Styled Shoot Contest Winners

So you guys, last week was amazing – I feel so proud and privileged to have been able to bring you five such gorgeous, fresh and truly South African wedding editorials from some of the most talented photographers, stylists, hair and makeup artists, cake creatives, caterers, dress designers, stationistas, etc. etc. etc. in the country. I am so in awe of the incredible work they did, and so very grateful that they chose to do it for the SBB contest. It’s always been my dream to bring you beautiful, original, local wedding style and that’s just what we were able to do. So a HUGE thank you to every one of the teams – you are all ROCKSTARS. To those of you who read and liked and commented and pinned and supported – thank you! It was so lovely to see such a great response. Finally, I owe another huge debt of gratitude to my wonderful judges, Sarah Burnett of Burnett’s Boards and Louise Beukes of b.loved – they are both such talented bloggers and stylists in their own rights, and I’m so grateful that they offered their time and taste and expertise to help me choose finalists and ultimately, a winner.

Speaking of which, I don’t mind telling you what a hard time we had deciding. Each of us had different favourites, which I think is a tribute to just how brilliant all of the finalists were. But in the end, we totted up our scores, and one team emerged victorious: Wesley Vorster & Leipzig’s Voortrekker Frontiers! I never imagined that voortrekkers would be used as wedding inspiration, but with a combination of designer fashion, drop-dead gorgeous florals, decor and food, and Wesley’s lush pictures, this shoot was our winner. CONGRATULATIONS!

To celebrate, I’m sharing some not-yet-seen images from the shoot – enjoy!Read More

Get the Look: Rose Quartz

The best part of a styled shoot for brides and grooms (apart from basking in the sheer prettiness, of course!) is the wealth of fresh ideas that you can borrow to add an extra special touch to your own celebrations. As part of our Styled Shoot Competition showcase this week, we’re breaking down five of our favourite ideas from each shoot, as well as bringing you tips and advice for recreating the look from the talented team behind each entry. Next up, we’re taking a second look at the romantic Rose Quartz shoot by the very talented Yolande Snyders and Yellow Papaya. Read More

Rose Quartz by Yolande Snyders & Yellow Papaya

Our final shoot of the competition takes rose quartz as inspiration, a precious stone that is both locally mined and perfectly symbolic for a wedding (it’s called the ‘love stone’ and represents unconditional love in all its forms). Combining this idea with gem-shaped hexagons is bang on trend, and I also love the combination of rose with indigo in the form of shwe shwe (and you know we LOVE shwe shwe!) – including a shwe shwe cake (eek, amazing). The fabulous team headed by Yellow Papaya and photographer Yolande Snyders put together an alternative take on a seated reception with a mimosa bar and cocktail snacks that are all adorable little mini versions of South African favourites. It’s bright, crisp and colourful – the perfect way to end off an amazing week!Read More

Get the Look: West Coast Glamour

The best part of a styled shoot for brides and grooms (apart from basking in the sheer prettiness, of course!) is the wealth of fresh ideas that you can borrow to add an extra special touch to your own celebrations. As part of our Styled Shoot Competition showcase this week, we’re breaking down five of our favourite ideas from each shoot, as well as bringing you tips and advice for recreating the look from the talented team behind each entry. Next up, we’re taking a second look at our gorgeously glitzy West Coast Glamour shoot by the very talented Memory Box Photography and Blank Canvas Event Design.Read More

West Coast Glamour by Memory Box Photography & Blank Canvas

We’re heading to the seaside with today’s team of finalists in the SBB styled shoot competition. This entry was a collaboration between vendors in Gauteng and the Cape (how cool is that?) and was inspired by the gorgeous wild West Coast, with lashings of glitter and sparkle including a gold dress that I basically want to live in. I’m so inspired by the South-African-beach-rustic-turned-glam details styled by Blank Canvas, and the dreamy photography by Memory Box. It’s sheer editorial loveliness.Read More

Get the Look: Voortrekker Frontiers

The best part of a styled shoot for brides and grooms (apart from basking in the sheer prettiness, of course!) is the wealth of fresh ideas that you can borrow to add an extra special touch to your own celebrations. As part of our Styled Shoot Competition showcase this week, we’re breaking down five of our favourite ideas from each shoot, as well as bringing you tips and advice for recreating the look from the talented team behind each entry. Next up, we’re taking a second look at our Voortrekker Frontiers shoot by the dream team of Wesley Vorster and Leipzig.Read More

Voortrekker Frontiers by Wesley Vorster & Leipzig

We’re at the half-way mark of our week of homegrown inspiration and I am loving it – aren’t you? There are so many clever ideas and beautiful images in these shoots that I have literally found myself dreaming about them! Today’s finalist is something so original, so rooted in a (sometimes controversial) aspect of South African history, and yet is a somewhat playful (hanging paper bonnets I love), always stylish, exploration of themes that we all share, like new frontiers and exploration. It’s a showcase for some seriously amazing and innovative local design talent (including fashionista Mieke Vermeulen), and with Leipzig‘s flawless florals and attention to detail and Wesley Vorster‘s crisp images, the result is FIERCE.Read More

Get the Look: Protea Landscape

The best part of a styled shoot for brides and grooms (apart from basking in the sheer prettiness, of course!) is the wealth of fresh ideas that you can borrow to add an extra special touch to your own celebrations. As part of our Styled Shoot Competition showcase this week, we’re breaking down five of our favourite ideas from each shoot, as well as bringing you tips and advice for recreating the look from the talented team behind each entry. Next up, we’re taking a second look at the Karoo chic of this Protea Landscape shoot by Kadou (who made many of the amazing details by hand, right down to painting the chairs) and Michelle Wiese.Read More

Protea Landscape by Michelle Wiese & Kadou

Day Two of styled shoot inspiration begins! From the beach yesterday, today we’re off to the Karoo, where the arid landscape inspired our latest team of wedding pros to come up with a very special shoot that has so many elements to it. Led by photographer Michelle Wiese and Kadou, they created some dramatic bridal looks and two variations on a homegrown rustic tablescape that include (shut the front door, seriously) a paper protea table garland. I love how some of the starker elements, like concrete and wood textures, geometric elements and an earthy palette contrast with softer touches like a dreamy tulle peplum dress and watercolour washes. And you can’t get a more classic South African motif than our national flower- which turns up in all sorts of fresh ways. Love it!Read More

Get the Look: We All Have Roots in Africa

The best part of a styled shoot for brides and grooms (apart from basking in the sheer prettiness, of course!) is the wealth of fresh ideas that you can borrow to add an extra special touch to your own celebrations. As part of our Styled Shoot Competition showcase this week, we’re breaking down five of our favourite ideas from each shoot, as well as bringing you tips and advice for recreating the look from the talented team behind each entry. Next up, we’re taking a second look at multi-textured We All Have Roots in Africa shoot by lovelies Cheryl McEwan and Creation Events.Read More