Inspiration Board: Tropical Elegance

by gaby

Happy Monday, lovelies! When I was thinking about inspiration boards for travel month, I went through a bunch of different ideas (I have some destination-tastic boards that I’m dying to put together!) But in the end, I decided it was a great opportunity to showcase a few general travel-related themes that were very fresh and beautiful. I’m starting off with this one, because I LOVE everything tropical (seriously, if this board were a house, I’d move right in) and as it happens, tropical style is very trendworthy at the moment both in weddings and in interiors, fashion, etc. And not just because we love pineapples (although we do love pineapples). There are lots of great ways to do tropical, but my favourite is to go for simple luxe, and a palette of lush green, natural browns, white and gold. Details like mini pineapples, calligraphed leaves, and coconut cocktails sit perfectly alongside the classics – fine linen, crystal and crockery – a look that’s much more governer’s mansion than tiki lounge. *Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

Colours: Emerald green, white, gold & wood

Top row (l-r): Table setting (Krista Mason Photography/Lauryl Lane Botanical Stylist/Chic Celebrations); orchid bouquet (Jen Lynne Photography); leaf with calligraphy (Brandon Kidd Photography); pineapple (Justin Marantz Photography)
Row 2: Place setting (Jonathan Conolly Photography/Sugar(ed) Event Design and Planning/Makewells); tropical wedding invitation suite (Oak & Orchid); coconut cocktails (Jonas Peterson/Yifat Oren & Associates)
Row 3: Tropical drinks table (Manyara Home); ceremony seating with palm fronds (Corbin Gurkin Photography/Catherine Doctor/Edgar Chay); mini pineapple boutonniere (Ali Mae Photo/Kaleb Norman James Design)

I especially love the pineapple invitation suite by my Etsy faves Oak & Orchid – see more of their work in our roundup.

Row 1: Pineapple Wedding Invitation by Oak and Orchid | Row 2: Pineapple Personalized Wedding Napkins by Pink Poppy Weddings (left); Metallic Rayon Pineapple Robes by Diamond Stiletto (top right); Diamond Pineapple Ring by Nerd Town USA (bottom right) | Row 3: Solid Brass Pineapples by Judy’s Junktion | Row 4: Gold Pineapple Necklace by The Bonny Boutique (left); PARTYMASTER Natural Coconut Shell Cups (right) | Row 5: Gold Pineapple Stick Pins by Cuchifritina (left); Wax Seal Stamp Tropical Fruit by Mister Robinson (right) | Row 6: Gold Metal Mesh Pineapple LED Lantern String Lights (left); Gold Pineapple Card Holder (right)

Travel Themed Wedding Trends Reloaded

by gaby

I’ve heard planners calling it the wedding trend that just won’t die – and it’s true, in that I’ve been writing about travel-themed weddings for about as long as I’ve been blogging. But there’s a reason why this motif isn’t going away, and that’s because it’s meaningful. You guys – i.e. the only people who really matter when it comes to planning your big day – love travelling or you’ve travelled together, or you come from different places, or you’ve done long distance. Travel is part of your story, and it’s the story you want to share with your guests. We get that, and that’s why November is dedicated to travel themed weddings. BUT. SBB is in the business not only of helping you tell your story, but doing it with style. And sure, we could just reshare all the same ideas (the ones that have made this roundup, and this follow-up two of our most popular posts), but you only have to search Pinterest to find any of those. We’re all about fresh takes and new angles, and that’s what I hope to bring you through November. So there’s no better way to kick things off than with a reload of the travel-themed wedding ideas that have been around the longest and are a little… done. Of course, if you love them, that won’t matter – but here’s some food for thought in creating the same effect in an updated way.Read More

Black Wedding Cakes

by gaby

We don’t usually post on a Saturday, but since it’s Halloween I just couldn’t resist doing a roundup of black cakes because oh my gosh they are so surprisingly pretty! As it happens, black (and navy) cakes are actually a big trend at the moment and are more elegant than eerie, more gorgeous than Goth. And why not? Black bridesmaid dresses have already proved what an air of sophistication and style they can add, and black wedding dresses have conquered the runway (and the aisle). Now it’s time for darker cakes to have their moment, and once you’ve seen this lot, you’ll understand why! Oh, and ps – happy all hallows, lovelies! Hope your weekend is more treat than trick ;)Read More

Darkness & Light by Tesoro Weddings

by gaby

Boo! It’s Halloween tomorrow, so we’re dedicating our content today to everything creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky… and altogether ooky (as the Addams Family would say). Starting with this deliciously eerie editorial by SBB Directory members, Tesoro Weddings. Featuring gowns by local designers, Gelieft Couture, it explores both darkness and light with a black swan/white swan pairing of dresses. Not that it has to be Halloween to wear a black wedding dress, mind you, because we’ve seen many chic brides opting for the dark side in their bridalwear recently and looking utterly chic doing it. But for the record, if any of you are planning a Halloween wedding, I can’t think of anything more perfect for your bouquet than the mix of fynbos and fringed tulips in this shoot – the frayed look of the petals adds a gorgeously distressed texture to the flowers, especially with a circlet of feathers.Read More

Cozy Rustic Wedding at Ou Stal Equestrian Estate by ST Photography {Ilze & David}

by gaby

While every wedding we feature is different, it’s inevitable that most follow a traditional timeline – ceremony, photo shoot/cocktail hour, reception, etc. – but I’m always struck by the couples who choose to do things a little differently. There’s the first look of course – the chance to have your photographs taken before guests arrive, allowing you to mingle with them during the drinks hour (and have a private moment before the ceremony to take in the enormity of what you’re doing together). Today’s couple did that – and did it in style, with a sweet little flower bedecked door in the middle of nature as their backdrop (talk about the rustic version of a grand entrance!) But they took it a step further, following the photoshoot up with cocktails and canapes with their guests and only then enjoying the heartfelt ceremony together (again, with a fabulous backdrop – this time soft curtains and a flower chandelier). It was the perfect way for this laid-back couple to experience their big day, and is a great example of how you don’t need to follow tradition to have a wedding that’s perfect for you. So let’s get on and enjoy all the cozy rustic-ness (as the bride says) of Ilze and David’s big day, brought to us through the lens of SBB Directory member ST Photography.Read More

20 Utterly Gorgeous Peony Bouquets

by gaby

I saw an article the other day that was all ‘every single wedding these days has peonies, boring, snark blah blah’ and I laughed, because in South Africa we wish we had that problem. Peonies unfortunately are few and far between for our brides, although in the past few years it’s been a pleasure to see their use in weddings increasing – at least during the tiny short window in which they’re available. Which is basically now, you guys. End October, early November, they briefly show their beautiful fluffy faces and we fall in love with them all over again. So in honour of peony season, I decided to round up 20 seriously amazing peony bouquets. Flowerswoon!Read More

Honeymoons for Wine Lovers

by gaby

Travel. Wine. Your sweetie. Three things pretty much guaranteed to make for an amazing honeymoon, wherever you decide to spend it. But since it’s vineyard wedding month on SBB, we decided to take things a little further and find our top honeymoons for wine lovers. Which in this case means both lovers of wine, and lovers IN wine(country). Bliss! I think you can probably guess our favourite destination, but just to make it fair on the rest of the world, we found seven international locales to share with you as well as our own!Read More

Bo & Luca Cassiopeia Collection

by gaby

In the five plus years I’ve been doing this, there’s two things that have happened in bridal fashion that I’m positively thrilled about (and no, one of them isn’t illusion lace, although yay for that too). It’s the fact that, as well as South African designers going from strength to strength both at home and abroad, there are so many international labels that are no longer out of reach for SA brides – and there are more designers I love available here all the time. One of those labels is Bo & Luca, who have been making great big waves in Australia and the US, and more recently, in Cape Town, since they opened their store at the start of 2015.  Their dreamy, bohemian creations are unlike anything else in our market, and now with the release of their Cassiopeia collection, they’ve taken things to a new level of gorgeous, and there are even more dresses and details for local brides to fall in love with. The lookbook pairs the soft fabrics with dramatic urban ruins, a kind of contemporary gothic that I’d love to see inspire someone’s real wedding! But for now, let’s enjoy these lovely images by Jessica Aleece.Read More

Inspiration Board: Mulled Wine

by gaby

It’s time for the last in our series of wine-inspired boards (previously we’ve featured Rosé, Merlot & Champagne). This time, instead of focusing on an actual wine, I’ve focused on a wine cocktail – namely the mulled wine that’s always such a lovely part of Christmas (at least in a cold climate!). I loved the way that the deep red (a nod to this year’s colour of the year, Marsala) mixes with nutty browns like cinnamon and citrus orange, just like it does in the drink. I actually think this would make a gorgeous rustic winter or autumn wedding ‘theme’ – you could include touches of citrus and cinnamon or star anise in bouquets and table arrangements, or as dried place setting decorations, and all the colours and textures work beautifully together. Plus the orange adds a lot of warmth and punch to the burgundy, and it’s an unusual pairing, so looks fresh and fun. So there you go. Is it just me, or could you do a glass of mulled wine right now? Mmmm.

Colours: Burgundy, orange, mocha & green

Top row (l-r): Mulled wine {Flourishing Foodie}; bouquet {Jose Villa/Moon Canyon Design}; ring in box {Lani Elias Fine Art Photography/Julie Doan}
Row 2: Bridesmaids {Photographs by Jenna Leigh}; place setting with cinnamon stick {Park Road Photography by Sarah Elle/Taylor Perkins of Alisa Lewis Event Design}; bouquet with oranges {Erba Floral Studio}
Row 3: Groom with braces {Lavender & Twine}; calligraphy invitations {A Fabulous Fete}; kumquat naked cake {Michael and Kate Photography/Evoke Event Design and Coordination}; bride {Ashley Rae Photography/Alexandra Grecco}

 

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James Bond Spectre Wedding Inspiration (Part I) by Debbie Lourens & Green Goddess

by gaby

There are days as a wedding blogger when something lands in your inbox and you think “HELL yes, this is why I do this job”. Today’s editorial (from a rockstar team including SBB Directory members Green Goddess and photographer Debbie Lourens) is one of those, and I’ve so been looking forward to sharing it with you! Not only is it inspired by the latest James Bond film, Spectre, which has its UK release today, but it’s also only the first part of this gorgeous collaboration (you’ll have to wait until next week for that – and for the film!). Oh, and did I mention it’s based around the Mexican festival of the Day of the Dead, which takes place at the end of October? Word is that Spectre opens with a scene at this festival, so it was the perfect place for our team to start their Bond fantasy. Bright colours, gorgeous stationery, and a Day of the Dead-inspired mask… plus, of course, a glamorous bride and groom to be. And just wait until you see Part II! Be sure to check in next Thursday – it will be worth the wait, I promise!Read More