Category: Trends & Ideas

Nude Lace Wedding Dresses

by gaby

nude lace wedding dresses

*UPDATED FOR 2021* What do J-Lo, Camila Alves and Beyonce have in common? Probably quite a bit, but for today, it’s that they’ve recently been rocking the latest trend in bridal on the red carpet, and looking oh so gorgeous doing it. Nude lace is a beautiful, feminine, sexy development from the lace and applique detailed look that has been so popular for the last couple of years. The key feature of the style is a nude or blush-coloured underlay with a full or part-body overlay, allowing the detail on the lace or applique to really shine through. Some versions of the look are more daring than others, but one thing’s for sure – it’s taking bridal designers by storm. I’ve been a fan ever since we featured Haloise and Jaco’s wedding earlier this year, when our fashion-forward SouthBound Bride wore an absolutely gorgeous, statement gown. Designers like Zuhair Murad and Mira Zwillinger have made me love it even more. And if it’s good enough for Beyonce? It’s good enough for me. Here’s a roundup of some gorgeous nude lace dresses, both on and off the catwalk.

*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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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

Get the Look: Voortrekker Frontiers

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 Voortrekker Frontiers shoot by the dream team of Wesley Vorster and Leipzig.Read More

Get the Look: Protea Landscape

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 Karoo chic of this Protea Landscape shoot by Kadou (who made many of the amazing details by hand, right down to painting the chairs) and Michelle Wiese.Read More

Get the Look: We All Have Roots in Africa

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 multi-textured We All Have Roots in Africa shoot by lovelies Cheryl McEwan and Creation Events.Read More

Black Natural Wedding Hair Inspiration

by gaby

I thought it was about time we did some hair inspiration, and this one is especially for our beautiful brides of colour! I’ll be honest with you guys, I know next to nothing about black hair care, and what goes into the decision to wear yours straightened or au naturel for your wedding day, but I have to tell you, I absolutely adore this look and I wish I saw it more outside of styled shoots and fashion editorials. Whether it’s a long mass of curls or twists, a stylish fro, or something super-short, Lupita-style, each of these looks is super glam in an unfussy way, but what I like best is that I feel like each of the brides’ best features are really able to shine. Flawless makeup is a must, and as you’ll see, the choice of accessories is wide and wonderful, from chunky statement necklaces to delicate hairpieces and lush flowers. Which is your favourite look?Read More

Yarn, String & Macrame Wedding Ideas

by gaby

Yarn, String & Macrame Wedding Ideas

Afternoon, lovelies! It’s time for us to round up another little trend that’s been raising it’s sweet, craft-friendly face in weddings recently. Have you noticed how many variations on knitting yarn, crochet, macrame and string have been making an appearance? It’s got that retro ’70s chic to it, and as I mentioned, it’s super DIY friendly – from macrame hangings and backdrops to string art, to balls of wool or thread-wrapped table numbers, this is a way to bring something new and different to your wedding design that you’ve made yourself. Here are some of my favourite yarn, string and macrame wedding ideas, as well as some gorgeous macrame wedding details I found for sale on Etsy!

*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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Fresh Dessert Table Inspiration

by gaby

It’s been a while since I published this post, offering ten gorgeous inspirations for dessert tables and linking them up to SBB colour boards. And in that time, I’ve seen dessert tables evolve, from being highly stylised to maybe just a little bit more relaxed, from being almost entirely cake and candy-based, to having a larger variety of sweet treats, and of course to include dessert table alternatives like pies, cookies or even brunch. But one thing has remained the same – brides love ’em. And it’s no wonder – a candy buffet or dessert table offers a fun, interactive dessert experience for your guests AND it’s a piece of reception decor all on its own, which reinforces your theme or colours and can spark a lot of creativity. What guest doesn’t like seeing a little nook dedicated specifically to sugar, especially when it’s temptingly laid-out. So I thought it was about time I shared some of my new favourite dessert tables, and as before, linked them up with some of our very own inspiration boards to give you a sense of what sort of look and feel each table might suit.

BEAUTIFUL BLUSH

The addition of a floral arch turns a nice feature into a spectacular one – perfect for all you garden wedding and blush-loving brides out there! I’ve paired it with our perennially popular Kraft & Blush inspiration board.

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Hexagon Wedding Details

by gaby

You all will know by now that geometrics are very much having their day in both wedding and general design at the moment. I feel like I can’t look anywhere without seeing some geometric-inspired design, but as always, it’s a look that’s really grown on me. Of all the shapes, hexagons are emerging as the front runners, and I am loving them! Hexagon cakes aren’t a new thing, but we’re definitely seeing more of them now, along with hexagon (and sometimes heptagon or pentagon)-shaped stationery and design elements, from backdrops to menus to table numbers to cake toppers. What I think works particularly well about hexagons is that when fitted together, they have the honeycomb effect, so they’re a stylish evolution of an earlier wedding design trend. Anyway, I thought it was about time I rounded up some of the hexa-lovely inspiration that has been floating around wedding world.Read More

Dip Dye & Ombre Wedding Dresses

by gaby

blue and white ombre beach wedding dress

Last year I was blown away when I featured this beach wedding, which included the gorgeous ombréd Rosenworth dress pictured above (you SouthBound Brides are such trendsetters!). Again a few months ago, I featured a stunning dip-dyed wedding dress as part of this photoshoot, and it’s since become one of our most pinned images. Clearly, the ombré wedding dress is having its day, and having done a roundup of these breathtaking beauties, I am an even bigger fan than before. It’s just the perfect way to add colour to your look while still retaining the elegant white wedding dress at the top (and in many of your photos) – a stylish compromise between classic and statement looks. Have a look at these pics and tell me you’re not a convert!

*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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