real life bride - SouthBound Bride

Real Life Bride #11: The Bridal Showers

8 July, 2013 by gaby

I am one lucky girl. That’s all I can really say about the amount of love and spoiling that went into the pre-wedding events planned by my wonderful friends and family during my visit to South Africa. Apart from planning one heck of a bachelorettes, my bridesmaids planned not one, but two beautiful love-filled kitchen teas of note. It doesn’t get much better than that.

It all started when, on a Friday night, my sister picked me up from a dinner party with some random person laying in the back of the car. I immediately figured it must be one of her friends who had a bit too much to drink, when suddenly out jumped my dearest friend Inge, with a big smile on her face. She had flown down from Pretoria to surprise me (and to attend the weekend’s activities I would later learn about).

Okay, I was a little suspicious what with someone flying down for a random weekend, but my sister (who I now know is a very good liar), played everything so cool and had me convinced that we were simply going wine tasting the next day, to be followed by a boozy winefarm lunch in Franschhoek. So off we went for a “bridesmaid bonding day”.

I was so busy chatting (and chatting… and chatting…) to my friend, whom I hadn’t seen in months, that I didn’t really pick up on what was going on around me. We walked into the Green House at Babylonstoren and I looked up to find a table full of some of the most special ladies in the world and my MOM! She, as it turned out, also secretly flew down for the weekend. I had to fight hard to keep emotions intact and not become completely overwhelmed by the enormity of such a big moment.Read More

Real Wedding at Rawdons Country Hotel {Candice & Justin}

30 April, 2013 by gaby

Well, it’s always a very special day when I get to share one of our real life bride’s weddings with you all. Because I don’t know about you, but I feel like these ladies become friends, and by the time I have read all about their inspirations and ideas and shared their excitement, I can’t WAIT to see how it all turned out and feel like I was there to raise a glass to their happiness. So it’s with great pleasure that I’m sharing the first of our 2013 RLBs’ weddings with you today – our lovely Marie Antoinette bride, Candice. I’ve loved reading her lyrical descriptions of the wedding she dreamed up, inspired by Versailles and Downton Abbey and even a little by The Hobbit. I sighed over her gorgeous themed rehearsal dinner and engagement shoot. And now I can finally show you Candice and Justin’s elegant, heartfelt wedding, photographed by an incredible team of US photographer Alicia Swedenborg with our very own Catherine Mac second shooting. Wow. It is AMAZING. And be sure to read Candice’s beautiful description of the big day, because if that doesn’t make you sigh, you don’t have a romantic bone in your body. So without further ado, here’s Candice…Read More

A Bride Abroad #10: The Ceremony

18 March, 2013 by gaby

With a little less than two weeks to go till the BIG DAY, I must admit the nerves are starting to creep in. I thought I had everything so well organised and prepared that I would come home and just RELAX. Well that was an interesting plan… The little details are keeping me quite busy, but I am enjoying every day. The weather has been amazing, people have been amazing and this country is just amazing in general. I have also been completely spoilt by two kitchen teas and a super-duper bachelorettes with the coolest personal touches. So I’m having a rad time! I can’t believe the wedding is next weekend – every time that thought pops into my head, my heart makes a little jump and my stomach whirls with excitement. And nerves. But that’s what the rescue remedy is for, right? Now getting back to those formalities…

A Bride Abroad #9: The Groom’s Look

25 February, 2013 by gaby

Looking at wedding pictures from all over the planet, it’s clear that there are some super snazzy grooms out there. It seems like the general tendency has shifted from the bride as centrepoint and “queen bossy” to a more inclusive approach when it comes to the groom and what he wears. The room for bridezilla pushing her man to the background and giving him only the bare necessities has become quite small. I like that.

The man of the day is very much a central part of all the happenings at a wedding and should be dressed for the role. Whether it be a more casual, retro, alternative affair or a traditional, formal and sleek one, his attire should be carefully selected.

Real Bridal Shower: Downton Abbey

22 February, 2013 by gaby

Good morning, friends! Did you enjoy our Sparkle & Blush fest yesterday? Today we’re back to real life inspiration courtesy of one of our real life brides, the lovely Candice. You’ll remember Candice was our Marie Antoinette bride, and so far we’ve followed her through her whole planning process right up to her Versailles-themed rehearsal dinner (loved that!). Today we’re getting a peek at another pre-wedding event, the bridal shower, and one of the most adorable themes I’ve yet seen! Candice is a huge fan of Downton Abbey (aren’t we all?) – in fact, in her first email to me she joked that she avoided the sun in an attempt to acquire skin as pale as Lady Mary’s – so it was the perfect theme for her bridesmaids to pick, and much fun (I feel I should be saying ‘japes’ here) ensued! There are so many lovely ideas here – and I love that the gifts were so personal and creative. All images are from Louis John van Rooyen of {Moment}ography.Read More

Real Life Bride #9: The Bridesmaids

11 February, 2013 by gaby

I suppose there are many different ways of deciding on the people that you’ll have walking down the aisle before you and many factors play a role in this (sometimes difficult) decision. Some stick to family members, some to friends, some choose according to what the budget allows or how many groomsmen the groom will have. I didn’t set myself any rules. My two sisters are a pair of amazingly awesome, beautiful, fantastic ladies who I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. Naturally, they would have to be bridesmaids. But I also want my bestest friends to be by my side as they are the pillars on which I rely in life. So I’m going to have five bridesmaids. Yes, it has its complications in terms of the dresses, time schedule, budget, etc. but I wouldn’t change anything. I’m a very determined person so I figured I would make it work despite the odds.

Marie Antoinette Rehearsal Dinner

4 February, 2013 by gaby

So. I’ve written this introduction six times, and I keep going back and deleting the whole thing. Because, basically, I seem to have run out of words to tell you how thrilled I am with this feature. It’s a first – we’ve never done rehearsal dinners before – but it’s also completely unique AND it comes from one of our very own Real Life Brides. That’s right – Candice is a married woman, and she’s back to share a couple of pre-wedding events before we do the big reveal of the Big Day. For those of you who have followed along, Candice is our Marie Antoinette bride – she and fiancé Justin were in love with and inspired by everything to do with Versailles. They even found the perfect venue, Casa Labia in Cape Town, but unfortunately had to change plans when they realised it was too small for their party. Now, most people would just give it up, maybe go back for an anniversary, but not these two. Instead, they decided to kick off their wedding celebrations with a rehearsal dinner at the venue (read the whole story here). And they dressed up for it in custom made period costume. And they did a couple shoot beforehand. AND Candice wore an exquisite lace dress she bought from Etsy. AND they got Catherine Mac (whose photos make me covet every one of her weddings) to be there with her camera. You guys, it’s pretty much a wedding blogger’s dream, and this isn’t even the wedding! So sit back and enjoy every inspirational image – with more to come from Candice very soon. (Oh and psssst, you can see more of Catherine’s lovely pics over on her blog.)Read More

A Bride Abroad #8: The Bride’s Accessories

28 January, 2013 by gaby

So peeps, to go with the dress I don’t yet have, I’ve only looked into the possibilities and gotten some ideas together, but in the accessory department things aren’t quite sorted yet either. With nine weeks to go I guess I need to get cracking on it! Looking at the various options one has these days, one can wear pretty much whatever one wants. Which I think is great – no more abiding by the rules and wearing something which doesn’t suit you just because it’s expected of you. But, I must add that I’m a believer in not gilding the lily. If the dress is going to be a statement item, the complementary parts have to be more subtle (the emphasis here is on the word complementary). If you’re opting for a big necklace or some other attention-drawing accessory, it’s important that the dress hasn’t got too much detail.

A Bride Abroad #7: The Dress

14 January, 2013 by gaby

Ooooooh yes! It’s time to write about… drumroll tsshh… THE DRESS!!!! I’ve been waiting for this one to come round in sheer anticipation. Not quite sure why though, because I myself don’t yet know what my wedding dress is going to look like. Eek!

Because it’s being made in Cape Town, I won’t know until very shortly before the wedding. The bonus is that I get some extra time to decide, which is great, because my ideas have changed so much over the past few months. Who knows what I’ll end up wearing…

What I do know is that I’m not one for many layers and loads of lace. No petticoat. No tight bust in which I cannot breath. No scratchy fabric. No long trail. I’m a very practical person and therefore cannot afford to choose a dress which is going to be a hassle. That said, it still has to be gorgeous.

I love a dress which in essence is plain, but has small details which make it interesting. A splash of colour, an interesting neckline, different fabrics folding over one another. We’ll see what the future holds… While you wait, I leave you with these beautiful photies.

A Bride Abroad #6: The Photography

7 January, 2013 by gaby

Whenever I chat to someone who’s been in a lengthy, happy marriage about their wedding day they get this little sparkle in their eyes and as they are taken back to that special day they reach for their wedding album. Then starts the trip down memory lane – the dress, the food, the “oh look how so-and-so looked back then”, the fond memories and small details….it’s all there in the pictures.