Inspiration - SouthBound Bride

Top 10 Details 2012

28 December, 2012 by gaby

Afternoon my lovelies – can you believe it’s Friday? I seriously don’t know whether I’m coming or going, with one day starting to melt into the other this time of year. But soon the holidays will be over, and I’ll be another year older. Bah. ANYWAY, on a much more cheerful note, I have a lovely set of 2012 favourites to share with you today to round out our series. Often it’s the special little touches that really capture my attention, and these were my ten favourites, although it could easily have been a Top 20 or a Top 50, or a Top 100… Take inspiration! But remember, these details are SO much more awesome when there’s meaning behind them, so try to adapt where possible to suit your lives and personalities.

This might be one of my favourite details ever. Vicki and Justin loved the ‘This is your life’ manifesto that has been doing the rounds for the last couple of years, but instead of using it as it was, they co-rewrote it so that it made set of rules for a happy life reflecting them as individuals and as a couple. It made the perfect back-of-menu for their surprise Kalk Bay wedding. (Pics: Lar Leslie)

Favourite Style Moments 2012

27 December, 2012 by gaby

Afternoon, lovelies! As you read this, I’ll be off having a bit of a pre-birthday lunch and visit to the V&A Museum (my best) with one of my favourite friends, who is out from New York. Can’t wait! And here’s a little treat for you, in the form of my roundup of the most stylish moments from SBB’s real weddings this year. As much as I love a classic bride in a floor length white gown, I also love that so many brides now make the look their own. I also love that you all have embraced some of the trends that have been coming through over the last year – lace, coloured dresses, sashes. Some of you have done something COMPLETELY different, and each look really adds to the wedding it is part of. As with the decor, it was SO hard to narrow this down, but these are the fashion moments that really made me go ‘ooh!’ in 2012.

Temperley, baby! There’s a reason why just the name gives me a little thrill. Temperley London dresses are those I notice on catwalks, sigh over as a collections and double take when I see on a real bride. They’re feminine, unusual, and just a little bit spectacular. This dress, chosen by beautiful boho bride Anna for her beachy literary-themed wedding by Andrea Carlyle, might just be my favourite:

South African Wedding Style #3: Cape Town Beach Chic

27 December, 2012 by gaby

Hello friends! Time for another of my favourite weddings from 2012, with what I think is a distinctly South African style. I say South African, but in fact in this case it’s all Cape Town. A combination of slick city chic and laid back beach with a touch of quirky colonial and vintage style. Quite a mix! But then, it’s the same mix that makes the city charming. It’s epitomised by the decor at the gorgeous Grand in Granger Bay, where today’s swish couple held their wedding.

All images above by dna photographers

Key Components: BEACH + MODERN PINK & BLUE PALETTE + QUIRKY ONE-OFF PIECES + MIXED RETRO/BISTRO/INDUSTRIAL STYLERead More

Favourite Reception Decor 2012

26 December, 2012 by gaby

Hello friends! This week I am sharing my favourites from 2012 on SouthBound Bride – and believe me, it has been HARD to pick! But there were some posts that really stuck in my mind – over the next few days I’ll be sharing my favourite reception decor, favourite style moments and Top 10 details. They’re sure to give you lots of inspiration, and don’t forget to click through to see the full weddings in the archives!

First off, this magical autumn wedding from Vivid Blue combined soft flowers and berries, fairytale stationery and wooden woodland cutouts to spectacular effect – combined with a few fairylights of course!

South African Wedding Style #2: Game Lodge Glam

26 December, 2012 by gaby

Hello lovelies! I hope you all had an awesome day yesterday, whether you celebrate Christmas or not. Today is the day my family traditionally has a brunch and gives all our friends ugly (in the kitsch sense) gifts, but fortunately the gifts I have for you today are anything but ugly! ;) It’s time for part 2 of our ‘South African Wedding Style’ series, where I’m looking at five classic, truly South African wedding styles, through the lens of five great real life weddings from 2012. Today we’re heading to the bushveld for what was definitely one of my favourite weddings of the year!

All images above by Fiona Clair

Key Components: RUSTIC SETTING + BRONZE METALLICS + LUXE TEXTURES + SOFT LIGHTING + HIGH FASHION STYLINGRead More

South African Wedding Style #1: Cape Country Vintage

24 December, 2012 by gaby

Happy Monday friends! Are you excited it’s Christmas Eve? I know I am! But if you need a break from the festivities, I have some lovely year-end surprises up for you all week. I’ll be rounding up my favourites from our 2012 real weddings each afternoon, and in the mornings I am sharing with you five classic contemporary South African wedding styles as epitomised by five of our couples this year, and giving you tips to steal their style and recreate the look for your own wedding. Of course, you’ll want to make the look your own, but this shows you how to get started!

We’re starting off today with what I have come to think of as Cape Country Vintage – our very own take on the Victorian vintage trend that has been so popular for the last couple of years. Think: proteas, lace, doilies, bunting, vintage items especially books and sheet music, soft florals, and muted palettes of ice cream colours (usually including dusky pink). We’ve had quite a few of these weddings on SBB this year, of course, but one that shows off the style perfectly is that of our very own Real Life Bride, Cheryl McEwan. See the full wedding from our archives here.

All images: Nastassja Harvey

Key Components: PROTEAS + PASTELS + LACE + VINTAGE OBJECTS + COUNTRY FETE ELEMENTSRead More

Christmas Decor Inspiration

14 December, 2012 by gaby

Good morning, friends! I usually keep things to weddings here on SBB, but with many of you having your last day in the office today, I couldn’t help but make an exception and include this lovely, rustic Christmas table from the ladies at Green Goddess Flower Studio, Coral and Chantell. I’m a HUGE sucker for the holidays, but sometimes it’s nice to take a fresh look at Christmas decor, especially for a sunny season as we have in South Africa. I’ve always been the one in charge of the Christmas table (mostly because I was well into my 30s before my mom would let me anywhere near the kitchen), and I would love to put together something like this for the family next time – the bright orange of the pincushion protea is evocative of the richness of traditional Christmas colours, but combined with aqua and soft neutrals, is all sunny days. I love the rough hewn wood of the hearts and angels, the fun gold touches (especially the hippo – EVERY Christmas should have a hippo!), the succulents and especially the way that the blocks create visual interest with varying heights for the centrepiece, raising the look (literally!) to something extra special. Sadly, this year I won’t be home for Christmas, but I’ll just have to look at these pics to feel some summer Christmas inspiration, and I hope you will too! For those of you leaving us until the New Year – drive safe and be smart, and have a truly wonderful festive season!Read More

Inspiration Board: Navy & Chalkboard

11 December, 2012 by gaby

Hello friends! I’m rounding up this afternoon with a reader request board – you’ll be seeing a lot of these in the next few weeks as I am trying to finish all of them off from this year as I know there’ll be lots of new requests for 2013! I do try to do all of them, but it’s getting tough to keep up with demand, so do bear with me :) Anyway, this one is for the lovely Stacy, who’s getting married at Shalwyn in Natal next summer. She and her fiance chose the venue because of the relaxed feel and open fields, so they’re looking to reflect this with an elegantly rustic wedding in shades of navy, grey and white. LOVE. And I love even more that Stacy loves chalkboard and succulents. They go together just beautifully, and with a cool palette, you have that combination of elegance and rusticity (is that a word? no? should be.). Chalkboard can be quite beautiful, especially when combine with calligraphy, but my favourite detail here is the altar platform decorated with chalkboard paint and words of love. Hope you like your board, Stacy – enjoy your planning!

Colours: navy, light grey, white

Top row (l-r): Wedding dress {Elizabeth Scott Photography}; bridesmaid with succulent bouquet {Kate Harrison/Downey Street Events/Eventscapes}; navy shoes {Visions by Heather}; silver tipped glasses {Fiona Kelly/Helen Carter Weddings}; chalkboard programme
Row 2: Chalkboard ceremony platform {Sybrand Cillié/Aleit Wedding Coordination}; succulent and burlap decor {Kate Harrison Photography/Off the Beaten Path Weddings}; LOVE chalkboard {Tanamachi Studio}; striped navy paper straws
Row 3: Navy bridesmaids {Jen Huang Photography}; chalkboard; centrepiece {Eric Kelley/Lora Kelley and Mallory Joyce}; chevron cake with succulent accent {Sweet & Saucy}; Shalwyn couple {Brightgirl Photography}.

Inspiration Board: Cape of Storms

10 December, 2012 by gaby

Good morning friends! I have another very special inspiration board to share today – this time we’re featuring the photographs of photographer Jo-Ann Stokes. Going through a photographer’s portfolio to put a board together is so interesting, as it really allows me to get a sense of their style, and I love the way Jo-Ann uses shadows and light to create atmospheric pics that are a little bit fashion and a little bit cinematic. I couldn’t help but be drawn to some of the moody blue images, as they remind me of the changeable weather in the Cape, and all of that natural beauty. So that’s where we went with the board. I think this is such a good look for a local wedding – soft naturals, a whole range of shades from grey to blue, and again that interplay between shadows and light. I love it, and I hope you will too! Head over to Jo-Ann’s blog to see examples of her lovely work, and remember that she’s taking bookings for your big day!

Contact Jo-Ann Stokes:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +27 (0)82 650 9238
Website: www.joannstokes.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Photography-by-Jo-Ann-Stokes

A Bride Abroad #4: The Stationery

3 December, 2012 by gaby

They say the Devil’s in the details. I love love love the details. If one looks carefully, it is precisely the little things that make a wedding unique. We all have a version of the usual formula: a dress, a ceremony, a reception and then dancing till the lights go out. A wedding wouldn’t really be a wedding without these things. But it’s the little bits of prettiness captured in the DIYs and personal touches that make people go WOW!