Inspiration Board: Copper & Shweshwe

by gaby

I’m so excited to bring you today’s inspiration board, because it’s a preview of a mini-shoot I’ll be sharing with you tomorrow, a collaboration between myself and Piteira Photography (yay, can’t wait!). It features one of my absolute FAVOURITE prints, a truly South African design element (and one which is going to be really hitting its stride in 2014): shweshwe. For me, using this iconic South African fabric is the most gorgeous way to bring a homegrown twist to your wedding design, and still be right up to date with wedding trends internationally (prints, after all, are having their day in the sun). You can get shweshwe in quite a range of colours now, but the original indigo is the one I love most, and it’s a stylish and contemporary shade that combines beautifully with many other colours. I wanted to show how the pattern can be used in a really elegant way – for example, at a classic winelands venue – so I combined it with cool wedding white and a contemporary metallic, copper, for a bit of warmth. The colours look really graceful together, especially with the addition of white candles as a third key design element. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see where we ended up, but for today, I hope you love our inspiration!

Colours: Indigo, copper & white

Top row (l-r): Sash with shweshwe rosette {Julie Wilhite}; cake with high taper candles {White Loft Studio/Mayflour Cake + Confection}; table setting {}; long tables {Jose Villa}
Row 2: Shweshwe bowl; invitation suite; shweshwe fabric
Row 3: Blue bridesmaids {Caroline Tran/Kelly Oshiro}; copper tag escort cards {Mark Brooke Photography/JL Designs}; brass candlesticks; copper vase {Docuvitae/Kourtney James Perry}.

 

Romantic Beach Elopement Wedding Inspiration by Pickle Photography

by gaby

You guys. I feel like this shoot is my very own Valentine’s gift. To me, from an awesome team of suppliers, including stylist Sarah Reynolds and photographer Christy-Lee Hosking of Pickle Photography. And from me to you. I absolutely fell in LOVE with this dreamy beach styled shoot the minute it landed in my inbox – the soft Jose Villa-esque quality of a chair amid the dunes and the sky, the beautiful barefoot bride and groom (who are a real couple, how gorgeous are they?) – and who could resist dresses that included a pale blue ballerina skirt? I’m just so smitten by every image, and in a completely non-cheesy way, I think it captures the very essence of romance on this, the most romantic of days. I loved that the team took a pared-down approach, and focused on the love, because as much as we get excited over pretty details here, the love is always, ALWAYS what matters most. So huge thanks to the team for sharing it with us… and here’s wishing you a day full of real love.Read More

Valentine Red Zuikerkop Lodge Wedding by Simone Franzel {Ilke & Willem}

by gaby

Happy Valentine’s Day, my lovelies! I hope that whatever you get up to, whether it’s the grand gesture or something as simple as sharing cards and smiles, you have a wonderful day! Of course, for engaged couples, V-Day is often extra special (any excuse for lovey-dovey, right?), and we’ve been celebrating everything romantic on the blog all week (although in some ways, every week is Valentine’s week on a wedding blog!). Today of course we have some extra special posts planned. First of all, it just had to be a classic cherry red wedding. In fact, I knew Ilke & Willem’s wedding would be perfect for V-Day when I found it on the lovely Simone Franzel‘s blog – not just because of the colour scheme, but because this adorable couple used hearts as their motif. This isn’t like most red weddings though – I absolutely ADORE the clever and creative ways that Ilke brought her theme colour into her decor, from the natural reds of apples and cherries on the tables, red glasses at each place setting, and the gorgeous red lily bridal bouquet, to the bright print napkins that popped against the blue-grey tables. It just shows – there’s no such thing as a predictable colour scheme. So yay for Valentine red, and yay for this fabulous wedding!Read More

Karoo Farm Engagement by HisGlory-Photography Love

by gaby

Afternoon, SouthBound Brideys, and just enough time for me to share one last love story with you today (as well as some spectacular Karoo scenery – how beautiful is this country of ours?). Stefan and Yolandi’s ‘how they met’ is adorable (and proposal amazing too!), and since in a way it was Stefan’s farm that brought them together, it seems like the most appropriate place for them to have had their engagement shoot with HisGlory-Photography Love, together with their sweet dogs (you know how I love dogs by now!). It’s the perfect way to finish off our celebration of love on Valentine’s Eve.Read More

Adventure Proposal by Judith Doubell

by gaby

We’re continuing our day of real love stories with another gorgeous proposal/engagement shoot, this time from Grahamstown photographer Judith Doubell. Judith’s dear friend Louis asked for her help in planning (as well as photographing) the perfect proposal for his girlfriend Esti on their visit from Johannesburg last year. Judith not only helped him pull off an incredibly romantic proposal, but involved a number of local creatives, which is very cool. When Judith ‘left for work’ that day, she suggested the couple go for coffee at a nearby roastery, where they were presented with a hand-drawn treasure hunt map and instructions to take photos of themselves at all the city’s points of interest. Everything was planned to perfection, from their walk around town to a friend driving them to a guest house for a picnic (where Judith was secretly hiding in the bushes with her camera). Stashed in a box of macaroons was a beautiful engagement ring, and Louis got down on one knee and secured an excited “yes!” from Esti, before enjoying champagne and a spontaneous engagement shoot. How cute is that? You can read the full story (and check out the couple’s instagrams from their treasure hunt) on Judith’s blog.Read More

V&A Waterfront Proposal by Photofuzion

by gaby

I promised you a week of Valentine’s celebrations and today is going to be an unabashed celebration of love. You know, love, the reason we’re all here, right? I am such a romantic – one of my favourite things is how every couple has a unique story, a unique interlacing of tiny miracles that work together to bring two people together. A proposal is more than just a cumulation of those miracles into a categorical Yes, it’s also another unique part of each couple’s love story. So needless to say, I love the proposal stories almost as much as the ‘how we met’s. This morning we not only get to bask in Ridwan and Rukoya’s happy glow, but we actually get to see the moment he proposed – how cool is that?

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Midsummer Night’s Dream Nooitgedacht Wedding by Juné Joubert {Michelle & Ben}

by gaby

I promised you the most romantic weddings possible this week, and today’s is no exception! I fell in love with Ben & Michelle’s wedding when I saw it on photographer Juné Joubert‘s website – the garlands of roses and chandeliers filled with hydrangeas looked like a lush, magical garden, so it was no surprise to discover the bride had been inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Which is actually a good way of summing up the whole wedding – a sunny outdoor ceremony in the picturesque lane at Nooitgedacht, a swoony couple shoot (how much do we love a groom in a navy suit?), and then that enchanted flower-filled reception late into the night. Beautiful.Read More

Cymbeline Paris 2014 Collection

by gaby

Afternoon, brideys! Since this is our Week of Lurve, I couldn’t NOT let us spend a little time in the City of Love itself, Paris. Because, as you know, Paris is always a good idea, right? ;) This little slice of amour comes courtesy of one of my favourite international wedding dress design houses, Cymbeline. I am a big fan of the romantic Cymbeline gowns, but I must admit that I’m also smitten by the fact that their lookbook is beautifully shot around Paris each year, so it’s double the loveliness and inspiration. And while you may not be tying the knot in France, there’s no reason why you can’t bring a bit of Parisian panache to your bridal style. So come with me, as we jet off for a few moments to the most romantic place in the world, to enjoy some favourites from the latest Cymbeline collection.Read More

Wedding Video: Shayna & Gavin

by gaby

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So, how much did we LOVE Shayna and Gavin’s wedding this morning? So much. If you haven’t already fallen in love with this slightly industrial, slightly French countryside, totally elegant wedding in the hangar of Shayna’s family farm (how cool is that for a reception location?), you’re about to. One of my favourite things about this couple is their unique story of ‘how they met’ – really a case of meant to be! Today I’m sharing the video from the fab Blimp Wedding Films – not only is it an absolutely beautiful piece of film, but we get to hear a bit of Gavin’s speech, and hear the story from his perspective. It’s all just super romantic, which of course makes it perfect for our Week of Love!

 

French Country Industrial Hangar Wedding by Kallah Ohr {Shayna & Gavin}

by gaby

I can’t think of a more romantic wedding to celebrate Valentine’s week than this one. You might remember Shayna and Gavin from their engagement shoot a few months ago, when these two cuties shared their amazing love story (and Shayna showed off her gorgeous ring, courtesy of her jewellery designer mother, Jenna Clifford). Today we get to showcase the whole wedding. Starting with an industrial space (a hangar on their family farm) and filling it with beautiful flowers in soft neutral shades, a drizzle of fairy lights and decor with a touch of French chic is absolutely inspired – not only is the final result gorgeous, but unique. I adore Shayna’s dress (made by another South African talent, Marianne Fassler) and her blushing bride bouquet, as well as her dapper groom in a touch of blue. And Kallah Ohr‘s pictures are absolutely GORGEOUS, especially the sunset couple shoot where the newlyweds only have eyes for one another. Total swoonage.Read More