Tag: pincushion proteas

Pincushion Protea Wedding Feast at Cheerio Gardens by Charl Van Der Merwe

by gaby

At one stage when I was creating SouthBound Bride I considered giving it a name with ‘protea’ in the title. Not that I ever came up with a good one, but it would have been pretty darn appropriate since as you know, we loooove proteas around these here parts. Today we’re talking pincushions, with a wedding that uses these beautifully unusual blooms against lush greenery and soft charcoal for their bright pops of orange colour, and boy does it ever work! Add in elegant rustic style elements – slate boards, wooden tables, chalkboard signage – and you have yourself a real pretty party! And then with Charl Van Der Merwe‘s lovely pics… well, see Derek and Jana’s big day for yourself – and enjoy!

Read More

25 Fresh Pincushion Protea Bouquets

by gaby

Morning, lovelies! We have been having some hosting problems, so the schedule is a bit out of whack, but never mind – today is just going to be FULL of inspiration! We’re starting off with a roundup of no less that 25 gorgeous bouquets incorporating one of our favourite South African flowers, the pincushion protea. Since I first wrote about this spiky bloom a few years back, I’ve been delighted to see it used in some really creative and beautiful ways, so I thought it was about time I shared them. If you’d like a very South African feeling to your flowers, but are a bit over King Proteas, then this is a great choice.

Read More

New Ways with Proteas {Bouquets}

by gaby

Hello lovelies! As you’ll remember from last week, I am currently taking a fresh look at some of SBB’s most popular trend roundups, and this I know is going to be hands down my favourite. Seriously, putting this post together I have a goofy smile on my face, like I’ve ODed on sugar. Except that this is a protea rush. Totally a real thing. After all, why else would so many South African brides choose to use our national flower in their wedding bouquets? Because they’re AWESOME, that’s why. And it’s not even just a South African thing anymore – proteas have taken the wedding world by storm. I have mixed feelings about this, because sometimes when I see gorgeous proteas at an American wedding, for example, I feel like I’m seeing one of my friends in the photos from someone else’s party. But I am trying to be cool, because after all, there is plenty of protea-inspired love and goodness to go around. Plus, even though I hate to admit it, some of those overseas floral designers are applying their fresh eyes and coming up with some astonishingly gorgeous arrangements. Especially when it comes to bouquets. Rustic textures, bright pops of colour, interesting shapes and structures… there’s a lot of ooh factor  going on here. I’ve been collecting it on the SBB ♥ Proteas Pinterest board for a while, and today I thought it was high time for a roundup. Here are 25 striking protea-filled bouquets. Get ready for that rush.Read More

Real Wedding at Shepstone Gardens {Luisa & Simon}

by gaby

What is it about proteas, you guys? Is it something innately South African in me, that falls in love with them every time I see them and even more so when I see and smell one up close, hold it in both hands, marvel at its size, sturdiness, delicacy? Maybe, but then the whole world is currently falling madly in love with our national flower. When I started in weddings, there were already lots of SA brides using them, and I used to get comments about how unique the bouquets I featured were, but now I see them in weddings from all over. I like to think that maybe, just maybe, myself and my fellow SA bloggers and photographers and brides may have a little something to do with spreading the word about this gorgeous flower, in all her many guises. You’re welcome, The World. Anyway, what’s got me musing on all this is today’s lovely wedding, which has pincushion proteas at its very heart. I love these spiky blooms – especially when paired with the kind of no nonsense prettiness of shiny tin vases, fynbos, and the rich green of a spring morning in the bushveld as they were in Luisa and Simon’s wedding. The look contrasts perfectly with the easy elegance of their Shepstone Gardens venue, reflecting the ‘opposites attract’ nature of our bride and groom’s relationship. Andrea Carlyle was there to take these gorgeous pictures.Read More

Inspiration Board: Copper & Ostrich Egg

by gaby

Monday means inspiration board time, and today I’ve decided to do one of my own. I wanted to create a look that was truly South African, but at the same time contemporary, elegant and understated. Neutrals were the way to go, and I love the ostrich shell offwhite combined with black and sage, with copper metallics as a trendy little twist. Another current trend that works well here is the fashion for prints, here using the gorgeous Skinny LaMinx range with their gorgeous pincushion proteas (an ideal complement to the white king proteas in the bouquet and table arrangement pictured here). Add neutral bridesmaids dresses, copper foil stamped stationery and some other shiny copper touches, and you have the perfect fusion of classic black and white, down-to-earth South African-ness and fresh 2013 style. So usable – what do you think?

Colours: Black, ecru, sage and copper

Top row (l-r): Bouquet {I Heart Weddings/flower talk}; copper shoes {Anthropologie}; protea under bell jar {Just Jack/Cari Eksteen}; table setting {Skinny laMinx}; marquee setting {Kym Ventola Photography/Some Like It Classic}
Row 2: Neutral bridesmaids {Kym Ventola Photography/Some Like It Classic}; succulent in copper vase {Kym Ventola Photography/Some Like It Classic}; pincushion protea wall art; copper foil stamped invitation {Jolie Jolie}
Row 3: Bride & groom {rylee hitchner/abany bauer}; print napkin {Skinny laMinx}; copper wrapped boutonniere {Wedding Artists Collective/Gloria Wong Design}; hanging copper tins {Dave Lapham/Laura Helm at Ashton Events}; cake on copper cake stand {A Fabulous Fete on Etsy}.

 

Real Farm Wedding {Salomien & Johan}

by gaby

Hello lovelies, and how is your week going so far? I have such a fab wedding to share with you today – one that showcases real, honest-to-goodness homegrown South African farm style, complete with a potjie dinner. It makes me want to sit down with a cup of rooibos and a pile of rusks and pore over every delicious detail, from the pincushion proteas (oh proteas, how I do love thee) to the springbok bouts, to the printed text detailing (especially love the ‘trou is nie perdekoop nie’ banner – for our overseas readers, the literal translation is ‘getting married isn’t like buying a horse’, i.e. it’s a step not to be taken lightly), to the enamel tins and succulents to the special beers and dessert-in-jars favours… oh hell, I love it all. And I also love that the wedding party manage to look boere vintage but also contemporary at the same time – a tough one to pull off! The pics were taken by the awesome As Sweet As Images – they’re new to SBB, and a very happy discovery! So go on. Get out those rusks. Enjoy. Oh, and PS, this might be the funniest and sweetest proposal story we’ve ever featured – don’t miss it!Read More

Inspiration Board: Meet Me in Buenos Aires

by gaby

Good morning, lovelies! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. I’m back from Abu Dhabi, feeling chilled out and even a little tanned, and ready for the week ahead. I’m still catching up from my jetsetting, and getting used to being four hours back again. But that aside, travel is just my best thing, and appropriately, today’s inspiration board is all about travel! Today we have another reader request, from German reader Esther. Now how’s this for an international tale of love – Esther and her Swiss fiance met in Buenos Aires (how ironic, when their home countries are so close together!) and they’ve decided to get married in Cape Town, which I obviously think is the best idea ever. Esther loves a bit of old fashioned elegance, and she wants to bring both Brazil and Africa into their design. She adores succulents (and succulent green) and would like to accent this with orange from pincushion proteas as a tribute to South Africa. Love this! I’d work with a neutral white backdrop, with bridesmaids in soft green and bold bouquets (but otherwise keeping the orange fairly soft). I’d also incorporate the elegant vintage with a travel theme, including maps, a globe ‘guest book’ and postcard escort cards. There are some really lovely Argentine traditions Esther can include – first off, the cake pull (where ribbons are baked into the cake, one with a ring attached, and all the single women pull them out in order to find out who will be married next), cocktails (although I’ve borrowed the pictured peach caipirinhas from neighbouring Brazil), a tango first dance and carnival carioca (where, late at night, guests don hats and props and have their own little carnival on the dancefloor – a perfect double use for your photobooth props!). It adds up to a sophisticated personal tribute to the couple’s history, rather than a theme party. Hope you like your board, Esther, and welcome to our beautiful country!

Colours: White, soft green, orange

Top row (l-r): Bride with carnival mask {Marisa Holmes/Wedding Italy}; globe {Rebecca Arthurs Photography}; pincushion and succulent bouquet {Q Weddings/Statue of Design}; green bridesmaid dress {Elizabeth Messina}; couple with map {Courtney Brooke}
Row 2: Table setting {Allyson Magda Photography/Glow Event Design}; postcard escort cards {KT Merry}; cake pulls {Nancy Ray/Kickstand Events/Weddings Etc. }; vintage passport invitation {Azzura Photography}; pincushion proteas {KT Merry/David Fittin/Parrish Designs}; individual cakes with succulents {Christa Elyce Photography/Ellanesque Weddings/Sugary + Chic Boutique}
Row 3: Tango {source unknown}; stationery with map; peach caipirinha {Simon Bevan}; groomsmen with orange ties {Esther Louise Photography}.

 

Real Wedding at Providence {Nicola & Colin}

by gaby

I’ve had such a brilliant reaction to the inspiration board I posted last week, with rich shades of red, orange, yellow and copper, that I know you’re going to love today’s classic autumn wedding. In fact, autumn seems to be a bit of a thing here this week, but it’s such a beautiful season – I have only to look out of my office window at the tapestry of leaves all over our garden to be inspired. So I was delighted a while back when my lovely friend Nicola told me she was booking an autumn wedding and really embracing the season and the palette; I knew it would be gorgeous. Nix is another of my varsity girlies – she was my partner in crime back in the day (we even shared a 21st – it rocked, if I say so myself) and I’ve seen her grow from a farm girl from Estcourt into a switched-on sophisticate (albeit a fun and down-to-earth one), and this was one wedding I was devastated to miss. Especially since Nix married the loveliest man, and I wanted to be among the first to wish them the happiest of lives together. But instead, I get to do that here, and to relive their special day through Nix’s words, and KZN photographer David Rees’ pictures. I am so loving the colours in this wedding, especially since they work perfectly with the natural backdrop of the season. Who needs a summer wedding, right? I for one think Nix and Col are onto something.Read More