The Mermaid’s Wedding

GET READY. You’re about to have your socks blown off by today’s styled shoot, which takes the whole mermaid/iridescent/pearlescent wedding trend to the next level. Or rather I should say, the level below – way below. Under the sea to be precise. And I do mean literally, because the sterling team that put together this incredible shoot not only created a pastel wonderland on dry land, they shot an entire sequence underwater too. Insane. Well, as the song goes: darling it’s better down where it’s wetter, take it from me! From balloon backdrop to holographic flatware to geode cake to florals to… oh my gosh, I seriously am at a loss for words here. So let’s just, um, dive in, shall we? ;) Huge congrats to the talented pros who put this fabulously inspiring piece of work together, including SBB fave Tickled Pink, NinirichiGingerale Photography, and underwater photography genius Ilse Moore.

Read More

Relaxed Zimbabwe Garden Wedding by GingerAle Photography

Consider this wedding an ode to everything we love about the relaxed southern African lifestyle: beautiful scenery, friendly faces, nights spent under the stars to the beat of an African drum. The charming grounds of Portsalon Lodge in Harare, Zimbabwe, were the host to this laid-back affair. From the first look to the last dance, Gus and Carly were bright with smiles and laughter, which they shared with their nearest and dearest in a succession of lovely tableaux that spanned the tiers of the Portsalon gardens. First up, cocktail hour followed by an outdoor ceremony, and then the reception, which paired simple greenery with hundreds of fairy lights, to magical effect. With these lovely images taken by GingerAle Photography, you’ll be smiling for days too!

Read More

Gauguin Inspired Tropical Wedding Inspiration

I’m doing a little happy dance right now, which is actually making it difficult to type, but I can’t help it because oh my WORD but this shoot is AMAZING. I’m so jazzed I get to share it with you guys, because I have been in proper love with it, ever since I spotted it in the December issue of our fave SA wedding magazine, Wedding Inspirations. So when we picked February as Tropical Month, I just had to ask if they’d mind us sharing it here as well. Inspired by Paul Gauguin’s Tahiti paintings, it’s more than just a tropical wedding inspired shoot (although it’s all of that, with a gorgeous tropical table, two insanely lovely tropical cakes, hanging florals, amazing hair and makeup and some oh-so-gorgeous stationery). It’s an editorial in the true sense of the word, like stepping into another world – you can almost imagine Gauguin will emerge grumpily from his cabin and get painting. So you’ll forgive me if I went a bit nuts on the pics, but I seriously couldn’t narrow this down any further. The amazing colours, the attention to detail, and the incredible photography – that’s what wedding bloggers’ dreams are made of. Huge congrats to a brilliant team for pulling this off, led by Ninirichi Style Studio, Tickled Pink Weddings and Events & Gingerale Photography, with some of the gorgeous dresses from our friends at Gelique.

Read More

Rustic Navy, Sage & Blush Wedding at The Nutcracker Country Retreat by GingerAle Photography {Nadine & Renardo}

I’ll tell you why today’s wedding really has my heart, you guys. I mean, we all love some classic South African country vintage decor – proteas, and succulents and lace. Add in bold navy stripes and a sense of bringing the outdoor in with woodsy details like moss and raw wood, and you have a gorgeous wedding design. But what I really love (and this won’t come as news to any of you who have been reading SBB for more than five minutes) is that the conception of this pretty, pretty colour scheme and set of details was based entirely on the couple’s personalities and tastes. Which in my book, is pretty much everything a wedding ever needs to be. That attention to detail reaches right on down to the choice of wine, and includes a SUPER romantic gesture by the groom during his speech – a song written just for his bride. Swoon. So there you go. Navy, sage and blush and love all over. Captured to perfection by GingerAle Photography!Read More

Handmade Feminist Wedding at The Nutcracker by GingerAle Photography {Ines & Fergus}

When an email landed in my inbox from bride Ines titled ‘DIY Feminist Wedding’, I was intrigued. As you know, I’m a huge fan of making your wedding a reflection of you as a couple, and I’m a feminist myself, so I wondered how Fergus and Ines had incorporated their values into their big day (I’ll admit, there was a part of me imagining bridesmaids dressed as Rosie the Riveter!) What I found was the kind of sweet, handmade celebration where the couple had really thought about the details of how and when and who – especially at the ceremony. Things like wording can often be overlooked, but after all, the vows you make and the words said are the cornerstone of your new marriage, and I loved that this special couple took the time to craft a day that was completely their own in look and philosophy. Hopefully it’ll inspire more of you for your own wedding days. I know you’ll be inspired by the gorgeous pics by GingerAle Photography, who captured every lovely vintagey detail, and every happy moment!Read More

This Searching Heart: Woodland Fairytale Inspiration by Gingerale Photography & Absolute Perfection

You guys, I have something so special in store for you today! You know, back in high school, one of my favourite things was my homework diary. Not because of the homework, obvs, but because I used to decorate mine so meticulously with images I cut out of magazines. Particularly fashion editorials. Here were these beautiful images, and it always made me so sad that they’d just sit in an old mag and be forgotten. I loved choosing them and using them. I think that’s where I might have fallen in love with photography. I can’t believe that today I get to play with gorgeous images for a living, and today’s shoot reminds me why that’s such a joy and a privilege, because this styled shoot from Gingerale Photography and Absolute Perfection is sheer beauty and creativity. And yes, there’s some absolutely gorgeous wedding inspiration there – the most amazing woodland-style cakes, and dresses, and canapes, and stationery, and styling – but this is the kind of editorial where you can just sink in and immerse yourself in the loveliness. (With the water shots, it reminds me a bit of the story of Ophelia, except in this case, Hamlet stops fannying about with philosophy and rescues his drowning girlfriend. Go Hamlet.) I went a bit overboard on the number of images, but what can you do? They were too wonderful to cut! Enjoy…Read More