Inspiration - SouthBound Bride

Inspiration Board: Stylish Simplicity

22 May, 2017 by gaby

I love fancy. After all, Baz Luhrmann is my favourite director and that guy does nothing understated. But there’s a special kind of pleasure in diving into a wedding style that’s pared back and elegant and minimalist, a style that lets nature speak for itself through natural textures like wood and foliage, enhancing them ever so slightly with a glimmer of gold here and a swish of tulle there. That’s what today’s inspiration is all about – and when it comes to rustic weddings, it just shows that simple can be the most beautiful of all. (Links in bold denote affiliate links – the cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission on any sales.)

Top row (l-r): Place setting (Steve Steinhardt/Modern Dame) | Painted Leaf Wedding Invitation (Minted) | Bridesmaids bouquet (Kate Preftakes Photography/Events by Sorrell/Apotheca Flowers)
Row 2: Ceremony setting (Virgil Bunao Photography/Easton Events) | Bride with simple floral crown (JoPhoto/MOD Events Charleston) | White tiered cake (Jemma Keech/The Cake & I)
Row 3: Bride on farm (Tom Ravenshear) | Greenery & foliage bouquet (Craig & Eva Sanders) | Chair decor with greenery (Taylor Lord/The Nouveau Romantics)

How fabulous is that watercolour foliage invitation from Minted? Plus it has rose gold foiling, which I adore and comes in two other colours. Perfect for an elegant organic bride!

Riverside Elopement Wedding Inspiration

22 May, 2017 by gaby

I have such a jam-packed week for you guys, and we’re starting it off right with this absolute delight of a styled shoot from some of our fave suppliers at one of our fave venues! Take the riverside setting of Mofam River Lodge in Elgin, add in some deep wintery jewel tones and a tablescape that’s equal parts vintage and glam, decked with wild, opulent blooms, and you have the perfect recipe for rustic elegance. And let’s not forget the stylish bride and groom – she in a gorgeous champagne two-piece gown with 3D floral detailing (with hair and makeup done to perfection by SBB Directory member Sketch & M) and he in a suave blue suit. So much pretty, and all beautifully captured by Nerize Raath!

20 Rustic Wood Wedding Signs

18 May, 2017 by gaby

Wedding Directional Sign with Post by Mulberry Market Design

I remember a few years back when I was helping plan my beautiful friend Heidi’s wedding. She was looking for an elegant rustic/garden vibe for her reception and one of the ideas we came up with was having directional signs, which were handmade and lettered for each table. Of course, directional signs like the one above are now nothing new to weddings, but at the time, it was new. Nowadays we could have saved ourselves all that time and trouble and just headed over to Etsy, where I found a treasure trove for rustic brides and grooms of the most gorgeous signs, calligraphed on wood, for every signage need you could possibly have at your wedding. So of course, I had to round up my faves!
Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

Love & Flowers Newlywed Shoot

12 May, 2017 by gaby

I have such a pretty couple sesh to share with you all this afternoon, chock-full of colourful flowers and summery love! (And yes, I appreciate the irony as I write this with rain lashing at my windows, sigh.) Elreza and Chris, a pair of newlyweds, decided to have a little styled session a few weeks after their big day. Still sporting that just-married glow, they roped in photographer Velani Venter and a team of creatings, then styled up a storm, embellishing a swing with blooms and basking in the golden glow of light filtering through the trees for the most romantic e-session you can imagine!

20 Elegant Rustic Wedding Bouquets

11 May, 2017 by gaby

I’m in flower heaven right now because every one of these bouquets is BEAUTIFUL. Seriously. Like, shut the front door beautiful. Each is that perfect balance of rustic and elegant and – no matter where or when or how you’re planning your own big day – I think you’ll find at least one or two that give you butterflies. So let’s get on with it! No more talking – these flowers can speak for themselves.

Rustic Splendour Wedding Inspiration

11 May, 2017 by gaby

Just look at that picture! Isn’t it GORGEOUS? I don’t know about you, but I have this thing about ruined and abandoned buildings (which is probably one of the reasons I was so excited to go to Cuba a few weeks ago), and the idea of a wedding in a place that’s got that lost and found, slightly haunted vibe about it is just delicious. Add in dozens of lights, beautiful blooms and elegant table decor and you have this incredible contrast between rustic ruins and classic black tie that’s nothing less than… magical. That’s why I am so excited to share this beautiful styled shoot by Lilly and Lace Photography and NadiaM (and their talented vendor team) with you this afternoon. I just want to step into the world they’ve created, and lose myself in this pretty fantasy. Sigh!

Inspiration Board: Silver Leaf

8 May, 2017 by gaby

Ah, I had such fun with this board! I think I forgot how much I love rustic weddings, and those that have a little touch of glitter and elegance… oh my! So much up the Gaby street. I also loved working with silver when I’m used to going with gold, copper or rose gold. And you guys, doesn’t it look lovely? Paired with a nice emerald and a lighter mint, it could be a winter palette but here instead makes for the perfect light and tranquil rustic summer or spring country wedding inspiration. And for an extra touch of the trendy, add in that tiny touch of marble, as in the cake below. Gorgeous!

Top (l-r): Bride with updo (Heather Hawkins/Makeup Santa Fe) | Invitations (Kaitlin Maree Photography/Wedding Playbook/Love Notes Australia) | Silver bridesmaids (Bryce Covey Photography)
Row 2: Bouquet (Dana Fernandez Photography/Flower Power Productions) | Engagement ring (Harwell Photography/Alise Taggart) | Greenery chandelier (Liz Morrow)
Row 3: Greenery confetti (Michelle du Toit/Blooming Wonderful) | Cutlery (Aline Photography/Flower Fantasy) | Silver & marble wedding cake (Mallory Dawn Photography/Just a Kiss Weddings and Events/Elise Cakes)

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Sposabella Boutique Tour

8 May, 2017 by gaby

It’s a sunny afternoon when I drive up to The White House in Morningside, Durban, a little oasis for brides, bustling with wedding-related businesses. My destination is Sposabella Bridal Gowns, an exclusive bridal boutique, and I find it at one end of the corridor – its light, modern showroom awash in sunshine and smiles from owner Gayle Erasmus and her team. From behind a mirrorball desk, they welcome guests like old friends. But the real star of the show is, of course, the dresses. With elegant silhouettes of lace, tulle and sparkle lining the shelves and draped on a host of mannequins, it’s hard not to get a little giddy, and I imagine many real brides do. And that’s where the Sposabella team comes in again, with their reassuring presence and extensive knowledge of what brides want (and need!). The boutique is home to the Enzoani Beautiful range, which is even more gorgeous in person than on screen, and for KZN brides, Sposabella is the perfect place to spend an afternoon trying on gowns and undoubtedly falling in love with ‘The One’. I asked Gayle a few questions about what makes her salon unique, and Michigan Behn was on hand to take these lovely images.

20 Stunning Semi-naked Wedding Cakes

5 May, 2017 by gaby

When I put my mind to this month’s theme, Rustic Elegance, there was one current trend that immediately jumped out at me as MADE for this look. Because as much as I have loved featuring naked cakes over the past couple of years, I am even more in love with their more sophisticated cousin, the semi-naked cake. And where naked cakes are ideal for a rustic bash, semi-nakeds have that extra bit of something (well not something, icing actually) that puts them squarely in between classic and avant garde. I love them. And boy are there some pretty ones out there! So let’s look at 20 of my faves, shall we? Oh yes, we shall.

Mulberry & Mauve Bridal Inspiration

2 May, 2017 by gaby

Hold on tight, beauties, because your afternoon is about to get a whole lot prettier! When photographer Nelani van Zyl sent over this shoot, I couldn’t decide which part I was most excited about. The sweet watercolour stationery? The covetable table decor? The marble cake? How about the flowers – that oversize bouquet that has me dreaming of spring fields? Or how about the drop-dead-gorgeous Cindy Bam wedding gowns, or the ‘Pin this for later’ updos? And let’s not forget Nelani’s images or (and I think after all, this may just be my favourite) the Jacoba bridesmaid dresses in a range of purple and berry hues. It’s all so lovely – dive on in and find your favourite!