Tag: reader requests

Inspiration Board: Homegrown

by gaby

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}.

 

Inspiration Board: Skipping Stones

by gaby

Sjoe. I have been getting more reader requests for inspiration boards than I can keep up with, but I absolutely love hearing from you and will get to as many as I can, so please do be patient! Our second board for the week is for Kelsey, who is planning a summer wedding at the college she and her fiance attended. I’ve seen quite a few college weddings on US blogs, and I think it’s a lovely place for a wedding – something I sort of wish we did in SA. Mind you, I don’t think you could pay me enough money to get married at the ugly shoebox that was the Stellenbosch arts building! Anyway, I digress. Kelsey dreams of a wedding that’s delicate, simple and romantic, and wanted to include both lace (because of the pretty vintage factor) and stones, because her fiance proposed while they were skipping rocks on the Boise River. How adorable is that? I love this sort of personal touch, and luckily I have come up with some really cute ideas. Kelsey’s palette is absolutely dreamy, and incredibly contemporary – light blue and light grey are such an of-the-moment colour combo. LOVE. I’m envisioning a classic wedding with some pretty but not too fussy touches. I adore the idea of a blue or grey wedding dress, but bridesmaids in these shades are just as wonderful, and I’d recommend bringing in quite a bit of sheer fabric if possible (also a big trend for 2013). The lace motif comes in through a lacy wrap for the bride, pretty lacy stationery (I wouldn’t use too much actual lace on the tables, to keep it unfussy), a lace decoration on the cake and even a lace backdrop for the photobooth. Flowers are mostly white, as is the rest of the table decor I’m picturing. (If Kelsey would like to keep it simpler, she could scale down that table decor.) For a vintage touch, I’d include simple details like ‘something blue’ embroidery, piles of ‘love letters’ tied together with ribbon (a new take on the book table decor trend), and how adorable are these crochet covered stones? The stone motif was the most fun to include – I absolutely heart the runner, because it reminds me a little of a riverbed (so appropriate here) but other ways to bring them in are though giving your guests wishing stones to hold during the ceremony, or stones to write on as a guest book alternative, stones inside hurricane jars with candles on the table, or even stones covered in clay with names stamped in as place cards (although not all at once please!). The end result is so pretty and romantic, don’t you think? Hope you agree Kelsey – good luck with the rest of your planning!

Colours: Powder blue & grey

Top row (l-r): Bride & groom {P: Ngg studios; S: Imbue Weddings}; embroidery; bouquet {P: Marta Locklear Photography; F: The Enchanted Florist}; table setting {P: Alicia Swedenborg; S: Vintage Honeymoon}; lace monogram cake {P: Juliet Elizabeth Photography; C: A Charleston Bride}
Row 2: Stones with crochet detail {P: Jose Villa; S: Joy Thigpen}; bride and bridesmaids {P: Costantine Delis for Vogue}; love letter decor {P: Briana Moore Photography}; stone aisle runner {P & D: Designs By Courtney}
Row 3: Sheer blue dress {P: Alicia Swedenborg; S: Vintage Honeymoon}; tags {P: Melissa Musgrove Photography: C: La Fete Weddings}; stones guest book {P: Lauren Kinsey Photography; C: Fete Weddings & Events}; hairstyle; lace cover-up {P: Samm Blake}

 

Inspiration Board: Coral & Glam

by gaby

Tangerine may have been Pantone’s 2013 colour of the year, but if there’s a breakout shade for weddings this season, it’s coral. And boy, am I ever glad! Coral is such a warm shade, and so versatile – I can’t believe how many colours it works with beautifully! It’s also lovely reader Carrie’s favourite colour, so of course she’s chosen it for her summer wedding. And Carrie must be a girl after my own heart, because she also loves a bit of sparkle, and wants to put her bridesmaids in mismatched glittery dresses – how pretty is that? There are some lovely coral or blush and sequin dresses available at the moment, but for this board I’ve gone for one of my absolute favourite bridesmaid combos of recent times – these copper skirt and top sequin and lace mismatches are just amazing and they look so good with the coral and white bouquets! Add in beautiful copper heart Vivienne Westwood shoes, and some good as gold accents and you have the perfect amount of metallic. A good tip with coral is to use it in a sort of ombre way, with everything from a pale blush to the most powerful orange version of the colour, just the way that it is in this adorable stationery suite. Add a few special touches – homemade lemonade, a ruffly chair back, sparkly mason jars, and you have everything you need for coral and glam wedding wonderful. Hope you like your board, Carrie!

Colours: Coral, blush, white, copper & gold

Top row (l-r): Bridesmaids {P: Jarvie Digital Photography}; table layout {S: Envision Wedding Studio; P: AC Ellis Inc.}; pink lemonade {P: White Loft Studio}; blush ruffle chair back {S: Envision Wedding Studio; P: AC Ellis Inc.}
Row 2: Coral & gold stationery suite {P: Jean-Pierre Gary and Kiera Ormut-Fleishman}; coral macaroons; Vivienne Westwood shoes; fireplace ceremony {P: Justin Demutiis Photography; S: Olivier Events}
Row 3: Sparkle mason jars; lace sheath dress with keyhole back {P: Paul Johnson}; cake {Elizabeth Messina}; single bloom centrepiece {Martha Stewart}.

 

Inspiration Board Revisited {Modern Moroccan}

by gaby

Happy weekend! I have a special little bonus feature for you today, and just a tiny taster of a stunning wedding I’ll be featuring next week. Gina is the first bride I’ll be featuring who requested one of my inspiration boards, and I wanted to show you a bit of how her original ideas developed before you catch the final result. When Gina first emailed me, she was feeling like she had all these ideas but couldn’t quite picture it coming together, and wanted the design of her wedding to look cohesive. First of all, I should say that this is such a common feeling amongst brides – in fact, I hear this from almost everyone who requests a board – so if you have reached that stage then be reassured that it’s completely normal! In fact, creating a board at this stage in the process (or revising one you already have) is a great idea, because it lets you see the bigger picture (and sometimes spot from a distance when one element isn’t working with the others). Anyway, back to Gina, who had her heart set on a Moroccan theme for her and fiance Ben’s big day, but wanted to make sure it didn’t turn out looking like a tacky theme party.

Gina had a couple of colour schemes in mind, and when I created her board, I chose the one that was clean white and green, with a little touch of deep purple (using a white base with little touches of colour moved away from the Arabian Nights party vibe). Gina had access to Moroccan decor items, and I suggested scattering these around, with hanging lanterns as a key piece. For the tables, I suggested either a print tablecloth or a white one with tiles used as a runner. I also suggested low tables and a bedouin-style breakout area, and directed Gina to a few links, including this gorgeous Sunday Suppers take on Moroccan dining. Here’s the inspiration board I made for Gina:

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Inspiration Board: Summer Breeze

by gaby

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}.

 

Inspiration Board: Colour Burst

by gaby

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}

 

Inspiration Board: Trading Post

by gaby

Okay, I have to tell you, I’m in love with this board. Which is a surprise, because turquoise and chocolate hasn’t always been a favourite combination of mine. I think it’s because I’ve seen it done tacky too many times, but when bride Klarissa wrote to tell me about her wedding, I knew this girl had style. After all, she chose an awesome venue – Searle’s Trading Post in Greyton. It’s super quirky and rustic and fabulous, and Klarissa knew well enough to work with its eclectic feel and just accent it with her colours. I adore the idea of a trading post ‘theme’ – a mix of found objects and rustic textures like wood and burlap. I started thinking about the sort of things you might have found at a trading post (or at least ones you might have found at my fantasy imaginary one!). How about pretty birds eggs in nests, for example? (Love these for place holders, or as part of the table decor, and they’re a fun DIY.) Old tins full of flowers. Mason jars, old door knobs, suitcases. I stumbled across this image of a poshokkie (what is the English for that, anyway?) with brown paper packages wrapped up in string – wouldn’t this make an ADORABLE escort card display? I also loved the idea of string decorations (this SBB couple did this brilliantly) and a statement turquoise necklace for the bride. It’s kind of a case of ‘anything goes’, but natural textures are the key to making it work – fortunately in a venue like this one, Klarissa will have no shortage of them. Thanks for waiting patiently, Klarissa – hope you like your board as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Colours: Turquoise & chocolate brown

Top row (l-r): Eggs in nest {Pottery Barn}; bride with turquoise necklace {Intrikate Designs}; suitcases {Retro Images on Etsy}; table setting on rough wood {P: Courtney Dellafiora; S: Valerie Metrejean}
Row 2: Blue dyed mason jar; burlap backed invitation; flowers in vintage tin {P: Heather Saunders Photography; D: The Parsonage}; poshokkie; piano
Row 3: Turquoise dress; mason jars with acorns {Pottery Barn}; cake with string ‘love’ topper {P: White Wall Photography}; vintage doorknobs on burlap runner {S: Elissa Keno; P: Kellie Kano}.

 

Inspiration Board: Hollywood Masquerade

by gaby

Inspiration board time, lovelies! I’m back with another reader request, and this one was so much fun to put together! Reader Shiree wrote to tell me about her wedding, describing it as “Old Hollywood meets Phantom of the Opera”. How. Cool. Is. That? She and her fiance have chosen silver, black and white as their colours, and are looking for “over the top elegance” and “masked ball opulance”. Oh my goodness, I have always wanted to go to a proper masked ball, and I just love the way that Shiree is planning to combine the glamour of Hollywood with the mystique of a masquerade. Usually when I’m putting concepts together for a board I’m aware of not including too many big ideas, but this theme is ALL about drama and statement and luxe. Shiree didn’t have a venue planned, but if possible, choose one with a dramatic staircase for the ultimate entrance! Otherwise, you can create that same sense of drama in just about any surrounding (although a high ceiling is a big plus) – I’ve even seen an amazing wedding where a parachute was used draped from the ceiling. Think big. I love the marquee pictured below, with what’s almost an installation of lanterns above the dancefloor – there’s that drama we’re talking about, but it doesn’t have to cost the earth – you can use relatively inexpensive materials, but think big and more (this one’s actually a DIY – see the image credits for the link). Fairy lights are another way to add visual interest – again the more, the better! I also love the idea of other luxurious focal points: bling on the bride’s dress, a cake mirroring that design, a brooch bouquet (the ultimately opulent bouquet, surely?) and a champagne tower (so old Hollywood!). Filigree masks are just my best, and I adore the invitation pictured here, which would then be reflected by a mask at each guest’s place setting (or pinned to a large board instead of escort cards). A good lasercut stationer like Doodles in Cape Town might be able to recreate this look for you. They’re not only the perfect favour, but ensure that when you all hit the dancefloor, it’ll look like a Venetian ballroom. Or just a very fancy party at Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s house. Hope you love your board Shiree, and I can’t wait to see the final results!

Colours: Black, white & silver

Top row: Staircase; ring; Old Hollywood cake {P: Kristen Weaver}; brooch bouquet {Brooch Bouquets on Etsy}; filigree silver mask
Row 2: Letterpress mask invitation {Chic Ink}; bride {Lazaro}; mask favour at place setting {P: T.H. Jackson Huang}; fairy light curtain {}
Row 3: Dancefloor with light installation; champagne tower {Martha Stewart}; masquerade ball {Vogue US December 1997; P: Steven Meisel; S: Paul Cavaco}.

 

Inspiration Board: La Petit Lavande

by gaby

I’m very excited about today’s reader request inspiration board, since not only is it a pretty way to start off the week, but it was created for someone I know. Natalie is a university friend of mine – a fellow Minervianer – who got in touch last week to tell me about her wedding. She and her fiance are getting married in the late summer, and want a sophisticated, elegant wedding that still lends itself to being very relaxed and informal. I couldn’t have chosen a better venue for them than La Petite Dauphine near Franschhoek, or in fact, a better colour scheme to suit the venue than the one Natalie has picked: lavender, silver, and a fresh, silvery green. I could immediately picture it – the kind of romantically simple wedding that would be perfectly at home in Jose Villa‘s portfolio or on the pages of Style Me Pretty. We’re certainly looking at a French country influence, so lavender makes not just the perfect colour but a beautiful motif, and Natalie could choose to use it in her stationery as well as to add texture and whimsy (as well as fragrance) on the day. I’d have bridesmaids in lovely long dresses, and the groom with a lavender boutonniere and a stylish grey suit. Long tables, either indoor or out, would have white cotton linen, simple country-style arrangements and bread rolls wrapped in muslin and twine, with a little sprig of lavender tucked into them, at each place setting. All the best things about the French lifestyle would be represented: champagne, cheese, wine (these wine bottle table numbers are a classic, and so easy to DIY), macarons. Have guests write sweet notes to the couple and ‘post’ them in a set of little rustic ‘postboxes’, and at the end of the night take home a little bag of dried lavender to put amongst their clothes and remember the occasion whenever they smell that wonderful fragrance (Natalie could also scatter some along the aisle, as stepping on it would release the aroma). Mix together, add friends and family and some late summer sunshine, and then serve. Congrats again, honey – I can’t wait to follow along with your planning!

Colours: Lavender, silver & green

Top row (l-r): Bride & bridesmaids {P: Samm Blake}; lavender in champagne; lavender boutonniere {P: Jen Huang; D: Lee Vazquez Floral Design}; cheese under bell jar {P: Missy Cochran}; silver frame with cocktail name {P: Samm Blake}; outdoor tables at La Petite Dauphine {welovepictures}
Row 2: Macaroons; post boxes with bird {P: Elizabeth Messina}; lavender invitation suite {Hello Lucky!}; lavender sprigs {P: Kate Grewal}
Row 3: Bride & groom {P: Jose Villa}; wine bottles {P: Missy Cochran}; bread rolls with lavender {P: KT Merry; C: Sara Jean Events: D: Dreamy Whites}; table setting {P: Elisa B. Photography; C: Beehive Events}; ‘love’ bags {P: Harwell Photography; C: Ashley Baber Weddings; D: Gloriosa}

 

Inspiration Board: Pretty as a Peacock

by gaby

Afternoon, folks! We’re rounding off a pretty awesome week here on SBB with one more piece of pretty and awesome. I’ve been getting tons of requests for inspiration boards from all of you, so I’m working double time to try and create as many of them as I can. Reader Kristin has been waiting a little while for hers, but I hope it will be worth the wait! Kristin is getting married in a hall in summer, and she’s looking for turquoise accents to classic black and white, with peacock feathers and a general air of chic. Initially I was just going to send Kristin over to a board I created right at the very beginning of the blog (you can find it here), which was when the peacock trend was taking off. But then I thought about it, and I thought maybe we could bring the peacock theme a little more up to date. One option would be to go for a very art deco look – peacock was a key motif during the period after all – but instead I decided to add a bit of glitter to the teal, black and white palette – a look that’s very of the moment. The focus is less on actual peacock feathers – although they’re included in select spots: a boutonniere, with the bouquet, and on the bridesmaids’ headpieces – and more on beautiful peacock imagery. I am so in love with the place settings using peacock plates, gold cutlery and an ornate charger – if hiring this isn’t an option, consider a custom printed menu that fits inside a plain white plate, to give you a similar visual effect. I also adore the letterpress invitations pictured here – stationery is a great way to ‘brand’ your wedding in a sophisticated way. Add a bit of glittery texture – if not on the wedding dress (although I always seem to go back to this gorgeous wedding dress!) then maybe on one bridesmaid’s dress, and how cute is the little packet of sequin confetti? Teal/turquoise shoes and BM dresses are a must, but beyond that I’d stick to classic black and white. And there you have it. Hope you like your board, Kristin!

Colours: Turquoise, black, white & gold

Top row (l-r): Bouquet with peacock feathers {P: Jared Rey Photography; C: Gretchen Rose Events}; BHLDN wedding dress; peacock place setting {P: Ryan Ray Photography; D: Razzle Dazzle Event Decorating}; peacock boutonniere {P: Abbey Hepner Photography; C: GuGuLy Event Planning}; letterpress peacock feather invitation {Bespoke Letterpress}
Row 2: Feather with rings {Stacy Reeves}; sequin confetti {P: Greg Blomberg; D: Bows and Arrows}; teal bridesmaid dress; bride {P: Chrystal Cienfuegos Photography}
Row 3: Peacock plate place setting {P: Ryan Ray Photography; D: Razzle Dazzle Event Decorating}; teal shoes {P: Ryan Ray Photography; D: Razzle Dazzle Event Decorating}; teal bridesmaid dresses {P: Elaine Palladino Photography}; bride and groom with sparklers {P: Amy and Stuart}