Lots of our brides and grooms plan their wedding in South Africa from abroad, but it isn’t many who have to do it from as far away as China. That was Hennie and Stephanie’s challenge, but as you’ll see from their gorgeously colourful rustic farm celebration, it didn’t end up fazing them in the least (even with a dress scenario that would have been stressful for any bride, but hooray, worked out beautifully in the end!) Through it all, the couple kept a sense of perspective – do be sure to read right to the end, where Stephanie shares some very sensible advice. And they pulled off a day that was relaxed, beautiful and full of joy. I’m especially in love with all the beautiful bright blooms, and the blackboard backdrop that Hennie’s sister created for them – so unique! One of our perpetual faves, Adene of Adene Photography, was on the scene to capture the pics as beautifully as ever.Read More
Time for a last bit of inspiration before everyone runs off to get their Friday evening cocktails in hand. And much as I love doing reader requests, this is one of my own. We’ve seen a lot of coral in the last year, but I got to thinking how perfect it would be matched up with the slate black of chalkboard and a touch of soft blush pink. It’s fresh, modern and fun, and it could work on a number of venues from a blank canvas country style (such as Kleinevalleij) to a beach wedding to a city rooftop or restaurant. It’s also perfect for a DIY kinda bride. There are, of course, lots of ways you can use chalkboard, but this particular style calls for some of the more irreverent – I love the place mat idea with drawn on knives, forks and a plate and the dessert table backdrop telling guests what everything is. Put favours in a sweet little Anthropologie jar painted in white and coral with a chalkboard label, and line the table with a ‘runner’ of single bold, bright peony blooms. LOVE. (Oh, and PS, if you want to add an extra note of colour complexity, a dash of peach is perfect here.)
Hello friends! I’m rounding up this afternoon with a reader request board – you’ll be seeing a lot of these in the next few weeks as I am trying to finish all of them off from this year as I know there’ll be lots of new requests for 2013! I do try to do all of them, but it’s getting tough to keep up with demand, so do bear with me :) Anyway, this one is for the lovely Stacy, who’s getting married at Shalwyn in Natal next summer. She and her fiance chose the venue because of the relaxed feel and open fields, so they’re looking to reflect this with an elegantly rustic wedding in shades of navy, grey and white. LOVE. And I love even more that Stacy loves chalkboard and succulents. They go together just beautifully, and with a cool palette, you have that combination of elegance and rusticity (is that a word? no? should be.). Chalkboard can be quite beautiful, especially when combine with calligraphy, but my favourite detail here is the altar platform decorated with chalkboard paint and words of love. Hope you like your board, Stacy – enjoy your planning!
What do you get when you mix together a beautiful outdoor setting (Mofam in Elgin), simple but covetable rustic-DIY decor, and two of the most attractive people ever to put on a dress and a suit? This wedding, is what. And you guys, it is a cracker. Luisa in her floaty dream of a dress (loving the sash and rosette detail), bridesmaids in lace and groomsmen in panamas (loving the Gatsby-esque styling here), a surfer-boy groom in a killer suit – and that’s just what they wore. Let’s not forget the simple (but very chic) rustic styling (I am loving the idea of the tree centrepieces instead of flowers, especially combined with the chalkboard details) and twinkly fairy lights under a Bedouin tent. Oh my word, and the couple shoot – you could eat the light with a spoon. This here is Catherine Mac showing us why she’s one of Cape Town’s rising stars, and I can’t help it, the word ‘swoon-worthy’ begins to come to mind. So before I start bringing out the wedding blogger cliches, you’d better get on with falling in love with it for yourselves.Read More
Happy Monday, folks! Hope you had a lovely weekend! Today’s inspiration board is a reader request from Robin, who is planning a black, white and silver garden/farm wedding for April next year. Robin had already chosen her colour scheme and bought many of her decorations, but couldn’t find a suitable venue in her area, so in the end decided to host the reception at her in-law’s farm, where there is a beautiful garden. I’m not sure what sort of decor Robin has already purchased, so in creating the board, I focused on how you might translate an elegant, slightly formal wedding to an outdoor setting. In fact, the two work perfectly together! Robin already told me she wanted long tables (love this idea, especially with strings of lights in the trees – what could be more romantic) and was considering a collection of glass containers with white flowers in them, which I also think is a great idea. The key then is to balance out the rustic (as a nod to the farm) with the formal. One great idea is to hire at least one beautiful chandelier, and hang it from a tree as a focal piece of decor, which really sets the tone. Stationery can be quite traditional, and calligraphy makes a really lovely detail, especially at each place setting as with the menu cards below. I was going to suggest either white dresses or black ones for the bridesmaids until I saw the pic below – what a great idea to let them wear a combination! The bride can also wear a black or silver sash, depending on the style of her dress. Silver touches come from mercury glass (which you can easily DIY) and just LOOK at this silver cake – isn’t it gorgeous! On the rustic side, consider hessian/burlap table cloths or runners, twine-wrapped bouquets, and wooden or chalkboard details. Make use of pretty features of the garden, like a gate that doubles as a place to hang escort cards. Just because the venue has changed, doesn’t mean that your style has to – in fact, in this case, I think the indoor and outdoor elements work perfectly together. Good luck, Robin – hope the rest of your planning goes brilliantly!
Hello friends! How are you enjoying your Tuesday? Where I am (in Durban) it’s raining like mad… hm, time to head for the English summer again, I think. ;) Big thanks to all of you for the blog, facebook, twitter and email love for the new site – very, very much appreciated! This afternoon I have a fun little inspiration board for you, which was created especially for one of our featured brides whose sister is now taking the plunge. The plan is to have a sort of market feeling, celebrating ‘the abundance of life’. Guests will get to serve themselves from an amazing spread of market-style food – how fun is that? I just love this idea, and I was pleased to find that farmer’s market-style weddings are a growing trend across the pond. There are so many cute things you can do here, and you all already know how much I love including fruit and vegetables in your decor. So here’s my take, using bright colours and rustic natural textures. Mason jar lights are perfect here, as are the adorable vegetable escort cards (and a carrot as a boutonniere? why not?!), kraft paper and chalkboard details, and Bashews soft drinks. I love the idea of creating a whole market display, especially when guests are given brown paper boxes or tote bags, and able to take home produce as their favours. Flowers are mixed and natural, and I like the mix of little jars and potted arrangements. I can just imagine the bride wearing a pretty short dress, like the one shown here – so fun! Hope your sister likes this, Kerri – keep us posted!
