So. When I was about 15, my friend Marcelle threw a great big birthday party at an abandoned house on her family’s farm. There was drinking, and laughing, and Green Day’s Dookie on repeat, but what I remember most was that her high school friends were very much the cool kids from the cool school. I was so intimidated, I don’t think I spoke to anyone all night. Well, some weddings… some weddings are like hanging out at the cool table. Couples that seem so impossibly stylish, their wedding seems to come from a magazine. Today’s is one of those – Barbara and Michael (and their guests) could have been plucked from the pages of Vogue, as could their stunning, atmospheric photographs from dna photographers. But if you look beyond the über-stylish venue (love me that Grand), the to-die-for views of the Cape coast from Granger Bay, and Barbara’s incredible blush lace and corset dress, there’s a sweetness and carefree spirit at the heart of this wedding that perfectly reflects the Cape Town atmosphere. It’s city chic meets coastal class, and I for one could look at it all day. Ah, la dolce vita!Read More
You know, sometimes when you travel, it makes you appreciate all the wonders and beauties of the world, and how luck you are that you can plane, train or automobile your way around them. And sometimes, travel makes you appreciate what you have at home. It’s like that for me with the South African coast. Sure, I’ll never say no to a tropical island, and there’s something very appealing about bobbing around in the smooth Mediterranean. But you only have to sit on a pebbly beach in Brighton for five minutes to miss our soft, pale sand, and there’s nothing quite like the roar of our not just one, but two oceans. I think that’s one of the reasons why beach weddings are always highlights for me, especially when they manage to recreate some of that wild, natural beauty. That’s what today’s stunning wedding at Grootvlei does – the palette is like a stormy day at sea with light breaking through the clouds (which is appropriate, considering the proposal). Soft greys and whites, with flashes of natural green. Orchids and succulents (which I never would have expected to work together, but are so elegant). A driftwood altar. The pictures by Stephan Marais are so gorgeous, I just knew I had to share them with you! {Oh, and PS, I love Grootvlei’s mussel motif – such a cool texture for a beach venue.}Read More
Woohoo, we’re getting our sparkle on today! Reader Tracey sent me a request for help with her summer wedding at the Oyster Box hotel – she and her fiance were leaning towards neutal colours but weren’t yet decided. They’re a young couple, so they also wanted to add a bit of fun to the event, and make their design simple and fresh. I love the Oyster Box as a venue (it’s actually one of my all-time faves) and I thought neutral colours were a great idea as not only will they work perfectly with the hotel’s interiors, they’ll also play up the colours of the beach. Flat neutrals, especially with natural and linen accents, can make for a gorgeous beach-style do. However, with Tracey’s request for fun, I immediately thought of the metallic and shimmer trends we’re seeing at the moment – there’s just something about a few sequins that puts everyone in a good mood. And it’s so easy to bring a bit of New Year’s Eve spirit into your design. Start with a basic palette of lots of clean white, with ivory and cream variations, and a bit of taupe, and then metallics like gold, silver and bronze. Add in fun sparkly accents – shiny bridesmaids dresses, metallic garlands and (my best) a blingy pinata! Pair this with beachy touches like shells and cute ‘message in a bottle’ escort cards. Finally, have fun with the food (this is an easy way to delight your guests, and makes the whole thing a fun experience) – you could have an unusual cake (like donuts) or serve mini ice-cream cones instead of dessert. Tracey can afford to be daring in her wedding attire – I just love the idea of a single (or multiple!) bold statement necklaces. What makes this look easy to pull off is that it’s essentially a classic white wedding with selected over-the-top moments, that add a real punch. And my, but isn’t it pretty? Hope you like your board Tracey – good luck with your planning!
You know, a lot of people, when they find out what I do, comment that organising a wedding these days is such an over-the-top thing. In the same way as I think my mother believes you can only be either a teetotal or a budding alcoholic (guess which side of that line I fall on?), I think many of them believe a wedding can either be a three day zillion Rand extravaganza with ice sculptures, chocolate fountains and swans in the swimming pool, or a pared down civil ceremony with zero decoration and lunch at a nearby restaurant. Well, you and I both know that’s rubbish. There’s a spectrum of weddings, and that’s what makes them so interesting and exciting. But one thing I do know is that adding just a few key details will raise your wedding’s game. Take today’s Sea Trader wedding (photographed by the lovely Bernard Bravenboer), for example. It isn’t over the top, but it is beautiful. Clever Misha and her wedding planning team knew exactly where to add those special details. Coloured glass on the tables. A beautiful rose bridesmaid dress and a flower girl in a baby’s breath crown. A picturesque beach ceremony. Interesting boutonnieres. Wedding newspapers. Pretty cocktails. No swans in the pool. No ice sculpures. Just the gorgeous pink fairytale wedding that Misha and Henri dreamed of. Simples.Read More
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
Ok, I have to tell you, I am in LOVE with this wedding. Like, properly. Full-blown, fill your mailbox with orange tictacs, build you a house of candles, stand outside your window with a boombox kind of love. You may even have seen it before, but I don’t care. It is the absolute definition of boho beach perfection and it’s filled with my favourite things. Floral crowns for the bride and bridesmaids, blackboards, proteas, flocks of origami birds, hanging bottle vases, lots of bright whites, sparkly lights and the cutest fringed beach umbrellas. Not to mention a fab venue (Strandkombuis), a beautiful couple who are completely gaga for one another and the most gorgeous, swoonworthy photographs from dream team welovepictures. I have stars in my eyes just looking at it all, and when I heard about the bride’s entrance music (Florence and the Machine’s Cosmic Love) I so choked up. (Take a moment, get out your iPod. It may be the best entrance ever.) Sit back and immerse yourself in the amazingness…Read More
Every love story is special, we know this. Every chance meeting, every barrier crossed. But sometimes I get a bride’s wedding story and I get swept up in the enthusiasm she has for her wedding and her marriage, and the love she and her new husband share. Because this is why we’re here, people. The details, the dresses, all the prettiness? They’re awesome, but they’re accessories to the main event. They’re really just ways of a couple expressing their personalities and for all the people who love them to share in their joy. And today’s wedding is full of that joy and exuberance – I know you are going to LOVE it! Plus, these are some of the most gorgeous pictures it’s been my pleasure to work with. Ian Mitchinson always has such a unique and dramatic take on wedding photography, and it works perfectly with this beautiful bride and groom and their city cross beach chic wedding. It’s everything a Cape Town city wedding should be.Read More
There’s something about a beach house, isn’t there? For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted one, with shutters and white floorboards and falling asleep to the sound of the surf and salt in my nostrils. For so many of us South Africans, the beach is our happy place. So I honestly can’t think of a more amazing venue than the one Heidi and Donnie chose for their wedding, since it’s Heidi’s parents’ beach house right on the ocean in Jakkalsfontein. Beautiful, coastal rustic and as personal as you can get. Heidi brought her love of hearts into the decor, and after their ceremony, the couple decided to buck convention by having bowl foods and canapes served to their guests, who were able to mingle and dance and relax in break out areas. Doesn’t it sound amazing? (Well, wait until you see how good it looks, courtesy of Hearts in a Shutter‘s Brenda Wardall!) I just love when brides and grooms decide to do things a little differently to suit their venue or guests or just the kind of party they want to have. If you want a dinner party feel, do it. If you want a brunch, do it. If you want a rock concert, do it! Have the ceremony and the meal when and where you want – make the conventions work for you. I guarantee that not only will you have an amazing time and be more relaxed on the day if you feel like you’re in your element, but your guests will remember your wedding more than any other.Read More
Happy Monday, lovelies! I have so much goodness coming your way this week, it’s going to be like awesome real wedding palooza. But first, I have a very special inspiration board. This one was created especially for one of our readers, who wrote to me for some help a couple of weeks ago. She wanted a pretty, romantic look for her wedding at a beachside venue, and she wanted lots of white and aqua for her bridesmaids, but she wasn’t sure if she should introduce any other colours. Although aqua and white on their own are lovely, I always think the addition of another colour adds more dimension and gives you more options when you’re sorting out your details. There’s so much that goes with aqua – coral, lemon yellow, pretty taupe neutrals, for example – but the couple’s favourite was a mixture of aqua with rosy pink tones, inspired by the gorgeous image top left. So here’s the rest of what I came up with – light, clean and very romantic!
The key to a look like this is to base everything on a white on white palette, so that you don’t overuse the bright pink and aqua shades – you can also bring in a bit of grey or silver to help. Chantel wondered if a grey or silver damask may work for the tablecloths, and it would, but I think only if it was very subtle (as lovely as damask is, it can really dominate when used in black and white, for example). I’d suggest runners or square overlays as an alternative, and for this palette you could use pretty Cath Kidston-style prints like the pattern seen below from photographer Christine Meintjes’ gorgeous aqua and pink wedding. To bring in the aqua on the tables, I love the idea of using milk glass (or, if not actual milk glass, then glass containers spraypainted white and differing shades of aqua as in the original picture). So pretty! I also added in some beachy touches with shells and starfish, or you could get hold of some pretty white urchin shells or similar, just for a little bit of beach appeal (starfish may make a lovely motif for a romantic beachside wedding). Another place to bring aqua in is in the bride’s shoes (love these ones!) – another pretty little pop of colour alongside the bridesmaids’ dresses, without going overboard. Keep everything soft, especially the flowers (thinking peonies, roses, carnations – maybe with a few anemones for extra visual interest). I also think the ombre trend I spoke about last week works beautifully here – in invitations that have a beachy, washed out look, in pretty cake slices, and in pink flowers that graduate from deep pink to pale pink. For a final, beachy fun touch, have an ice cream bar where guests can create their own cones or sundaes at cocktail hour (or late at night). Or why not try the absolute latest trend and have classy jelly shots instead?
There’s a part of me that is all Tiffany’s girl. Give me a martini (vodka, extra dry extra cold with a twist, cheers), a pair of Badgleys and a rooftop bar in Manhattan and I’m a happy woman. But I grew up on the coast, and there’s another big part of me that is all barefoot, shell necklaced and freckle nosed. That wants nothing more than salt on my lips and the beat of the surf in my ears. That’s one of the reasons why I’m so in love with beach venues, and the more rustic, the better. Today’s is about as laid-back seaside as you get – the awesome Strandloper restaurant in Langebaan, where you can rock up, pay your cover and enjoy a long session of fresh and delicious seafood right on the beach. (I am seriously salivating right now just thinking about it!) Nadine and Philip chose it as their wedding venue, and the result was a super relaxed day with family and friends that I am completely smitten over. Their details are just subtle enough to enhance the venue, never competing with it, and allowing all of their guests to get into the beachy groove. As usual, Warren Williams‘ pictures really bring the celebrations to life. Doesn’t it just look like so much fun? I want to be there. Now.Read More
