Inspiration Board: Mercury Rising

by gaby

Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely love bright colours as part of a wedding design, but don’t be afraid to use moody neutrals too. Today’s inspiration board is a mix of soft whites, dark greens, greys and blacks, and a shimmery touch of silvery mercury glass. It’s very classic (as all white weddings are) but it has that extra element of interest and shine. Taking an unusual metallic element like mercury or gold leaf, or copper or rose gold, or even steel is a great way to add a special touch to your wedding design without being too obvious and themey, and it’s a slightly more up-to-date twist on all the sequins and glitter and sparkle that have been trending over the last season. And we always love an up-to-date twist, right? ;)

Colours: Silver, grey, black, green, white

Top row (l-r): Wedding dress; mercury glass table setting {Heather Kincaid Photographer/Gianna and Company}; silver wedding cake; aisle
Row 2: Stamped invitations {Jolie Jolie Design}; table setting; shoes
Row 3: Centrepiece {Brooke Schultz}; bride {Rylee Hitchner/Joy Thigpen}; wedding car with wreath {A Bryan Photo}; mercury glass with chalkboard.

 

Travel Themed Wedding Tablescapes

by gaby

Hideyho, lovelies – we’re taking ourselves off into the  long weekend with the latest in our series of beautiful tablescapes broken down into their easy-to-replicate components. So far, we’ve looked at both rustic and beach tables, but today is a little more themey, as we tackle some of the prettiest travel-themed weddings in town. Now I know I talk about travel themes a lot, but it’s such a popular way of expressing a love story – whether you’re a couple who have wanderlust, or you’re from different places, or you’re having a destination wedding, or have travelled a lot as part of a long-distance relationship. So I know you guys are always looking for fresh ideas in this department (see all our travel wedding posts here), whether it’s a full-on theme for you, or just a little touch. I started to notice that most of the ideas I saw (and featured) were one-offs, like escort cards and table plans, or favours. So I got to wondering, what’s a great way of decorating a travel-themed wedding table? Better yet, what are my top 10? A LOT of the tables I looked at were vintagey, but I’ve tried to bring together a mix of styles and ideas that you can mix and match or adapt to suit your own particular style. As always, you’ll find lots of tips, including DIYs wherever possible. Happy landings!
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Radiant Orchid In the Vine Wedding by Cheryl McEwan {Kelly & Michael}

by gaby

It’s funny how quickly some terms become part of your vocabulary in this industry – a few short months ago, radiant orchid was just a dramatic description of a flower for me, but now it’s the shorthand to a gorgeous, glowy purple, Pantone’s colour of the year, and all the lovely shades of pink and purple that complement it. And of course, radiant orchid wasn’t even a thing when today’s bride Kelly picked her colours, but it just shows that her style is equal parts classic and of-the-moment. I love how her basic wedding design is an elegant white on white, with pretty embelishments like candles and pearls. The use of colour is sparing, but it really makes it pop when it shows up! I also love that Kelly is a short-hair bride – I wish we saw more of this, as she looks every bit as gorgeous as her long-haired counterparts, and it’s clear that groom Michael thinks so too – he only has eyes for his lady! One of our favourite photographers, Cheryl McEwan Photography, was the couple’s choice to snap these romantic portraits of their big day.Read More

Asymmetric Skirts & Neckline Bridesmaid Dresses

by gaby

We’re rounding up our Wednesday with the last of our current look at rising bridesmaid trends (for now, anyway!). You know how they say that if you want to buy a red Ferrari, you suddenly see red Ferraris everywhere? Well, not that I would know anything about fancy cars, but for me this trend has been just like that. Suddenly I am seeing one shoulder dresses EVERYWHERE, and a rising number of hi-lo and asymmetric hemlines. They add a really lovely bit of visual interest (especially in comparison to a wedding dress), and I think work particularly well where you want to go for solid colours instead of one of the more textured looks we’ve been talking about (illusion lace, glitter, prints, etc.) but still want to make your girls stand out. And while not all one-shoulder dresses are universally flattering, the right one can look good on a real variety of body types. So it’s kind of a no brainer for consideration, really. :) Here are some of my favourite recent examples.Read More

Mozambican Magic Wedding by Alexis Diack & The Love Bucket {Marilize & Keith}

by gaby

Hello lovelies! I am determined to get out in the sun this afternoon (got to pump up the tan before winter hits, right?) so it’s the perfect day to bring you some sunkissed inspiration from another of our beautiful neighbouring countries, Mozambique. I haven’t been yet but I am DYING to go, as the chilled out beach shack vibe is so my holiday style. It’s also the perfect place for a laid-back, toes-in-the-sand wedding, and it was the ideal choice for the lovely Keith and Marilize, since it’s where he proposed to her. Friends and family joined them for a tropical weekend getaway, and a team of talented wedding pros pulled everything together, headed by The Love Bucket, who specialise in Mozambican weddings. It was SO hard to narrow down Alexis Diack‘s beautiful photos, from Marilize’s elegant dress to the dreamy light and stunning scenery that formed a backdrop to this festival of lurve. Today’s couple sailed off into the sunset (literally, as they work on yachts in the world’s far-flung, glamorous places). We don’t have the usual text to go along with our images today, but I have no doubt that you’ll happily sail away with them anyway, enjoying every lovely, beachy moment.Read More

Boho Campervan Bridal Shoot by Brandon Scott Photography

by gaby

I have one more little surprise for you today, since we’ve had an unofficial celebration of all things boho with this morning’s chilled out wedding and now this absolutely EXTRAORDINARY styled bridal shoot from Canadian photographer Brandon Scott. Honestly, some of the images that land in my inbox are so breathtaking that I have to do a little happy dance, and these definitely fall into that category, with a shiny campervan, a bride in a short lace dress and the most beautiful flower wreath. The gorgeous model has the casual grace of Blake Lively, and really captures the way that a boho bridal look is all about being sunkissed and down-t0-earth and fancy free, basking in the glow of nature and laughing happily with your beloved. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of this wedding style. Thanks so much for sharing, Brandon!Read More

Boho Fantasy Beloftebos Wedding by Jo-Ann Stokes {Christine & Chris}

by gaby

Every wedding we feature here on SouthBound Bride is special, but some are absolute heart-melters, like this gorgeous boho forest fairytale from the lovely Jo-Ann Stokes, which includes the most spectacular couple shoot images! You won’t believe this, but it was pulled together in SIX WEEKS. As in, total. Which is pretty incredible by anyone’s standards. Of course, the only way to accomplish such a feat of wedding planning is to get friends and family involved, and that’s exactly what Chris and Christine did, right down to Christine’s amazing dress made my her mother-in-law and crown of flowers made by her sister-to-be. These two have such a lovely, earthy vibe, right down to the words Christine used to describe their big day: “Love. Bliss. Petrichor.” Even I had to look that last one up, and it’s my new favourite word – it means the smell of rain on dry earth. Which, I thought to myself, in some ways is exactly what love is. The coming of rain – a blessing, a miracle. And the perfect way to sum up the boho perfection of these childhood sweethearts’ big day.Read More

Bicycle Bride #6: The Bride & Bridesmaids’ Dresses

by gaby

It’s lovely Irene’s last post today, and she’s chatting about one of our FAVOURITE things – dresses! Here’s wishing you an amazing wedding day Irene, and we can’t WAIT to see the pictures! xox

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Our wedding is now less than one week away, and I still have so much to do! So much for not leaving things ’till the last minute. We’ll be leaving for the venue on Thursday already, so I have even less time to get things done. This will be my last post before the big day, and I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate it to the most important element of the day.

Despite all the stressful issues related to this ‘last minute last week’ business, I am looking forward to getting my dress on Wednesday! My very own personal designer (read: mom) will be arriving from East London, with my wedding dress and all four bridesmaids’ dresses that she made herself. Five dresses on her own is a daunting task, as you can imagine, so I’m very glad that she managed to get past a series of minor panic attacks about my dress along the way, and that everyone will finally be able to see the end result on Saturday.

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Inspiration Board: Navy, Peach & Apricot

by gaby

Hello lovelies! I’m back from an AMAZING weekend in Plett with two of my best girls from high school – we had the perfect weather, and such an amazing time chilling and laughing until we cried. But it’s back to work today, and that means inspiration boards here on SBB. Today I’ve chosen a warm but formal combination of navy, peach and coral/apricot – I absolutely LOVE how these colours work together. If you were thinking of navy and pink, this is a lovely, modern alternative, and having both peach and apricot together adds that extra depth and dimension. What do you think?

Colours: Navy blue, peach and coral

Top row (l-r): Bride & bridesmaids {Lane Dittoe Photographer/Galas by Gerry}; cake with ruffle rose {Kristen Ellis/Mindy Weiss}; peach biscuits {}
Row 2: Peach place setting {Rebecca Thuss}; calligraphy envelope {Antiquaria,}; paint
Row 3: Peach bellinis {Pictilio}; stripey straws; shoes & bouquet {Dana Cubbage}; navy suit {Shannon Lee}.

 

Berry & Jewel Tone Bridesmaid Dresses

by gaby

Time for our latest rundown of gorgeous looks for your bridesmaids, and today we’ve come over all autumney with a line-up of berry and jewel toned dresses in the prettiest shades of purple, lilac and, of course, the colour of the year Radiant Orchid. I’m loving how these colours are popping up in bridal parties round the globe and brightening things up – and I have to say, I am especially fond of the look where you have a wedding that otherwise uses earth tones or neutrals. It really pops. Of course, you can choose a single shade of plum or cranberry, but this is another of those cases where tonal mismatching really comes into its own. Plus, there are loads of dresses in these colours popping up on the catwalks, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to pick up some you all love in the shops. Win.Read More