Category: Real Weddings

Real Wedding at Nooitgedacht {Carol & Carl}

by gaby

Time to meet another SouthBound bride and groom, and today’s stroke of candy pink gorgeousness comes to you courtesy of Carol and Carl, two South Africans who currently live in Copenhagen, Denmark. They share a love of nature and animals, especially their miniature wire-hair Grayhund, Puppy Choo. Carol’s a former lingerie designer who loves being creative and has a passion for fashion, so when it came to planning the big day from abroad, she put it in the hands of the equally creative Megan Fleitmann of Mr & Mrs In Love. I’ve been a huge fan of Megan’s stationery for a while, so I wasn’t surprised to see that she has a fabulous flair for event design too, and she gathered a really brilliant team of suppliers to make Carol and Carl’s dreams a reality. From the striped linens and soft pink and white florals to the hanging bottles of blooms, right down to the sweetest cake topped with a miniature version of Carol, Carl and Puppy Choo, it’s everything you could want from a garden wedding. Oh, and how much do I love the bride and bridesmaids’ statement necklaces? The fantastic Lauren Kriedemann was there to make it look even more luscious and lovely with from behind the camera.Read More

Real Wedding at Kleinevalleij {Anlika & Philip}

by gaby

I have such a special wedding for you today – I am absolutely head over heels in love with it! I just adore when brides decide to flex their creative muscles and come up with details and ideas that are personal twists on things they might have seen at other weddings – it really adds that ‘ooh factor’. Well, today’s gorgeous bride outdid herself – there are so many clever ideas here. Lasercut proteas (LOVE!) in between real proteas and other florals (themselves a twist on the traditional, with fruit and veg included), writing in the signature palette of navy and olive green used as part of the clean, contemporary decor, a salt motif (SO original!), and more. Kleinevalleij is the perfect backdrop – a blank canvas where Philip and Anlika could paint their own picture, and paint it they did, with clean, sophisticated styling that still manages to be warm and welcoming. Lucky for us, Anlika’s sent on loads of advice, so be sure to read to the end of the post so you can learn from the pro! The beautiful pictures are by our friend and sponsor, Andre of Vivid Blue.Read More

Real Wedding at Providence {Keri & Andrew}

by gaby

Are you ready… are you ready for love? Lordy, I’m clearly more than a little sleep deprived. I think I just quoted Elton John. Even so, it’s an appropriate question, since love is what you’ll find plenty of in today’s gorgeous real wedding. Love between the cute as anything bride and groom, love from their friends and family, and love-liness all over the place in their design and decor. You may remember me mentioning Keri and Andrew’s story last week, when I featured their engagement shoot (so cute) – after helping Keri out with an inspiration board I was dying to see how it all turned out and couldn’t wait to see Eileen Laubscher of Bright Girl‘s fantastic photos. Well, they were even better than I’d imagined – a rustic French-inspired palette with a handmade feel and very personal touches (LOVE those cow table plans!). Keri looked absolutely beautiful and natural, her groom seriously dapper, and I’m a sucker for her stylish mismatched navy bridesmaids’ look, especially in their fun shades! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Keri’s own blog, Midlands Musings – she’s a rising star in the SA blog scene, and you’ll soon be a fan ;)Read More

Real Wedding at Grand Dedale {Christina & Marc}

by gaby

Real wedding time! And boy, am I excited to share this one. It’s so beautiful, with a perfect blend of elegance and rustic goodness, it’s like one of my favourite inspiration boards come to life. And come to life it did, with smiles and infectious laughter, gorgeous flowers and a bevvy of mini bridesmaids. This is the kind of wedding that really shows off what our winelands are about, and why they’re such a sought-after wedding destination, year after year. Plus, the bride (whose nickname is Bubbles – you can’t NOT like someone with such a cute name) is a total rockstar – for her hen night she dressed up as a SuperWife and paraglided off Lion’s Head! Kind of appropriate though, since she was marrying a stuntman. But back to the wedding, in all its loveliness. Desmond and Toni of dna photographers were there to capture every special moment, every drop of sunshine, and a spectacular ‘first kiss’!Read More

Real Wedding at Jan Harmsgat {Annali & Gerhard}

by gaby

Okay, you all know by now that I love all things wedding (duh) but if there’s one mental image that’s going to immediately push the swoonage count up to the maximum, it’s the idea of an al fresco wedding, under the trees, on a beautiful summer afternoon in the winelands. I’m sort of drooling just thinking about it, except that I don’t actually drool because that would be totes unladylike. But you get the point. So that was what made me immediately fall in love with Annali and Gerhard’s wedding from the fab Just Judy. What I didn’t realise at the time was that they planned this gorgeous day in two months. Two months! Now, I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone, but at the same time, it’s proof that it is possible. The key thing that Annali got right? Making quick decisions based on her personal taste, and not getting too hung up on colour schemes or themes. She trusted her gut, and it worked. As well as the outdoor reception under a sea of string lights (yep, swoonage happening again here), I loved that the couple used bushels of baby’s breath, which was absolutely perfect with the whole look, and easy to boot. Perfection!Read More

Real Wedding at De Oude Kerk Museum {Nicole & Liam}

by gaby

You know, I’ll never forget the first time I visited London’s Borough Market. I’m embarrassed to say it was many years after I started living here, but maybe that was a good thing, because it also took a few years for me to become more of a foodie and certainly more of a cook, and I’m not sure I would have appreciated it before. There’s something so special about a market – the smells, the sights, the sounds and the general happy vibe as people stop here, taste this, buy that. So when market weddings started to become a thing, I was completely on board. Especially because it’s a great way to get your guests to mingle and relax, which is something that today’s bride and groom understood only too well. They had a big guest list, but they wanted their friends and family to socialise and relax, and they hit upon a brilliant way of making that happen. Starters were served market-style, from the cutest little striped tent stands. C’est adorable. The French stripes continued into the marquee reception, complete with brightly coloured flowers suspended from the ceiling in glass jars and bottles. I absolutely LOVE this look – it’s so happy and pretty and fun, and I’m delighted to be sharing it with you today. The fab Drikus Le Roux was on the scene to capture every pretty stripe and smile.Read More

Real Wedding at Kleinevalleij {Penny & Henry}

by gaby

Over the last few months I’ve been showcasing bridesmaid dresses – well, get ready for some of the cutest bridesmaid outfits you ever did see! With ruffled skirts pink as candyfloss and the biggest of smiles, these lovely ladies are sending off their beautiful friend into married life in the sweetest of fashions. It’s a wedding that was pretty in pink, with lots of adorable little touches (love the hanging bags! and the giant ‘be seated’ signs!), stationery by SBB’s own designer Seven Swans, and the always gorgeous backdrop of Kleinevalleij. Our friend and sponsor Dreampix Photography was there to capture every happy moment.Read More

Real Wedding at Netherwood {Joanna & Marco}

by gaby

Who’s ready for some wedding gorgeousness? Now now, don’t all yell at once. There’s plenty of lovely to go around. Today’s real wedding comes from the lens of KZN photographer Alexis Diack and, like so much of her portfolio, it is chock-full of elegance and romance. Looking at it, I feel a little like I’m thumbing through the pages of Martha Stewart Weddings: the elegant purple and white colour scheme, Joanna’s fairytale dress, an Italian country touch to the decor and a curtain of twinkle lights looking down on the couple as they take their first dance. It’s all so very PRETTY. And I love how it shows that, even on a rainy day (and maybe especially on a rainy day!) you can still get the most amazing, lush, atmospheric pictures. My favourite is the one of Joanna and Marco alone in the church after the ceremony, with bunches of country blooms along the aisle and looking like there’s nobody else in the world beside them. Sigh. Aint love grand?Read More

Real Wedding at Sante Hotel {Talya & Paul}

by gaby

It’s amazing how a good photographer can not only capture the details and action of a wedding, but give it a story, turn it into a cohesive whole. Take, for example, Gavin Casey – awesome Cape Town photographer and the man responsible for Talya and Paul’s gorgeous pictures today. His images are always bathed in heavenly light, like the whole wedding took place at so-called golden hour, or in a blissful scene from a Hollywood movie. And today, Gavin’s style is the perfect complement to the elegantly woodsy style of the wedding, which is both delicate and rustic, with textures like moss, timber, bark and bloom. And have I mentioned how much I love Jewish weddings? The reveal of the bride, the Chuppah ceremony (made even more special here because the groom made the Chuppah himself) and all that joyous dancing. It all wraps up into a celebration that’s part earth-bound, part heaven-sent, totally lovely.Read More

Real Wedding at The Farmhouse Hotel {Leigh & Andrew}

by gaby

Sometimes weddings are like London buses – I went for ages without a lovely beach wedding to share, and now I have two in a row! Well, no complaints from me, as I absolutely adore a toes-in-the-sand, head-in-the-clouds, chilled out beach do and today’s wedding is one of the most chilled I have ever come across. And you guys, an ombre wedding dress. Seriously, I LOVE. Leigh and Andrew are the picture of Cape Town surfey gorgeousness, and their love story had so much to do with Langebaan that they couldn’t help but decide to get married in this special seaside town. They chose a super fun palette of turquoise with a pop of colour-of-the-moment neon, which not only worked with their wedding style but reflected their complementary personalities. My dear friend Monica Dart was there as the photographer, to capture all the life and movement and colour, as only she can. What a lovely wedding.Read More