Beach Monochrome Engagement Shoot by Dillon Kin

We started the morning thinking pink, but this afternoon we’re going monochrome with an absolutely beautiful beach engagement shoot from Dillon Kin, a featured member of our SBB directory. Tammy and JP are high school sweethearts and you can tell they already share many years of love and laughter from the easy intimacy that infuses these pics – alongside that gorgeous Cape light! I love the way that they chose to accentuate the scenery with pristine black and white contrast, along with cute accessories like balloons and an umbrella. Congratulations, lovebirds!Read More

Inspiration Board: Black Tie Botanical

Morning, lovelies! I have a busy week ahead (including throwing a very special party for my mum), so let’s start it off right with a mix of two gorgeous styles that I think make a beautiful wedding combination! Lots of weddings that incorporate the botanical trend have a rustic feel (which is fantastic) but I think that the botanical look just as easily lends itself to a very glamorous, black tie wedding as well, with just a few sophisticated tweaks. The look is lush and luxurious, in classic shades of white, black, emerald green and gold, with the tiniest hint of blush. Swoonage!

Colours: Black, white, gold, emerald, blush

Top row (l-r): Bride & groom {Three Nails Photography/Clementine Custom Events}; cake {Anushé Low/B.loved Wedding Styling & Design/Cakes By Krishanthi}; table setting {Bryce Covey}; botanical invitations {Aubrey Renee Photography/Tiffany Collins Events}
Row 2: Botanical escort cards {Aubrey Renee Photography/Tiffany Collins Events}; rosemary cocktails {Jose Villa/Laurie Arons}; table setting {Alissa Saylor Photography}
Row 3: Boutonnieres {Onelove Photography/JL Designs & Events}; bouquet {Leo Patrone/Honey of Thousand Flowers}; gold shoes in cloche {Simply Bloom Photography}; groom in tuxedo {Trent Bailey/Inspired Bride/Daughter of Design}

 

Inspiration Board: Puttin’ on the Ritz

Crunch time you guys! It’s my last week as a Londoner (for a while anyway) and I have about a ZILLION things to do before I go. But we won’t think about that. What we will think about is a bit of a tribute in loveliness to the city. There are a lot of sides to London that could inspire a wedding and many that have inspired me in other ways, but the one I have chosen today is all about glitz and glamour, as symbolised by one of the grand old ladies of the London hotel scene. The Ritz, baby. The palette is mint, gold and classic black and white (with just a teeny tiny hint of blush), the look is chic and romantic and the waiters are definitely serving champagne. So put on your finest frocks and starched collars and come join me! Of course, you don’t have to be in London to make this look work for you – all it requires is a glamorous venue, a cocktail or champagne and canape reception, and a dash of sparkle. Dashing, dahling!

Colours: Mint, gold, black, white & blush

Top row (l-r): Place setting {Ed Osborn Photography/Mimi Nicole Events}; mint dress {Monique Lhuillier}; invitation {umama on Etsy}; gold shoes {Liesl Cheney Photography/b.loved}; fireworks
Row 2: Dessert table in mint and gold {Beau & Arrow Events/Katie Neal Photo}; bridesmaids in LBDs and gold heels {Your Event by Erin/Melissa McClure Photography}; gold cutlery {Ed Osborn Photography/Mimi Nicole Events}; champagne {Belathee Photography}
Row 3: Ritz London {Elly Mac Photos}; bridesmaid with menu {Izzy Hudgins Photography/Simply Savannah Weddings & Events}; table setting {Ed Osborn Photography/Mimi Nicole Events}; bride & groom in London {Steve Poole}.

 

Real Wedding at Vindoux Guest Farm {Lara & Lloyd}

I am BEYOND excited to be featuring this wedding. Pretty much the same level of excited I was when it turned up in my inbox from the lovely Lisa at Talk Functions (do you want to feature a Tim Burton-themed wedding? Um, YES.) Thinking about it now, I probably should have featured it last week for Halloween, but the thing is that Halloween kind of doesn’t show up on my radar until my Facebook feed is full of babies wearing pumpkin costumes. Then again, I’m not actually sorry, because this isn’t a wedding that should be kept for a fancy dress holiday. This is a wedding that’s gorgeous any day of the year. Now I’m a Tim Burton fan, but it’s not every wedding stylist who can take a brief like this and make it super stylish. The key to what makes this work is that it has a classic colour scheme (green, black & white), lovely, clever stationery, and breathtaking florals, and the three work together seamlessly to create the perfect balance of creepy and beautiful. Anyone having any kind of theme for their wedding can learn from this one, about taking something meaningful and working with talented service providers to come up with something classy but fun. Bravo Lloyd, Lara and Lisa, and bravo likewise to the awesome Du Wayne, who took the pictures.Read More

Inspiration Board: Cleopatra’s Gold

Good morning, lovelies – did you have a fantastic weekend? Get up to any Halloween antics? Today’s board is one of my own inventions – sort of a mix between my recent Moroccan influences and a decadent art deco interpretation of Egyptian style. The colours – black, white and gold – are classic for an evening celebration of course, and paired with pretty luxe details like these beautiful bridesmaid dresses, gold-detailed glasses and those sandals, would make for a really lovely wedding. The bride’s makeup would be dramatic, and she’d wear a stunning mantilla – maybe with a flash of sequins on her dress and a henna tattoo. With so much going on with the table settings (love these print tablecloths, by the way, even if Kim Kardashian did use them), I’d keep the rest of the decor relatively simple – isn’t this tent-like draping a simple and lovely way to do things? The stationery would be a designer’s dream, and I’d combine several rich patterns in the three main colours. I would LOVE to see someone pull this off!

Colours: Gold, black & white

Top row (l-r): Bride in chair {P: Jose Villa}; bridesmaids {P: My Big Day Photos}; rings {P: Michelle Turner Photography; P: Leah Michelle}; glasses {P: Katie Neal Photo; D: Alchemy Fine Events and Invitations}; art deco mural
Row 2: Invitations; makeup {P: My Big Day Photos}; gold sandals {Elie Tahari}; gold beanbag; mantilla veil {P: Picotte Weddings; D: Wedding Nouveau}
Row 3: Table setting in gold, black and white {P: Katie Neal Photo; D: Alchemy Fine Events and Invitations}; henna tattoo {P: Picotte Weddings; D: Wedding Nouveau}; sequins {P: My Big Day Photos}; draped reception {P: Frenzel Photographers; C: Jesi Haack Weddings}.

 

Inspiration Board: And It Was All Yellow

Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day… But you can trust that I’ll be brightening up your Monday with a brand new inspiration board on the blog! And this time it’s even brighter than usual, with a yellow-themed board created just for reader Bronwyn. She’s having a summer wedding in Johannesburg, and wants a modern theme for her big day. She’s looking for something clean cut, including square tables, as well as a few quirky ideas. I just loved putting this one together! Yellow is a bold colour choice, but I can’t emphasise enough what a happy colour it is, and I really think that it gets everything off to a wonderful start. With Bronwyn’s ideas as a starting point, I immediately thought of two elements. The first is chevron – the pattern you’ll see under the ring and on the runner below. Chevron is huge in design at the moment, partly because it has links to Art Deco and the 1920s trend, but also because it’s a great balance of clean cut and preppy with a little retro twist to it. And it is just sooo pretty! So I would definitely use chevron as a key motif for this wedding – in stationery, on table runners, etc. There are tons of chevron ideas to play with – just tap it into Pinterest to see a selection. The second element I thought would be great is a focus on typography, which like Bronwyn’s specification, is also modern and clean cut (and brings in the black and white part of the colour palette beautifully). Again, there are lots of ideas around, but at the wedding I’ve included below, the couple really went to town, having hanging ‘banners’ above the reception space with absolutely gorgeous type. You could also type up quotes or meaningful words in your chosen font and frame them to create an installation on one wall at the reception. Add in a few industrial elements (naked lighbulbs, for example, or the quirky but very cool clip escort card idea), use square white vases on the tables, and bring in bold pops of yellow in your flowers (love the tulip bouquet), shoes, bridesmaid dresses, and even your veil. What a gorgeous wedding – I for one can’t wait to see how it all turns out. Hope you like your board, Bronwyn!

Colours: Yellow, black and white

Top row (l-r): Ring {P: Gabe Aceves Photography}; yellow shoes {P: Jennifer Longaway}; reception space with typography accents {P: Erica Loeks}; tulip bouquet{P: Yolande Marx Photography}
Row 2: Naked bulb strings {P: Belathee Photography}; invitation {Minted}; typography banners {P: Erica Loeks}; bright yellow bridesmaid dresses {P: Jennifer Weems Photography}
Row 3: Yellow birdcage veil {P: Chad Cress; Veil: Jade Rose Designs}; yellow flowers in white, square vases; chevron runners; clip escort cards {P: Lara Robby Photography}.