Real Wedding at Clouds Estate {Ine & Riaan}

by gaby

Attitude, baby. It’s all about attitude. In life, in work – even in weddings. The truth is (and I need to remind myself of this a LOT), that there’s a limited amount of control you have over the material you have to work with every day, but the one thing you always have control over is how you deal with it. I don’t know today’s bride, but I feel like she gets that. She planned her Clouds Estate wedding herself (with lots of help from friends and family) and put a lot of thought and effort into the perfectly pink details (how much do I love the Mr and Mrs style favours?). But on the day, she let it all go and spent her day basking in marrying her husband and spending time with all the people she loves. You just need to take one look at her radiant smile in these absolutely gorgeous photos by Lauren Kriedemann to know that kind of attitude was working for her, and then some! So even if you usually skip the text, make sure you read it today, because Iné really has some great, down-to-earth advice!Read More

Inspiration Board: Dandelion Days

by gaby

Good morning friends! Hope you had a fab weekend! Mine was good – I had the privilege of spending yesterday with a group of fantastic wedding industry people assisting on a shoot for my friend Louise of (aka @bijouxbride). Lots of hard work, but it was so fun, and I can’t wait to see the pictures. I know there are a lot of people who don’t like inspiration shoots, but for me, they’re a great way to pull together an idea (like a mood board, but on a bigger scale) and I know they’re where I get a lot of the ideas I use in my boards. Plus, they’re great for table settings, which I know brides struggle with sometimes. What do you think? Love ’em or hate ’em?

Anyway, on to today’s board. While it’s gone very cold and grey in London town, I know everyone in South Africa is on the other side of the spring/autumn equation, so I thought I would bring you a lovely spring palette to enjoy. A lot of brides shy away from yellow because it’s such a strong colour, but if canary yellow is too bold and mustard is too yellow, consider a soft pastel lemon. Combined with pale green and grey, it’s fresh and flattering, and it brought to mind for me the pretty gardeny side of the Kate Moss nuptials – a traditional church, lots of little flowergirls in white, wildflowers. Add in yellow shoes and a polka dot dress, plus of course a little hair braid (because we do love braids, don’t we!). And if you like the lovely invitations pictured here by my clever friends at Brancoprata, you can download the template for free right here. Perfect, non?

Colours: Pale yellow, green and soft grey

Top row (l-r): Bride & groom (Jose Villa); yellow shoes (Christine Meintjes); polka dot dress; frosted lemons (A. Hana Design); lemonade
Row 2: Dessert table (Amy Atlas); invitation (Brancoprata); macaroon ring shot (Kim Mendoza Photography); vintage car (Photogen Inc.)
Row 3: Dandelion; bridesmaid (Katelyn James); braided updo; flower girls; pretty church from Kate Moss Wedding (Mario Testino/Vogue)

Real Wedding at the Castle of Good Hope {Kerri & Russell}

by gaby

What’s that expression about the best laid plans? Well, I had the BEST laid plans for you all this week, and one after another they’ve gone awry, largely due to the fact that we keep losing power (and then internet for hours afterwards) in my road. It’s driving me mental. Especially since I had not one but two posts almost lined up for you yesterday and another for today. BUT, patience is a virtue, and I’m doing a quick switcheroo and bringing you yesterday’s wedding today, and the other two posts next week. Bonus. Brushing all that annoyance off, I’m still SUPER excited to share this wedding with you, since it not only features a real Cape landmark but also a couple I know, which is always fun. I met Ker and Russ through my friend Belinda (one of the gorgeous bridesmaids in these pics), so I have been hearing all about this wedding from Day One. And when I saw the absolutely spectacular pictures that Judy Stofberg of Just Judy Photography had taken, I asked Kerri if I could feature their big day right here. Now castle weddings might be a dime a dozen here in the UK, but they’re a rarity down Africa way. The Castle of Good Hope, which is a wonderful historic choice as a venue, is actually the oldest colonial building in South Africa, and replaced a small fort built by Jan Van Riebeeck in the 1600s. It’s a real slice of South Africa’s cultural heritage, and just wait until you see the spectacular Cape views! I love how Kerri and Russell made the most of their venue with formal touches like the piper on the roof (seriously, how cool is that?) and the deep purple they chose as their accent colour. The great thing about choosing a backdrop like this is that you don’t need to go mental on the decor, just let your guests soak in the atmosphere.Read More

Book Themed Wedding Ideas

by gaby

Literary Wedding Ideas Penguin Books Poster Wedding Gift

Vintage Penguin Book Style Personalised Wedding Poster Print by WizBitArt on Etsy

Today’s post is inspired by my dear friend Shannon, who just so happens to work at Penguin, and just so happens to be getting married next year. I don’t think she’s using Penguin books as part of her decor, but probably because of her I’ve been more aware of a few instances of them coming up in weddings recently. I have to say though, that I wouldn’t call this a trend – it’s certainly not for everyone. But for a certain type of bride and groom (library wedding, love of books, English Lit graduates, writers or editors, etc.) it makes a lovely and personal motif. All books would, of course, but Penguin books marry literature so successfully with iconic design. There are, of course, the original Penguins – those single colour covers that we all instantly recognise. But more recently, there’s been the work of Coralie Bickford-Smith, a senior designer at Penguin who has won awards and acclaim for her beautiful, covetable covers (I own a complete set of the Fitzgerald ones and I’M COMPLETELY IN LOVE with them). Including these in your decor immediately adds an element of great design, and I think that’s why some couples have been using them so successfully. Let’s have a look.
Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

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Real Wedding in Hermanus {Lizeth & Danie}

by gaby

You probably won’t even be aware of this, but there’s been a lot of debate recently in the wedding blogging community. We are, according to some commentators, way too obsessed with details, only blogging about weddings that cost thousands of dollars and are overrun with mason jars, and forgetting what weddings are really about. I’m not even engaging with that here, but if ever there were an example of a wedding that holds love at its very core, where the details and décor are crafted with care, where the day is full of happiness and laughter and the simple things in life, then this is it. Lizeth and Danie went back to basics, and planned a day full of the people and things that made them happy. A tent on a Hermanus beach. A beautiful handmade wedding dress. Bunting. Picnic baskets full of homemade food. And you know what? It’s still ridiculously pretty. So kick off your shoes, and enjoy the gorgeous pictures from Annemari Ruthven that so brilliantly capture the light and joy of this special day.Read More

Real Wedding at Rickety Bridge {Louise & Clive}

by gaby

Hello lovelies! Looking out of my office window (into my GARDEN! How cool is that?) all I can see is a beautiful mess of autumn leaves all over the lawn, but today’s wedding just smacks of freshness and sunshine and the summer sun. I haven’t had many breakfast weddings on Cap Classique yet (although it’s actually a trend I’m looking at right now for a friend), but if I had to dream one up, I couldn’t make it more perfect than this one. Louise and Clive planned their big day at Rickety Bridge all the way from Australia in just five months, which is quite an achievement in my book! They kept it simple, but all the elements of Extreme Pretty are there: bright white linens in a white marquee, fresh lemons and lavender, pretty country flowers, a ruffly dress (adore this one, by the way). It makes me want to stand up and burst into a rousing rendition of Morning has Broken. (I won’t, lucky for you.) Instead, I’ll let you sit back and enjoy the loveliness, courtesy of one of my favourite photographers, Ms Monica Dart.Read More

Real Wedding at Cloof Vineyards {Cynthia & Chris}

by gaby

Afternoon, lovelies! So, as you know, I have a total crush on being Southern. It’s all about the drawl, y’all. So you can just imagine how much I lurve this wedding, which is not only full of sweet Texan touches, but combines them with the elegance of an English garden party and the best of my beautiful home country as well. It’s just the loveliest way to do multi-cultural, ever, and full of steal-able ideas. Not to mention, fun. They had a barn dance! With hats! And sheriff badges! Could it be more adorable? Not to mention the whole long table-outdoor eating thing (Denim table runners? I die). Responsible for all this handmade prettiness is clever Southern belle Cynthia and her South African husband Chris, as well as Cynthia’s sister, who just happens to be talented photographer Julie Wilhite. I’m so excited to be able to share Julie’s gorgeous pics of a very special family celebration on this, my first day as a self-employed person (free at last, free at last) – and lucky for us, although she’s based in the US, she’s always keen to visit her sister and shoot in SA, so give her a shout if you’d like to ask about availability! I had a ball putting these pics together, and I know you’d love looking at them.Read More

Inspiration Board: Ascot Opening Day

by gaby

I’M BACK!! Hello lovely friends, I’m delighted to return to you this fine morning. This last morning of my old life, where I’ll make my last journey to Oxford on the train. (Boy, can I ever not wait to see the back of that train.) From tomorrow, I’ll be starting a new chapter, and Paddington will be just a bear and not the station I spend half my life waiting in. I’m terrified, I’m excited, I’m nervous, I’m relieved. But most of all, I’m ready. And I can’t WAIT for the next part of the journey. In the next few weeks I’ll be starting to introduce some new features to you, I’ll be making some big announcements, and ultimately, I’ll be introducing you to the new website. This morning, as I look back on a great five years of my career, I honestly feel that the best is yet to come.

For today, we have some fabulous inspiration, in the form of a board inspired by one of my FAVOURITE movie scenes. (Well, sort of.) I mean, the black and white Ascot Gavotte scene in My Fair Lady is beautiful, not just because it has Audrey Hepburn being Audrey Hepburn in it, but because all the dresses and set were designed by the incredible Cecil Beaton. (Unfortunately, I hate musicals, so as long as it’s on mute, we’re all okay.) Add the lightest pearly pink, and you have a design that is thoroughly modern and absolutely perfect for an elegant (possibly vineyard) wedding. Don’t you just love it? Smashing. Positively dashing.

Don’t forget to come back later to see more yummy inspiration from our real life bride, Cheryl.

Colours: Black & white, blush pink

Top row (l-r): Parisian stripes ceremony arch (Simple Splendor Photography); blush pink bridesmaids’ dresses (Anastasia Photography); oysters (Flory Photo); ceremony chairs (Adam Barnes Photo)
Row 2: Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady; blush pink, black and white invitation suite (sugar paper); crowd from Ascot scene in My Fair Lady
Row 3: Black & white macaroon tower; shoes (Studio Impressions); wedding dress with stripe sash

Bold Wedding Nails

by gaby

So, nailpolish. Do you love it? I love it. And I don’t know if it’s a fashion thing or a me thing, but I’ve become way more experimental as I’ve got older (totally rocked ombre nails at a wedding this summer, which was fun). Thing is,  I always thought weddings were a strictly French manicured zone. Lately though, little pops of colour and funkiness are turning up across the wedding blogisphere, and it’s starting to become clear that brides are getting bolder with their digits. Read More