You guys… Yesterday was a good news/bad news kinda day. Good news! You’re in Cape Town! Bad news… someone’s driven into your hire car. Good news! You get to see a friend for lunch! Bad news… there’s no parking. Good news! It’s time to visit some wedding creatives in their uber cool new office space! Bad news… there’s no parking (seriously Capetonians, whaddup?). Anyway, we’re starting today off on the right note, with this lovely wedding from Shireen Louw, who just so happens to be one of the sweetest people to work with as well as being a fab photographer. Lauren and Michael clearly have a very well-developed sense of fun, as their wedding is full of spontaneity and laughter, and cute props. Not to mention proteas and antique candelabras – fusing two of the biggest trends at the moment. As I say, it’s a happy way to start the day – enjoy!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
Gather round children, and let me tell you one of my favourite love stories. Once upon a time, I had a friend called Sven, who was one of the loveliest chaps I knew. Clever and kind, best man and godfather many times over, he was one of those people whose friends are always all ‘how is he still single?’. But he was. And he didn’t want to be. He thought it was past due that he met the love of his life, but Destiny was taking her sweet time. One day, when I was home in Durban on holiday, I went out on a Midlands Meander with him, and Sven told me as we drove how he’d just about given up on finding love. He wasn’t unhappy – he has a great business, and he’d got into rowing in a big way – but he’d decided the the marriage thing just wasn’t going to happen. He was throwing in the towel. That very afternoon, we headed back to Durban to watch the Oxford/Cambridge boat race at Sven’s rowing club. And there, in the row in front of us (although neither of us knew it yet), was the girl he would marry, the equally lovely Louise. Which just goes to show. Timing is everything ;) The end of that story (and the start of a new one) was a beautiful brunch wedding at Nicolson’s in the Midlands, which I happened to be at, so I can tell you first hand that it was fabulous. Faye of Poetry Weddings did an awesome job pulling together all the gorgeous country-style decor, and CC Rossler took these breathtaking pictures. (I didn’t do anything, just sipped rosé and sighed over how much I loved the protea arrangements). Having a brunch wedding was such a lovely alternative – it felt very civilised, the food was amazing, and while the wedding party had their photos taken we all enjoyed a perfect Midlands afternoon. There was even a rainbow – now there’s a fairytale ending if ever I saw one!Read More
Okay, you all know by now that I love all things wedding (duh) but if there’s one mental image that’s going to immediately push the swoonage count up to the maximum, it’s the idea of an al fresco wedding, under the trees, on a beautiful summer afternoon in the winelands. I’m sort of drooling just thinking about it, except that I don’t actually drool because that would be totes unladylike. But you get the point. So that was what made me immediately fall in love with Annali and Gerhard’s wedding from the fab Just Judy. What I didn’t realise at the time was that they planned this gorgeous day in two months. Two months! Now, I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone, but at the same time, it’s proof that it is possible. The key thing that Annali got right? Making quick decisions based on her personal taste, and not getting too hung up on colour schemes or themes. She trusted her gut, and it worked. As well as the outdoor reception under a sea of string lights (yep, swoonage happening again here), I loved that the couple used bushels of baby’s breath, which was absolutely perfect with the whole look, and easy to boot. Perfection!Read More
It’s amazing how a good photographer can not only capture the details and action of a wedding, but give it a story, turn it into a cohesive whole. Take, for example, Gavin Casey – awesome Cape Town photographer and the man responsible for Talya and Paul’s gorgeous pictures today. His images are always bathed in heavenly light, like the whole wedding took place at so-called golden hour, or in a blissful scene from a Hollywood movie. And today, Gavin’s style is the perfect complement to the elegantly woodsy style of the wedding, which is both delicate and rustic, with textures like moss, timber, bark and bloom. And have I mentioned how much I love Jewish weddings? The reveal of the bride, the Chuppah ceremony (made even more special here because the groom made the Chuppah himself) and all that joyous dancing. It all wraps up into a celebration that’s part earth-bound, part heaven-sent, totally lovely.Read More
Putting this wedding together has been such fun – first I found myself humming Dolly Parton due to the bride’s name (sorry, Jolene, you must get this all the time) which led to a Dolly Parton spotify fest (even though I typed it as Dolly Partyon, which is now totally going to be my stripper name if I ever become a stripper). None of this has anything to do with why it’s a lovely wedding, but it is. I love the misty magical forest of donkeys pics captured by photographer Stuart Dods (so Shrek, in a good way) and the coral details – there’s good reason why this is a colour that brides have fallen in love with over the last year, as it really does just pop against white in such a pretty way. The bride looks like a beautiful princess with her elegant coral ladies in waiting. Travis and Jolene continued the fresh colour combo through to their sweet stationery and reception decor, and it’s the perfect contemporary combo. So thanks for sharing, Jolene (and also for giving me an excuse to indulge in a bit of the Dolly!).Read More
Time for another real wedding, folks! This one comes from SBB friend and sponsor Dreampix Photography. If there are two things I’m a great big fan of it’s the colour navy and an outdoor wedding. Even more so when that outdoor wedding has an ‘indoor outdoor’ feel – a transfer of elegant indoor (ballroom) decor like chandeliers and checked dancefloor to an outdoor space under the trees. There’s something so romantic about that, like a table for two set up on a beach, or sleeping under the stars, don’t you think? Tinus and El-Ray had both of these elements in their De Hoop Nature Reserve wedding, and they came together beautifully. I also love that they had games for guests in a scenic drinks reception after the ceremony – so fun! Thanks to Kobus of Dreampix for sending this one over. Oh, and PS, it’s clearly fun nailpolish day here on SBB – loving the navy on the bridesmaids!Read More
Hello lovelies! Today we’re heading just a little bit north of the border, for the first SBB wedding from Namibia. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been fascinated by the Namib desert, and would love to visit one day! So I couldn’t resist this lovely wedding of a Swedish bride and Namibian groom, with its sweet rustic detailing in the middle of a desert setting. It reminds me of the pictures we have of my great grandfather having picnics with his tennis club in the bush – they’d trek out with blankets and chairs and a gramophone, and it was all very civilised! With so much natural beauty in our country and those of our neighbours, I’m a particular fan of weddings that take advantage of these incredible views, and you don’t need to compromise on the classically pretty wedding you’ve always dreamed of to do it. Photographer Drikus Le Roux was there with Karolina and Arno to capture the beauty both inside and out of the marquee. Oh, and PS, don’t skip the text – this is the cutest ‘how we met’ story!Read More
Well, you know it’s going to be a good day when you get to start it off with a wedding by South African photographer Rensche Mari. Just a couple of weeks ago I was swooning over her feature in Magnolia Rouge, and today I’m bringing you an absolute gem of a wedding filled with fresh country details, beautiful light and big smiles. Jacques and Carike were married in Mpumalanga, where I myself was a guest at a wedding last year, and it reminded me how beautiful it is up there. The couple made use of the natural setting to include rustic touches (including classic South African proteas) but some clean modern touches lifted the decor and made it contemporary. I love everything about it, but I think my favourite touch is the hanging mason jars filled with fairy lights strung above the outdoor dancefloor… just magical!Read More
Almost there folks – Friday tomorrow! I’m easing you into the second half of the week with a wedding that’s all kinds of pretty and sweet. Shot by our new friends Carolien + Ben at Riverside Castle near Pretoria, it’s got all those dreamy South African wedding elements: soft vintage pastels, protea bouquets, warm neutrals and a touch of lace. But I also absolutely love the tiny little bird details – the origami cranes made of book pages and the beautiful hand-drawn stationery. It’s just the right mix of whimsical and romantic, and I know that you will love it!Read More
