Category: Vineyard Weddings

Real Wedding at Rhebokskloof {Laura & Bradley}

by gaby

So what happens when your uncle is one of the most famous and celebrated designers in South Africa and you’re planning your wedding? Well, you ask him to design you a dress, of course. This was the fortunate position today’s gorgeous bride was in, and not only is her Errol Arendz wedding dress stunning, but it shows off all her best features – she’s definitely putting the haute in haute couture! Beyond that, I also love that Laura and the dapper Bradley chose to have a classically elegant white wedding at Rhebokskloof, with a beautiful tent, touches of silver and glass and an extravagance of white roses. This is certainly a style that won’t date, and their images (gracefully shot by Veronique Norval) will no doubt still look as fresh in twenty years as they do today. Sigh. I do love a classic.Read More

Real Wedding at Grand Dedale {Catherine & Mark}

by gaby

One of the things I love about SouthBound Bride being a destination wedding blog, is that I’m not limited to a particular aesthetic in the weddings I feature. Which suits me perfectly, since I have pretty eclectic tastes myself. I’ve featured beautiful vintage weddings, boho beachy celebrations, African-tastic bush scenes, city slickers, even themed weddings. I adore them all. Today’s wedding doesn’t fit into a particular mould – it’s set in the beautiful Cape countryside but has elements of classy city minimalism; it’s elegant and sophisticated, but with fun touches like fresh oyster shucking and a pimped up dessert table. And all of this within the most gorgeous white on white palette. It’s quintessentially Capetonian, and no surprise that it’s been so perfectly rendered, since it was co-ordinated by the awesome team at Wedding Concepts and photographed by Jan-Hendrik. I know you’re going to love it as much as I do!Read More

English Country Style Beaumont Wines Wedding by Glee Photography {Nombuso & James}

by gaby

As a wedding blogger, it’s sometimes a bit of an odd experience going through someone else’s wedding pictures. The ones I tend to leave out (when I’ve been sent a full set) are the family shots, pictures of the guests, dancefloor pics. Those are personal pics, not really for a blog, but they do give me an amazing insight into a couple. And let me tell you, Nombuso and James have a lot of love around them, not to mention friends and family that really know how to party! There’s so much joy and good feeling and even pride on every guest’s face, that you just know what an awesome couple they are. Of course, that’s not the only reason I love this wedding at Beaumont Wines. I’m a big fan of the English country style they’ve employed in neutrals, with little pops of pastel and raspberry pink. I’m a big fan of their adorable cake, their old fashioned jars of sweets for favours, their hessian (burlap) bunting. The haybale seating at the ceremony (so cute!). The cool lanterns on their dancefloor (what a lovely alternative to the large round lanterns we usually see.) The bride’s shoes – how I do love those Westwoods! All in all, it’s a truly lovely wedding, perfectly captured by Glee Photography – enjoy!Read More

Real Wedding at Molenvliet {Liesl & Andrew}

by gaby

I’m very excited to showcase today’s wedding. It comes from one of our industry favourites – the always creative and inspirational Aleit Group, and the styling is seriously cool (not to mention the gorgeous pics by the incredible Jean Pierre Uys). I mentioned Delft a couple of weeks ago as an element I have found interesting recently – well, this wedding used it as a motif throughout. Think place settings, origami menus, cookies and (OMG I die for this) even a Delft-patterned dancefloor! That said, the theme is never tacky or overdone, it just blends in beautifully with the winelands venue (Molenvliet) and the safari-inspired details. Another element that must be mentioned is the aisle – how cool is this one? I’ve never seen anything quite like it, and I’m in love! Yet another reason I am loving this wedding though, is Liesl and Andrew’s super cute story, which includes one of the most romantic proposals ever (I just wish I had space to include the whole thing!). She was a South African girl who finished up her education at boarding school in the UK, he was a born-and-bred Brit. Then somehow, after studying in London and Nottingham respectively, they both landed up in London getting started in their careers in accountancy. And so it began…Read More

Real Wedding at Kronenburg {Carla & Johann}

by gaby

Good morning, SouthBound Brides! Today’s wedding at Kronenburg has been waiting in our vaults to come out and play with you for a little while, and I can’t wait to share it with you. Think proteas, for one thing. Lots and lots of very luscious proteas. Proteas as favours even – how good is that? Carla and Johann have paired them with the most gorgeous shade of sage green, which is so elegant and really makes the flowers pop (not to mention looks gorgeous on the bridesmaids). One of my very favourite details is the way that on the tables, boards wrapped in wallpaper are used to create a base for the centrepieces – it really adds visual interest and texture, and is such a simple DIY! But I think my favourite thing about this wedding (captured in glorious colour and detail by regular SBB contributor, Bernard Bravenboer) is the way that you can see that laughter is a big part of the bride and groom’s relationship – just look at the irrepressible smiles on their faces! And, as somebody called August Wilson once said: “All you need in life is love and laughter. That’s all anybody needs. To have love in one hand and laughter in the other.” Baie geluk, you two! I hope that sense of joy always stays with you in your marriage.Read More

Real Wedding at Glen Carlou {Rochelle & Henry-John}

by gaby

So a couple of weeks ago, I got behind the idea of a brunch wedding, and you guys have been loving it. I think one of the reasons is that it offers an alternative to a full scale canapes-cocktails-sit-down-meal-dance-all-night reception (much as I love them), and that can be a great thing not just for budget reasons, but also for brides and grooms who are hosting on a Sunday and don’t want to send their guests home drunk on a school night, or want to make use of a venue that wouldn’t cater to an evening crowd, or just want a different sort of vibe. Brunch is one option, but today’s bride and groom got creative and decided to host a high tea reception for their party. Not only did the two chocoholics get to serve their favourite kind of food (and just check out the spread here), but they also achieved a laid-back daytime vibe at pretty Glen Carlou wine estate. Guests didn’t have to worry about formal table settings, but could sit and chat with their goodies at a number of smaller tables and other seating areas. It’s all so civilised. And it doesn’t hurt that Rochelle and Henry-John played up the pretty high tea inspiration using details like a ‘tree’ of hanging teacups to complement their black and white colour scheme. I’m all about making it your day, your way, and this is one couple who lived that philosophy completely. The lovely Taryn Ward was there to take pictures.Read More

Real Wedding at Zorgvliet {Suzanne & Jason}

by gaby

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream! Colour schemes, that is (ice cream scheme? try saying that after a couple of martinis). I’ve been hearing a lot recently about ice cream colours, and I absolutely love the idea of combining soft pastels for a colourful but gentle palette. Today’s bride is totally bringing it, and shows you exactly how this look is done in a way that is classy and elegant, as befits her beautiful wine farm venue (Zorgvliet). Mismatched bridesmaids dresses? She’s managed to find six that couldn’t look better together, except that she also matched them up with adorable shoes. Stunning florals in peach, lilac, violet, coral, cream. Supercute stationery. A beautiful cake. And sweet little touches like candy-striped pink toffee favours, and burlap texturing on the place settings. It is SERIOUSLY pretty, and I can’t wait to share it! So here we go… (Psst! This wedding also sees a welcome return to SBB for talented documentary photographers, Love Made Visible. Always awesome to have you guys here!)Read More

Real Wedding at Rustenberg Estate {Stacey & Greg}

by gaby

There’s just something about a garden in summer, isn’t there? I came back from South Africa to find my housemate and his mum had been hard at work and ours looks amazing, all lush and green and dappled in sunlight. And in the evenings (which are long), it’s the perfect place to sit with a glass of wine and some dear friends and talk until it’s dark. Stacey and Greg’s Rustenberg Estate garden wedding captures that feeling, and turns it into the most gorgeous mixture of elegance and romance. I’m in love with the way that they mixed fruit and flowers on their table in beautiful platters and vases (all the different heights and textures are such a feast for the eyes!) and I’m in LOVE with the way that the amazing Lauren Kriedemann has so beautifully captured every last detail – I feel like I could step into these photographs, hear the laughter and chatter around the koi pond, smell the roses, taste the wine. Enchanting, intoxicating. I may have gone a little overboard on the pics, but there was just too much pretty to cut down! PS This was only the second event at Rustenberg Estate, a must-check-out new venue in Stellenbosch. Oh, and PPS future Cape brides: Stacey and her friend have just set up a new event lighting company called Let’s Get Lavish, so head over to their Facebook page to find out more. Read More

Real Wedding at Bon Cap {Marelize & Valerio}

by gaby

You know how sometimes in life there’s a theme tune for a particular moment? Well, the theme from Love Boat is totally playing for me right now… “Loooove, exciting and new…” (didn’t you just LOVE Love Boat? My housemates and I used to watch reruns at lunchtime when we were at varsity. Shutup, I said REruns. I’m not that old.) Anyway, today’s adorable couple met on board a cruise ship they were both working on. How romantic is that? She’s an Afrikaans girl, he’s an Italian boy – and there they are meeting in the middle of the ocean. Not to mention that when I read their proposal story, I was so picturing the staircase scene in Titanic. Sigh. And romantic is exactly what their wedding was – Marelize decided to use black and white as her colours and black lace as her accent (I know some of you are planning to do the same, so you will love what she’s done here). And get this, her mom MADE her dress. How special is that? All the pictures were taken by Andre & Selma of Expressions Photography, and I think they’ve done a great job capturing the couple’s exuberance at joining their lives together, across two continents and three languages. Oh, and PS, I love that Marelize and her girls got ready at the Worcester Art Gallery – what an unusual backdrop!Read More

Real Wedding at Clouds Estate {Ine & Riaan}

by gaby

Attitude, baby. It’s all about attitude. In life, in work – even in weddings. The truth is (and I need to remind myself of this a LOT), that there’s a limited amount of control you have over the material you have to work with every day, but the one thing you always have control over is how you deal with it. I don’t know today’s bride, but I feel like she gets that. She planned her Clouds Estate wedding herself (with lots of help from friends and family) and put a lot of thought and effort into the perfectly pink details (how much do I love the Mr and Mrs style favours?). But on the day, she let it all go and spent her day basking in marrying her husband and spending time with all the people she loves. You just need to take one look at her radiant smile in these absolutely gorgeous photos by Lauren Kriedemann to know that kind of attitude was working for her, and then some! So even if you usually skip the text, make sure you read it today, because Iné really has some great, down-to-earth advice!Read More