Real Wedding at Bushfellows {Carol & Joggie}

by gaby

Hello lovelies! I have an exciting announcement coming up this afternoon, but first, here’s a sweet little game lodge wedding from Gauteng photographer Alexander Smith. Carol and Joggie were married at Bushfellows, a private lodge in Limpopo. They chose to enjoy the simple beauty of their natural surroundings, with long tables, Italian food, and classic white wedding details including menus printed on their napkins and lanterns swaying gently in the breeze. We don’t have our usual questionnaire today, but make sure you check out the video at the end (also from Alexander), which is a super fun roundup from Carol and Joggie’s photobooth – this is my absolute favourite way for photobooth pics to be ‘displayed’!Read More

Foil Favourites

by gaby

Credits: Dauphine Press via Sweet Paper (left); source (right)

I honestly thought that all my stationery-loving heart had beat its fastest when I discovered letterpress, especially when we started seeing letterpress combined with hand drawn calligraphy fonts. Amazing. But the latest big trend in wedding invitations has taken it one step further. Foil, you guys. It is the gorgeous-est. And from a few beautiful collections last year to an absolute explosion of foil stamped goodness for 2013, this is one trend that is absolutely made for brides. It’s pretty, it’s tactile, it’s classic… and every time I see a new foiled invite I have the urge to run my fingers over it and go ‘ooh, shiny shiny!’. I’m a magpie, what can you do.Read More

Introducing Summer Rain {The SBB Collection by Invitation Gallery}

by gaby

A few months ago, I asked you all to head over to the SBB Facebook page and vote for your favourite inspiration board of 2012. This was far and away the one you liked best!

Full inspiration board credits here

The bright, fresh combination of coral and mint really hit the right note, so in designing the latest invitation suite to join our SBB Collection from The Invitation Gallery, our designer focused on these lovely colours, marrying them with two trends that are very much of-the-moment! Watercolour has been a big design shift in the last year, and it’s all kinds of soft prettiness for a wedding day, so I absolutely love the watercolour background to these invites. Calligraphy fonts are another of my faves, and we have that too! Ladies and gents, allow me to present Summer Rain! (And just in case you can’t get enough of that gorgeous colour combo, I’ve put together a few lovely colourboards to inspire!)

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Inspiration Board: Nautical Rustic

by gaby

Good morning, lovelies! It’s a new day, a new week: what will you accomplish? I’m feeling super fired up myself, as this week we’re launching a little project that’s been developing off-camera for quite some time, and I can’t wait to share it with you! So look out for an announcement (especially my lovely photographer friends and followers!). Anyway, let’s move on to today’s wedding inspiration, which is a request from reader Natassja. She’s chosen nautical rustic as her theme, and I absolutely fell in love with the concept! Natassja is getting married at Swartvlei beach, and she’s using a classic nautical palette of blue, red and off white. The great thing about nautical style is that there are lots of rustic textures, and texture is what rustic styling is all about. Think lots of rope, net and real boating ephemera. I love the idea of the rope table numbers especially, and the rope wrapped vases (both easy and effective DIY projects). Use the same big textures as statement pieces at the ceremony, or knot a rope curtain at your makeshift altar. Keep stationery crisp, or incorporate the gorgeous watercolour motif that’s so popular at the moment. I especially like the semaphore motif, which has the couple’s monogram spelled out with flags! And just because we’re going nautical doesn’t mean I couldn’t include this year’s rustic wedding must-have: the naked cake! How gorgeous (and delicious!) is this red velvet creation? I absolutely love this look – hope you do too, Natassja!

Colours: Navy, cherry red, off-white, taupe

Top row (l-r): Rope heart {Rachel Peters Photography/Kiss The Bride}; red velvet naked cake {Michelle March/Unearthed Vintage}; cake toppers {Jaco le Roux}; rope table number {}; origami boat {Purple Tree Wedding Photography/Affairy Event}
Row 2: Invitation {Swiss Cottage Designs/Love* Jenna Calligraphy}; ceremony area {Erin hearts Court/Five Star Weddings and Events}; rope vases {Bayside Bride}; bridesmaid with yay sign {Captured Photography by Jenny/My Event Boutique }
Row 3: Ship’s netting decoration {Fox Fotography/Dairing Events}; red anemone bouquet {Michelle March/Unearthed Vintage}; semaphore invitation {}; bride and groom with ship wheel {Troy and Aimee Grover}.

 

SouthBound Sundays {3 March 2013}

by gaby

Happy Sunday friends! What have you got up to? Yesterday I ventured out to East London (I hate East London, I feel like everyone who walks past is cooler than me) for the London Wedding Emporium, a brand new wedding fair. My friend Louise of b.loved was exhibiting her awesome styling services in the prettiest stand imaginable, so I got to help out a bit and see some other wedding friends and services. It’s only a few pounds entrance, so definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area today! After that I spent the evening eating yummy salmon and polishing off a bottle of red with my friend Jodi, but today I plan to spend curled up with my laptop and a hot cup of something – it’s cold out there!

♥ WEEKLY FAVES

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Inspiration Board: Coral & Chalk

by gaby

Time for a last bit of inspiration before everyone runs off to get their Friday evening cocktails in hand.  And much as I love doing reader requests, this is one of my own. We’ve seen a lot of coral in the last year, but I got to thinking how perfect it would be matched up with the slate black of chalkboard and a touch of soft blush pink. It’s fresh, modern and fun, and it could work on a number of venues from a blank canvas country style (such as Kleinevalleij) to a beach wedding to a city rooftop or restaurant. It’s also perfect for a DIY kinda bride. There are, of course, lots of ways you can use chalkboard, but this particular style calls for some of the more irreverent – I love the place mat idea with drawn on knives, forks and a plate and the dessert table backdrop telling guests what everything is. Put favours in a sweet little Anthropologie jar painted in white and coral with a chalkboard label, and line the table with a ‘runner’ of single bold, bright peony blooms. LOVE. (Oh, and PS, if you want to add an extra note of colour complexity, a dash of peach is perfect here.)

Colours: Coral, blush and slate

Top row (l-r): Dotty bridesmaid {Sara Lucero}; groom with coral boutonniere {Yvonne Wong Photography}; cocktails {Abby Grace Photography/Capitol Romance}; cake pop macaroons; coral framed chalkboard
Row 2: Single bloom runner {Martha Stewart Weddings}; chalkboard style invitation; chalkboard spice jar {Anthropologie}; boutonnieres {Charmed Events Planning/Vincent Au}
Row 3: Bride with balloons {Alea Lovely}; dessert table backdrop {Elsie Larson}; chalkboard place setting

 

Elbeth Gillis 2013 Collection

by gaby

Good morning friends! It’s time to share some dress inspiration, and today it’s from one of South Africa’s top wedding dress designers, Elbeth Gillis. I’m a huge fan of Elbeth’s work – not just because I’ve seen it sitting pretty on so many SBB brides, but because I was lucky enough to work with some of her dresses on a shoot last year. Our model that day remarked that they were so comfortable, especially considering how detailed and beautiful they were, which is kind of the holy grail of what you want to wear on your wedding day, right? So when Elbeth sent over her new collection, I couldn’t wait to share it with you all. I love love love all the illusion lace that’s going on – so pretty! I also loved that the pictures for the collection were taken at a mansion that’s undergoing renovation – something a bit Great Expectations about the combination of rubble and lace. Elbeth works personally with each of her brides, and her team handcrafts each piece to make sure it fits to perfection!Read More

Real Wedding at De Hoop Nature Reserve {El-Ray & Tinus}

by gaby

Time for another real wedding, folks! This one comes from SBB friend and sponsor Dreampix Photography. If there are two things I’m a great big fan of it’s the colour navy and an outdoor wedding. Even more so when that outdoor wedding has an ‘indoor outdoor’ feel – a transfer of elegant indoor (ballroom) decor like chandeliers and checked dancefloor to an outdoor space under the trees. There’s something so romantic about that, like a table for two set up on a beach, or sleeping under the stars, don’t you think? Tinus and El-Ray had both of these elements in their De Hoop Nature Reserve wedding, and they came together beautifully. I also love that they had games for guests in a scenic drinks reception after the ceremony – so fun! Thanks to Kobus of Dreampix for sending this one over. Oh, and PS, it’s clearly fun nailpolish day here on SBB – loving the navy on the bridesmaids!Read More

A French Affair

by gaby

We start this Thursday morning with a styled shoot that I have a feeling many of you brides to be are going to love. My inspiration boards request folder is always full of pastel colour schemes – this year particularly soft pinks and greens – candy colours that go gently on the eye and evoke the kind of wedding so many little girls dream of. With vintage here to stay, things are moving away from Victorian vintage a little but keeping the intricate prettiness of detailing, and that’s just what today’s shoot embodies for me. Stylist Jade Snyman of Jade Customised Events has even given it a French twist – a little bit Paris, a little bit Versailles. Loveliness! There are so many stealable details – the rock candy place names, the dresser dessert bar, the touch of lace on the monogram flag stationery, the perfume favours (so French, non?). My cheeky favourite is the bride’s pastel nails – aren’t they just the cutest touch? Inspiration aplenty, and lovely pics by Christine W.Read More

Wedding Flowers: Blushing Bride Protea

by gaby

Blushing Bride Proteas

Move over, kings and pincushions – there’s a new bridal protea in town! Okay, not new exactly, but this season blushing bride proteas (maybe the most perfectly named wedding flower ever) have really come into their own. This recent SBB wedding featured a ton of them, and I had quite a few queries about what the pretty blush blooms with the lacey edges were, so I thought it was time for a dedicated roundup. One of the things I love best about blushing bride protea flowers is that they’re native to SA and, while you can find them all over the world now, they are one of our very own. The story has it that they’re nicknamed blushing brides because men on their way to propose to their beloveds would wear one in their buttonhole, and everyone in town would know (hence the bride’s blushes) – true or not, it’s such a sweet story! I absolutely love them on their own, but combined with other flowers, fillers and even berries, they add a special something in terms of texture to any arrangement. With a combination of romantic folklore, South African pride and sheer gorgeousness, they are perfect for your wedding day. Here are some of my favourites from around the web. *This post contains affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

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