Category: Real Weddings

Real Wedding at La Petite Dauphine {Natalie & Alex}

by gaby

It’s such a pleasure to me to be able to share the stories of so many brides and grooms here on SBB. But it’s even more of a pleasure when I get to share the love story of someone I know, and that’s what I get to do today! Natalie is a fellow Minervianer (which for the non-Stellenbosch crowd means we were in the same res at uni). She’s the loveliest person, and very beautiful, and I always knew some dashing man would sweep her off her feet. It turned out to be one of those stories where Nats fell in love with her best friend (love those, right?!) – I finally got a chance to spend some time with the couple here in London recently and they are ADORABLE. What I love most about their wedding day is that you can see the sheer joy radiating from both of their faces, and in fact this is the first thing Cheryl McEwan, their fab photographer, said to me afterwards, that the love on their big day was so tangible. This is what it’s all about, people! Well, that and a lovely in lavender intimate French-style reception at La Petite Dauphine and a bride in a romantic Suzanne Neville dress… but mostly the love. ;) Don’t miss Nats’ goosebumpworthy description of how they met and got together!Read More

Real Wedding at Kronenburg {Lerize & JP}

by gaby

I always smile when I see that episode of How I Met Your Mother when Ted tells his kids that long distance relationships hardly ever work. I mean, he’s right. Most of the time, they’re a disaster. But I’ve read enough love stories here on SBB to know that there’s a big gap between “hardly ever work” and “impossible”. In fact, sometimes it’s weathering the storms of long distance love that can show a couple that the vessel they have built together is made of stronger stuff. Guess that makes it a relation-ship, boom boom. Okay, I’ll stop with the nautical metaphors, except to say that today’s couple, having made it through some time apart in their courtship and been all the stronger for it, were ready to sail off into the sunset. Which they did, figuratively, with a beautiful wedding (and literally, when they emigrated to Australia). I love the sweet little touches they added to their day – Lerize’s shoes that said “I do”, little wooden hearts tied with lace, a ribbon backdrop. And I also love Michelle Joubert-Martin‘s beautiful photos, that really capture the depth of emotion that these two were feeling.Read More

Real Wedding at Brenaissance {Carin & Marius}

by gaby

Today’s bride and groom are, quite simply, my kind of people. Carin’s philosophy of weddings could probably be my motto for life: good food, enough drinks, excellent music – add in lovely people and a gorgeous view and that’s pretty much all you need to be happy as far as I’m concerned. Luckily the couple had both of those too, surrounded by family and friends and getting married in the heart of the Cape winelands at Brenaissance. I love the classic style of their wedding, the perspex decor accents, the white tulips, the duck egg blue tablecloths, Carin’s pretty dress, her mismatched bridesmaids and OMG I love their food stations. Like, LOVE. Such delicious and fun combinations and there’s even a braai station! Stylishly presented, of course. It’s the perfect combination of old school elegance and minimalist modernism, and it works perfectly. Plus, there are the crazy beautiful pictures taken by Yolande Marx. So what are you waiting for? Get pinning!Read More

Real Wedding at The Snowflake Mill {Rochelle & De Markhoff}

by gaby

It only took one look at today’s wedding to know I would feature it here on SBB, because what can I say, a bride who gets married in her veldskoens, is most definitely a SouthBound Bride! For our overseas readers, veldskoene are a type of traditional South African shoe. And that’s not the only South African icon making an appearance in this Potchefstroom wedding, as it took place in the old factory of one of our signature brands, Snowflake. Add pretty Victorian/Dutch vintage details, navy lace runners, jewel tones, adorable book pear details and a grey lace dress (swoon) and you’re talking all kinds of lovely. But I think what I heart the most is the story that Rochelle and De Markhoff have – true love at first sight, and young love at that! Kallah Ohr was there to capture every moment of this joyous day, including the moment that De Markhoff clearly fell in love at first sight all over again as his bride walked down the aisle.Read More

Real Wedding at The Boathouse {Sarah & Oded}

by gaby

Any good photographer will tell you that the relationship they strike up with many couples goes above and beyond what’s on the contract. Not only do they share your excitement ahead of the wedding and keep things calm (and moving) on the day, they’re also there to share some of the most incredible, intimate, personal moments, the biggest of your lives. Many become like a member of the family or bridal party, and often friendships are formed along the way. It’s a special relationship for sure, but usually, it only begins once there’s been a proposal – it’s not often that the photographer is there right from the word YES. But that’s what happened with today’s gorgeous, laid-back couple, Sarah and Oded, and their photographer, the fab Laura Jane. She was a surprise witness to their proposal (see the shoot here)! Laura Jane was also there to see Sarah and Oded’s love story cumulate in a beautiful, blissed out beach wedding in Ballito (try saying that after a few cocktails). I love all the little details, from the succulent and peacock feather bouquet (brilliant combo, who knew?) to the adorable favours. A wedding as sweet, fun and in-the-moment as that proposal.Read More

Real Wedding at Arendsig {Mynderd & Charl}

by gaby

Oh, the loveliness! I’m such a huge fan of fruit being used as part of wedding day florals (more on that next week) so when I saw Charl and Mynderd’s wedding over on Just Judy‘s blog, I immediately fell in love with it. What I didn’t realise at the time, was that it wasn’t just pretty, but a really personal detail, since Mynderd grew up on a fruit and wine farm – the same farm where the couple were married. How fun is that? Whatever the inspiration, I adore the combination of flowers and foliage and little bell jars housing pomegranates and other treasures – it’s autumn-ey botanical style heaven. As always, Judy’s pics really do the details justice – it was so hard to narrow down the selection!Read More

Real Wedding at Nicolson’s Country Café {Louise & Sven}

by gaby

Gather round children, and let me tell you one of my favourite love stories. Once upon a time, I had a friend called Sven, who was one of the loveliest chaps I knew. Clever and kind, best man and godfather many times over, he was one of those people whose friends are always all ‘how is he still single?’. But he was. And he didn’t want to be. He thought it was past due that he met the love of his life, but Destiny was taking her sweet time. One day, when I was home in Durban on holiday, I went out on a Midlands Meander with him, and Sven told me as we drove how he’d just about given up on finding love. He wasn’t unhappy – he has a great business, and he’d got into rowing in a big way – but he’d decided the the marriage thing just wasn’t going to happen. He was throwing in the towel. That very afternoon, we headed back to Durban to watch the Oxford/Cambridge boat race at Sven’s rowing club. And there, in the row in front of us (although neither of us knew it yet), was the girl he would marry, the equally lovely Louise. Which just goes to show. Timing is everything ;) The end of that story (and the start of a new one) was a beautiful brunch wedding at Nicolson’s in the Midlands, which I happened to be at, so I can tell you first hand that it was fabulous. Faye of Poetry Weddings did an awesome job pulling together all the gorgeous country-style decor, and CC Rossler took these breathtaking pictures. (I didn’t do anything, just sipped rosé and sighed over how much I loved the protea arrangements). Having a brunch wedding was such a lovely alternative – it felt very civilised, the food was amazing, and while the wedding party had their photos taken we all enjoyed a perfect Midlands afternoon. There was even a rainbow – now there’s a fairytale ending if ever I saw one!Read More

Real Wedding at Rockhaven {Emily & Bruce}

by gaby

Something I love about my life, and the way that life has turned out for many of my friends, is that we’re all kind of… international. Every time I attend a wedding, there’s a mix of nationalities there, and many of my friends have married outside the South African circle or spent extended time living overseas. People live all over the place, and they move around. Sure, it makes it harder to see everyone (am I the only one who has total envy of the HIMYM crowd for being able to see their besties at McLaren’s all the time?), but it also makes occasions like weddings into reunions and introductions and mixers – a chance not only to spend quality time with wonderful people and re-live old memories, but to make new ones, and meet new people, and get a 360 degree view of a couple’s multi-faceted life. The world, vast and strange as it is, is really rather small. Today’s couple are evidence of that in more ways than one. Not only was their wedding very much an international affair, the small world part is that Bruce’s best man happens to be my cousin. Which is how Emily became a SouthBound Bride, and found her venue and suppliers. It feels a little like I’m celebrating with friends, and it’s especially wonderful to be showcasing the great work of some of my favourite suppliers – Theresa Lazarevic of Creation Events, who co-ordinated the whole wedding brilliantly, Catherine Mac who as usual outdid herself with the photos, and Rockhaven, always a picture perfect rustic venue. I could get into how lovely it all is, but Catherine’s pics and Theresa’s decor really do speak for themselves, so I’ll let you get to sighing over it all!Read More

Real Wedding at Cabrieres {Adrie & Abraham}

by gaby

This week, you guys, is the WORST. Well, okay, that might be an exaggeration, but here I am looking at my monster To Do list, not a box packed to move out of my house, not a suitcase packed for my trip to Italy, writing my little heart out to get everything done for my August writing schedule and it is way too hot to care about any of it. I’ve had to move downstairs, because my office is like the devil’s kitchen, and the cats keep coming in and throwing themselves down on the linoleum with cries of abject despair (their fault if they won’t get in the paddling pool, I say!). It is HOT. But hey ho, because I love the summer so I don’t want to complain, and I’m about to feel a lot better with a pretty wedding from our sponsors Real Simple Photography to share with you today. I don’t know about you, but I love bridesmaids in elegant little black dresses, which is how bride Adrie styled hers. Her taste is clearly very classic, and she chose white tulips for her bouquet (LOVE) and lush long tables topped with candelabras at the gorgeous French-style venue, Cabrieres. Very cool. And cool, as I can definitely tell you today, is good.Read More

Real Wedding at The Cowshed {Chrisinda & Wouter}

by gaby

Holy moly me oh my. Get ready for a handmade farm wedding that is going to blow your socks off! I’m a big fan of Mpumalanga venue, The Cowshed, and have been looking forward to featuring a wedding there for ages, so when I saw Chrisinda and Wouter’s ice cream pastel paletted, bunting and origami bird festooned, colourful Consol jar decorated, protea filled Cowshed wedding, I thought all my rustic wedding Christmases had come at once. It’s just so gosh darn lovely, and even as I have been editing the photo selection, there have been tons of little details I didn’t see the first time round. A woman after my own heart, Chrisinda, clearly. (Although I shouldn’t be surprised, since she is the owner of Hello Dolly, an awesome invitation and design company.) This is classic South African styling, beautifully done, and the fab Yolande Marx has captured everything wonderfully. In fact, it was hard to narrow down the selection, so enjoy a bit of a photo bonanza!Read More