Category: Real Weddings

Real Garden Wedding {Bridget & Glenn}

by gaby

Get ready to start your day with a burst of colour, because I am bringing you such a lovely wedding full of it this morning! You know, as much as I love a formal wedding with classic, subdued decor, I can’t help but smile wide when I come across one that is built for joy. There’s such exuberance in every corner of Bridget and Glenn’s garden wedding – paper windmills, miles of bunting, dozens of mismatched vases and flowers of every kind, ably captured by the lovely husband and wife team of Knot Just Pics. But then, that kind of joy is at the centre of Bridget and Glenn’s relationship – printed on the back of their programmes was this wonderful quote, which Bridget says is just what went through her mind the first time she noticed Glenn with his two little girls and a huge, amazing smile: “Then he smiled. It was the biggest smile she’d ever seen. It was radiant and suffused with an irrepressible good humour. She looked into that prodigious smile and a strange feeling took hold of her. She smiled back at him, despite herself and felt a rush of well being, an indefinable but overwhelming sanguine cheerfulness. Things will turn out right the voice of her heart said to her. Everything will be alright. She knew, that no man who smiled with so much of his heart would knowingly hurt or harm another.” (From Shantaram) See? I love this couple already.Read More

Real Wedding at De Uijlenes {Nadine & Alan}

by gaby

I have such a special wedding to share with you today! We hear a lot about ‘boho’ weddings, but today’s bride and groom really embody the bohemian life, and not just because the bride wore a flower crown on her big day. When they tired of the corporate world and wanted more freedom, they started their own business creating the most beautiful lasercut lights. Groom Alan is also a skateboarder, and spends the rest of his time skating or filming for skate videos and magazines. Nadine signs all her emails ‘love and light’, and that’s exactly the feeling I have when I look at their INCREDIBLE photos from Love Made Visible. Bex and Bruce have outdone themselves with their gentle documentary style that always captures the amazing emotion of a wedding day, and there’s so much love and joy throughout Nadine and Alan’s forest ceremony and eco chic reception. I love that they did things a little differently, with sack and egg & spoon races instead of throwing the garter and bouquet, and ended their night with their guests around the fire, singing and playing the guitar. Get ready for loveliness!Read More

Real Wedding at Rockhaven {Marené & Jaco}

by gaby

Who’d be a matchmaker, eh? For the most part, introducing two friends is a disaster. Sometimes it works but mostly it doesn’t, and there’s always the risk that your friend will feel that the person you choose for them shows how little you know them at all. It’s certainly never been my forté, but the hero of today’s wedding story is a guy who really did know a friend well enough to spot the woman of his dreams when he met her, and to introduce them. Impressive. And hey presto! Just a few years later, you have this beautiful wedding, complete with proteas and bicycles and general awesomeness. I love the chalkboard details (especially the place mats) and the printed words-as-decor runners, the soft pink bridesmaid dresses, and the bicycle boutonnieres. And I’m especially in love with Catherine Mac‘s beautiful pictures, which as always really capture the essence of the day and the couple in glorious colour!Read More

Real Wedding at the Santé Winelands Hotel {Annemarie & Rhys}

by gaby

Afternoon, lovelies! What a busy week it has been, but there’s still time to share this wonderful wedding that I’ve been so looking forward to bringing to SBB’s pages. Annemarie might be one of my favourite brides – she has been such a star in getting me her story and favourite pics from her wedding. But not just that – I adore her taste. For one thing, she wore one of the most spectacular (pink) dresses I’ve yet seen (with a gorgeous lace top for the ceremony) and accessorised it with an exquisite statement necklace that, get this, she designed and made herself. What makes this detail extra special is that this was the beginning of a new journey for Rhys and Annemarie, who now own their own jewellery shop in Franschhoek. Talk about a personal detail! I also just love her floral design, and the inclusion of white candy Easter eggs on the tables to celebrate the season in a subtle and incredibly pretty way. It’s an absolute treat, not least because of the amazing pictures by SBB fave Vivid Blue Photography. Sigh. I do love weddings.Read More

Real Wedding at Bushfellows {Carol & Joggie}

by gaby

Hello lovelies! I have an exciting announcement coming up this afternoon, but first, here’s a sweet little game lodge wedding from Gauteng photographer Alexander Smith. Carol and Joggie were married at Bushfellows, a private lodge in Limpopo. They chose to enjoy the simple beauty of their natural surroundings, with long tables, Italian food, and classic white wedding details including menus printed on their napkins and lanterns swaying gently in the breeze. We don’t have our usual questionnaire today, but make sure you check out the video at the end (also from Alexander), which is a super fun roundup from Carol and Joggie’s photobooth – this is my absolute favourite way for photobooth pics to be ‘displayed’!Read More

Real Wedding at De Hoop Nature Reserve {El-Ray & Tinus}

by gaby

Time for another real wedding, folks! This one comes from SBB friend and sponsor Dreampix Photography. If there are two things I’m a great big fan of it’s the colour navy and an outdoor wedding. Even more so when that outdoor wedding has an ‘indoor outdoor’ feel – a transfer of elegant indoor (ballroom) decor like chandeliers and checked dancefloor to an outdoor space under the trees. There’s something so romantic about that, like a table for two set up on a beach, or sleeping under the stars, don’t you think? Tinus and El-Ray had both of these elements in their De Hoop Nature Reserve wedding, and they came together beautifully. I also love that they had games for guests in a scenic drinks reception after the ceremony – so fun! Thanks to Kobus of Dreampix for sending this one over. Oh, and PS, it’s clearly fun nailpolish day here on SBB – loving the navy on the bridesmaids!Read More

Real Wedding at The Cowshed {MoniQue & Nico}

by gaby

Good morning, friends! How’s the week treating you all? Well, either way, it’s about to get a little better with a beautiful farm wedding at a venue I have been dying to feature, The Cowshed – talk about rustic goodness! Bride MoniQue was actually first in touch a few months back when I put out a call for new Real Life Brides. Her wedding was too soon to include in the programme, but I was intrigued when she told me all about her custom, soft grey dress and vintage farm theme. Well, both dress and wedding turned out beyond beautiful, so I just had to share them with you here today! This is South African country vintage done right, with lots of heirloom pieces woven into the decor, pretty proteas (I LOVE how each bouquet was a little different), and a romantic ceremony under a tree. Just lovely. Photographer Kim Jansen van Rensburg was there to capture every special moment.Read More

Elegant African Themed Wedding at Hilton Country Estate by Vanilla Photography

by gaby

Protea & Rose Bridesmaid Bouquet

My love for the South African bushveld is not undocumented – in fact, I’m pretty sure I tell you all how much I lurve it every time I feature a bush wedding on the blog. But it’s a love that runs deep – so deep, in fact, that it was my dad’s major complaint about my last boyfriend. How could you really love me, he reasoned, if you didn’t love the bushveld? Ten points, Dad. So I really appreciate a couple who not only shares this feeling of mine but who, even when not getting married at a game lodge, managed to infuse their wedding with some of the same vibe. For Jill and Mike’s marquee wedding, their african wedding theme was brought in through cheeky touches – wooden giraffes on the tables, animal print bridesmaid dresses (it sounds wrong, but it looked oh so right!), succulents and beautiful protea bouquets. But this was no cheesy safari-themed event – with the elegant backdrop of the Hilton estate and an outdoor marquee, a chic updo and layers of tulle for the bride and a gentle palette of black and white with soft pinks and greens, this is every bit the classic formal wedding. It’s a delicious combination pulled off perfectly, and photographed perfectly by Vanilla Photography. Oh, and can we get a shout out to some awesome groom styling – loving Mike’s gingham tie!

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Real Wedding at Isiphiwo {Mankoana & Nzuzo}

by gaby

I do love me a good theme wedding, and as South African wedding themes go, today’s might be the coolest. For our overseas readers who don’t know, Sophiatown was an area of Johannesburg that was ultimately destroyed under apartheid, but that in the 1940s and 1950s was a cultural hub for musicians, writers and artists, full of of jazz and blues and politics and colour. Something like 1920s Harlem. Mankoana and Nzuzo wanted to bring that same colour and energy to their wedding (while still maintaining an elegant, sophisticated overall look), so they included punches of bright pinks and purples as well as music and dancing. It must have been SO FUN! As with all my best weddings, it’s all about a couple who finds a way to express who they are and have a great time with their guests. Love it. Andrea Carlyle was there to capture every lovely moment (and an extremely gorgeous bride and groom) with her camera.Read More

Real Winelands Wedding {Lizaan & Michael}

by gaby

Home is where the heart is, they say, and as a South African who’s been living abroad for many years I can tell you that’s certainly true. So I always love seeing South Africans who have chosen to make their lives elsewhere coming home for their wedding (as most of us do) – not just because our world class wedding industry makes it possible to have an amazing wedding for less than where they live usually, but because it reaffirms that bond with home, and brings visitors who fall in love with our beautiful country for the first time. Bride Lizaan is one of our most talented exports – the daughter of a Springbok rugby player and South African hurdle champion who represented SA as a pro tennis player. Groom Michael is also a talented sportsman, a PE boy who played rugby for the Italian national Sevens team. Together, they have made their lives in Australia, but came home for their wedding. And you guys, what a wedding it was. I am just going to Mosby it upfront and declare that I LOVE IT. The lovely rustic winelands setting (Ernie Else winery, which isn’t normally available for weddings), the slightly boho bridal party, the outdoor tables under the trees in the sunshine… Not to mention Maree Louw of Natural Light‘s magical photos, which capture all the golden ambience of a Cape summer afternoon. As I say, LOVE IT.Read More