Category: Styled Shoots

Whimsical Woodland Wedding Inspiration

by gaby

Enchanted Forest Dessert Display | Credit: Anneli Marinovich (25)

A while back, my lovely friends (and regular collaborators) photographer Anneli Marinovich and stylist Louise Beukes headed off to a picturesque little corner of the French countryside for the weekend, to create an enchanted woodland-inspired styled shoot, which sounded like the best idea ever to me. And then I saw the results over on Rock My Wedding and I fell in love with its fairytale enchanted forest wedding style, even more than I’d imagined I would. Gold forest creatures, a cake dripping with caramel (and tiny fondant mushrooms), heart shaped macarons, lush roses, moss, a floral chandelier. Each detail is more heart-racingly beautiful and inspiring than the last. So I’m super excited that these talented wedding pros are sharing their shoot on SouthBound Bride today. If you’re planning a woodland wedding (and I know many of you are, especially with the great forest venues SA has to offer), then consider adding a little touch of whimsy and fantasy to your decor as Louise has done here so well – it’s gorgeous, and takes the look from rustic prettiness to all-out enchanting.Read More

Millésimé Styled Shoot by Jana Marnewick

by gaby

Happy Friday, brideys! Hope you have a fun weekend planned, but first, we have lots of lovely coming your way, starting with this vintage French style bridal inspiration shoot from Jana Marnewick Photography. Jana based the shoot around ‘millésimé’, a French term meaning ‘vintage’ and she has created some absolutely stunning looks for a variety of brides. I am just loving the romance of light on lace, and I can’t quite decide between the soft pastel palette of the first table and the statement autumn palette of the second. Whichever is your favourite, you’ll find lots of inspiration here.Read More

African Monochrome Styled Shoot by Maxeen Kim

by gaby

You know, if I hadn’t actually given blood the other day and seen it for myself, I would swear sometimes that glitter flowed through my veins. Show me something sparkly, and I am SOLD. And one of the things I love best is gold glitter against a stark monochrome background. But what do I like even better than all that? A touch of home, of course. Which is why I absolutely adore this styled shoot from the very lovely Maxeen Kim, a South African based in London who not only takes beautiful piccies, but is all about inspiring budget-conscious brides, which makes this shoot not just beautiful but achievable too. Maxeen channeled her love for all things South African into a bridal look and table that has a clean black and white base with a glamorous, blingy sheen – perfect for the modern South African bride. I love the stunning model’s guinea fowl headpiece, the foiled stationery, as well as the sparkly runner, the beaded cattle, and of course, the beautiful chevron cake. This is a look I would love to see in a real wedding one day soon!Read More

Portuguese Rustic Styled Shoot by Piteira Photography

by gaby

Happy Friday, lovelies! We’re escaping the city for beautiful Portugal today, with an absolutely gorgeous styled shoot from our dear friends at Piteira Photography. Luis and Kerry live in this sun-kissed country for most of the year (the rest spent in South Africa, when they grace us with their talented presence for the summer wedding season) and so together with some fantastic local suppliers, put together a dreamy alfresco-style shoot complete with the most gorgeous rustic details. Portugal is a wedding destination that’s largely untapped, and it’s also a source of style inspiration that’s still very fresh and unique among Mediterranean countries. For example, if you love French country or Italian style, but want something just a little bit different, then adding a little bit of Portugal-inspired detail to your big day is a great idea. This shoot, with its pretty mismatched crockery, flowers in glass bottles, café lights hanging over cobbled streets, and perfect rustic dessert table has me dreaming of a trip across the ocean and of outdoor weddings full of sunshine and smiles.Read More

Dairy Shed Darlings Styled Shoot

by gaby

Good morning lovely friends! Today’s inspiration is just DREAMY. Seriously, I was all jaw on the floor for at least ten minutes after I saw these pics for the first time. Beautiful bridal styling, AMAZING dresses, and a backdrop that is rustic chic perfection. And in fact, the backdrop is what initially brought photographers Claire Harries, Claire Thomson & Angelique Smith together, since they wanted to showcase a gorgeous new venue near Durbanville, the Dairy Shed. With help from in-house co-ordinators Two Birds and SBB faves, the Green Goddess floral geniuses, they produced some absolutely breathtaking bridal images, as well as a table that is elegant rustic perfection. Get ready to be wowed.Read More

Styled Shoot Contest Winners

by gaby

So you guys, last week was amazing – I feel so proud and privileged to have been able to bring you five such gorgeous, fresh and truly South African wedding editorials from some of the most talented photographers, stylists, hair and makeup artists, cake creatives, caterers, dress designers, stationistas, etc. etc. etc. in the country. I am so in awe of the incredible work they did, and so very grateful that they chose to do it for the SBB contest. It’s always been my dream to bring you beautiful, original, local wedding style and that’s just what we were able to do. So a HUGE thank you to every one of the teams – you are all ROCKSTARS. To those of you who read and liked and commented and pinned and supported – thank you! It was so lovely to see such a great response. Finally, I owe another huge debt of gratitude to my wonderful judges, Sarah Burnett of Burnett’s Boards and Louise Beukes of b.loved – they are both such talented bloggers and stylists in their own rights, and I’m so grateful that they offered their time and taste and expertise to help me choose finalists and ultimately, a winner.

Speaking of which, I don’t mind telling you what a hard time we had deciding. Each of us had different favourites, which I think is a tribute to just how brilliant all of the finalists were. But in the end, we totted up our scores, and one team emerged victorious: Wesley Vorster & Leipzig’s Voortrekker Frontiers! I never imagined that voortrekkers would be used as wedding inspiration, but with a combination of designer fashion, drop-dead gorgeous florals, decor and food, and Wesley’s lush pictures, this shoot was our winner. CONGRATULATIONS!

To celebrate, I’m sharing some not-yet-seen images from the shoot – enjoy!Read More

Get the Look: Rose Quartz

by gaby

The best part of a styled shoot for brides and grooms (apart from basking in the sheer prettiness, of course!) is the wealth of fresh ideas that you can borrow to add an extra special touch to your own celebrations. As part of our Styled Shoot Competition showcase this week, we’re breaking down five of our favourite ideas from each shoot, as well as bringing you tips and advice for recreating the look from the talented team behind each entry. Next up, we’re taking a second look at the romantic Rose Quartz shoot by the very talented Yolande Snyders and Yellow Papaya. Read More

Rose Quartz by Yolande Snyders & Yellow Papaya

by gaby

Our final shoot of the competition takes rose quartz as inspiration, a precious stone that is both locally mined and perfectly symbolic for a wedding (it’s called the ‘love stone’ and represents unconditional love in all its forms). Combining this idea with gem-shaped hexagons is bang on trend, and I also love the combination of rose with indigo in the form of shwe shwe (and you know we LOVE shwe shwe!) – including a shwe shwe cake (eek, amazing). The fabulous team headed by Yellow Papaya and photographer Yolande Snyders put together an alternative take on a seated reception with a mimosa bar and cocktail snacks that are all adorable little mini versions of South African favourites. It’s bright, crisp and colourful – the perfect way to end off an amazing week!Read More

Get the Look: West Coast Glamour

by gaby

The best part of a styled shoot for brides and grooms (apart from basking in the sheer prettiness, of course!) is the wealth of fresh ideas that you can borrow to add an extra special touch to your own celebrations. As part of our Styled Shoot Competition showcase this week, we’re breaking down five of our favourite ideas from each shoot, as well as bringing you tips and advice for recreating the look from the talented team behind each entry. Next up, we’re taking a second look at our gorgeously glitzy West Coast Glamour shoot by the very talented Memory Box Photography and Blank Canvas Event Design.Read More

West Coast Glamour by Memory Box Photography & Blank Canvas

by gaby

We’re heading to the seaside with today’s team of finalists in the SBB styled shoot competition. This entry was a collaboration between vendors in Gauteng and the Cape (how cool is that?) and was inspired by the gorgeous wild West Coast, with lashings of glitter and sparkle including a gold dress that I basically want to live in. I’m so inspired by the South-African-beach-rustic-turned-glam details styled by Blank Canvas, and the dreamy photography by Memory Box. It’s sheer editorial loveliness.Read More