Right off the bat, I’m going to say this might be my favourite e-shoot ever. Louise Vorster‘s dreamy pics of Liné & Johan are just exquisite, and the whole thing took place in the African bushveld, which is my best place in the world. With some beautiful giraffes grazing elegantly in the background, a curious kudu, and lots of love and laughter between the couple, it may be the ultimate SouthBound engagement. Thanks so much for sharing, Louise!Read More
Morning, lovelies! It’s time for our first real wedding of 2014, huzzah! In the spirit of the new year, regular readers will notice we’ve had a little makeover (the ice cream parlour look, as I like to think of it) – this year we’ll be making some bigger changes to our look, but this is just a little freshen up. What do you think? I’ve also added some new features, and modified others – the biggest change to come will be in our supplier directory, but more on that soon. We’re also trying a new format for the wedding posts to reflect a few changes in the questionnaire I send real brides. SBB is always working to give readers a better experience, and I’d love to hear your feedback. ANYWAY, back to today’s wedding, and I can’t think of any that I’d rather start the year with than this coral watercolour dream from Moira West. Carla and Jeremy make such a gorgeous couple, and their wedding ‘brand’ was sweet and modern and romantic, complementing ombre lace bridesmaid dresses with hanging lanterns, soft and simple white blooms, and an amazing portrait back wedding dress, as well as fun touches like a wedding bingo game for guests to complete. Start as you mean to go on, right? It’s going to be a VERY pretty year :)Read More
I’m getting married in a month and, I’ll be honest, I’m nervous.
It’s not that I’ve got cold feet. Quite the opposite! I’m so ready to marry this phenomenal man of mine. It’s just that my only lifelong commitment so far has been my legal obligation to pay my TV Licence. This is a much bigger step!
Gideon and I have been fortunate to attend of series of pre-marital counselling sessions with our church. I’m grateful for the lessons we’ve learned through these sessions from wiser couples who have been married many happy years. Lessons like the importance of making decisions together and being an attentive listener.
Despite these lessons, there are some things we need to figure out ourselves, on our own terms. Since the day we got engaged there’s a particular topic I’ve struggled with: the surname change.Read More
As I’ve mentioned before, our wedding style is dreamy, magical and romantic, with whimsical and delicate DIY touches everywhere…all in a rustic chic setting surrounded by natural beauty and little touches of sparkly glamour.
I want my bridesmaids to definitely be one of those touches of sparkly glamour! Not only are they four beautiful brunettes but are also fun-loving ladies and can represent that element in the wedding. We need that element in amongst all that dreamy romance.
Image source: Kate Triano Photography via Capitol Romance
Hello lovelies (and especially hello new SouthBound brides!). Mondays are when we typically debut a brand new inspiration board, but with this being a new year, we have a bit of a bonus. Every year, we celebrate the newest Pantone colour of the year around this time, and this year it’s the gorgeously named “Radiant Orchid”. At first I was a little surprised that this one cracked the nod, being that I think blue is going to be huge in 2014, but once I started working with it, I totally understood. The thing about radiant orchid is that it has all the brightening qualities of a fuschia, the deepening qualities of purple or indigo, and the calm romance of lilac. To me, the Business Mirror described it best: “More lush than lilac, more sophisticated than pink and more rapturous than purple… more sedate than mauve and softer than plum”. Basically, if pink or purple have featured in your colour scheme dreams, then radiant orchid is the perfect, modern alternative.Read More
I love new year, don’t you? It’s a time for renewal and perspective, and it’s also a chance to dream about the year ahead. Here on the blog, that means our annual rundown of the hottest trends in weddings. I love doing this yearly post, and seeing all the trends unfold and be reinterpreted and gain surprising new twists throughout the year. And as I looked back at last year’s post today, it was fab to see that not only had this happened in 2013, but that there was so much mileage still in the trends I called – I still think 2014 will have loads of lovely coloured wedding dresses, portrait lace backs, mixed prints, copper and brass details, and lasercut, for example. So if you’ve just got engaged, be sure to check out the 2013 roundup for even more ideas to add to these ones. But for now, it’s in with the new!
Bryce Covey via Once Wed (left); Julie Cate Photography via 100 Layer Cake (centre); Elizabeth Messina/Claire Pettibone via Wedding Chicks (right)
1. Wedding dresses: beading, cap sleeves, long sleevesRead More
Here we are at the end of our Top 10 weddings for 2013, and at the end of the year! It’s been hard to pick the favourites, but this has been one of mine ever since we featured it in February, for its gentle outdoor vibe and sweetly rustic decor. Lizaan and Michael are two sporty South Africans who have made their lives in Australia, and returned to our golden shores for their dream wedding. Maree Louw of Natural Light Photography captured the glorious goodness of their big day.Read More
For these high school sweethearts from Gauteng, Carin and Marius‘ shared love of food and wine pointed straight to the Cape winelands when choosing a venue for their wedding. With an understated but elegant palette of gold and duck egg blue, shiny perspex lasercut detailing and (my favourite) innovative food stalls to delight their guests, not to mention a surprise musical appearance from Heinz Winckler, they struck just the right balance between relaxed enjoyment and sophisticated splendour. Photographer Yolande Marx was there to capture every golden moment.Read More
When New York-based couple Michael and Lisa got engaged, Lisa wanted to celebrate their wedding according to her Zulu heritage, in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, the Cape winelands (and one of the best venues, 401 Rozendal. Their combination of homegrown decor and traditional food wowed guests who attended from all over the world (and made for gorgeous pics, courtesy of the fab Carmen Visser). Dressed in gorgeous traditional garb and carrying our national flower, the protea, Lisa was truly a SouthBound Bride.Read More
I have such a soft spot for this wedding. In the last few years, we’ve seen the vintage trend rise and rise, and now I often speak to brides who want the same gentle country feeling with found objects used as decor, but are over birdcages and books tied up with lace. Cara and Pieter‘s wedding to me is the perfect evolution of vintage, a soft grey and green palette, textures of lace and wood, generous use of herbs and (my favourite part), home decor used as wedding decor. This is a great way to re-use your wedding decor afterwards (and stretch the budget), but it’s also a lovely way to create a chic, curated aspect to your wedding design. Inspiring!Read More
