Category: Weddings by Type

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

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