Category: Trends & Ideas

Mismatched Bridesmaid Accessories Part 1 {Bouquets}

by gaby

Source: Stephanie Williams Photography via Before the Big Day

One of the biggest trends of the last couple of years has to be the move away from uniform bridesmaid dresses, to putting your girls in a variety of styles or colours that complement each other. I still get a little thrill whenever I see this done well, and I know that it’s made many bridesmaids themselves happy, including me. But what if you really want your girls to wear the same dresses, and still want to distinguish them? To let them each express their personality a little? Then this series of posts is for you. In Part 1 we’ll be looking at the mini-trend of individual bouquets. This has to be one of my all-time favourite bridesmaid trends! Probably because of how much I love flowers – the idea of having several beautiful bouquets instead of just one with variations really excites me.Read More

Moroccan Themed Wedding Details

by gaby

Source: Jose Villa/Cortnie of Canvas and Canopy for Rue Magazine

Welcome to Part 2 of our Moroccan-themed inspiration Friday! Didn’t you just love the dresses I showcased this morning? Not to mention the gorgeous backdrop… Of course, I’ve never actually been to Morocco (although I have done Tunisia and Egypt) but it is most definitely on the list. There’s just something so romantic and English Patienty about it all, isn’t there? Which is probably why it makes a great wedding theme, and I’ve been seeing full-scale Moroccan style weddings or just weddings with Moroccan touches popping up all over the place. But there’s one big word of warning here. Going overboard will make this theme look like a cheap Christmas party. Do not – I repeat, do NOT – go overboard. Don’t lean towards the obvious, but rather be inspired by the general North African design aesthetic, and then have fun with it.Read More

Styling the Aisle

by gaby

First of all, can I just say one thing (in my other life, I’m a book editor; I need to get this out of my system, because I see it on wedding blogs – even the big ones – every day). It’s not an isle. That’s an island, aka a piece of land surrounded by water, aka no man is one, aka tropical the island breeze all of nature wild and free. It’s an aisle, folks. And that is what you’ll be walking down or up or whatever in the not too distant future. Just had to put that out there. Now here’s the thing about the aisle. It’s not a huge part of your wedding decor, it doesn’t mean that much to your guests, and whatever you do to it, I’d bet on your guy not even really noticing as long as you show up at the end of it. So if the budget is tight, you can pretty much leave it as it is, or go with the traditional flowers on every other pew. Nothing wrong with that. But the aisle is also a view that is unique to you (okay, and your dad and your bridesmaids), and it’s the place you are going to see your husband-to-be’s face as he watches you walk towards him. So it’s already going to be romantic. But if you’re creative, it could be the most romantic view you ever have. Think Twilight. Or think: this.

Source: Axioo Photography via Bridal GuideRead More

Hair Inspiration: The Post-Wedding Haircut

by gaby

Usually we’re all about the wedding look, but today I thought I would share some inspiration for after the big day. The post-wedding chop is one tradition almost always observed by South African brides (in my experience, anyway!). All those months of growing your hair to get it up into a braid or chignon seems to culminate in a post-honeymoon trip to the hairdressers for a chic shorter hairstyle with which to begin married life. So here’s a bit of hair inspiration for that day after the big day, from our friends the slebs. How short will you go?

SUPER SHORT
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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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Wedding Trends Reloaded

by gaby

Here at SouthBound Bride, I love bringing you all the latest trends. As you know, I believe that each wedding should be an expression of a couple’s unique style and personality, but it doesn’t hurt to get a sense of the ideas that are floating around out there. Eventually, those ideas can get a little repetitive. And while in some ways that doesn’t matter (remember that most of your guests don’t sit on wedding blogs all day and won’t have seen it before), it can be fun to consider fresh twists and new options. So here are eight of my top alternatives for creating your favourite effects.
Here’s my disclaimer: I’ve loved and promoted all of the ‘old’ ideas here, and I’m nobody’s fashion police. So if you love something, you DO IT. This is just about being creative and exploring other avenues along the way!

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Pantone Fall 2012 Colour Report

by gaby

This isn’t quite breaking news, but while I was on hiatus, Pantone released their latest set of colours for autumn 2012, and I wanted to share them with you, as well as a few mini-boards showing how you might combine them into fresh takes on old colour palettes. Tangerine Tango (Pantone’s colour of the year) is still going strong (and I actually prefer these colour pairings for TT than those from spring), but for the less adventurous there are some softer colours as well as some bolds that pack a punch. Chatreuse, for example, can be used sparingly but to great effect. I suspect that of all of them, Rhapsody is the one we’ll see in more weddings this season, but I think (with the Olympics just weeks off now) that Olympian Blue must be my favourite. Which is yours?

 Source

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Wedding Trends for 2012

by gaby

Happy new year, friends! Hope you had a lovely holiday, and are ready for another year of wedding planning. And a big welcome to all of you new readers who have had holiday proposals – congratulations! I’m kicking off the new year with a roundup of the trends for 2012 as I see them. Reading back through last year’s post, there’s only one trend I got wrong (so much for bowties, eh?) and I’m looking forward to seeing what the new year brings! Here’s my top ten predictions…


Images: Watters; Southern Weddings; BHLDN

1. Colour on wedding dresses
This is one of those trends that has finally jumped the catwalk to start showing up in real weddings, and I believe we’ll see many more brides with a splash of colour on their dresses to match their colour schemes. For most brides, this means a coloured (or black) sash or belt or even a coloured veil (although for winter brides, cardigans are another way to bring colour in). Another option is a coloured dress – blush pink has become a popular alternative to white, or even silver or grey. Designers are creating black dresses more and more, but as beautiful as they are, I don’t see many brides getting on board.

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Entrance Music

by gaby

I’ve been wanting to talk to you all about entrance music for some time, ever since I spent an evening discussing this with an engaged friend recently. iPhone and earphones were dragged out to prove my point. And now I’m going to prove it to you. Er, I hope.


{Image: Nielen Bottomley from Amy & James’ wedding}

Thing is, weddings are (to some degree) theatre. Not in the sense that they should be fake or melodramatic, but rather that they showcase real emotion in a way that translates to the guests. They’re a way of bringing other people into your relationship to feel what you feel for one another, if just for one day. And as an actor will tell you, a great theatrical production requires one thing: a great entrance. I actually learnt this lesson from my friend Nikki. When she married the lovely Brendon some years ago, they chose Nessun Dorma for her entrance. Nix wanted to walk in at that crucial moment when the music swelled and Pavarotti sang “Vincero! Vincero! Vincero!” And I’ll be honest, I thought it was a little dramatic, especially since it’s a long song and we had a very, very short aisle. Seriously okes, that aisle took five steps to walk up, no matter how much you dragged your feet. But I was her bridesmaid, so it was my job to say “Great idea!” and make it happen. So we worked out the exact moment when the other bridesmaid and I were to walk in so that Nikki got her moment. And it would have been brilliant. The song would have built, quietly, in the little church. Then suddenly, the doors would have flung open to the summer day outside, and we would have walked down the aisle, with Nix following as the music built to a crescendo.Read More

Single Bloom Bouquets

by gaby

I don’t care what De La Soul think. Sometimes, one is the magic number. The number of children in my family. The number of hits Chesney Hawkes will ever have. The number of times I hope I will ever break down near Mooi River. And also, the perfect number of blooms for a chic but cost conscious bride (or just one who is in love with this trend as much as I am). Ladies and gents, the single bloom bouquet. Isn’t it PURDY?

I know, I know. You’re thinking it looks sad and sparse. You’re picturing a sad little rose clutched in your hands as you walk down the aisle, or a lone lily on your arm. No no no. Sparseness (sparsity? what will I do without my OED) is not the point here. This trend is all about allowing one lush bloom to provide focus and structure as a bouquet – to be centre stage and steal the show. Exhibit One: The Magnolia.

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