Category: Cape Weddings

Real Wedding at D’Aria {Grethe & Alex}

by gaby

Happy days, friends! Ever since rainbow weddings became a thing, I’ve been patiently waiting for a brave South African bride to put her stamp on it, and today is the day. Yay. And seriously, if I had been giving someone advice for pulling off this colourful, bold look without making it tacky or like a children’s party, I couldn’t have explained it better than the way bride Grethe put her design together. There are lovely pops of colour everywhere – in the flowers, in the ribbon-backed chairs (a room full of them – I am in LOVE!), in the cocktails, even in the cake (so cool that it had a plain white outside and a surprise inside!). But it isn’t too much. In fact, the bridesmaids are in a sober navy (sober, but very, very pretty with their lace backs and gold belts) and with the bride’s beautiful, classic Elizabeth Stockenström dress and her handsome groom, the look says 100% wedding. Look out for tons of clever touches – the fun way the church flowers are displayed, the braai plank favours, the custom linen binding for the ceremony. And Bernard Bravenboer was there to capture it all to perfection!Read More

Real Wedding at Rustenberg {Nicolene & Greeff}

by gaby

There’s a thought that’s been brewing for a while now, and I’m just going to say it. It’s about bridesmaid dresses. Not, probably, what you’d consider one of the more important expenses for your wedding. Maybe not even something you think deserves a lot of thought. But I’ve got to tell you ladies, as someone who looks at dozens of weddings every day, it’s something that (when done well) stands out every time. Just think about how many bridesmaid pictures you’ve repinned on Pinterest. The bridesmaids – in colour and style – can encapsulate or complement the wedding look or colour scheme, and your favourite girls make for an amazing set of pictures for the album. You don’t have to spend a fortune, especially with the mismatched trends of today, but do take some time to get this look right (and tell the hubs that yes, it IS important you spend another hour on ASOS). Take today’s wedding, for example. You have a beautiful, radiant bride. Pretty as a picture florals, some lovely stationery, a stunning garden venue. It would already be a fabulous wedding. But completing the picture is a bevvy of bridesmaids in the loveliest neutral lace dresses and mix and match hairstyles. They look awesome, and that, in my book, is money and time well spent. So don’t be shy about treating your besties to a gown that they’ll feel amazing in (and that will complement your own look) – just make sure that, like Celeste Prince of Aglow Photography, today’s brilliant photographer, yours gets plenty of pictures of all of you having fun together!Read More

Real Wedding at Blaauwklippen {Janna & Nathan}

by gaby

I have to tell you guys, I LOVE reading your love stories. I never get tired of it. And what amazes me is that each one is unique and different and special, like fingerprints or snowflakes. Some really put a big goofy smile on my face, and that was the case with today’s bride and groom. It’s not just the fact that Janna came to South Africa for adventure and found love, or that her groom Nathan is one of the most romantic guys I’ve come across with a real talent for creating moments straight out of a movie. I think it’s that, when you look at the beautiful pictures Charlene Schreuder captured of their big day, and you see them laughing together, completely caught up in the moment and in their happiness, you can’t help but feel a little part of that glow. And that’s really what their reception seems to do – to glow – from the light over the mountains at golden hour, to the fairy lights surrounding their garden courtyard reception. Goofy smiles at the ready? Go.Read More

Real Wedding at Hidden Valley {Chris & Richard}

by gaby

I’m blogging this wedding with such a huge smile on my face. It’s not just because of the modern, innovative styling I’m about to show you, or the fact that it works perfectly in a classic Cape winelands setting (how I hope this inspires other couples!). It’s not even because so much of the wedding was DIY, or because the grooms planned it faultlessly from abroad according to their vision, or because the venue was a surprise (!) or because it had clever personal details that reflected their mixed Australian and South African heritages. It’s because every time I look at the smiles of these two boys, and the smiles of everyone at their wedding, it makes me happy. So much love. And when love comes in a gorgeous package… well, that’s just fabulous. Wesley Vorster was there to capture every chic masculine detail, from the large exposed lightbulbs (obsessed) to the fab typographic stationery on kraft paper, to the abundant proteas in vintage glass bottles, to the sleek suits worthy of the best Italian tailor. I’ve been dying to share this one with you, and I hope you love every bit of it as much as I do!Read More

Real Wedding at Tanglewood {Emma & Bruce}

by gaby

You can say what you will about the stress and strain of planning a wedding, but the truth is that for many brides, it’s such a happy time where they’re not just planning a marriage, but getting the opportunity to do something creative and make something beautiful from scratch. So it’s no wonder that so many fall in love with the wedding industry and go on to get involved professionally. Today’s bride (and her mum) came down with wedding fever that lasted long after the vows. What to do? Well, start a planning business, of course! I think this is so lovely, and wish them every success – you can find them online now at Whispers of May. That is, after you’ve spent some happy minutes looking through Veronique Photography‘s gorgeous captures of the big day, in soft pastels that make my heart sing. And the bride’s SHOES? Oh Badgley, I die.Read More

Real Wedding at Rockhaven {Liana & Chris}

by gaby

It’s a very special day here on SouthBound Bride when we get to share the wedding of one of our friends, and I feel like that’s what today’s bride has become. Not just to me, but to all of us who have followed along with her story through our Real Life Bride series. Liana’s been our ‘bride abroad’, planning her South African wedding from Europe as so many of you do, gathering inspiration from some of our home country’s top suppliers and dreaming up the perfect mix of rustic and classic wedding loveliness. I’ve been dying to see her beautiful pictures from the fab dna photographers – they were just as heartfelt and lovely as I was expecting, and now I finally get to share them with you! Vair, vair exciting. So here we go! And just in case you missed any of it, you can follow Liana’s complete wedding journey right here.Read More

Real Garden Wedding {Kerry & Adam}

by gaby

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times. I love details at weddings (make that LOVE in capital letters) but the details that really light up a wedding are the ones that come from the heart. Well, today’s wedding is ALL about personal significance. From the ceremony venue (a labyrinth built by the bride’s grandfather in her family garden – how amazing is that?) to a beautiful bouquet ceremony, to an intimate picnic dinner, it’s chock-full of ideas that were thought out for their significance and connection to family and friends. I can only imagine what a wonderful, memorable celebration it must have been, but luckily we have Lauren Kriedemann‘s gorgeous pics to inspire us. Ah garden weddings! How I do love them!Read More

Real Wedding at Vrede en Lust {Rienne & Johan}

by gaby

Get ready, friends. Some of you are about to have a new favourite wedding to inspire you. You’re definitely about to wear out your Pin It button, or fall in love with a whole new colour scheme. I know I have. But back to the beginning… Today’s wedding is the marriage of two winemakers, one from Australia and one from South Africa, who met in California (love it!). I’m honoured that Rienne chose her husband’s homeland (and mine) as the venue for their wedding because of the love Johan has for South Africa, and Vrede en Lust rewarded them with incredible views and a light, bright, contemporary classic appeal. Which their decor more than did justice to. Long hessian/burlap runners, coloured glassware, a base of purples, blues and neutrals accented with spectacular pops of green, orange and yellow. Wow. Giant balloons. Little coloured eggs as favours. Oh, the list goes on! The spectacular Catherine Mac did an amazing job as always capturing every detail, from Rienne’s drop dead gorgeous lace detail dress to the happiness radiating between bride and groom. As a sign at the reception said, this truly was “made with love”.Read More

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