Time for another beautiful real wedding, folks. And even though the sun has (finally) come out to play in SA, this is a winter wedding through and through. What I love most about it is how the bride and groom tried to make sure that there was a cosy contrast between the chilly outdoors and the warmth inside – kind of a ‘weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful’ vibe. With bright and cheerful shades of pink and protea everywhere, and lots of lovely handmade craft details, the glow doesn’t just come from the Waverley Hills fireside, but from the love of friends and family, as they gathered to craft and then enjoy this happy day. Coba Engelbrecht was there to document every hand-warming heart-melting moment.Read More
Happy Tuesday SouthBound brides – hope your week has got off to a splendid start! Mine certainly has, being in Joburg for a flying visit and seeing a couple of friends before I head to Kruger on Thursday. Can. Not. Wait. I am such a bush baby. Anyway, to make your week even more splendid, I have another beautiful winelands wedding from the fab Jani B. I absolutely adore the bright citrus palette that Amie and Cristoph used, their understated rustic styling, and my goodness, Amie’s dress! Not to mention a macaron tower decorated with succulents to match the stunning bouquet – how gorgeous is that? Grab yourself a mid-morning cuppa, and settle in for a big fat dose of lovely.Read More
Morning, lovelies! I thought it was about time we had a beach wedding here on SBB – as much as I love the countryside, I do love me a good ol’ toes-in-the-sand beach ceremony and reception so much. And I LOVE today’s beautiful, personal celebration, which brings together everything we love about the West Coast, including an absolutely stunning beach house venue. I fell in love with The White House (SO my dream house!) when I came across it a few months back (have to stay there at some point!) and I immediately wondered how it could be used for a wedding, bearing in mind that it’s a house of course, and not an actual venue. I had assumed that meant tiny intimate weddings only, but our creative couple today utilised not just one but three separate locations and created a sort of open air market to really capture the Yzerfontein vibe. Such a brilliant idea, don’t you think? Jani B‘s pics capture every lovely moment in glorious detail and colour – I especially love the couple pics up in the master bedroom with that glorious view of the sea. It’s the perfect way to send us off into the weekend dreaming of summer! Oh, and PS, these two have the most amazing story of how they met and Corey’s proposal, so don’t miss it!Read More
Today’s real wedding was a submission from the bride herself, the lovely Elmarie, who worked her pretty socks off to pull off the handmade vintagey country look for her big day. It’s all here: pastel painted faux milk glass vases, bunting, doilies, ribbons, flags and bunting. It’s like a Pinterest board come to life! I ADORE the bridesmaids’ dresses and even more so their bouquets – I just never get tired of these little wooden proteas as a truly South African floral alternative. But I think my favourite touch is the sheepies – the bride and groom come from farming backgrounds and they brought this in in such a cute way through both the boutonnieres and the table plan – such a simple but effective and memorable design! I have a feeling this one is going to have a very high Pin count – enjoy!Read More
Zippididoodahzippidi-ay… You guys I am in such a good mood – the sun is out in Durbs and I am BEYOND excited for this weekend which I get to spend with some of my favourite people in the world. I am declaring Sunday my godsons’ un-birthday (which I do once a year or so, by the power invested in me as a fairy godmother, obvs) and I can’t wait to hang out with them on the beach and catch up with their parents. So that’s why I’m a bit hyper, but also because YAY PUNCH THE AIR I have another beautiful wedding to share with you this fine Thursday. Danie and Henda had their big day at Café Felix, an awesome Cape venue that never fails to impress, and they dressed it in the prettiest of pastel florals, soft white fabrics and bunting, wreaths and garlands and ribbons, oh my. It looks like some kind of fairytale garden, with just a touch of boho. The weather wasn’t perfect – in fact, these are some of the windiest photos – but oh my word, Anné Gray of Anné Photography used it to create the most stunning portraits, with Henda’s soft dress and veil floating and billowing out behind her. They look like Cathy and Heathcliffe. (But, you know, not annoying.) This one is pure romance.Read More
Happy days, friends! Ever since rainbow weddings became a thing, I’ve been patiently waiting for a brave South African bride to put her stamp on it, and today is the day. Yay. And seriously, if I had been giving someone advice for pulling off this colourful, bold look without making it tacky or like a children’s party, I couldn’t have explained it better than the way bride Grethe put her design together. There are lovely pops of colour everywhere – in the flowers, in the ribbon-backed chairs (a room full of them – I am in LOVE!), in the cocktails, even in the cake (so cool that it had a plain white outside and a surprise inside!). But it isn’t too much. In fact, the bridesmaids are in a sober navy (sober, but very, very pretty with their lace backs and gold belts) and with the bride’s beautiful, classic Elizabeth Stockenström dress and her handsome groom, the look says 100% wedding. Look out for tons of clever touches – the fun way the church flowers are displayed, the braai plank favours, the custom linen binding for the ceremony. And Bernard Bravenboer was there to capture it all to perfection!Read More
There’s a thought that’s been brewing for a while now, and I’m just going to say it. It’s about bridesmaid dresses. Not, probably, what you’d consider one of the more important expenses for your wedding. Maybe not even something you think deserves a lot of thought. But I’ve got to tell you ladies, as someone who looks at dozens of weddings every day, it’s something that (when done well) stands out every time. Just think about how many bridesmaid pictures you’ve repinned on Pinterest. The bridesmaids – in colour and style – can encapsulate or complement the wedding look or colour scheme, and your favourite girls make for an amazing set of pictures for the album. You don’t have to spend a fortune, especially with the mismatched trends of today, but do take some time to get this look right (and tell the hubs that yes, it IS important you spend another hour on ASOS). Take today’s wedding, for example. You have a beautiful, radiant bride. Pretty as a picture florals, some lovely stationery, a stunning garden venue. It would already be a fabulous wedding. But completing the picture is a bevvy of bridesmaids in the loveliest neutral lace dresses and mix and match hairstyles. They look awesome, and that, in my book, is money and time well spent. So don’t be shy about treating your besties to a gown that they’ll feel amazing in (and that will complement your own look) – just make sure that, like Celeste Prince of Aglow Photography, today’s brilliant photographer, yours gets plenty of pictures of all of you having fun together!Read More
I have to tell you guys, I LOVE reading your love stories. I never get tired of it. And what amazes me is that each one is unique and different and special, like fingerprints or snowflakes. Some really put a big goofy smile on my face, and that was the case with today’s bride and groom. It’s not just the fact that Janna came to South Africa for adventure and found love, or that her groom Nathan is one of the most romantic guys I’ve come across with a real talent for creating moments straight out of a movie. I think it’s that, when you look at the beautiful pictures Charlene Schreuder captured of their big day, and you see them laughing together, completely caught up in the moment and in their happiness, you can’t help but feel a little part of that glow. And that’s really what their reception seems to do – to glow – from the light over the mountains at golden hour, to the fairy lights surrounding their garden courtyard reception. Goofy smiles at the ready? Go.Read More
It’s a very special day here on SouthBound Bride when we get to share the wedding of one of our friends, and I feel like that’s what today’s bride has become. Not just to me, but to all of us who have followed along with her story through our Real Life Bride series. Liana’s been our ‘bride abroad’, planning her South African wedding from Europe as so many of you do, gathering inspiration from some of our home country’s top suppliers and dreaming up the perfect mix of rustic and classic wedding loveliness. I’ve been dying to see her beautiful pictures from the fab dna photographers – they were just as heartfelt and lovely as I was expecting, and now I finally get to share them with you! Vair, vair exciting. So here we go! And just in case you missed any of it, you can follow Liana’s complete wedding journey right here.Read More
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times. I love details at weddings (make that LOVE in capital letters) but the details that really light up a wedding are the ones that come from the heart. Well, today’s wedding is ALL about personal significance. From the ceremony venue (a labyrinth built by the bride’s grandfather in her family garden – how amazing is that?) to a beautiful bouquet ceremony, to an intimate picnic dinner, it’s chock-full of ideas that were thought out for their significance and connection to family and friends. I can only imagine what a wonderful, memorable celebration it must have been, but luckily we have Lauren Kriedemann‘s gorgeous pics to inspire us. Ah garden weddings! How I do love them!Read More
