Inspiration Board: Colour Burst

by gaby

Never let it be said that I don’t love my readers! I know how sometimes planning can be overwhelming (especially bringing all your ideas together as the big day approaches), so when I got a wedding 911 from SouthBound Bride Stephanie, I put together this little board for her quick sharp. Stephanie had chosen a lovely deep purple as her main colour, with beautiful bridesmaid dresses for her girls. However, Stephanie was also in love with colour and fun, but was having a tough time convincing everyone else involved with her wedding that she could be vibrant and still classic and beautiful. Her dream palette – purple combined with coral, yellow and pink – was certainly unusual, so I immediately started looking for florals in this combo. As I suggested to Stephanie, if you’re working with bright colours but you want to make sure they don’t become too much, the best thing to do is keep everything else simple and let the flowers really pop. Because flowers are colours from nature, they have natural tones to them, so you don’t get the same hard colour block effect that you might with something synthetic. It’s a softer and more classic look. Luckily I didn’t have to look too long before I found the perfect inspiration shoot, and all I can say is WOW. Isn’t this palette stunning? I’m such a convert. Paired with simple place settings and classic stationery, the florals really do the talking (and they say “hello, I’m gorgeous”). You’ll notice there are a lot of peonies in the board – and yes, peonies are incredible, but they’re also hard for a South African bride to find. However, chat to your florist about other options, as there are many lush colourful flowers (ranunculus or carnations, for example) that will do a great job here. Another tip I gave Stephanie was not to try to bring all four colours into everything – combine two here, two there, and the result is cumulative.
So, what do you think? Stunning, no? Good luck with the rest of your planning Stephanie! I’m sure it will be amazing.

Colours: Deep purple, violet, coral, yellow & pink

Top row (l-r): Bouquet {P: Sara Gray Photography; S: Elizabeth Anne Designs}; purple shoes {P: Simply Jessie Photography}; centrepiece {}; colourful sweet favours {Martha Stewart}
Row 2: Deep purple bridesmaid dress {Bride & Co.}; purple and coral stationery suite {P: KT Merry; D: The Right Side Design}; purple paper straws; centrepieces {P: Sara Gray Photography; S: Elizabeth Anne Designs}
Row 3: Elbeth Gillis wedding dress {P: Cari Photography; D: Elbeth Gillis}; flowers {P: Sara Gray Photography; S: Elizabeth Anne Designs}; purple chalkboard {generated by reader}; cocktail {P: Matthew Morgan; C: Tammy Mitchell}

 

Real Wedding at Welbeloond {Simone & Rudi}

by gaby

What on earth did we do before Facebook? Because, no kidding, I have heard about a LOT of lovebirds who have connected on there, one way or another. Today’s couple is one of them. And say what you will about modern technology, but I love the fact that, in a time before social media, their romance might have stopped when they were teenagers but today, even a couple of oceans aren’t insurmountable. Then again, if you believe as they do, that their romance was meant to be, perhaps even in another age they might have found each other. Kind of a lovely thought. Anyway, meet they did, and it all culminated in an awesome, down-home, farm-style rustic party at Welbeloond, that was centred around the love of their family and friends, and captured in all its sweetness by Jacques Lloyd of Real Simple Photography.Read More

Trend Alert: Prints

by gaby

Source: Jake McBride for Christian Oth via Style Me Pretty

Time for some afternoon inspiration! Last week I was thrilled to be asked by BrideTide (a brilliant hub for wedding news, as well as the keepers of the prestigious Top 100 Wedding Blogs list) to be one of 20 bloggers predicting the big wedding trends for 2013. What an honour to be in the company of some of my absolute favourite bloggers, and people I respect immensely. The list is still being updated, but you can find it here.

Trends are always hard to predict, since sometimes it feels like by the time you notice them, they’re almost over, but there was one that I feel absolutely sure will be a defining look for next year, and that’s prints (or ‘prints charming’, as the article so sweetly phrases it!). In some ways, this is a natural extension of some of the fabric trends we’ve already seen: damask, stripes, chevron, toile as well as the move towards painterly style and modern graphics, resulting in bolder or bespoke choices in linen, be they table runners or napkins. Of course, prints are also big news in fashion, and with mismatched bridesmaids being a much-loved look, it was only a matter of time until brides took the leap into dressing at least one of their girls in a print as well. Some brides have already managed to work a lovely layered print look, incorporating it into their stationery as well – this can work best for a shabby chic or country vibe – or adopting a single look which, again, is incorporated into their stationery or ‘branding’. I have to say, I’m a huge fan of the style in its many guises, particularly the way that a unique fabric on the tables or in the bridal party can really make your colours pop and bring everything together. And, while having all your maids in prints can look amazing, I think my favourite BM groupings are the ones that have a range of colours and textures, including at least one print and one sparkly dress. But that’s just me! I’ve put together a whole gallery of inspiration for you, so you can see that this look doesn’t have to be scary. Let’s start with whole groups of bridesmaids in matching prints…Read More

Real Wedding at Zulu Nyala Game Lodge {Janlyn & Grant}

by gaby

Good morning friends! Today I’m transporting you to one of my very favourite places on earth – the South African bushveld. I’ve spoken before about just how much I love the bush, but whatever, I am going to wax lyrical again. I’ve been going to game reserves since I can remember, and although my dad is also a fan, the impulse runs even stronger in my mom’s side of the family. I’ll never forget driving around with my grandpa and having him tell me about animals and birds, or the time my mom and I staked out a kill at Hluhluwe when all the tourists had cleared off, and were rewarded with the most magnificent lion sighting I’ve had yet. I feel like the bushveld is my happy place – in fact, when I once brought home a boyfriend who didn’t take well to it, my dad questioned whether I could spend my life with someone who didn’t understand this great love of mine (quite right, too). I’m passionate about encouraging visitors and South Africans to spend more time there (in a responsible way) and supporting the heroic conservation efforts that are taking place in our country. Which is a long way of saying, today’s wedding is a bush wedding, and hell’s teeth am I excited! When I saw Janlyn and Grant’s Zulu Nyala big day over on the insanely talented Jacki Bruniquel’s blog, I feel head over heels in love with it. I mean, it’s a true wedding under the African stars, in a quarry (!!). But what I really loved is that they took all the best, most romantic elements of an elegant ballroom bash, and just took ’em on outside. It’s like the Ritz, but with a herd of impala looking on. It’s one of those South African weddings that makes me wonder why anyone would get married anywhere else. (Sorry, world, we’re just better. True story.) Oh, and PS – this wedding took place on the night of the supermoon. How amazing is that?Read More

Indieberries Engagement Shoot

by gaby

A few years back, my dear friend Lenore sent me a link to a South African blog called indieBerries. Think you’ll like this, she said. And that was how I entered the deliciously barmy world of Che, writer of fun blog posts, drawer of hilarious cartoons, scrapbooker extraordinaire. Che is one of those people you instantly like, even just via the internet – she’s bubbly and warm, creative and ever so slightly mad. She also makes beautiful stationery, which I used as a thin pretext to get in touch years ago (she kindly wrote a guest post for me then). So of course, when she got proposed to in spectacular fashion and started planning a wedding, I declared myself her new bestie. Conveniently, she was going to be in London for a few months, so I’ve since got to spend some time with her and she is exactly as I’d imagined – which means that I dig her a lot in person as well as online. All of these would have been reasons on their own that I’d be excited to feature her engagement shoot with fiance Warren (or ‘The Warr’ as I can only ever think of him after Che dubbed him that on her blog – it’s fine, he calls me SBB), especially when I found out that their photographer was none other than the awesome Anneli Marinovich. But when I discovered that they had the CUTEST concepts for their shoot, I knew it would be one of my favey couple shoots ever. First, Che and Warren brought the ‘love locks’ tradition to London, adding their own little lock of love to Hungerford Bridge and throwing the key into the Thames. Then they headed for the London Eye, and had a quintessentially London picnic, where each gave the other a love letter to read while Anneli snapped away. What I love most is that these concepts weren’t just used as props – they were catalysts for genuinely romantic and emotional moments between these two lovebirds, and the expressions of happiness on their faces just say it all. They both seem to glow in each other’s company – just imagine how amazing their wedding is going to be! Be sure to read on below for details on the shoot, and for the AWESOME story of how they met (make sure you head over to indieBerries for how he proposed too!). Che and The Warr: huge congratulations!Read More

Real Wedding at Groenrivier {Ilne & Herman}

by gaby

Whenever people ask me how I choose which weddings to feature, I end up talking about the Ooh Moment. The detail or idea or photograph that makes me go “ooh”. Literally. If you sat next to me while I was looking at it, you would hear that I actually say “ooh”. There were quite a few oohs in today’s beautiful wedding from photographer Heather Steyn (Hello! Bride and bridesmaids hairstyles! And dresses! Wildflowers! Wreaths!) but the biggest one came when I realised that each table had its own little decor theme. Each cleverly thought out (and super pretty) and each meaningful to the bride and groom. It’s like awesome table decor using found objects, times multiple. Or like a little art installation. It’s completely adorable, and it turns an already lovely wedding into a veritable ooh-fest. And that’s not all, because this sweet couple, who have careers as Afrikaans teachers in common, also share another commonality – that their fathers are both ministers. So who’s to perform the ceremony? Well, both of them! How cute is that? Very, that’s how. Now go forth, and ooh.Read More

Let Them Eat Wedding Cake #6: The Dress

by gaby

I’ve never been one to not know what I want. I have almost always had rather specific and clear preferences and ideas about what I do and do not care for. I know what I like and if I cannot find that I can most certainly always find what I do not like to rule things out. I don’t like horrors, I don’t like skiing, I don’t like bubblegum flavoured anything, and I don’t like minimalist design. What I do like… well since this is a dress post…

Beautiful luxurious fabrics, layer upon layer of soft, sheer material draped ever so delicately, as if angels have placed it to effortlessly express the femininity of its wearer. Ethereal. A dress that moves as you move, that seems to float as if itself experiencing the lightness of being so superbly and hopelessly in love. In the world of the dress I love Elie Saab, French Chantilly and Alencon lace, creations from the 1920s.. wedding dresses.

There is something about a wedding dress. It somehow isn’t just a white dress, or a pretty outfit. It says something. It emanates something. Maybe it’s the joy that shines out of the bride herself, or the enchantment of her devotion that gently settles on her cheeks like the snow that creates Evangeline’s dress in the movie Nanny Macphee. Maybe it’s the way the groom looks at her, which seems to expose and magnify both inner and outer beauty for all to appreciate or maybe it’s simply the shared knowledge of the magnitude of what wearing the dress means.

And I guess what I would like most out of my dress is for it to make me feel like a bride. Authentically me, but also special, because the day is special, the moment is special.

Colour-wise I would like it to be ivory – I am completely taken with the creamy look of the dress in this picture!

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Inspiration Board: Trading Post

by gaby

Okay, I have to tell you, I’m in love with this board. Which is a surprise, because turquoise and chocolate hasn’t always been a favourite combination of mine. I think it’s because I’ve seen it done tacky too many times, but when bride Klarissa wrote to tell me about her wedding, I knew this girl had style. After all, she chose an awesome venue – Searle’s Trading Post in Greyton. It’s super quirky and rustic and fabulous, and Klarissa knew well enough to work with its eclectic feel and just accent it with her colours. I adore the idea of a trading post ‘theme’ – a mix of found objects and rustic textures like wood and burlap. I started thinking about the sort of things you might have found at a trading post (or at least ones you might have found at my fantasy imaginary one!). How about pretty birds eggs in nests, for example? (Love these for place holders, or as part of the table decor, and they’re a fun DIY.) Old tins full of flowers. Mason jars, old door knobs, suitcases. I stumbled across this image of a poshokkie (what is the English for that, anyway?) with brown paper packages wrapped up in string – wouldn’t this make an ADORABLE escort card display? I also loved the idea of string decorations (this SBB couple did this brilliantly) and a statement turquoise necklace for the bride. It’s kind of a case of ‘anything goes’, but natural textures are the key to making it work – fortunately in a venue like this one, Klarissa will have no shortage of them. Thanks for waiting patiently, Klarissa – hope you like your board as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Colours: Turquoise & chocolate brown

Top row (l-r): Eggs in nest {Pottery Barn}; bride with turquoise necklace {Intrikate Designs}; suitcases {Retro Images on Etsy}; table setting on rough wood {P: Courtney Dellafiora; S: Valerie Metrejean}
Row 2: Blue dyed mason jar; burlap backed invitation; flowers in vintage tin {P: Heather Saunders Photography; D: The Parsonage}; poshokkie; piano
Row 3: Turquoise dress; mason jars with acorns {Pottery Barn}; cake with string ‘love’ topper {P: White Wall Photography}; vintage doorknobs on burlap runner {S: Elissa Keno; P: Kellie Kano}.

 

Inspiration Board: Hollywood Masquerade

by gaby

Inspiration board time, lovelies! I’m back with another reader request, and this one was so much fun to put together! Reader Shiree wrote to tell me about her wedding, describing it as “Old Hollywood meets Phantom of the Opera”. How. Cool. Is. That? She and her fiance have chosen silver, black and white as their colours, and are looking for “over the top elegance” and “masked ball opulance”. Oh my goodness, I have always wanted to go to a proper masked ball, and I just love the way that Shiree is planning to combine the glamour of Hollywood with the mystique of a masquerade. Usually when I’m putting concepts together for a board I’m aware of not including too many big ideas, but this theme is ALL about drama and statement and luxe. Shiree didn’t have a venue planned, but if possible, choose one with a dramatic staircase for the ultimate entrance! Otherwise, you can create that same sense of drama in just about any surrounding (although a high ceiling is a big plus) – I’ve even seen an amazing wedding where a parachute was used draped from the ceiling. Think big. I love the marquee pictured below, with what’s almost an installation of lanterns above the dancefloor – there’s that drama we’re talking about, but it doesn’t have to cost the earth – you can use relatively inexpensive materials, but think big and more (this one’s actually a DIY – see the image credits for the link). Fairy lights are another way to add visual interest – again the more, the better! I also love the idea of other luxurious focal points: bling on the bride’s dress, a cake mirroring that design, a brooch bouquet (the ultimately opulent bouquet, surely?) and a champagne tower (so old Hollywood!). Filigree masks are just my best, and I adore the invitation pictured here, which would then be reflected by a mask at each guest’s place setting (or pinned to a large board instead of escort cards). A good lasercut stationer like Doodles in Cape Town might be able to recreate this look for you. They’re not only the perfect favour, but ensure that when you all hit the dancefloor, it’ll look like a Venetian ballroom. Or just a very fancy party at Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s house. Hope you love your board Shiree, and I can’t wait to see the final results!

Colours: Black, white & silver

Top row: Staircase; ring; Old Hollywood cake {P: Kristen Weaver}; brooch bouquet {Brooch Bouquets on Etsy}; filigree silver mask
Row 2: Letterpress mask invitation {Chic Ink}; bride {Lazaro}; mask favour at place setting {P: T.H. Jackson Huang}; fairy light curtain {}
Row 3: Dancefloor with light installation; champagne tower {Martha Stewart}; masquerade ball {Vogue US December 1997; P: Steven Meisel; S: Paul Cavaco}.

 

Q&A with Stephanie Veldman

by gaby

In our Reader Survey (if you haven’t completed this yet, you still can right here) one piece of feedback that has been coming through is that you’d like to know more about wedding pros. So I’m delighted to introduce you to Stephanie Veldman, a Cape Town-based photographer. Her photographs really caught my eye from the first time I saw them – they seem to have a special kind of radiance, which is of course exactly what you’re looking for on your wedding day. I wanted to find out more about her, so I asked Stephanie to answer a few questions for you all.

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