Afternoon, lovelies! It’s time for Part 2 of today’s Sparkle & Blush fest. Hopefully you won’t be tired of seeing this shoot already, but I couldn’t resist doing a full post of all my favourite images (some that you won’t have seen before). That said, I’ll shut up and let you enjoy them! ;)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…
I do love me a good theme wedding, and as South African wedding themes go, today’s might be the coolest. For our overseas readers who don’t know, Sophiatown was an area of Johannesburg that was ultimately destroyed under apartheid, but that in the 1940s and 1950s was a cultural hub for musicians, writers and artists, full of of jazz and blues and politics and colour. Something like 1920s Harlem. Mankoana and Nzuzo wanted to bring that same colour and energy to their wedding (while still maintaining an elegant, sophisticated overall look), so they included punches of bright pinks and purples as well as music and dancing. It must have been SO FUN! As with all my best weddings, it’s all about a couple who finds a way to express who they are and have a great time with their guests. Love it. Andrea Carlyle was there to capture every lovely moment (and an extremely gorgeous bride and groom) with her camera.Read More
This afternoon I’m sharing some styled shoot inspiration, courtesy of Joanne Markland and The Mosaic Wedding Company, with a team of talented colleagues from the Nuptian Network of Associated Wedding Specialists. I love seeing industry peeps pulling together, and it’s been a real pleasure to see more styled shoots coming out of South Africa this last season – they’re such a great way to generate ideas and beautiful, inspiring, editorial imagery! This look is particularly do-able, and is the perfect look for a bride who’s having a laid back beach wedding but still wants a classic, romantic look. Simple, lush single blooms combine with natural textures like shells and white stones, with a touch of aqua blue glass from vintage bottles. There’s also a touch of fun with stripey blue straws, cute little cupcakes and the general palette of pink and aqua (which you can amp up or down depending on where on the fun/classic scale you prefer to lie). Add a swishy dress, and you’re set!Read More
Time for our second inspiration board of the week, and it’s another in your new favourite colour combo of pink and green. Who can blame you ladies for loving it though – it’s the perfect combination of pretty and calming. For this board, bride-to-be Lana asked for inspiration for her game farm wedding – she wanted it country, romantic, vintage and South African. This is such a classic look, and I’ve tried to add some chic homegrown touches to the basic country vintage palette. For example, pretty tin cups with a sophisticated silhouette, a hand-drawn invitation, Skinny La Minx fabric napkins, and of course proteas. For the vintage touch, I love these crocheted cap sleeves and lace chair covers, soft pink bridesmaids dresses and roses. Add in some mismatched containers with pink and green flowers and succulents on the tables to add a country green touch, and you have the prettiest of South African weddings! Hope you like your board Lana – and thanks for your patience!
Colours: Soft pink, green, cream and ivory
Top row (l-r): Lace capped sleeves {Kate MacPherson/Flowers Manuela}; succulent{Bright Girl Photography/Nostalgia Events}; floral centrepiece {Gavin Casey}; tin mugs with silhouette; protea bouquet {Bright Girl Photography}
Row 2: Invitation {The Sometimes Zoo}; protea {Kari Herer}; Skinny La Minx napkin; bride and bridesmaids {Catherine Mac}
Row 3: Jeep with protea decoration {Cari Photography/Franschhoek Flowers}; three proteas; lace chair backs {Stephanie Fay Photography/Victoria Canada Weddings and Events}; game farm couple {Jacki Bruniquel}.
If there’s one colour palette that seems to be winning out for the next South African season (judging by your emails, anyway), it’s a combination of soft pink and pastel green. And who can blame you ladies for picking it? It’s classically romantic, feminine and fresh – everything that a sunny spring or summer wedding aims to be. Lovely reader Riette, who’s getting married at the gorgeous De Uijlnes, has been waiting patiently for her SBB board, and here it is: a rustic and romantic summer farm wedding. Riette asked for some DIY touches and at first glance this may not seem particularly DIY since I haven’t gone for a handmade/craft look (see here for an example of this in the same colours) – however, many of the elements I’ve included can actually be easily DIYed. For example, those frosted fruits make an amazing feature, but can be created in your own kitchen (tutorial here) and birch bark vases and stands are another easy DIY. Buy plain brown card and a white gel pen for lovely place cards (or buy a simple calligraphy font online and print on brown paper if you’re not confident about your handwriting). Coloured pink glass makes a big impact (if you can’t afford to hire coloured wine glasses for every guest, you’ll still get a lot of mileage out of coloured glass candlesticks or vases) and so do delicate delights like pretty pink cupcakes and pink lemonade. But my favourite element is the blush pink wedding dress – many beautiful blush options are on the market now, and it makes a real impact without being matchy matchy with your decor. This elegantly rustic combo will look classic for years to come. Hope you like your board, Riette!
Other pink and green SBB inspiration boards: Polka Promise | Pastel Protea | Sparkle & Blush | Spade in Heaven | Honeysuckle Garden | Bicycles & Tulips
Colours: Pastel pink, green and neutrals
Top row (l-r): Blush wedding dress {P: Elizabeth Messina}; brown paper name tags {P: The Collective Photographers; C: Ariel Yve Design}; cake {P: Brandon Chesbro; C: Southall Eden}; frosted fruit decorations {P: Rensche Mari}; pink lemonade
Row 2: Green and pink bridesmaid dresses {P: Kelly Hornberger Photography; C: Gina Whittington}; invitation {Invitation Gallery}; boutonnieres {P: Laura Murray Photography}; pink cupcakes {C: Sugarbloom Cupcakes}
Row 3: Bride with fishtail braid {P: Michelle Lemley}; birch bark candle stands {P: Limelife Photography; C: Mint Weddings}; bouquet {P: Wayne Yuan; F: Mille Fiori}; table setting with coloured glass {P: Brandon Chesbro; C: Southall Eden}; bride and groom {P: White Ivory}.
Never let it be said that I don’t love my readers! I know how sometimes planning can be overwhelming (especially bringing all your ideas together as the big day approaches), so when I got a wedding 911 from SouthBound Bride Stephanie, I put together this little board for her quick sharp. Stephanie had chosen a lovely deep purple as her main colour, with beautiful bridesmaid dresses for her girls. However, Stephanie was also in love with colour and fun, but was having a tough time convincing everyone else involved with her wedding that she could be vibrant and still classic and beautiful. Her dream palette – purple combined with coral, yellow and pink – was certainly unusual, so I immediately started looking for florals in this combo. As I suggested to Stephanie, if you’re working with bright colours but you want to make sure they don’t become too much, the best thing to do is keep everything else simple and let the flowers really pop. Because flowers are colours from nature, they have natural tones to them, so you don’t get the same hard colour block effect that you might with something synthetic. It’s a softer and more classic look. Luckily I didn’t have to look too long before I found the perfect inspiration shoot, and all I can say is WOW. Isn’t this palette stunning? I’m such a convert. Paired with simple place settings and classic stationery, the florals really do the talking (and they say “hello, I’m gorgeous”). You’ll notice there are a lot of peonies in the board – and yes, peonies are incredible, but they’re also hard for a South African bride to find. However, chat to your florist about other options, as there are many lush colourful flowers (ranunculus or carnations, for example) that will do a great job here. Another tip I gave Stephanie was not to try to bring all four colours into everything – combine two here, two there, and the result is cumulative.
So, what do you think? Stunning, no? Good luck with the rest of your planning Stephanie! I’m sure it will be amazing.
Colours: Deep purple, violet, coral, yellow & pink
Top row (l-r): Bouquet {P: Sara Gray Photography; S: Elizabeth Anne Designs}; purple shoes {P: Simply Jessie Photography}; centrepiece {}; colourful sweet favours {Martha Stewart}
Row 2: Deep purple bridesmaid dress {Bride & Co.}; purple and coral stationery suite {P: KT Merry; D: The Right Side Design}; purple paper straws; centrepieces {P: Sara Gray Photography; S: Elizabeth Anne Designs}
Row 3: Elbeth Gillis wedding dress {P: Cari Photography; D: Elbeth Gillis}; flowers {P: Sara Gray Photography; S: Elizabeth Anne Designs}; purple chalkboard {generated by reader}; cocktail {P: Matthew Morgan; C: Tammy Mitchell}
Whenever people ask me how I choose which weddings to feature, I end up talking about the Ooh Moment. The detail or idea or photograph that makes me go “ooh”. Literally. If you sat next to me while I was looking at it, you would hear that I actually say “ooh”. There were quite a few oohs in today’s beautiful wedding from photographer Heather Steyn (Hello! Bride and bridesmaids hairstyles! And dresses! Wildflowers! Wreaths!) but the biggest one came when I realised that each table had its own little decor theme. Each cleverly thought out (and super pretty) and each meaningful to the bride and groom. It’s like awesome table decor using found objects, times multiple. Or like a little art installation. It’s completely adorable, and it turns an already lovely wedding into a veritable ooh-fest. And that’s not all, because this sweet couple, who have careers as Afrikaans teachers in common, also share another commonality – that their fathers are both ministers. So who’s to perform the ceremony? Well, both of them! How cute is that? Very, that’s how. Now go forth, and ooh.Read More
For our final wedding this week, Doctor Gaby has prescribed a dose of sheer prettiness. Floaty pink dresses and OMGiwantthose shoes, pink roses, a monogrammed handkerchief, homemade ginger beer, two excited flowergirls, and what has to be one of my favourite cakes of the year. It’s just delightful, and it makes me want to use words like blythe and jolly, although I suspect it’ll make me sound more like I’m auditioning for Downton than enthusing over a wedding. But enthusing I am, from the awesome venue (we so love Beloftebos, don’t we?) to the Elizabeth Stockenstrom dress, to the gorgeous pictures by Wesley Vorster. Take once today with food (preferably cupcakes) and call me in the morning.Read More
