Category: Weddings by Location

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

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