Tag: Real Weddings

Real Wedding at Collisheen Estate {Julia & Waylon}

by gaby

Some days, I don’t feel like I have the words. After all, there are only so many ways to say ‘pretty’. Graceful, lovely, charming, fair. Today’s wedding is all of those things. It enters and floats across the stage like a blythe spirit, trailing beauty in its wake. There’s the dress, for one. I need about a dozen words for that alone, because it’s one of my favourites ever – and I still can’t believe that the radiant bride designed it herself and made it together with her mother. It is seriously spectacular (illusion lace, where have you been all my life?). Or the gorgeous reception, elegant but with personal touches like handmade napkins/tea towels, billows of baby’s breath, bridesmaids in blue. And of course the games aspect that the bride and groom added – such a sweet personal detail. Pretty definitely isn’t enough of a word to cover it, and yet pretty it is. Of course, I’m also in love with the talented Fiona Clair‘s gorgeous pics, that capture all the sweetness of this couple on their big day, and every soft and splendid moment. And I have some fab news to share (well, fab news for Cape brides anyway) – Fiona is relocating to Cape Town in early 2014, so KZN’s loss will definitely be your gain.Read More

Real Wedding at Delsma Farm {Elmarie & Sakkie}

by gaby

Today’s real wedding was a submission from the bride herself, the lovely Elmarie, who worked her pretty socks off to pull off the handmade vintagey country look for her big day. It’s all here: pastel painted faux milk glass vases, bunting, doilies, ribbons, flags and bunting. It’s like a Pinterest board come to life! I ADORE the bridesmaids’ dresses and even more so their bouquets – I just never get tired of these little wooden proteas as a truly South African floral alternative. But I think my favourite touch is the sheepies – the bride and groom come from farming backgrounds and they brought this in in such a cute way through both the boutonnieres and the table plan – such a simple but effective and memorable design! I have a feeling this one is going to have a  very high Pin count – enjoy!Read More

Real Wedding at The Cowshed {Sam & Matt}

by gaby

Love in the hay. That’s how today’s bride and groom nicknamed their wedding, and it’s such an appropriate description. Everything about this wedding is relaxed and joyful and farm-style gorgeous. From the location (the always-fabulous Cowshed in Mpumalanga) to the fearless couple portraits near some Nguni cattle to the rustic-South-African-with-a-touch-of-Brit decor. I also can’t think of a more perfect photography team to have captured this delightful big day than Dylan and Emma-Jane of Lad & Lass, who have such a lovely, unique way of framing their subjects. They even managed to get some exquisite shots of the night sky, as guests danced the night away and the stars came out over Africa. It’s pure wedding happiness – enjoy!Read More

Real Wedding at Café Felix {Henda & Danie}

by gaby

Zippididoodahzippidi-ay… You guys I am in such a good mood – the sun is out in Durbs and I am BEYOND excited for this weekend which I get to spend with some of my favourite people in the world. I am declaring Sunday my godsons’ un-birthday (which I do once a year or so, by the power invested in me as a fairy godmother, obvs) and I can’t wait to hang out with them on the beach and catch up with their parents. So that’s why I’m a bit hyper, but also because YAY PUNCH THE AIR I have another beautiful wedding to share with you this fine Thursday. Danie and Henda had their big day at Café Felix, an awesome Cape venue that never fails to impress, and they dressed it in the prettiest of pastel florals, soft white fabrics and bunting, wreaths and garlands and ribbons, oh my. It looks like some kind of fairytale garden, with just a touch of boho. The weather wasn’t perfect – in fact, these are some of the windiest photos – but oh my word, Anné Gray of Anné Photography used it to create the most stunning portraits, with Henda’s soft dress and veil floating and billowing out behind her. They look like Cathy and Heathcliffe. (But, you know, not annoying.) This one is pure romance.Read More

Real Wedding at D’Aria {Grethe & Alex}

by gaby

Happy days, friends! Ever since rainbow weddings became a thing, I’ve been patiently waiting for a brave South African bride to put her stamp on it, and today is the day. Yay. And seriously, if I had been giving someone advice for pulling off this colourful, bold look without making it tacky or like a children’s party, I couldn’t have explained it better than the way bride Grethe put her design together. There are lovely pops of colour everywhere – in the flowers, in the ribbon-backed chairs (a room full of them – I am in LOVE!), in the cocktails, even in the cake (so cool that it had a plain white outside and a surprise inside!). But it isn’t too much. In fact, the bridesmaids are in a sober navy (sober, but very, very pretty with their lace backs and gold belts) and with the bride’s beautiful, classic Elizabeth Stockenström dress and her handsome groom, the look says 100% wedding. Look out for tons of clever touches – the fun way the church flowers are displayed, the braai plank favours, the custom linen binding for the ceremony. And Bernard Bravenboer was there to capture it all to perfection!Read More

Real Forest Wedding {Marli & Kosie}

by gaby

Happy Thursday, friends! Just the one post today, as I am buried under a mountain of work at the moment… eish. Anyway, I do have this little lovely to share with you, which is full of rustic + farm + forest wedding goodness. No bride’s questionnaire today, but all the more excuse to focus on the beautiful, lush pictures by Splendid Productions. I must say, I know bad weather is most brides’ nightmare situation for an outdoor wedding, but you just have to look at the overcast skies in this wedding to see how dramatic it’s made the pictures – absolutely breathtaking. Marli and Kosie didn’t over-fuss their decor, but they’ve used lots of gorgeous rustic textures to make it fit perfectly with their venue – my faves are the wooden boards under each place setting, custom made for the wedding. Isn’t that the coolest idea? Enjoy – and I’ll be back tomorrow with lots more loveliness.Read More

Real Wedding at Verkykerskop {Juane & Adriaan}

by gaby

Holy-moly-me-oh-my, do I ever have a wedding for you today! As you may have realised by now, I LOVE weddings that are not only beautiful and romantic, but truly South African, and in those terms Juane and Adriaan’s might be one of my favourites, ever. I hadn’t come across Verkykerskop before, but I ADORE their event space, not to mention the way that this couple decorated it perfectly. Old Wimpy booths as furniture, succulents in Lucky Star tins, Wilson’s toffees tied up with string as favours. Awesome, right? Not to mention big, bold proteas (LOVE the bride’s single bloom bouquet), printed burlap runners, retro flags, super cool groomsman styling and one of the coolest bar areas I’ve ever seen. It’s like stepping out of the car on a roadtrip and stumbling into the best ever roadside diner filled with retro South African chic. Of course, it’s no surprise that bride Juane has fantastic taste, as she’s the visual director at Leef, and I can’t not mention her incredible wedding dress! Photographer Wesley Vorster was there to capture every crisp detail and pop of cherry red to perfection.Read More

Real Wedding at Rustenberg {Nicolene & Greeff}

by gaby

There’s a thought that’s been brewing for a while now, and I’m just going to say it. It’s about bridesmaid dresses. Not, probably, what you’d consider one of the more important expenses for your wedding. Maybe not even something you think deserves a lot of thought. But I’ve got to tell you ladies, as someone who looks at dozens of weddings every day, it’s something that (when done well) stands out every time. Just think about how many bridesmaid pictures you’ve repinned on Pinterest. The bridesmaids – in colour and style – can encapsulate or complement the wedding look or colour scheme, and your favourite girls make for an amazing set of pictures for the album. You don’t have to spend a fortune, especially with the mismatched trends of today, but do take some time to get this look right (and tell the hubs that yes, it IS important you spend another hour on ASOS). Take today’s wedding, for example. You have a beautiful, radiant bride. Pretty as a picture florals, some lovely stationery, a stunning garden venue. It would already be a fabulous wedding. But completing the picture is a bevvy of bridesmaids in the loveliest neutral lace dresses and mix and match hairstyles. They look awesome, and that, in my book, is money and time well spent. So don’t be shy about treating your besties to a gown that they’ll feel amazing in (and that will complement your own look) – just make sure that, like Celeste Prince of Aglow Photography, today’s brilliant photographer, yours gets plenty of pictures of all of you having fun together!Read More

Real Wedding at Blaauwklippen {Janna & Nathan}

by gaby

I have to tell you guys, I LOVE reading your love stories. I never get tired of it. And what amazes me is that each one is unique and different and special, like fingerprints or snowflakes. Some really put a big goofy smile on my face, and that was the case with today’s bride and groom. It’s not just the fact that Janna came to South Africa for adventure and found love, or that her groom Nathan is one of the most romantic guys I’ve come across with a real talent for creating moments straight out of a movie. I think it’s that, when you look at the beautiful pictures Charlene Schreuder captured of their big day, and you see them laughing together, completely caught up in the moment and in their happiness, you can’t help but feel a little part of that glow. And that’s really what their reception seems to do – to glow – from the light over the mountains at golden hour, to the fairy lights surrounding their garden courtyard reception. Goofy smiles at the ready? Go.Read More

Real Wedding at Lynton Hall {Sasha & Ben}

by gaby

Morning friends! Today’s real wedding is unusual in that it’s the story of a dress as much as it is the story of the bride who wears it, and the love she shares with her groom. I get most weddings submitted by photographers and brides, but this one came straight from talented designer Casey Jeanne, and as soon as I looked at the pics (by DS Murrell Photography) I understood why. Sasha’s dress is SPECTACULAR. Perfectly fitted, lace illusion back, and deep red. I am completely, utterly, head-over-heels in love with it. And then I read the sweet, truly South African story of how beautiful Sasha and her handsome groom came to fall in love and plan a unique, cross-cultural wedding, and I knew this was something I had to share with you all. We don’t have reception details today, but who needs ’em, when you’re focused on this dress… and on this love.Read More