Hello lovelies! Can you believe we’ve hit the last day of 2015? It’s been a funny old year for many people, I know, but as we look back at the year that was and look forward to the days to come (and break out the champers to celebrate both), I thought it was a good time to put together an album of beautiful images – images full of love and laughter and light, and everything that makes a wedding so extra specially beautiful. I put the word out with some of our photographer friends and asked them to pick a few of their own favourite pics, and they sent me such incredible ones, I was really spoilt for choice. But here’s a little collection – be sure to click through and see more of their work, because they’re all talented and wonderful! We’ll be back tomorrow sharing the last of our Best of 2015 posts, and then next week… well, exciting things are happening! But in the meantime, be safe and be happy this new year’s eve, and here’s to 2016 :)
Are you all sick of hearing from our friend Ché of Indieberries yet? No, of course you’re not. Because she is Awesome.Sauce. We love Ché. And we especially loved all the fab ideas she had for her wedding, from her Save the Dates to her invites to her guest book. And that’s what Ché is sharing with us today, along with a bunch of brilliant advice for how to make your own guest book awesome. UN-fortunately, we don’t get to see Ché’s actual wedding or pro pics of her guest book because… well, something bad happened to the photos. We won’t talk about it. Moving on. But let’s just say that this lady is not only a legend at producing an incredible wedding and choosing a very lovely man to marry, she is also the queen of grace under fire and an awesome example of someone who loves the pretty but knows what marriage is really all about. Maybe one day I’ll ask her to tell you about that. But for today, she’s talking guest books. Thanks Ché!
After searching for a wedding guestbook and only finding standard run-of-the-mill, not-too-exciting options I decided to crack on and create my own personalised coffee-table keepsake. (Although to be fair, I didn’t search too hard for the aforementioned guestbook because I always knew I wanted to make my own).Read More
Evening, friends! You know, in the reader survey (which I’m still keeping open for a day or two – would LOVE it if you would fill it in!), one of the big things people said they’re like to see more of was DIY. So I’ll be making a plan on that front! But in the meantime, I have an awesome DIY roundup to share with you – and it’s all about the sparkle! Contrary to the saying that ‘all is not gold that glitters’, we’ve rounded up fifteen absolutely gorgeous tutorials for gold or glitter (or both) accents that will add that extra special something to your wedding style. Just, um, don’t use them all at once, obvs.
Some days, my job as a wedding blogger just doesn’t feel like work, and I have to say that this morning, as I put these gorgeous pictures of sparkly and shiny cakes together, the only difficulty was in narrowing down the selection. You’ll know by now that I’m a total magpie, and in love with everything that glimmers, but I think that love went to a new level when foiled wedding cakes came on the scene. I saw one for the first time in person last year in Durban, and it really does make an impression. I also love the way that it can be used as a texture, mixed in with ruffles, patterns, flowers, etc. As always, the line between glitzy and gaudy is a fine one, but here are 20 wedding cakes that I think walk the line perfectly. They’re almost too pretty to cut into, but the contrast between cake and metallic makes them look, if possible, even more delicious!Read More
Back when I moved into my current home and set up my office, I painted one wall in chalkboard and wrote a list in one corner. It was called milestones, and it was a list of ten things I wanted for my blog. On that list, was turning one of my inspiration boards into a styled shoot (what they used to call ‘inspiration to reality’ on Style Me Pretty). It seems like such a long time ago now, but I can still remember the first tentative posts on what was then Cap Classique, the first attempts at inspiration boards. Today (having been featured in magazines and on Wedding Chicks already) that milestone comes full circle, and I want to celebrate that, but more importantly I wanted to share what I learned about wedding design along the way. So before I share the full Sparkle & Blush post this afternoon, I thought I would take you through the whole journey, and hopefully inspire you along the way. :) (Remember, a styled shoot isn’t there to suggest you replicate it exactly the way we designed it. Rather, it’s big on ideas – just pinch one or two that fit your theme and budget.)
It started with an inspiration board…
Good morning, friends! I usually keep things to weddings here on SBB, but with many of you having your last day in the office today, I couldn’t help but make an exception and include this lovely, rustic Christmas table from the ladies at Green Goddess Flower Studio, Coral and Chantell. I’m a HUGE sucker for the holidays, but sometimes it’s nice to take a fresh look at Christmas decor, especially for a sunny season as we have in South Africa. I’ve always been the one in charge of the Christmas table (mostly because I was well into my 30s before my mom would let me anywhere near the kitchen), and I would love to put together something like this for the family next time – the bright orange of the pincushion protea is evocative of the richness of traditional Christmas colours, but combined with aqua and soft neutrals, is all sunny days. I love the rough hewn wood of the hearts and angels, the fun gold touches (especially the hippo – EVERY Christmas should have a hippo!), the succulents and especially the way that the blocks create visual interest with varying heights for the centrepiece, raising the look (literally!) to something extra special. Sadly, this year I won’t be home for Christmas, but I’ll just have to look at these pics to feel some summer Christmas inspiration, and I hope you will too! For those of you leaving us until the New Year – drive safe and be smart, and have a truly wonderful festive season!Read More
My goodness am I excited to share this little beauty with you! I spied with my little eye, something beginning with coral and aqua on the Wedding Concepts blog last year when this shoot, which was styled and co-ordinated by the WC team, was featured in Wedding Inspirations magazine. That single pincushion protea place setting really stuck in my mind, and I was so thrilled to get hold of a copy of the magazine and devour every gorgeous pic by one of my photography faves, Annemari Ruthven. So you can imagine I was even happier when the lovely Hannes of Wedding Concepts asked if I’d like to feature it right here on SBB. Um, yes please, Hannes! The thing with styled shoots (and it’s a reason some blogs don’t always feature them) is that it’s unlikely you can replicate the whole thing on the grand scale of a wedding, unless you’re getting set to be a Real Housewife of Constantia maybe. The art of it all is to be inspired, by the mood of the shoot perhaps, by the colours (although don’t forget you can translate a look you like to a whole new palette), or by a single detail or set of details. And that’s what’s so great about this one, because it is just teeming with original and inspiring ideas. First, the colour scheme – we’ve seen it before, and both coral and aqua are huge colours right now. But this shoot shows you how to be bold AND classy in the way that colour is used. Natural textures like the pincushions and coral itself, set against the clean lines of milk glass and graphic stationery are the way to go. The table base is neutral, but through ribbons, flowers and lovely homeware items, the palette comes through. And that’s not where it ends. I love unexpected touches: the bride’s boho styling, the macaroon lollipops, the Bloody Mary bar, or DIY details like the ribbon garland or the paint dipped glass vases. It’s awesome, and I hope you enjoy poring over it just as much as I have!Read More
First of all, can I just say one thing (in my other life, I’m a book editor; I need to get this out of my system, because I see it on wedding blogs – even the big ones – every day). It’s not an isle. That’s an island, aka a piece of land surrounded by water, aka no man is one, aka tropical the island breeze all of nature wild and free. It’s an aisle, folks. And that is what you’ll be walking down or up or whatever in the not too distant future. Just had to put that out there. Now here’s the thing about the aisle. It’s not a huge part of your wedding decor, it doesn’t mean that much to your guests, and whatever you do to it, I’d bet on your guy not even really noticing as long as you show up at the end of it. So if the budget is tight, you can pretty much leave it as it is, or go with the traditional flowers on every other pew. Nothing wrong with that. But the aisle is also a view that is unique to you (okay, and your dad and your bridesmaids), and it’s the place you are going to see your husband-to-be’s face as he watches you walk towards him. So it’s already going to be romantic. But if you’re creative, it could be the most romantic view you ever have. Think Twilight. Or think: this.
Usually we’re all about the wedding look, but today I thought I would share some inspiration for after the big day. The post-wedding chop is one tradition almost always observed by South African brides (in my experience, anyway!). All those months of growing your hair to get it up into a braid or chignon seems to culminate in a post-honeymoon trip to the hairdressers for a chic shorter hairstyle with which to begin married life. So here’s a bit of hair inspiration for that day after the big day, from our friends the slebs. How short will you go?
Hope you’re all having a lovely day so far! I am rushing around Cape Town like a crazy person in Crazy Town on Crazy Day, so no wedding today. Instead, it’s time for a bit of inspiration, and I hope you all believe in fairytales, because fairytales were exactly where the fabulous Jaco van Loggerenberg of Just Jack co-ordinators looked when he designed his award-winning stand at last year’s Spier Bridal Show (together with Elsje Designs and Floral Affairs). Not only are fairytales a big trend right now in general (just look at how many have been turned into films), but they’re also perfect underlying themes for a wedding, especially if you take the classy, understated approach that Jaco and his team have. There’s the earthy rustics of Rapunzel, the wintery beauty of Snow White, and the soft whimsical romance of Cinderella. Three very different heroines, and three very different looks. All with one thing in common… they lived happily ever after! Which is your favourite?Read More
