SouthBound Guide: Rocking Your Hair & Makeup Trial

by gaby

For those of you planning a summer wedding, now is about the time when hair and makeup start moving up the priority list in terms of decisions to be made and bookings to be confirmed – after all, your look is something that relies heavily on the style of dress you’ve decided on, the jewellery or accessories you’ve picked, and the style or level of formality that you’ve chosen for the wedding as a whole. Now’s also a good time to start locking in that hair and makeup trials, and we’ve got you covered with our top tips for how to make the most of this important pre-wedding event.Read More

Ruffles & Romance Môreson Wedding by Lauren Kriedemann {Claire & James}

by gaby

There are a lot of reasons I love today’s wedding, but can we just start by talking about THAT DRESS? Holy moly, it’s a showstopper. I have no idea if bride, Claire, started with the gown or matched it into her vision, but for me, it’s the centrepiece of the whole understated, feminine but also very modern elegance of the whole day. Everything from lush white blooms in ornate vases on the tables to the whimsical floral chandelier, to the clean, calming neutral palette (with just a touch of lavender from the bridesmaids) complements Claire’s look (a gorgeous job by Just Jack, by the way). She dances through her big day like a ballerina, through the vows exchanged with her fabulous kilt-sporting Scottish groom, to the cocktail hour with tables piled high with cheese and antipasti and guests full of love and well-wishes, and right on to the cafe light-lit dancefloor. An all-lily bouquet is the perfect, structured accessory for the ruffled rosette skirt. If I ever saw a bride ‘wear’ her whole wedding, it’s this one. And if I ever knew a photographer who would do this lovely celebration justice, it’s Lauren Kriedemann. Enjoy every one of these lovely pics!Read More

Anna Campbell Forever Entwined Collection

by gaby

Like I said earlier today, I love this time of year – all the new collections make me swoony. Look out for some homegrown designers coming your way soon, but first, let’s take a peek at the brand new Anna Campbell collection, Forever Entwined. If you’ve not come across this Aussie designer’s work yet, you’re about to have a new dresh crush, thanks to the soft fabrice, intricate detailing and all-round gorgeousness that Anna produces. And when her team sent over this absolutely beautiful editorial shoot, I just knew I had to share it with you all. Look out for the trains especially – a classic wedding dress feature made light, modern and hassle free. Just stunning.Read More

Pantone Spring 2015

by gaby

One of my favourite times of year in the wedding industry is now, because after New York fashion week and ahead of the bridal shows, all the new collections start coming out (one day I WILL make it to New York to take up my invitations there!). And it’s also when Pantone announces their Spring palette for the following Spring – while the autumn colours are gorgeous, the Spring ones are always just a little bit more wedding-worthy, and it’s lovely to see and dream how things will be looking next year. So today I’m sharing the ten new shades, as well as mini-palettes to give you some ideas on how to combine them. In the coming weeks, I’ll be creating some brand new full inspiration boards in these colours – can’t wait to play and have some fun!Read More

Floral Ceremony Arches

by gaby

For this week’s roundup, we’re turning to what is positively one of the prettiest trends in weddings at the moment: floral arches. And with so many South African wedding ceremonies happening outdoors, this is a perfect way to make an impact right from the get go. I am kind of obsessed with flowers myself, and the idea of walking up an aisle towards such a lush, incredible centrepiece (imagine the gorgeous fragrance as you say your vows!) just blows me away. Amazing. And I have a feeling you all are going to feel the same way too. Oh, and PS – as much as I love the flower-only arches, I am also kinda dying over the ones with curtains (or even a door). I mean, seriously. So romantic.Read More

Spring Printable by Mocholoco

by gaby

Happy Friday, lovelies! With the equinox coming up, we have such a lovely little spring printable for you today from the talented Vicky at Mocholoco. As well as being an awesome stationer, Vicky is also one of our real SouthBound Brides (her gorgeous DIY beach wedding was one of my favourites of 2013), and is also about to relaunch her website, so to celebrate, she created this gorgeous watercolour-style poster –  the perfect addition to your desk (or desktop). I’m not sure if brides and grooms always realise the huge amount of thought and process and creativity and hard work  that goes into producing bespoke stationery pieces, and I’m personally pretty fascinated by how it’s done. So instead of just presenting the finished product, I asked Vicky to give you all a little glimpse behind the scenes into her process. Blood, sweat and glitter! Thank you SO much, Vicky – be sure to click through to her site to see more of her lovely work.

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Railway Romance Couple Shoot by As Sweet As Images

by gaby

There’s just something about the railway, isn’t there? It’s that sense of old world style romance, I think. I’ve always adored them (minus my five years of endless commuting to Oxford, to be fair), and one day I would just love to do an Orient Express-style railway journey of epic proportions. Well, that old world romance also made the train yard a gorgeous backdrop for this adorable couple shoot by the fab As Sweet As Images. With Riette’s lace dress and Steve’s vintage blazer as a stylish nod to yesteryear, you can almost imagine them heading off on their honeymoon travels on the Grand Tour of Europe.Read More

Italian Inspired Rockhaven Wedding by The Picturess & Bright and Beautiful {Debra & Chris}

by gaby

How is it already a year since I was in Italy? Those weeks on a vineyard in southern Tuscany were absolute bliss, and I’ve been missing Italy soooo much recently  (especially since every Instagram account I follow seemed to have an Italian trip this year, jealous is not the word!) But today I get to flirt with my love of Italy again, with this lovely little Rockhaven wedding sent over by the talented bunch at Bright and Beautiful, which was inspired by the groom’s Italian heritage. I just love the way that a fresh white and green palette was used – especially the ferns, so pretty! – and all the fun little activities that the couple set up for their guests (including a vespa ‘photo booth’), not to mention Cinzano and Prosecco cocktail hour! Leanne Evans, the Picturess, was there to capture every lovely moment of la bella vita.Read More

Country Casual Wedding at The Glades by Summertown Pictures {Ash & Peter}

by gaby

Some weddings just remind me of the simple, wonderful pleasure in life – a cool breeze on a hot day, a new sundress, melting butter on fresh, hot bread. Today’s wedding is like that – pure happiness and country casual chic. Ash and Peter chose a palette of soft neutrals with a touch of peach and a little glimmer of gold (I love how subtly this metallic is used throughout, it’s so perfect), with lovely lace showing up in both the bride and the bridesmaids’ stunning dresses. The florals are a beautiful mix – I especially love the blushing bride proteas. And speaking of these blooms, I just loved how they were used to decorate Ash’s naked cake, and would you believe it, she made it herself! Clever bride, beautiful wedding, happy days. Ooh, and let’s not forget the swooney images from Summertown Pictures too!Read More

Dairy Shed Darlings Styled Shoot

by gaby

Good morning lovely friends! Today’s inspiration is just DREAMY. Seriously, I was all jaw on the floor for at least ten minutes after I saw these pics for the first time. Beautiful bridal styling, AMAZING dresses, and a backdrop that is rustic chic perfection. And in fact, the backdrop is what initially brought photographers Claire Harries, Claire Thomson & Angelique Smith together, since they wanted to showcase a gorgeous new venue near Durbanville, the Dairy Shed. With help from in-house co-ordinators Two Birds and SBB faves, the Green Goddess floral geniuses, they produced some absolutely breathtaking bridal images, as well as a table that is elegant rustic perfection. Get ready to be wowed.Read More