Tag: bridal fashion

Daalarna Couture Flower Collection

by gaby

You guys, I think I have a problem. Call it FOMO, or fear of commitment, or just plain wedding dress addiction, but at the moment I feel like I have a new favourite bridal designer every week. But how can I help myself, when the most GORGEOUS gowns keep crossing my desk? And if ever a collection were worthy of obsession it’s today’s, from Hungarian designer Daalarna. The lookbook – set against a wall of bright blooms – is spot on (as is the name of the Flower Collection), because each of the dresses captures the beauty of a garden in a different way. For some, it’s through prints (oh, those prints! My fave being the one that combines ombre with floral), for some it’s through blooms of lace applique, and for others it’s with petal-soft layers of tulle. Chief designer, Anita Benes, was inspired by French impressionist Monet, and his harmonious combintion of natural elements of sky, sun, water and flowers. Like I say, GORGEOUS!Read More

Pronovias 2016 Collection

by gaby

I can’t be absolutely sure, but I’m pretty certain that I’ve been swept of Planet Earth and taken to some kind of heaven for lace lovers. At least, that’s how it feels looking at the latest collection of Pronovias gowns. I mean, seriously. There’s a silhouette here for every bride, a silk or a satin or a lace (oh, those laces!) for every taste. Each one is just as romantic and chic as you’d expect from the brand, but they all have that little something extra – a metallic embellishment perhaps, a flash of skin, a blush of pink. They’re beautiful, but this is only one small part of the collection, so be sure to check out the rest of it on their site or in-store. And then you can be in heaven too! ;)Read More

Maggie Sottero Fall 2015 Collection

by gaby

Bridal fashion time again! I realised recently that we’d never actually featured one of Maggie Sottero‘s collections, which is a bit mad, because not only do we love Maggie’s gowns, but it’s one of the collections available in South Africa. Turns out there’s never been a more perfect time to start though, since the Fall 2015 lineup is just ridiculously pretty. Seriously, there are so many showstoppers here – and so many that I think will really suit SA brides’ style. It’s all about detailing and femininity – the decoration on these dresses is just gorgeous. I think my favourite thing is the move towards gilded lace style embellishment using crystals and beads – it reminds me of wrought ironwork on the balconies of Paris, or the leaded glass of Notre Dame Cathedral. Combined with dreamy tulle? Heaven.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

20 Gorgeous Two-piece Wedding Dresses

by gaby

Two-piece Wedding Dresses

*UPDATED FOR 2021* I remember the days when I wore crop tops. Now I’m not saying I’m old or anything (I am) but it was the ’90s. I worked all summer on my six pack (ha!) and I rocked the crop out of those babies for a couple of months. Now if I wore one, I’d scare the children. But for bolder (and fitter) brides than me, crop top and two piece wedding dresses are EVERYWHERE. And I have to say, I love them. Not just the crops, but the bridal separates with filmy skirts and ballerina tops or intricate lace numbers – I find myself pinning them all the time. So I thought it was high time that we did a collective SouthBound dress swoon over two-piece wedding dresses. Ready…? Swoon.

*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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Nicole Spose 2016 Collection

by gaby

Bridal fashion time! Today we’re showcasing a collection that comes all the way from Italy (my second home) and has all the glamour you’d expect, as well as the fabulous fits and luscious laces characteristic of Italian couture. The Nicole Spose line comes from designer Alessandra Rinaudo, and really captures brides’ current mood of intricate lace detailing on backs and necklines, along with frothy skirts that look like they’ve been painted by an artist’s brush. As always, it’s the illusion necklines and delicate sleeves that really capture my imagination! Just beautiful – and in South Africa, you can find the collection at Olivelli, so there’s no need to lose out if you don’t happen to be in Europe anytime soon. Let’s have a peek, shall we?Read More

Stephanie Allin 2016: Love Letters Collection

by gaby

Fashion is very much at the forefront of my mind (and my insta) at the moment, what with all the amazingness happening over in New York, but today we’re heading back over the pond to England, to showcase an absolutely gorgeous new collection from one of the UK’s top bridal designers, Stephanie Allin. It’s both current and timeless – not only is it full of classic silhouettes and beautiful heirloom-style laces, it has lots of elements that are very much in vogue, including a range of breathtaking separates and accessories. (Amazing two-piece gown alert!) That means you can mix and match to make your wedding day look very much your own, and have a gown that makes you feel on trend both on the day and in years to come. I also happen to be in love with the slightly bonkers but oh-so-gorgeous and inspirational lookbook images (“don’t mind me, I’m just swanning about my country pile in a wedding dress… mind I don’t snag the fabric as I tend to my bees!”). Mind you, if I had a bunch of money and a country estate, I’d probably like to swan around it in amazing gowns too. The point is, these are beautiful dresses, and beautiful images – so let’s get on and start swooning over them, shall we?Read More

20 Stylish Short Wedding Dresses

by gaby

Floral Lace Mini Dress by Jordan De Ruiter (Image: Sounds like Yellow Photography)

*UPDATED FOR 2020* Full length gowns will always be awesome, but just like a wedding dress doesn’t have to be white, you can pick a length that suits you too. And with elopements, micro weddings and minimony celebrations being all the rage in 2020, short wedding dresses are having their day in the sun. So! Where to start? Well, you know we love finding new designers on Etsy, and this is a category where these designers really shine. There’s a wealth of pretty, flirty, fabulous gowns on the site, and we’ve picked 20 of our absolute faves! As always, click through on the links or images to see more of each dress.

*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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Elizabeth Stuart 2016 Collection

by gaby

It’s the time of year when I wish daily that teleportation was real, as emails flood in regarding the beautiful collections to be showing at New York Bridal Fashion Week. One I definitely wouldn’t have missed is Elizabeth Stuart‘s super chic 2016 line, which really stands out from the rest with its classic silhouettes, clean lines, and gorgeous fabrics. It’s thoroughly modern, and yet there’s a touch of delicious retro about it too (reflected in the to-die-for hair and makeup in this lovely lookbook) – I can imagine an old school Hollywood icon donning one of these beautiful gowns, just as well as any contemporary bride. Read More

Truvelle 2016 Lookbook

by gaby

Hey hey it’s Friday! And since weekends always get me dreaming about travel and far flung destinations, the perfect way to kick this one off is with a little virtual trip to a whitewashed village in the south of Spain, where we’re revisiting the gorgeous Truvelle 2016 Collection that we first brought you a couple of weeks ago. As you’ve probably gathered by now, I adore inspirational bridal fashion editorials, not just because they’re so pretty (and this one is PRETTY), but because they give you a chance to see the gowns ‘in action’ – and in the case of this brand new Truvelle lookbook, that means whispering lace, dreamy draping, and the kind of soft, flowing skirts that make you want to spin round and round like a little girl. So romantic. Once again, Blush Wedding Photography did the gorgeous photographic honours.Read More