Love in Maboneng

Rumour has it that the Maboneng Precinct in Joburg is the place to go for an urban chic city wedding, and if today’s shoot from A Bear Photography is anything to go by, you can sign me up! Leon and Diane’s just married shoot is such a sweet exploration of this vibrant corner of the City of Gold, beautifully captured by A Bear Photography. I love the laid back, intimate feel of these images, even amid the hustle and bustle of the city, and the way that photographers Arno and Annerina included street performers, shop fronts and street signs for some authentic local colour. So fun! And so romantic too.

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Stylish Jewel Tone Engagement Party Inspiration

Stylish Jewel Tone Engagement Party Inspiration | Image: Katie Parra

Happy Monday, lovelies! It’s time for another week of inspiration on SBB, and we’re starting things off with another gorgeous shoot that’s right in line with January’s theme: Just Engaged. This time, we’re turning an eye to stylish engagement parties and couple shoots, because this jewel toned beauty is a combination of both. Captured by photographer Katie Parra and featuring adorable real life couple Brandon and Tyler, it’s an absolute feast for the eyes, with a touch of suave vintage charm and the most beautiful, lush florals. I love the cozy, understated masculine feel that Clutch Events and En Fleur Event Design have managed to create here, using rich colours, swathes of greenery, and a very chic bar cart for cocktail hour. And let’s not forget the cake, with its swags of icing, and the perfect finishing touch: a vintage Porsche!

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Pastel Boho Beach Picnic E-shoot Inspiration

When we think boho, we often think of a neutral palette, or an organic one – the colours of field and desert and stone. But today’s pretty little styled shoot turns that on its head, and harnesses a bit of boho style combined with a beach location and soft spring pastels to create the sweetest little picnic e-sesh ever. This is perfect inspiration not just for a couple shoot or elopement, but would make for the basis of a gorgeous wedding design too. We especially love the floral teepee, the dreamy dress, and OMG the flower crowns! One combines soft florals with urchin shells, and has given us all the heart eyes at SBB HQ! This gorgeous shoot was created by Deborah-Ann Photography, Wildeflower and their team of talented creatives, and I’m super excited to share it with you today!

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Botanical Boho Engagement by Clareece Smit

Time for some Monday prettiness! This boho beautiful engagement shoot in a greenhouse setting really captured my heart – the flower-decked tipi, the rustic elements like antlers, and of course the gorgeous florals by Myrtle Events & Styling and photography by Clareece Smit. It’s a really fun, creative, but also seriously pretty way to do an engagement shoot, and the best part for me is that it tied in perfectly with the couple’s (Charlene and WD’s) own wedding theme (which also incorporates antlers). Gorgeous!

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Chanel L’amour!

I’ve been so excited to share today’s inspiration with you, because it really does have everything. Beautiful pictures, a gorgeous dress, an incredible love story, Paris… But let’s start at the beginning. Marlene and Gary met when they stumbled across each other on the cobbled streets of the City of Lights (yes, really!). Gary, an English footballer, was visiting family, while Marlene, a German jewellery designer, was on her way to the famous 31 Rue Cambon for some Chanel inspiration. Cue a Hollywood-style falling in love montage with Paris as a backdrop over the next few days. And here’s the really amazing thing – it turned out that they both lived in Vienna, so a chance meeting turned into a full-blown romance (now that’s Fate!). Fast forward to their engagement and the story has another fortuitous meeting, as the couple came across Claudia Magas of Ladies & Lord at a wedding show in Vienna – next thing you know, they were all heading back to Paris for this Chanel-inspired engagement shoot. From the pretty paper goods and Chanel cake and cake pops (!) to Marlene’s couture gown from Austrian designer Eva Poleschinski, dreamy doesn’t even cover it. I think Coco would have been proud! Huge thank you to Claudia for sharing this stunning shoot with us as part of our couture month.

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Sunset Selfie Couple Shoot

We don’t usually post on Saturdays, but I couldn’t wait another minute to share this couple shoot, which might be one of the most unique I’ve ever seen! For one thing, the couple shot it themselves. Yep, that’s right, you heard me – this is basically the couple shoot equivalent of a selfie, but soooooooo much better. Steph and Elaine are photographers themselves, the powerhouse duo behind Dust and Dreams Photography, and when it came to their eight year anniversary, they wanted to do something a bit different. “We wanted something that wasn’t bought but still tangible – an heirloom,” Elaine says. “And as we have been taking our own pictures long before the word ‘selfie’ even existed (and have an ancient tripod to prove it!) We decided on a couple’s shoot for ourselves instead of the traditional gift of bronze or pottery.” The results are gorgeous, intimate, fun – and completely unique! Plus, who can resist the couple’s sweet pups who make a guest appearance? So enjoy, and here’s hoping your weekend is filled with moments as full of love and laughter as these are.

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Golden Gate Romance with a Rose Quartz Dress

We don’t feature a lot of e-sessions on SBB anymore, but there are engagement shoots… and then there are engagement shoots. Today’s is definitely one of the latter – when it crossed my desk it took my breath away! With a smitten couple in love, in one of South Africa’s most majestic locations up among the mountains of Golden Gate National Park, featuring a crazy gorgeous Rose Quartz dress by Silver Swallow and with the most beautiful images by photographer Ian Odendaal, it’s sheer romance. Like that opening scene of The Sound of Music where she’s twirling around because the hills are alive, but better, because there’s no Nazis, and nobody’s wearing an ugly pinafore or singing about goatherds (or singing at all, actually). So just the twirling, and the big big sky, and the sense of pure, unadulterated joy. Ah, love.

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Forest Fling Engagement Shoot by Laura Leigh

What does your perfect engagement shoot look like? For me, it’s full of love and laughter, shot in a place or with a theme that means something to the couple, beautifully photographed (of course!) and bonus points for great styling. Today’s e-sesh has all of that. Jessica and Matt’s engagement weekend took place in the forests of the Drakensberg, so for their couple pics they wanted to recreate that atmosphere, inject it with their special brand of romance, and incorporate their (fabulous) palette of Marsala and navy. LOVE IT. The beautiful photographs part was taken care of by Laura Leigh, who snapped these pretty, playful shots of the bride and groom-to-be.

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James Bond Spectre Wedding Inspiration (Part I) by Debbie Lourens & Green Goddess

There are days as a wedding blogger when something lands in your inbox and you think “HELL yes, this is why I do this job”. Today’s editorial (from a rockstar team including SBB Directory members Green Goddess and photographer Debbie Lourens) is one of those, and I’ve so been looking forward to sharing it with you! Not only is it inspired by the latest James Bond film, Spectre, which has its UK release today, but it’s also only the first part of this gorgeous collaboration (you’ll have to wait until next week for that – and for the film!). Oh, and did I mention it’s based around the Mexican festival of the Day of the Dead, which takes place at the end of October? Word is that Spectre opens with a scene at this festival, so it was the perfect place for our team to start their Bond fantasy. Bright colours, gorgeous stationery, and a Day of the Dead-inspired mask… plus, of course, a glamorous bride and groom to be. And just wait until you see Part II! Be sure to check in next Thursday – it will be worth the wait, I promise!Read More

Top Tips for Spring Engagement Shoots

It’s that time of year again, when summer brides and grooms book a bit of extra time with their photographers for that all-important engagement shoot (hands down the best way to get yourselves used to being in front of the camera before your Big Day). And let’s be honest, there’s no better time to plan a couple shoot than the spring – think blossoms, greenery, fresh colours, and dreamy light! There are a few things you should take into account, though, so we’ve asked a couple of our favourite local photographers to share their top 10 tips – as well as some of their favourite spring engagement pics. You can also find more e-shoot inspiration in our archives.

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