That’s right, you guys! It’s time for a brand new real life bride series, and I am SO excited! I was so totally overwhelmed by the response to my call for a new RLB a few weeks back – not just by the number of submissions, but by your enthusiasm and willingness to share your ideas and stories with me. It was truly heartwarming, and a reminder of how privileged I am to do what I do. In the end, I couldn’t bear to choose just one, so today I am thrilled to announce that you’ll be meeting not just one but THREE new Real Life Brides, who will be taking you on their wedding planning journeys! The posts will be staggered to accommodate the different wedding dates, so you’ll meet brides 2 & 3 later, but today I get to introduce you to the very lovely Candice, our Marie Antoinette bride! Candice charmed me with her introduction email (excerpt: “I love Downton Abbey and avoid the sun in an attempt to acquire skin as pale as lady Mary’s… I think that the time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time and that eating and sleeping are two perfectly respectable ways of spending one’s time. And if I could, I would wear a wedding dress every day for the rest of my life.”) She has her eye on Versailles for inspiration, and she’ll be telling you all about it in the coming weeks. For now, a huge WELCOME to Candice – don’t forget to show her some love in the comments! :)
Inspiration Board: Neon Brights
Today’s board is one I never in a million years would have thought I’d be doing. Neon. You know when neon was last cool? About 1991. In 1991, I had just started high school, and my dear mom hadn’t yet taught me that those of us cursed with curly hair could sort it out with a hairdryer (straighteners wouldn’t even be invented for another half a decade – God, I’m old); so on a good day, I looked a bit like Baby in Dirty Dancing and on a bad day, like Sideshow Bob. Which is appropriate, because I was also doing the Bartman, dressing in little minis we referred to as ‘Roxette dresses’, listening to Technotronic and perving over Richard Snell. Who was a cricketer. Happily, I can tell you I haven’t done any of those things since 1992 (sorry, Richard, wherever you are). And yet, here I am, reviving neon. Well, okay, I am not the one who’s revived it. Blame Fashion, because neon is definitely back. And I’ve surprised myself by liking some of the neon inspiration that’s been popping up in Wedding World recently, so I thought I would challenge myself to see if I could imagine it into a wedding. Result? I’m a convert. I think the key (as always) is a bit of moderation – neons look amazing when they stand out against a very white white, and bold mod graphic elements like black and white stripes or gold. It takes them from 80s throwback to Kate Spadey chic, and actually makes for a very stylish palette. The other thing I liked was the use of all the four acids – green, orange, pink and yellow – somehow bringing all four of them into the mix works better for me than just one or two. Put your bridesmaids in bold stripes with bright shoes and nail polish, invest in great stationery and unexpected, colourful flowers, use some bold graphic elements on your tables and then… leave everything else clean, bright and white. Perfect for a fun, city-chic wedding, and ideal with a short 1960s-style dress. So, what do you think? Would you ever consider neon for your wedding?
Colours: Neon orange, yellow, green & pink and white
Top row (l-r): Place setting {S: A Styled Fete; P: Carly Jones; Printables: Anders Ruff}; neon letterpress invitation {Ladyfingers Letterpress}; popcorn bags {S: A Styled Fete; P: Carly Jones; Printables: Anders Ruff}
Row 2: Macaroons {S: A Styled Fete; P: Carly Jones}; funfetti cake {found via b.loved}; bride & groom with LOVE sign {Sweet Tea Photography}
Row 3: Gold balloons {S: Somewhere Splendid; P: Canary Grey Photography}; badges {Wedding in a Teacup}; neon bouquet {S: Pretty Little Details; P: Sarah Postma Photography}
Olive Leaf Wedding Ideas
*UPDATED FOR 2021* Now here’s a little trend I’ve been wanting to bring you for ages: Olive leaf decor! I can’t think of a more perfect time to do so than during the Olympics! (Back in Ancient Greece, an olive wreath was given to the winner of each event.) Olive leaves make an amazing accent for your wedding decor, especially if you’d like to introduce a Mediterranean theme. There’s something rustic but also quite clean about them, and the silvery green colour works brilliantly against most decor, but especially a crisp white. From olive branch wedding invitations to other olive wedding decor, this really could work for a number of different wedding styles – an outdoor afternoon lunch, a beach wedding, a rustic farm wedding, an elegant wine farm affair. And, of course, a Mediterranean destination wedding. Beautiful. Here are some olive leaf wedding ideas for you to consider.
*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.
Olivelli Cape Town + WIN a Free Fitting
Good morning, SouthBound belles! I have some exciting news to share with you this morning. Those of you in Gauteng may be familiar with Olivelli, a dress boutique that carries some absolutely stunning, exclusive designs, and offers a unique, personal fitting experience. Well, good news for those of you in the Cape: Olivelli will be opening a branch at Tyger Valley next month!
Real Wedding at Constantia Mist {Sarah & Peter}
Coral, you guys. I have been preaching coral (along with my fellow wedding bloggers) for the last year, and I’ve seen it in inspiration boards and inspiration shoots and weddings on other people’s blogs. But today, coral is making a personal appearance here on SBB and let me tell you, get ready to do some Beatles-style shouting and crying, because it is everything I thought it would be and more. Of course, the colour scheme’s not the only reason I fell in love with Sarah and Peter’s beautiful Constantia Mist garden wedding (shot in glorious colour and detail by friends and SBB sponsors Andre and Selma of Expressions), but it’s the first one. Close behind were super sweet details like button badges, wooden tableware, divine stationery, sweet white folding chairs and paper pom poms. It’s like the posh version of a country picnic, and manages to be charming and sophisticated and a little bit retro all at the same time. It is LOVE. More like this one please, people. Make a blogger happy. ;)Read More
Paris Couple Shoot + WIN an Engagement Video
Hello friends! Hope you’re all enjoying your women’s day! I have an absolutely stunning wedding coming up later, but first, I am super excited about this couple shoot. Why? Because it’s shot in the most romantic city in the world. I mean, who doesn’t love Paris? I must admit, considering that I live so close, I have spent shamefully little time in this amazing city, but it’s still one of my favourites. So I was very excited when Helene of Wedding Light Photography got in touch to let me know about a fabulous competition they are running to shoot an engagement video for one lucky couple in the most romantic city in the world. And not just any engagement video, but one based on Yvan Attal’s ‘Kisses from Paris’ – head over to their blog to find out more about their concept. To win, all you need to do is tell them the story of how you and your fiance met and the winners will get to hop over to ‘gay Paree’ to look lovingly at each other while Wedding Light create their masterpiece. Sounds like a great way for you UK-based brides to spend a weekend, no? Anyway, to celebrate this awesome competition, Wedding Light were kind enough to let me share one of their stunning couple shoots, based on a walking tour around the City of Light. Gabriella and Park (great name there, Gabriella!) were actually on their honeymoon when these were taken, and they make such a special souvenir of their time there. And can I just say, that Gabriella is rocking the awesomest Gucci dress – I think this has to go down as my favourite couple shoot outfit EVER. So sit back lovelies, and prepare to be transported.Read More
Vintage Aviation Engagement Shoot
Goodness me, but I love this shoot! A few weeks back, the lovely Alana Meyer contacted me to share Nikki and Wesley’s eshoot, and I absolutely fell in love with the cheeky 1940s vibe, the couple’s cool black and white styling, and the backdrop of old planes and vehicles. Not to mention how gorgeous the couple are (don’t you think Nikki looks a bit like Lindsay Lohan, but back when the LiLo was stunning and sparky and not a washed out media hag, obvs?). Alana’s done a brilliant job of capturing the fun these two obviously have together, and it all adds up to some really memorable couple pics.Read More
Wedding Video: Kate & Christian
I promised you more of today’s lovely wedding, and here it is! Kate and Christian’s fabulous brunch wedding at La Colombe, Constantia Uitsig was filmed by the awesome Storyboard Productions – I just love the sweet, upbeat tone of the whole film, and that scrumptious morning light! It’s almost enough to drag more brides out of bed for a morning start, isn’t it?
Still images by Warren Williams
Real Wedding at Constantia Uitsig {Kate & Christian}
Wakey wakey, SouthBound Brides! I have a lovely wedding for you this morning, and it was a lovely morning for this wedding! A few weeks back, I ran a story about brunch weddings (only one of my most popular, so I guess this is an idea that’s gathering speed) and bride Kate contacted me to tell me about hers. She and her husband, Christian, decided on an autumn champagne brunch at La Colombe, Constantia Uitsig, so they could dash off on their honeymoon afterwards, and chose a neutral, slightly vintage palette. The gents wore morning suits and all the ladies at the wedding were asked to wear hats and fascinators (I just love this!). The result is classically beautiful wedding that really captures Cape Town’s autumnal charm (although lucky for Kate and Christian, they just missed the Cape Town rains!). Warren Williams was there to take the pictures, and as always has done an awesome job in capturing the spirit of the day – I love the fashion editorialey style of these shots. And here’s the even better news – come back in an hour and I’ll have a lovely bit of video from this wedding to show you too!Read More
Real Wedding at Netherwood {Sam & Stew}
Okay, I am going to admit, I found this feature HARD. Not because it’s not lovely, oh no. But because picking through the pictures has never been harder. It’s not just that Sam – our brand new DIY Bride guest contributor – has an eye for detail second to none and the most incredible, original, personal, heart-warmingly wonderful ideas incorporated into her beautiful wedding, but that every one of photographer Jacki Bruniquel’s pics is so perfect that I wanted to use them all. Narrowing them down was like a Herculean task. So this is kind of a long post. But I don’t mind if you don’t mind, and I know you won’t mind scrolling through this absolutely gorgeous DIY celebration at Netherwood. And the best part? You’ll be able to recreate some of the awesome yourself, when Sam brings you her DIY tutorials. Isn’t that the best news? Yes it is.Read More