To finish off your Friday, I’m trying something new here on SBB. I’m lucky enough to have some wonderful sponsors on the site, who make it possible for me to bring you beautiful inspiration on a daily basis. Many are talented photographers, and while we regularly feature their real weddings, I thought it would be nice to showcase their work on a monthly basis, so you can get a glimpse of their different styles. They’re all taking bookings right now, so if you like what you see, be sure to get in touch! We’re starting off, as any wedding day does, with images of the bride getting ready. My mom reminded me the other day of a wedding that happened in our street in Johannesburg when I was a very little girl, and not only do I clearly remember the awe that my best friend and I had for the bride in her white dress and veil, but I remember the photographer posing her looking into her mirror, and when I saw that picture I thought it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Photography trends and techniques have changed as those years have gone by, but the images taken as you share special moments with your mom and bridesmaids, the nerves and anticipation, the sense of expectation as you finally put on The Dress (not to mention your immaculate hair and makeup), are going to be some of your most treasured. So without further ado, give it up for the talented SBB photographers!
London Park Engagement Shoot
I have such a sweet engagement shoot for you today, submitted by Wimbledon-based photographer Maxeen Kim. She sent over Cameron and Weronika’s super sweet story as proof that South African men can be romantic – don’t you love it? (Actually, while my dating history reads like a small corner of the United Nations, I haven’t actually dated that many Saffa men myself, so I couldn’t comment either way, but it’s nice to know Cameron is making our boys look good!) Weronika is actually from Poland, and the two lovebirds met when Weronika was hunting for a flat-share. Four years of dating and trips to both South Africa and Poland followed, before Cameron booked a surprise flight to Paris for Weronika’s birthday (somewhere she had always wanted to visit). She thought that was the big surprise, but in fact it was an Eiffel Tower proposal! For their engagement shoot, they chose to recreate a picnic in the park – something they often do in London – and incorporate a fan souvenir from their Paris trip. Cute, non?Read More
Real Wedding at Beloftebos {Andrea & David}
For our final wedding this week, Doctor Gaby has prescribed a dose of sheer prettiness. Floaty pink dresses and OMGiwantthose shoes, pink roses, a monogrammed handkerchief, homemade ginger beer, two excited flowergirls, and what has to be one of my favourite cakes of the year. It’s just delightful, and it makes me want to use words like blythe and jolly, although I suspect it’ll make me sound more like I’m auditioning for Downton than enthusing over a wedding. But enthusing I am, from the awesome venue (we so love Beloftebos, don’t we?) to the Elizabeth Stockenstrom dress, to the gorgeous pictures by Wesley Vorster. Take once today with food (preferably cupcakes) and call me in the morning.Read More
Naked {Un-iced} Cakes
Let’s get naked, people. If you’ve been following my inspiration boards you will already know that I have a style crush on the biggest trend to hit wedding cakes since pies and donuts, and if you follow any other international blogs you probably will have seen a good few of these already, but I thought it was high time we had some naked cake roundup goodness here on SouthBound Bride. So what is a naked cake? In short, it’s a sponge cake that remains un-iced. It might have icing in between layers (although cream cheese frosting, cream and fruit are also common) and it might be beautifully dusted with icing sugar or dribbled with caramel, but the sides are generally left au naturel. And unlike Britney getting in a cab without her undercrackers, it’s a beautiful sight to behold, especially if you’re having a rustic wedding. Decorate with fruit, flowers or both, and stick to a series of smaller cakes or follow the traditional tiered round or square cake. You can go for a classic deconstructed Victoria sponge, or have different layers in different flavours and colours, which also looks pretty amazing! Of course, not everyone is a fan – some cake pros I know feel it looks unfinished and worry about the cake drying out – and, of course, there’s no hiding any cake mishaps under fondant here. Despite this, I think we’ll be seeing lots of these in the upcoming season.
**UPDATE** See our latest roundup of naked cakes (especially for autumn weddings!) hereRead More
Real Wedding at Rain Farm Game & Lodge {Sarah & Matt}
Just when you think you’ve seen everything, you find a wedding at a game lodge inspired by a perfume advert (and I don’t mean ‘Beautiful’). A wedding that takes its blueprint from a fashion shoot. A wedding that should represent everything about this industry that we’re always being criticised for – that we’re all about the form over content, that we’ve lost sight of what’s meaningful, and classic, and appropriate. A wedding that, as it happens, turns that criticism on its head. Because the thing is, that fashion is bride Sarah’s passion. It’s what she does for a living, it’s what inspires her. So when she dreamt up her special day, it didn’t look like an Estee Lauder advert. It was elemental and edgy and, as it turns out, exquisite (thanks in part to the stunning pictures by Fiona Clair), but it was also very personal – an expression of romance in the couple’s private language. This is the kind of wedding that reminds me of why I love weddings – of the infinite creativity that can go into designing them, of the way you can take a concept you love and make it classy and classic, even as it’s vibrant and unique. And meaningful? Well, you only have to read Sarah and Matt’s ‘how we met’ story to know that this is one very special love story, and that’s only fitting, because it’s one very special wedding day. I’m inspired by it. I’m invigorated by it. Fact: I bloody love it.Read More
Wine Farm Engagement Shoot
Almost thirteen years I’ve been living overseas now (how the hell did that happen?). People at home often ask if I get homesick, and the truth is, mostly I don’t. Not that I don’t love my home country or miss my family, but I think mostly if you just don’t indulge it, it goes away. Although someone should have told that to me three months ago when I was on a solo road trip through Limpopo and Enya’s Exile came on the car stereo (ugly cry deluxe), or about five minutes after I finished watching Invictus. Seeing today’s engagement shoot was another one of those moments. Not only are Kara and Lance a truly lovely couple, but they recreated their engagement on Lance’s family farm, Anura (where our Real Life Bride, Cheryl, was also married). It brought rushing back to me the absolutely breathtaking, awe-demanding beauty of the Cape winelands, and what it was like to wake up there every day for my four years at university. It sort of made me hurt a little, right in my heart, the way you do when you see your first love again. But in a good way, I think. It’s a tribute to Vibe Photography that the pics are not only a glowing keepsake of Kara and Lance’s pre-wedding happiness, but a celebration of the countryside they love so well. Perfection. Enjoy. Now, ahem, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to play some Toto. (Oh, and speaking of Toto, how CUTE is their dog?)Read More
Real Wedding at Merwida {Robyn & Warren}
Well fiddle-dee-dee. Who needs Rhett Butler and a plantation house when you can have an elegant manor wedding right over in Rawsonville! Today’s lovely bride and groom chose Merwida as the spot for their reception, a country house based on the design of Tara from Gone with the Wind. They were married right at the top of the tree-lined driveway, followed by games and a classic white on white wedding reception with dancing under the stars. What I love best about this wedding is the way that it marries a chic, classic style with a little touch of carnival – isn’t it lovely? And it just shows that you can pick and choose the ideas and styles that you like best from contemporary weddings, and you don’t need to go the whole nine yards with a theme or concept like carnival to inject a little fun into your reception. The beautiful images are by SBB friend and sponsor Kathryn van Eck – I just love her clean, fresh style! Oh, and PS: when the groom surprised his bride with a guitar serenade? Totally my favourite. Bet there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!Read More
Reader Survey 2012
Good morning, friends! Can you believe it’s been four months since I relaunched SouthBound Bride? On the one hand, it seems like it’s been forever, and the old branding and website is a distant memory. On the other, these months have flown by! But now that we’ve all settled into our new home, looked around a bit, found our favourite spot on the furniture, I have a favour to ask of you, my lovely readers. If you could give five minutes of your time to answering this year’s reader survey before today’s inspiration board appears shortly, I would be hugely grateful. I promise there’s not too many questions, but it’ll give you a chance to give feedback on the site – on what works for you and what doesn’t, what you love and want more of, and what you think could be improved. Last year’s survey resulted in real developments – for example, lots of you said you wanted to see more real weddings, and South African weddings and suppliers outside of the Cape, and now that’s exactly what we do, with three real weddings a week from around the country. Or the fact that you asked for more on hen nights and bridal showers, and that’s been a growing area. So I really do take on board what you say, and I would love it if you would take part. This isn’t just for brides and grooms – wedding suppliers, there are a few questions in there specifically for you too!
I’m hoping you’ll do this just because you want to make the site the best it can be for you, but as an extra incentive, I’ll be giving away a little prize to one random person (you don’t have to leave your name and email address unless you want to enter the draw). The final contents will depend on what kind of reader wins it, but it will definitely include a copy of the fantastic Irrevent A-Z Wedding Guide: South Africa, which is a brilliant read no matter which side of the industry you’re on.
A huge, huge THANK YOU in advance… You can enter the survey by clicking on the image below or right here.
Inspiration Board: La Petit Lavande
I’m very excited about today’s reader request inspiration board, since not only is it a pretty way to start off the week, but it was created for someone I know. Natalie is a university friend of mine – a fellow Minervianer – who got in touch last week to tell me about her wedding. She and her fiance are getting married in the late summer, and want a sophisticated, elegant wedding that still lends itself to being very relaxed and informal. I couldn’t have chosen a better venue for them than La Petite Dauphine near Franschhoek, or in fact, a better colour scheme to suit the venue than the one Natalie has picked: lavender, silver, and a fresh, silvery green. I could immediately picture it – the kind of romantically simple wedding that would be perfectly at home in Jose Villa‘s portfolio or on the pages of Style Me Pretty. We’re certainly looking at a French country influence, so lavender makes not just the perfect colour but a beautiful motif, and Natalie could choose to use it in her stationery as well as to add texture and whimsy (as well as fragrance) on the day. I’d have bridesmaids in lovely long dresses, and the groom with a lavender boutonniere and a stylish grey suit. Long tables, either indoor or out, would have white cotton linen, simple country-style arrangements and bread rolls wrapped in muslin and twine, with a little sprig of lavender tucked into them, at each place setting. All the best things about the French lifestyle would be represented: champagne, cheese, wine (these wine bottle table numbers are a classic, and so easy to DIY), macarons. Have guests write sweet notes to the couple and ‘post’ them in a set of little rustic ‘postboxes’, and at the end of the night take home a little bag of dried lavender to put amongst their clothes and remember the occasion whenever they smell that wonderful fragrance (Natalie could also scatter some along the aisle, as stepping on it would release the aroma). Mix together, add friends and family and some late summer sunshine, and then serve. Congrats again, honey – I can’t wait to follow along with your planning!
Colours: Lavender, silver & green
Top row (l-r): Bride & bridesmaids {P: Samm Blake}; lavender in champagne; lavender boutonniere {P: Jen Huang; D: Lee Vazquez Floral Design}; cheese under bell jar {P: Missy Cochran}; silver frame with cocktail name {P: Samm Blake}; outdoor tables at La Petite Dauphine {welovepictures}
Row 2: Macaroons; post boxes with bird {P: Elizabeth Messina}; lavender invitation suite {Hello Lucky!}; lavender sprigs {P: Kate Grewal}
Row 3: Bride & groom {P: Jose Villa}; wine bottles {P: Missy Cochran}; bread rolls with lavender {P: KT Merry; C: Sara Jean Events: D: Dreamy Whites}; table setting {P: Elisa B. Photography; C: Beehive Events}; ‘love’ bags {P: Harwell Photography; C: Ashley Baber Weddings; D: Gloriosa}
Inspiration Board: Pretty as a Peacock
Afternoon, folks! We’re rounding off a pretty awesome week here on SBB with one more piece of pretty and awesome. I’ve been getting tons of requests for inspiration boards from all of you, so I’m working double time to try and create as many of them as I can. Reader Kristin has been waiting a little while for hers, but I hope it will be worth the wait! Kristin is getting married in a hall in summer, and she’s looking for turquoise accents to classic black and white, with peacock feathers and a general air of chic. Initially I was just going to send Kristin over to a board I created right at the very beginning of the blog (you can find it here), which was when the peacock trend was taking off. But then I thought about it, and I thought maybe we could bring the peacock theme a little more up to date. One option would be to go for a very art deco look – peacock was a key motif during the period after all – but instead I decided to add a bit of glitter to the teal, black and white palette – a look that’s very of the moment. The focus is less on actual peacock feathers – although they’re included in select spots: a boutonniere, with the bouquet, and on the bridesmaids’ headpieces – and more on beautiful peacock imagery. I am so in love with the place settings using peacock plates, gold cutlery and an ornate charger – if hiring this isn’t an option, consider a custom printed menu that fits inside a plain white plate, to give you a similar visual effect. I also adore the letterpress invitations pictured here – stationery is a great way to ‘brand’ your wedding in a sophisticated way. Add a bit of glittery texture – if not on the wedding dress (although I always seem to go back to this gorgeous wedding dress!) then maybe on one bridesmaid’s dress, and how cute is the little packet of sequin confetti? Teal/turquoise shoes and BM dresses are a must, but beyond that I’d stick to classic black and white. And there you have it. Hope you like your board, Kristin!
Colours: Turquoise, black, white & gold
Top row (l-r): Bouquet with peacock feathers {P: Jared Rey Photography; C: Gretchen Rose Events}; BHLDN wedding dress; peacock place setting {P: Ryan Ray Photography; D: Razzle Dazzle Event Decorating}; peacock boutonniere {P: Abbey Hepner Photography; C: GuGuLy Event Planning}; letterpress peacock feather invitation {Bespoke Letterpress}
Row 2: Feather with rings {Stacy Reeves}; sequin confetti {P: Greg Blomberg; D: Bows and Arrows}; teal bridesmaid dress; bride {P: Chrystal Cienfuegos Photography}
Row 3: Peacock plate place setting {P: Ryan Ray Photography; D: Razzle Dazzle Event Decorating}; teal shoes {P: Ryan Ray Photography; D: Razzle Dazzle Event Decorating}; teal bridesmaid dresses {P: Elaine Palladino Photography}; bride and groom with sparklers {P: Amy and Stuart}