Category: Weddings by Location

Real Wedding at Bushfellows {Maxine & Frans}

by gaby

You people bring me such joy, you know, with your clever weddings! Over here in the UK, or when I’m speaking to American friends, people are always saying “South Africans have seriously beautiful weddings, and you’re not afraid to take risks and do something different”. They’re right, and I absolutely love that. It’s what made me start this blog in the first place. I love that I get to feature everything from incredibly luxurious, elegant affairs with the finest of everything through to relaxed celebrations on the beach, or in someone’s back yard. They all bring something new to the table. Take, for example, today’s wedding at Bushfellows in Limpopo. Maxine and Frans are a couple of free spirits, who wanted to have an amazing party with their friends and capture that perpetually laid-back African beach bar vibe, but in the bush. Just the concept of that is so cool – I mean, how much fun would that wedding be, right? And then of course, there’s the execution: bridesmaids in flower crowns and sundresses with individual bouquets (yay!), a beautiful bride in the most fun dress ever (lovingly made by her mother), mismatched florals, colourful tables under flower awnings, and a pinata instead of a wedding cake. No seriously, a pinata. That is the awesomest. And they gave new meaning to the term ‘barefoot wedding’ when they took all their guests’ shoes as an ‘entrance fee’ (to give to charity) – with socks as favours in case of cold feet! I absolutely love these pictures from friend of the blog Simone Franzel – she’s done an amazing job of capturing such a special day and it was so hard to narrow them down. This is really going to get your Wednesday off to a blazing start, so buckle up, and enjoy the ride!Read More

Real Wedding at Villa Luna {Cheree & Mitchell}

by gaby

I have something quite different for you today. As you know, I absolutely love and admire the South African wedding photography community and am so lucky to showcase their work on a daily basis, but of course, as I spend so much time on international blogs, there are some international photographers whose work I have come to be in awe of. Some are what I’d consider the really big hitters – many of you will be able to guess the kind of names I’m thinking of, and one of these is Jonas Peterson. A photographer whose work I respect for its uniqueness of perspective as well as richness of narrative and emotion, Jonas is based in Australia (although he shoots many destination weddings) and has been named one of the Top 10 wedding photographers in the world. He’s a big inspiration not just to me, but to many photographers, and in fact taught a workshop in Cape Town a while back. But I didn’t think I’d ever actually be able to share one of his weddings on SBB – after all, we only feature South African weddings on these pages, and Jonas’ work is very much in demand in the blogging community. So as you can imagine, when the opportunity arose for me to do so, I leapt at it! Last week, Jonas took the unusual step of offering up his latest wedding (which is actually a special two-parter in both Sydney and Cape Town) to bloggers on a non-exclusive basis, and when I found this out on my weekly blog hop, I got straight on the email to ask if SBB could be a part of it. I was thrilled to get a ‘yes’. So here we go: no info from the bride and groom, and no patter from me on the wedding details, just the chance to revel in some astonishingly beautiful pictures. For me, they really capture the wildness and the grandeur of the Cape scenery, and those gorgeous radiant shadows round the mountains as the sun begins to set. Take a deep breath, and dive in.Read More

Real Wedding at Red Ivory Lodge {Franita & Peter}

by gaby

Good morning, SouthBound Brides! We’re ending our run of real weddings for the week with a super fun vintagey circus-inspired affair in regal shades of purple. How fun is that? The couple – whose motto is to have fun – went all out with an elephant motif, custom stationery combining their family crests and oodles of cute details. I’ll bet their guests had the biggest smiles on their faces all night – as did the bride and groom, as you can clearly see in the beautiful pics by fab Joburg photographer Quentin Mills.Read More

Real Wedding at Delsma Farm {Leandri & Andries}

by gaby

There’s nothing sweeter than a girl-meets-boy-next-door-story, is there? Well today’s couple are literally the boy and girl next door (or across a park anyway), who first fell in love on the swing set and married fifteen years later. So adorable! I just love their pretty wedding, and the bride’s relaxed attitude about it being a rainy day is something anyone could learn from! But I think my favourite thing about their Delsma Farm wedding (or the decor, anyway) is that it’s such a fun twist on the shabby chic decor we’ve seen a lot of this season. It has the main ingredients: mismatched florals, proteas, books tied together with lace, striped tablecloths; but translated into a yellow and grey colour scheme it’s completely fresh. It just shows that you can take a style and really make it your own, be playful with colour, and that adopting a style doesn’t have to just mean one thing. The beautiful pictures full of light were taken by awesome Adene Photography.Read More

Real Wedding at Beloftebos {Mareli & Grant}

by gaby

I’ve tried to write this intro a bunch of times, to describe an amazing couple who embody the joy and wisdom of ‘seize the day’ and whose ceremony was so heartwarming that their photographer, Charlene Schreuder, admitted it brought a tear to her eye. But the truth is, Charlene’s incredible pictures tell the story better than I can – and they moved me to happy tears too. This is one wedding you should read every word of, and soak in. It teaches something. Because it’s pretty, but it’s also the reason weddings were invented: a celebration of the strength and wonder of love.Read More

Real Wedding at Ivory Tree Lodge {Claire & Andrew}

by gaby

Today’s wedding is special to me in so many ways. First of all, the bride and groom happen to be dear friends – Claire is another of my Minerva girls, from our time at varsity. She’s one of the most strikingly beautiful women I know, and she also happens to be lovely and whip smart – someone whose opinion I really value. She and Andrew returned to SA from their home in Singapore for their Pilanesberg wedding (I was also lucky enough to attend), which was seriously so much fun. I think one of the things that really struck me was how well it flowed – from the ceremony looking out over the breathtaking African bush (so much in the wild, in fact, that we had rangers patrolling the perimeter with guns throughout) and the sundowners which followed (such a wow moment), to the canapés on the lawn, to dinner and speeches and then a long session on the dancefloor, everyone was moved on quickly and unobtrusively, and it really contributed to the success of the day I thought. Another thing was the entertainment – they had a choir for the ceremony, bagpipers and a drummer throughout (including the dancefloor!) and a sax player for the reception. The pipe and drum were from Transvaal Scottish, which was my grandpa’s regiment in WW2, and since I inherited my love of the wild from him too, it was particularly special for me. So all in all, one of my all-time-favourite weddings! Andrea Carlyle was there to take the gorgeous pics (and to listen to my friends and I talk nonsense in the jeep while we chased a lion sighting on the way to the reception!). And stay tuned, because in a very short while I’ll be sharing Claire and Andrew’s video (with a very brief spot-the-Gaby cameo appearance from me!).Read More

Real Farm Wedding {Mariaan & Johnnie}

by gaby

They say when you know you know, and that must have been true for Johnny, who first fell for Mariaan when they were children! So cute. This pair of barefoot farm kids grew up to be free-spirited adults, and threw a laid back country wedding that had a touch of carnival celebration. I LOVE that they used what they had, and this turned into fruit on the tables instead of flowers (Johnnie is in the fruit business), barrows and crates full of fynbos, and what is without doubt my favourite bar of all time. I also love the boho flowergirls and the little pageboys in top hats! The relaxed vibe was perfectly captured by Carmen Visser, who’s been kind enough to share her beautiful pictures with us today. A farm wedding is actually super appropriate for me today, since I’ll be spending it styling a special inspiration shoot in a farm setting – hold thumbs for me that we get some unseasonably fine weather!Read More

Real Wedding at Fairhill Lodge {Gina & Ben}

by gaby

If you caught my ‘Inspiration Board revisited’ post on Saturday, you’ll be as excited as I am to see Gina and Ben’s fabulous Moroccan-style wedding. I absolutely loved how Gina pulled everything together (and talk about handmade – this is what happens when a talented artist does DIY!) in a way that was a classy nod to all things North African, without being completely over-the-top or costume party. If you’re considering a theme for your wedding, you could really take a page out of her book. My absolute favourite detail is the tiles she used (and made!) as runners, with the same motif repeated on her invitations and cake. The white tiles look amazing under the silverware, and the pops of colour in the flowers and candles are just mesmerising. I also adore the colour scheme in general, and Gina’s striking mantilla veil (not to mention her dress – LOVE the texturing!). The venue (Fairhill Lodge) is quite classic, but with low tables, floating candles in the water feature and some hanging lanterns, it’s transformed into a Moroccan fantasyland. What a pleasure to feature it here today, and even more so since I’m sharing Bernard Bravenboer‘s bewitching photographs of Gina and Ben’s big day. Enjoy! Oh, and PS, if you have the same theme in mind, don’t forget to check out our feature on Moroccan-themed wedding details.Read More

Real Wedding at Fynbos Golf & Country Estate {Sharné & Ryan}

by gaby

Good morning, lovelies! Today, we’re transported to the forests of Tsitsikamma for a really lovely, heartfelt wedding. I wish I could have shared Sharné and Ryan’s whole questionnaire, because there were SO many details and special moments and thought put into everything, and the way they write about each other and their day is just so beautiful. It’s clear that it was not just the party of a lifetime (no surprise, with Sharné in PR!) but a day that they’d poured their heart and soul into. Everything, from their vows to Ryan’s amazing speech, to the videos they prepared for the reception, was meaningful, and that created an atmosphere of love for all their guests. Sharné summed it up best when I asked her favourite thing about the day: “I loved the way I felt in my heart… I was genuinely happy and felt so much love! I was so calm and confident with the man I have chosen. I was so ready for this! And this is what made me get goosebumps the entire day!” Ah! These two are just so adorable, and I’m so excited to share their gorgeous pics, courtesy of PE photographer Niki M.Read More

Real Wedding at Morrell’s {Michelle & Grant}

by gaby

Just like relationships, I love that weddings come in all shapes and sizes. Most of my friends have chosen to have the traditional 100-120 person wedding, some have gone smaller, one couple eloped just the two of them while travelling in New Zealand, and one had two weddings when family illness meant they had to push the ceremony forward by some months. Each wedding was perfect for the couple it honoured, their history and preferences and circumstances, just like the marriages they heralded. And I think that’s an important part of the wedding planning process – figuring out what’s right for the two of you. Today’s couple followed a non-traditional route, with a tiny elopement followed by a joyful party with their extended circle, and just like my friend with two weddings, it allowed them to really relax and enjoy their second party with their favourite people. Grant and Michelle were inspired by their lovely venue, Morrells, and took their cue from the decor for their colours and theme – another great tip for anyone just setting out on their planning journey! The result is a beautiful wedding with a bit of a vintage French/secret garden vibe, and comes complete with the sort of personal touches you know I love! The couple’s stunning, intimate pictures were taken by Schantel of Kiekie Photography.Read More