As those of you in Cape Town will no doubt know by now, South Africa got its first Forever 21 store this weekend, and to celebrate, I thought it would be fun to do a little special of the bridesmaid options available from this US label. The dresses are fun and flirty, and at the moment Forever 21 has a lineup of some gorgeous mixed blush/neutral dresses with little lace, sparkle and portrait back details that would be just perfect for a summer afternoon wedding. Time to be inspired!Read More
Happy Monday, lovelies! Next week I’ll be bringing you news of the brand new Spring 2015 colours from Pantone, but first I wanted to give a little love to my favourite of the Fall 2014 colours. Sangria is the sort of plummy magenta that’s the perfect compromise between classic burgundy and on-trend berry shades. I absolutely love it. All kinds of mixes would work, but for today’s board, I’ve just decided to infuse this fab colour on its own into a bold and beautiful country inspiration board. It works beautifully for cold weather, but just add a soft pink and you’ll be set for spring too.
Colours: Pantone Sangria
Top row (l-r): Magenta dress {Pearl & Godiva/Corbin Gurkin/Maria Lluisa Rabell}; bouquet {Jesse Leake Photography/Brown Paper Design}; fig cake table {Landon Jacob Photography/Spencer Special Events}
Row 2: Stationery suite {KT Merry Photography/Three Little Words}; bride with flower crown {Blush Photography/Tinge}; dress & bouquet {Maree Wilkinson Photography/New Bohemian}
Row 3: Place setting {Brushfire Photography}; bride {Erich McVey}; bride with flower {Michelle Boyd Photography/Sweet Sunday Events }.
You know what I love? Press trips. You know how many I get to go on? Actually, very few. Yes, I know, your hearts beat lumpy custard. But I definitely felt a little sorry for myself a few weeks ago when I was offered the chance to go and stay at Old Mac Daddy in Elgin for the night and had to pass it up. Why, because having featured a few weddings at this quirky country venue (it’s an airstream trailer park, if you didn’t already know that piece of awesomeness), I already knew I would love it there. Fortunately, my very lovely friend and Cape Town-based freelance journalist Tracy Melass agreed to step in as SouthBound Bride correspondent (thank you so much, Tracy!), and you can read all about her night at Old Mac Daddy’s (as well as their absolutely brilliant #secretsunday promo) below. Just think, you get to steal away with your Mr for a super fun romantic night away, and still be at work bright and early on Monday. Best way to combat that Sunday feeling EVER.
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Before we head out for the weekend, I just have to share one of my favourite new supplier finds. I say finds, but actually I have watched from this sidelines as this developed from the beginning, since the talented designer behind indieLoveBooks is Ché Dyer, the same talented personage behind the amazing blog and stationery brand, indieberries. I love Ché to bits as you probably know by now, and a while back I asked her to share the story of the super original guest book she made for her own wedding with my readers. The response was amazing – not surprisingly, you all wanted one of Ché’s fun keepsake creations for your own big day. She’s gone on to launch indieLoveBooks, a bespoke site dedicated to the guestbooks, with three different packages available to suit the number of your guests. Knowing Ché’s incredible passion for her work and attention to detail, I know why she already has had so many happy customers, and I asked her to tell us a bit more about indieLoveBooks as well as herself. Welcome back, Ché!Read More
Time for a bit of bridal shower inspiration, and today’s feature comes to you from the very lovely Chantall Marshall Photography & Design. Who is pretty much the best girl to have on hand as your bridesmaid, considering that she’s not only a photographer, but a designer and lover of all things pretty! Chantall did an awesome job putting together this gorgeous kitchen tea in gold, teal and candy pink for her friend Friedel, including a super fun photobooth for the ladies to capture some memories while playing with props and getting to know one another. Loads of stealable ideas here – from gold sprayed succulents, bottles and tins to lemon meringue pie in a jar!Read More
Amanda and Michael’s wedding really captures for me some of the fun and colour and effervescent romance of Cape Town – a heartfelt ceremony, a laid-back cocktail reception, and of course the most GORGEOUS portraits from Dearheart Photos with the spectacular V&A Waterfront in the background. It’s a backdrop that barely needs any adornment, and fits perfectly into the ‘magical lights’ theme that Amanda dreamed of, with the harbour lights twinkling on the waters, and the happy laughter of family and friends bubbling out from the balcony of the Alba Lounge. Add a slush puppy machine full of frozen margaritas, jewel coloured florals and bridesmaid dresses that popped perfectly against the Waterfront’s moody blues, as well as a gorgeous floral headband for the bride, and you have the perfect mix for a spectacular port city wedding.Read More
*UPDATED FOR 2021* What do J-Lo, Camila Alves and Beyonce have in common? Probably quite a bit, but for today, it’s that they’ve recently been rocking the latest trend in bridal on the red carpet, and looking oh so gorgeous doing it. Nude lace is a beautiful, feminine, sexy development from the lace and applique detailed look that has been so popular for the last couple of years. The key feature of the style is a nude or blush-coloured underlay with a full or part-body overlay, allowing the detail on the lace or applique to really shine through. Some versions of the look are more daring than others, but one thing’s for sure – it’s taking bridal designers by storm. I’ve been a fan ever since we featured Haloise and Jaco’s wedding earlier this year, when our fashion-forward SouthBound Bride wore an absolutely gorgeous, statement gown. Designers like Zuhair Murad and Mira Zwillinger have made me love it even more. And if it’s good enough for Beyonce? It’s good enough for me. Here’s a roundup of some gorgeous nude lace dresses, both on and off the catwalk.
*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.
I’ve featured some pretty amazing weddings before, and I’ve featured some unique venues – some, even, that have been built on family property by the bride and groom just for their big day. But today’s wedding venue has to be the ultimate. This is the wedding version of Field of Dreams – and it’s just as magical as that makes it sound. I’ll explain. Lisa and Ryno decided on their own farm as the venue for their big day, and then went a step further by planting a cornfield with a secret grass centre for their marquee reception, and a romantic Lovers’ Lane leading their guests through the corn. I mean, SERIOUSLY. As they say in the movie, “if you build it they will come…” – and so they did, a happy band of family and friends (and awesome photographer Laura Jansen), brought into the lovebirds’ world to celebrate the beginning of their lives together. In a corn field. In the middle of a farm in Africa. In a place where dreams come true.Read More
It’s no secret that we love Wedding Inspirations magazine around these here parts, and it’s always a super exciting time when I get to share a little sneak peek with you of the latest issue (which was released yesterday, YAY!). Today we’re taking a dip into the fashion pages, where in this issue the WI team are showcasing a bit of a love affair with blush wedding dresses – and we know just how they feel, don’t we? In the last few years, since blush gowns first became a whisper on the lips of fashion-forward weddingistas, I’ve fallen more and more for this sweet, romantic look and there are some absolutely GORGEOUS dresses now available off the peg for blush-loving brideys. So without further ado, let’s take a look! And don’t forget to pick up your copy of the new Wedding Inspirations, where you can find all the details on these dresses and so much more loveliness besides.Read More
One of the things I love most about having a geographical niche for this little blog is that I’ve never had to limit myself to a particular type or style of wedding, and today’s celebration is a great example of why this makes me happy. Take a vibey, artsy, city venue and combine it with pretty boho style (along with a soft natural palette of blues and mochas) and you have something very special. Then add in a flock of lovingly-made paper cranes and one of the most uniquely gorgeous wedding dresses I have ever seen, and you’ll see why today is one of the days I love my job. Which just goes to show – when you pick a location and details that reflect you as a couple, it all comes together beautifully. Helped along of course by some stonkingly pretty pictures from the fab Creative Emporium (who we’re welcoming to SBB for the first time, yay!).Read More
