Sunflower-filled River Place Wedding by Genevieve Fundaro {Carin & Darren}

by gaby

Roses are red, violets are blue, and sunflowers… well, sunflowers are the colour of happiness. They always remind me of my days at university, when us girls would often buy a single sunflower stem for a friend, or just to make our own day. They also remind me of the fields of sunflowers I’ve seen from the window of a train rolling through the Tuscan countryside. Such happy memories! Like proteas, I love how a little goes a long way (even a single bloom makes a statement), and of course their relentlessly cheerful bright yellow. It goes perfectly with the gorgeous aqua/mint chosen by Carin and Darren for their rustic chic wedding with a chilled outdoor reception by a gorgeous river landscape, and photographed beautifully by Genevieve Fundaro.Read More

Easter Engagement by Carolien + Ben

by gaby

Happy Easter long weekend, lovelies! Whatever you have planned for the next few days, I hope you have a relaxed and blessed time (and drive safe on those roads, ‘kay?). But before we head off for the holiday, I just had to share this absolutely adorable engagement shoot of Easter lovebirds Fralene & Pieter from the very fab Carolien + Ben. It stars not just a happy bride and groom to be, but their very own Easter bunny. HOW CUTE IS THAT? It’s the sweetest way to celebrate the season of life and renewal and joy – here’s wishing you all the same and more!Read More

Green Garlands

by gaby

Credit: Esther Gallarday/Fleurishly Inc via Hey Wedding Lady

It’s time to showcase a new trend, folks, and I have to say, I have been looking forward to bringing this one your way for a few months now. Of course, wreaths themselves are nothing new in wedding decor (see our archive post on them here) and hair garlands are a huge and lasting trend among stylish, free-spirited brides. But with the move towards greenery like eucalyptus, fern (HUGE right now) and olive branch, the kind of garlands I am talking about are those made of simple twines of greenery or even herbs, hanging simply from a ceiling or against a wall, or worked into something more intricate like a chandelier or fun like an escort card display. In fact, we’ve already featured a few pretty laurels and wreaths in our own recent weddings and every time I see this detail I admit I love it more. From stationery motifs to full-scale backdrops, there are many ways to make this work for you, and here are some of my favourites!Read More

Rustic Fairytale Lanzerac Wedding by Absolutely Loved Photography {Stella & Robin}

by gaby

Well, this is a very special day indeed, as I finally get to share the STUNNING wedding photos from one of our very own real life brides, Stella – aka the Fairytale Bride (see all Stella’s planning posts here). Aka, one of the most gorgeous brides I have ever featured – my goodness, in her photos she could star in a perfume ad (and I do mean that in a good way!). Of course, she was rocking a classic Vera Wang fit for a princess, but the real beauty is in the sheer joy and love radiating from both Stella and her handsome hubby Robin, as they said their ‘I do’s and then partied late into the night with their loved ones from near and far. As you’ll know from reading Stella’s posts, she dreamed of a rustic fairytale wedding, and that’s exactly how it turned out – every single little detail was beautiful and beautifully thought out. Being part of her journey was a pleasure and a privilege, and being able to share these amazing images from Absolutely Loved Photography (seriously, narrowing down the pics for this post was torture!) just brings it all full circle. Huge congrats to the newest SBB couple! :)Read More

Summer Splendour Meets Opulent Chic by Lorinda Spies

by gaby

Afternoon brideys – time for some styled shoot inspiration from the fab Lorinda Spies and her team of talented SA wedding pros. This is kind of two inspirations in one – the first a colourful, slightly boho look with gorgeous brass detailing, and the second a sophisticated, opulent evening look with a fresh, modern table. The whole thing was shot at Brenaissance, surely one of our loveliest venues. Whether you’re more a bright colours and flower crowns kinds gal, or a monochrome and pastels fan, you’ll find something here to inspire. So let’s start off with the first look, Summer Splendour…Read More

Sweet Summer Pastel South Hill Wedding by Kathryn van Eck {Elena & John}

by gaby

You know what I’m loving right now? Pineapples. Seriously, it’s a thing. Which might have something to do with my coastal Caribbean-style decor obsession, but it turns out I’m not the only one, because these tropical treats have been turning up on some of the prettiest wedding tables this year. I wouldn’t call it a trend as such, but let’s just say in the world of fruit and veg wedding decor, this is the year of the pineapple. And if you have any doubts, I’m about to put them to rest with this GORGEOUS and totally charming wedding from the talented Kathryn van Eck. It has pastels. It has pretty. It has the perfect smattering of sparkle. It has a champagne tower (!). It has so much love. And yes, it has pineapples. And I officially ADORE it. Yay!Read More

Inspiration Board: Pretty Preppy

by gaby

And we’re back – I couldn’t let Monday go by without some inspiration board loveliness, could I? :) Today’s combo has been my new little colour crush for a few weeks now, because seriously, how amazing do grey and navy look together? It’s so chic. I especially love the mix of a dark slate grey with a softer, bluer grey, and then sophisticated navy (plus, of course, lots of crisp white). If you like a country club chic look, this is absolutely perfect, and of course you can also inject a few softer colours like peach or coral if you like. But I actually like it just like this – it’s like a sophisticated, on-trend take on the navy and white stripes that I have been loving over the last couple of years. What do you think?

Colours: Slate grey, dove grey, navy & white

Pretty Preppy

Top row (l-r): Invitation suite {Beaux Arts Photographie}; bride {Sonya Khegay}; bridesmaids {Brett Heidebrecht}
Row 2: Grey suit {Loren Routhier}; bridesmaids {Perez Photography/The French Connection}; place setting {Lizelle Lotter}; cake {Brooke Allison Photography}
Row 3: Bride & groom {The McCartneys Photography}; bouquet {Kali Leenstra/Katy Grifiths/Flora Nova Design}; cocktails {Lizelle Lotter}.

 

Handmade Backyard Zimbabwe Wedding by Nicole du Preez {Karleyne & HD}

by gaby

Morning brideys, how was your weekend? This morning we’re shaking things up a little – instead of starting off the week with an inspiration board (although I do have a lovely board for you this afternoon) we’re launching straight into our first real wedding of the week, and this one was hand made with so much love by SBB reader, Karleyne and her husband. Karley is a chef working in Zim, and married her partner in food and life, HD, on their very own tennis court! Now that’s a venue I haven’t come across before… The couple DIYed every single sweet detail, from hundreds and hundreds of paper cranes to centrepieces made of folded books, linen napkins, stationery, signage, etc etc etc. If the work ethic that they demonstrated in putting it all together in their limited spare time is anything to go by, they’ll have taken over the culinary world in no time. The menu was obviously a big part of the day, with a gourmet take on laid-back comfort food, but Karley’s look was 100% glam in her dress made by Sunday Times fashion editor in chief, Tiaan Nagel. From their vows beneath a mosquito net canopy to eating steak and chips under the African stars, this is one wedding that really reflects the personalities who dreamed it up and made every corner of it from scratch.Read More

Ten Tables: Travel Theme {Part 2}

by gaby

Pack your bags! It’s time for us to take another trip to the magical land of lovely wedding tables, with the second part of our Ten Tables special on travel-themed wedding tablescapes. Love it! As always, I’ve broken down some of my favourite tables from real weddings and styled shoots into their easy-to-make-your-own components. Along with DIYs and top tips. Because that’s just how we roll. If you’d like to see all the pretty tables from Part 1, you can find it right here.

Table #1: Gorgeous Globetrotter

SUGGESTED FLOWERS: Baby’s breath

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Supplier Spotlight: Blooming Wonderful

by gaby

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE getting packages in the mail. Best. Thing. Ever. So when a package turned up in my postbox recently with my name on it, instructing me to ‘open the box and shout hooray because this is your special day’, it put a huge smile on my face before I’d even opened it (if you follow SBB on Instagram, you will have seen all the adorable goodies that were inside). The box came from Blooming Wonderful, a creative husband and wife team based in Somerset West. Their business, which has stationery, a shop and a decor hire ‘wing’, is kind of a one-stop-shop of awesomeness, and full of the quirky little touches that I know brides and grooms are always looking for.Read More