Category: DIY

SouthBound Bride on Wedding Chicks {+ bar printables}

by gaby

Hello! Thanks for your patience today if you tried accessing SBB – we’ve migrated servers (of course, the downtime was impeccably timed by my providers) which is good news, but did result in some nailbiting from me. Because I’ve been waiting to share this little piece of news with you, and I am SO EXCITED. Seriously, I am smiling so huge right now, because today is not just the day I get to fulfil an ambition, it’s the culmination of a whole year’s worth of work behind the scenes. For a while now, you will have heard me mentioning a shoot I co-styled with Louise of b.loved, which was shot by Chanelle Segerius Bruce. You may even have seen the shoot if you picked up copies of You & Your Wedding or My Wedding Day in the UK and South Africa, respectively. The days those mags hit the shelves were immensely good days too, but today is the day I finally get to see those images being set free online. Our little birds are taking flight. Which is actually an appropriate metaphor, because I’m delighted to say that they are featured today on Wedding Chicks. WEDDING CHICKS, YOU GUYS. I’ve loved WC for YEARS – long before I ever dreamed I would have my own wedding blog. They’ve grown and grown since then, but what I really admire about them is they’ve never lost their brand or what they’re about, and they have been wonderful to work with too. The fact that a shoot I co-styled, based on an inspiration board I created, including stationery from the SBB Collection (designed by my very dear friend Anelle of Seven Swans, no less) is on one of the top wedding blogs in the world today kind of blows my mind. I’m so happy! See the full feature here.Read More

DIY ‘Wolfpack’ Wedding Programs

by gaby

A few weeks ago, I introduced you to reader Claudine, who showed us how to put together a whisky bar, as she did for her wedding. Today Claudine is back with a second post sharing one of her DIY projects – what she charmingly calls a ‘wolfpack’ program. Anyone who’s ever been stuck in a church waiting waiting waiting for the bride to arrive will know that it’s about ten minutes of smiling excitedly, looking around and waving at old friends, five minutes of shuffling and glancing at the door, and then sheer boredom until the big arrival. Which, depending on how punctual you are, could be anything from five minutes to an hour (and yes, I have been there, and in a freezing church nogal). I’m  not encouraging bride’s prerogative-style lateness, but if you want to make sure your guests are entertained, this program is a great way to handle that, plus it doubles as a fan in case of hot weather. It includes the wolfpack – introductions to the wedding party – and a fun wordsearch. And it’s been a huge hit among other brides already. So here we go! Thanks Claudine! (PS All images are by Laura Versveld, and you can also see the whole of Richard and Claudine’s wedding on Lovilee.)Read More

DIY Whisky Bar

by gaby

It’s funny how the drinks you like change with age, isn’t it? I mean, when I was 18, I drank a lot of alcopops, but I wouldn’t be caught dead with one now. And at that age, I thought whisky was vile, but now I quite like a one from time to time (although, I’m sorry purists, mine’s on the rocks). Due probably to the fact that a few years back I dated a guy who really loved the stuff, and I came to appreciate it more after a distillery weekend in Islay, Scotland. Maybe that’s appropriate, because there’s something a bit more sophisticated about whisky – it’s to be enjoyed slowly, not downed or drunk through a straw (what WAS that anyway, eighteen year old Gaby?). Point is, I think a whisky (or whisky and cigar) bar is a really lovely addition to a wedding reception, and something that usually makes the groom’s eyes light up in the planning. So I was delighted when SBB reader Claudine got in touch after her own recent wedding to share how she and her groom Richard created a whisky/whiskey bar for their wedding – and how you can too! All images are by the awesome Laura Versveld, who is based in Mpumalanga. (You can also see the whole of Richard and Claudine’s wedding on Lovilee.) Take it away, Claudine!Read More

Confessions of a DIY Bride #3: Fabric Boutonnieres

by gaby

Quite early on, we decided not to have a ‘strict’ colour scheme… quite simply, because we thought it would too difficult to co-ordinate exact colour match swatches from 10 000 miles away! (We were right.) So our colour palette ended up being pretty broad, and was inspired by the earthy tones of our venue, and the pastel shades of the Joules Hedy bridesmaids’ dresses I’d bought on a whim in the January sales. To tie the girls’ look in with groomsmen and the rest of the wedding party (dads, moms, grans and aunties) I crafted a set of fabric corsages, using Liberty print fabric, vintage pins and various buttons, which formed the base for the fresh lavender and rosemary sprigs we added on the day.Read More

Confessions of a DIY Bride #2: The Invitations

by gaby

The invitations….that first tentative step into the deep-end of wedding planning, often happens before you know exactly what your (fully fabulous) Big Day vision looks like. Which, of course, makes picking the ‘right’ invitation even trickier!

SAVE THE DATES SAVED THE DAY!
We had the added stress of getting our invites out ASAP, as many of our guests needed to book flights, and organise annual leave. This is where the American tradition of a ‘Save the Date’ came in handy. With our date and venue set, and and inspired by the fact that most of our guests would be travelling from London to SA, we decided to base our Save the Dates on that London Underground staple – the Oyster card.

We tweaked the design (with apologies to TFL) and printed them straight onto magnetic paper (no really, it is a real thing – look here) at home on our shke-donky old inkjet printer, and mailed them out with the Christmas cards. This not only gave our cross-continental guests no excuse not to come, but also gave us breathing space to send out the invites closer to the day, once we had some idea of styles and themes.Read More

Confessions of a DIY Bride

by gaby

:) I’ve been waiting for this day for a while, and I’m so excited to share this post with you! *waves ‘Yay’ flag*
A while back, I was contacted by a former bride living in London, who had planned and executed an awesome DIY wedding in South Africa. Sam wanted to share her insights into planning from abroad, as well as her DIY skills, and as soon as I had a look at her gorgeous wedding I knew not only that we would get on, but that she would be a brilliant contributor to SBB. And so the scheming began. The ultimate result is that I am delighted to tell you that Sam will be joining us here on SBB as our official DIY contributor! Welcome, Sam! She’ll start with DIYs from her own gorgeous wedding, and here’s the really fun part – we’ll be featuring her wedding next week! You guys, it’s such a good one, and the pics were taken by one of my faves, Jacki Bruniquel (a few sneaky peeks on this post, but you’ll have to wait until Tuesday for the rest!). In the meantime, here’s Sam to introduce herself and give some amazing general DIY wedding advice – show her some love in the comments!

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I have a confession to make: My name is Sam, and I was a DIY bride.

From the dress, to the cake, to the flowers, and every stitch and stamp of the reception decor, we sourced, made, crafted and arranged most of it ourselves… from 10 000 miles away.Read More

Watercolour Wedding Details

by gaby

Good morning wedding belles! We’ll have another fabulous South African wedding on the blog this afternoon, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some fresh inspiration. First there was the pastel trend, then ombre, so it shouldn’t really be a surprise that watercolour-style design has been one of the biggest trends to emerge in 2012. It’s everywhere, from gasp-inducingly beautiful invitations and other paper elements, to cakes, decor and even to bridesmaids dresses. It’s soft and romantic, and heart-stoppingly pretty. I know you’re going to love it.

Here’s a roundup of all my favourite watercolour details – look out in the credits for the DIYs and printables (in bold), as this is a look you can pull off on any budget!

WATERCOLOUR STATIONERY
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5 Easy DIY Origami Wedding Ideas

by gaby

5 Easy DIY Origami Wedding Ideas | SouthBound Bride

Hello, lovelies! It’s time for another roundup, and today I’m not only bringing you some detail candy, but also some fab DIYs to help you incorporate the origami trend into your wedding. I’m personally a big fan of wedding origami, and as both an easy DIY and one that’s flexible enough to look great in a number of different styles of weddings, I can see why it’s become more popular recently. Origami cranes are, of course, the big one when it comes to weddings (and they have special meaning – brides and grooms are supposed to fold 1,000 cranes for luck, since the patience and perseverance in folding all that paper is supposed to be a small taste of the qualities needed for a happy marriage). But recently I’ve seen some other lovely (and basic) origami details emerging as well, and I’ve rounded them up here. If you’d like to add a handmade touch to your day without going to DIY hell, if you feel like your tables need that little extra something, or you’re looking for cute escort cards or origami invitations, or or or… this may just be the post for you! Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

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Free Printable Wedding Photo Thank You Cards

by gaby

Free Printable Wedding Thank You Cards | SouthBound Bride

When the last guest has left and the tables have been cleared, there is of course only one thing left to do. Er, ok, two things (get yer mind out the gutter, will ya! ;) ). Thank you cards. Three little words to strike dread into the heart of any post-honeymoon bride. The fact is that while strictly speaking etiquette dictates that you have up to a year to send out those little notes, the sooner the better. Speaking from experience as a guest, they really are appreciated and necessary. But after all of those months of planning when all you want to do is relax into married life, they’re also a schlep. Well, here’s your solution. Not just one, but TWO different options of thank you cards from The Invitation Gallery – one classic and vintage and the other playful and modern. All you need to do is pick one, download and print it (or have it printed by your favourite print on demand service like PSPrint), attach one of your wedding pictures and get down to writing your personal notes. And there’s even an Afrikaans option for our Afrikaans brides and grooms! Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

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DIY: Christmas Crackers

by gaby

Now that the wedding craziness of last week is over, it’s time to get the family festive celebrations on the road, so I hope you’ll forgive me if we’re not completely wedding focused this week! My mom asked if I would make us individual crackers for our Christmas dinner, and I thought I would share them as a holiday DIY. They’re a little fiddly and take a couple of hours, but really make things personal and extra fun at the Christmas table. And for South African readers I picked up most of the necessaries at my local CNA, so everything’s easily available locally for a spot of last-minute DIY. These would be great favours for a holiday wedding or even another time of year with different decoration!

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