We’re off to sunny climes for our afternoon adventure today. And my goodness, are you about to be swept up in a tropical bohemian haze of beautiful dresses, chic accessories and a dreamy location. If I were to be shipwrecked, I think I’d be quite happy as long as I also had a treasure chest full of BHLDN wedding and bridesmaid dresses to dress up and frolic about in! Head over to the BHLDN website to check out their full collection of dresses – although be ready to spend some time there, as each one of their collection is more swoony than the last. I can’t WAIT to see these on real brides.Read More
As someone who has been reading answers to the bride’s advice portion of our questionnaire here on SBB for three years, it’s no surprise that there are certain themes that emerge. One that I have heard over and over again is from brides who either booked a videographer last minute and were so glad they did, or decided to forgo the video and now regret it. While wedding photography is a uniquely intimate way of keeping your memories intact, it’s true that there are some things that it can’t do, such as capture the vows or the speeches. I rarely meet a bride who says it isn’t money well spent. In SA we have a number of incredible, talented videography pros (check them out in our supplier listings) but as brilliant and worth every Rand as they are, I know that professional video is just not in everyone’s wedding budget. A while back, I came across an alternative that had cropped up in the US, and I was really excited to discover that a similar company has now launched in SA. The idea behind uFilm is just that – you (well, your guests) do the filming with cameras that are rented to you for the occasion, and then you simply hand them back and receive a professionally edited final product. Clever, right?
Now, I’m not going to pretend that your friends’ video skills are the same as the pros, any more than I would tell you that a mate with an SLR is better than a professional photographer. But if you’re happy with a bit of a home video feel or you’re on a strict budget, this is a brilliant alternative. It means that you not only get a wedding video, but that it’s hassle free (meaning you won’t have to go through hours of trying to figure out editing software on your laptop), properly put together, and you may even find that guests are more relaxed with someone they know behind the camera. Who knows, you may even find a budding Spielberg at one of your tables. Here’s an example of one of uFilm’s edited videos:
uFilm have a number of packages for weddings and events, and are also able to customise according to your needs. The camcorders they hire out are HD Panasonic and Sony models with a powerful optical zoom, and a lightweight body. Editing takes around three weeks, but a rush service is available.
Hello lovelies, hope you are having a fabulous Friday! You know, there’s a lot to be said for choosing seasonal flowers for your wedding. It’s cheaper, for one. And simpler, of course, than trying to source those flowers you really, really want and having to fly them in from goodness knows where. Not good for your eco karma. But the other thing is that the flowers of the season really do reflect that season, so you’re going to end up with beautiful, natural colours and textures appropriate for the month you get married. And every year, when you see those flowers again, you’ll remember the day you said ‘I do’. Of course, with most weddings in summer, this isn’t so much of a problem for many brides, but winter and early spring weddings are becoming more popular with brave South African brides, and fortunately there are some absolutely gorgeous and unique floral choices that you can make in June, July and August. So get ready to park your dream of peonies and fall in love with winter’s finest!
Afternoon, lovelies! I’m just stopping by to let you know about an exciting feature we have in the works with Luis and Kerry of Piteira Photography. Not only am I a big fan of their gorgeous photography, but this husband and wife team are just the loveliest, and I’m happy to count them as friends. In fact, I’m looking forward to seeing them when they’re working in South Africa this summer wedding season (December/January) and this is where the great news comes in – they have some availability, so if you’re still looking for a wedding photographer over the busy season, you can nab this awesome pair! Their work has been featured all over the place: Style Me Pretty, 100 Layer Cake, Ruffled, Bridal Musings, The Pretty Blog – and of course, right here on SouthBound Bride – so you know you’re in the best hands.
To celebrate their South African trip, Luis and Kerry have offered to step in as our experts for the day. They’ll be answering your questions about wedding photography, posing, light – whatever you’re wondering about. They also planned their own (gorgeous) South African wedding from abroad, so they have awesome insight into planning from afar. So here’s the deal: just leave your question at the end of the post (or on our Facebook page) and we’ll put all the answers together into a special post.
As you all know, I love featuring fabulous South African suppliers, and here’s one I have been meaning to call out for a while, because every time I come across one of Ladies & Gentlemen‘s custom cake toppers I am all, yay adorable! Because they are. The idea is that, instead of plonking some cheesy plastic bride and groom on top of your cake (okay, nobody does that anymore right?) you can have a hand-carved pair that have been painted up to look like you and the hubs. And not just painted – what really gets me about these cake toppers is the detailing and effort that owner Alison Sutcliffe-Smit goes into in recreating the bride’s dress or the flowers in the bouquet, or even the couple’s dog! Tiny protea bouquets, intricate illusion lace back dresses, furry ears (on the dog, not the bride and groom, fortunately), veils, etc. They’re sure to charm your guests, and make a really sweet memento of your big day (at least until your future kids steal them to play Barbies/dinosaurs). In fact, speaking of kids, for couples who already have them I think this is a lovely way of including them on the cake, since you can get mini figurines customised to make up the family. To give you an idea of what Ladies & Gentlemen do, here’s three pretty cakes and their owners…
It’s funny – as I was saying to a friend the other day, wedding dresses were the part of this industry that I was least interested in when I started. I don’t know if the dresses just got prettier, but now I can’t help but do a bit of swooniness whenever I see a new collection. Even more so when I get to work with the gowns on a shoot, as I did with one of Sarah Janks‘ incredible creations, Briana, last year. I can’t show you those pics juuuust yet, but it turns out I’m not the only stylist who picked it out – just look at the amazing pics of Briana from one of the Jen Huang Workshops above. If you want a bit of this uber feminine gorgeousness in your life (and more importantly, in your wedding), you’ll want to check out the Sarah Janks 2013 bridal collection. Sleek silhouettes, beautiful adornment in lace, taffeta and embroidery and soft, floaty draping make each dress something quite spectacular. And there’s another aspect I love – the little capelets, belts and boleros that can be passed down, creating not only a versatile wedding day look but also a special heirloom. In London, Sarah Janks is available at Blackburn Bridal.Read More
Here at SBB, we’re a big fan of moms. Partly because it seems like every friend have gave birth in the last year, but more importantly because my own mom is kind of a rockstar. She’s a poetry-quotin’, environment-savin’, best lasagne in the world makin’ little legend, who has not only taught me a million things about life and love, but has taught human rights and conflict resolution to people from Papua New Guinea to South African prisons. She does things that matter. She has a voice so sympathetic that even when I’m on another continent and I call her to tell her I have a cold, it makes me feel better. She’s also probably the only person on earth who calls me out on rare mistakes in spelling and grammar, which is probably how I ended up being an editor in the first place. So ja. Moms are awesome. With mother’s day last month, I started thinking about the role that mothers play in a wedding day – they often don’t have a formal role, like dads do, and they don’t usually walk you down the aisle or make a speech, but they’re such a huge part of how a wedding day runs. Best case scenario? They help you plan a wedding you’ll love, by supporting you and making your ideas come to life, beam at you from the front row and get the first hug once the marriage is pronounced. I asked our photographer friends to dig through their archives and find pictures that celebrated motherhood in all its wedding day forms, and they came back with such lovely pictures, including some of brides who are moms-to-be themselves, funny moments, touching moments. All of them so very special. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!
It’s Friday folks, and that means time for some pretty dresses! I am always saying that South Africans are secretly taking over the world, and it always makes me smile when I come across homegrown talent over here. That was the case when I found myself fawning over some beautiful gowns on my last visit to Blackburn Bridal in London, and was told that they were by South African (now London-based) designer, Clinton Lotter. So I thought that this was the perfect collection to bring to you today. It’s available exclusively at Blackburn, so UK based brides should head over there to try some of these delicious creations on.Read More
Evening, lovelies! Time for some more bridesmaid fashion inspiration, but today instead of looking at dresses, the trend we’re focusing on is bridesmaid skirts. I think this trend started with LDS weddings in the US, but I absolutely love how stylish and sophisticated the look is, and it’s actually really budget friendly. As with all the trends I’ve highlighted so far, there are lots of ways of working bridesmaid skirts and tops – identical skirts and tops, mismatched tops, mismatched skirts, casual tops, formal ones… you can pretty much customise it to whatever look you want. In fact, I think bridesmaid separates a particularly good option if you’re struggling to find dresses that fit with the style you envision – definitely consider the skirt option, whether simple or textured, short or long. I’ve actually worn this as a bridesmaid before (my friend Abbie was so ahead of her time!) and I have to say that it was comfortable, flattering and really pretty. So here are my favourites from t’internets. *Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.
Hello lovelies, are you all ready for your weekend? I have a rare personal post coming up today, but first, it’s time to look at another awesome bridesmaid dress trend and this is one I’ve been looking forward to highlighting for a while. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE The Great Gatsby. Ever since I read it, I’ve been a little bit obsessed with the roaring ’20s. I’m also a little bit obsessed with Baz Luhrmann – Strictly Ballroom is my ALL TIME favourite film, with Romeo + Juliet coming a close second (although, let’s not talk about Moulin Rouge or Australia, kay?). So as you can imagine, I am dying to see the film. And the timing is perfect, because fashion and wedding world have been jonesing for this for ages – 1920s keeps being a trend, and it keeps getting better, especially with all the gorgeous embellished dresses around at the moment. Seriously, could someone doing this please make me their bridesmaid? Because I so want an excuse to wear one of these beauties. Full disclosure: it’s not the most budget-friendly look, but it is mismatched (or even matched), glam, perfection. You don’t need to be having a vintage or Gatsby-themed wedding to pull it off either, but it will add a gorgeous touch of dapper flapper to your wedding style. This post contains affiliate links. SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.
