October, 2015 by gaby

I’ll tell you why today’s wedding really has my heart, you guys. I mean, we all love some classic South African country vintage decor – proteas, and succulents and lace. Add in bold navy stripes and a sense of bringing the outdoor in with woodsy details like moss and raw wood, and you have a gorgeous wedding design. But what I really love (and this won’t come as news to any of you who have been reading SBB for more than five minutes) is that the conception of this pretty, pretty colour scheme and set of details was based entirely on the couple’s personalities and tastes. Which in my book, is pretty much everything a wedding ever needs to be. That attention to detail reaches right on down to the choice of wine, and includes a SUPER romantic gesture by the groom during his speech – a song written just for his bride. Swoon. So there you go. Navy, sage and blush and love all over. Captured to perfection by GingerAle Photography!Read More

Sareh Nouri Spring 2016 Editorial

30 September, 2015 by gaby

It’s that time of year when bridal fashion is at the forefront of our minds, with New York’s bridal fashion week around the corner (where we’re launching Aisle Society, eek!) So over the next month, you can expect SBB’s pages to be filled with beautiful gowns and inspirational lookbooks that will have you dreaming in tulle. Today’s editorial is something really special though. Not only are Sareh Nouri‘s new gowns for Spring 2016 just absolutely beyond amazing – a fantasy made of luxurious lace, shimmering embroidery and silk wool – but to show them off, the Sareh Nouri team has paired up with photographer Laura Gordon for the. most. breathtaking. bridal shoot, possibly ever. With an old world European feel, it’s like having a behind the scenes peek at a princess wandering the halls of her castle on the morning of her wedding, which makes the shoot inspiring for beautiful bridal portraiture as well as spectacular gowns. I couldn’t hold myself back from picking a bumper crop of pics, but I know you’ll love them – and every one of these dresses – as much as I do.Read More