Bride - SouthBound Bride

Two-piece Wedding Dresses

21 October, 2015 by gaby

I remember the days when I wore crop tops. Now I’m not saying I’m old or anything (I am) but it was the ’90s. I worked all summer on my six pack (ha!) and I rocked the crop out of those babies for a couple of months. Now if I wore one, I’d scare the children. But for bolder (and fitter) brides than me, crop top and two piece wedding dresses are EVERYWHERE. And I have to say, I love them. Not just the crops, but the separates with filmy skirts and ballerina tops or intricate lace numbers – I find myself pinning them all the time, and next year will be even more so, since all my fave designers included some kind of separates at Bridal Fashion Week. So I thought it was high time that we did a collective SouthBound dress swoon over two piece gowns. Ready…? Swoon.Read More

Dreamy Pastel Wedding Dresses

2 September, 2015 by gaby

Blush Wedding Photography/Diana McGregor Photography/Summer Watkins/Tara La Tour via Style Me Pretty

Some days I really, really love my job, and today is one of them. Because who doesn’t want to spend an afternoon or two sifting through the most ridiculously dreamy dresses on the planet? I don’t know if it’s just that a touch of pastel adds a bit of whimsy to these beauties, but I seriously think pastel wedding dresses are beyond romantic, and I adore the way that, as well as blush (which we’ll always love!), there are amazing options in mint, powder blue, lemon, lilac and peach too. Have a look, and fall in love.
*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

Gatsby Glam Wedding Dresses

14 August, 2015 by gaby

The truth is (even though she was a bit of a cow), there’s a big part of me that still wants to be Daisy Buchanan – flitting about in her beautiful dresses with her voice full of money, breaking hearts all over West Egg. Maybe that’s why every time I see a wedding gown sporting art deco embellishment and a slinky, satiny silhouette, I have a full-on, hold-on-to-your-chaise dress swoon. Or why designers like Johanna Johnson and Jenny Packham always have me dying over their latest collections of Gatsby wedding dresses. Forget princess dresses – for a glamorous bride, there’s no better way to go than with a touch of 1920s vintage. Especially when its complemented with gorgeous retro hair, a red lip, or a spectacular hairpiece. I went on the hunt for some of the most breathtaking glam wedding dresses for the Gatsby bride, each of them worthy of Daisy herself. *Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

Glamorous Red Lip Bridal Style

7 August, 2015 by gaby

Earlier this week, we featured a bride rocking a chic red lip, and it reminded me just what an immediate glam-maker a rouge or berry lipstick is. If your Big Day dream is to look more like a screen siren than a fairy princess, then this is definitely the style for you! Whether you’re wearing a slinky Art Deco style dress, a vintage lace gown, or something bold and modern, a red lip has that touch of Old Hollywood and just happens to stand out perfectly, a pop of colour against the white of a bridal gown. So this afternoon, I’ve rounded up 20 absolutely amazing glamorous bridal looks, each of them rocking not just a bold red lip, but immaculate makeup and hair. Go on, dahling – be inspired!Read More

20 Botanical & Floral Bridal Hairpieces

27 July, 2015 by gaby

Time for some gorgeous adornment, brideys! I’m forever getting stopped in my tracks while browsing Etsy by some of the absolutely spectacularly gorgeous bridal hair accessories – and I’m especially partial to those with a bit of a botanical bent. Cleverly crafted gold and silver leaves in goddess-like crowns, pearls and crystals fashioned to look like flowers and berries… I just wish I had an excuse to wear one of them, but they might be a bit faaancy for the supermarket, no? Anyway, if you’re planning your big day accessories, I really don’t think you’ll get much prettier than these 20 nature-inspired hair accessories, from some of my favourite Etsy makers. (Contains affiliate links – the cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission on any sales)Read More

Floral Wedding Dresses

2 July, 2015 by gaby

If there’s one trend that has just EXPLODED all over the runways and new collections this year, it’s flowers and floral prints. But these are not your typical floral print dress, oh no. Combine gorgeous colours, pretty prints and watercolour effects with bridal shapes and dreamy fabrics, and you get something truly spectacular – real little works of botanical art. I’m stoked that a couple of our real brides over the years have been ahead of this curve in wearing floral wedding dresses, but I’ve seen so many more pretty examples on the wedding web of late that I couldn’t wait to share my favourites with you in a roundup!

Wedding Hair Inspiration: Long & Loose

18 June, 2015 by gaby

We can’t talk beauty this month without talking hair, and since we’re all about the natural beauty in June, I thought it was only appropriate that we looked at some long & loose wedding styles. I’m personally a huge fan of the updo, but in real life, when I talk to my friends, they almost always tell me they’re thinking of a down do, often because their fiance prefers their hair down. And I have to say, after squizzing through many luscious long styles to put this roundup together (as well as having seen many of my friends radiant with natural hair in real life), I’m a bit of a convert – I honestly think brides should look the best version of themselves, and if an updo isn’t ‘you’, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t rock a glammed up version of your favourite style. So here we go – get ready for some top level hairography!Read More

From Catwalk to Aisle: 10 Key Beauty Trends for 2015

4 June, 2015 by gaby

Hello lovelies! This month may be about natural beauty, but we all know that sometimes we need a little extra to enhance that beauty on our wedding day (although, hooray, minimal barefaced makeup is totally a trend now too, which will please you natural brides). The catwalks are always a great place to start looking for the next looks in hair and makeup as well as the fashion itself, and some of the most recent fashion week trends also happen to translate beautifully to brides. Some not so much (I can’t see anyone donning coloured leather strips on their lids or Rodarte-style eyebrow piercings, although you never know). Here are 10 key trends for you to consider for your own Big Day look.Read More

DIY Sparkle Birdcage Veil

24 April, 2015 by gaby

I could tell it was a good day when not only did a fab city elopement editorial land in my inbox, but the lovely Rebecca of Runaway Romance offered to share some of her crafty expertise in the form of a DIY from the shoot (which we featured this morning – didn’t you love it?). As you know by now, I’m besotted with all things bling, so when I laid eyes on the sparkly birdcage veil she custom made for model Setsoali, I knew you all would want to know how to recreate this stylish and subtly glamorous look for yourselves! To be honest, I’m trying to figure out where I could possibly get away with wearing a sparkly birdcage veil myself, just so I can make one. Supermarket run? Dog park? Rugby? I’ll figure it out. Meantime, let’s get to grips with the how to. Thanks so much for sharing, Rebecca!Read More

Short Wedding Dresses

22 April, 2015 by gaby

With micro weddings on the rise in a big way right now, I couldn’t help but jump at the opportunity to showcase short wedding dresses. I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you think about it, some of our greatest fashion heroes over the years have opted for chic and short for their weddings over long and lovely. Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Kiera Knightly, Natalie Portman, Carrie Bradshaw… With that kind of inspiration, it’s actually surprising that more brides don’t opt for the cropped cut. Of course, there’s also a ton of variety under the short dress banner – from mini to tea-length to hi-lo, and so on. All of them have a sassy elegance that’s beautiful at any wedding, but has become especially synonymous with stylish elopements and small weddings (or even as reception dresses for the bride for whom one pretty dress just won’t do). So it’s high time I rounded up my favourites, no? Maybe I can even convert some of you fashion-conscious brideys to the short dress brigade ;) *Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.