I can’t think of a more proudly South African theme for your wedding than fynbos, and that’s exactly what today’s bride and groom chose, basing their entire wedding design on their love for Cape fynbos, right down to protea seed favours. Here’s the twist though – the wedding didn’t take place in the Cape, but rather in the North West, creating a gorgeous fusion of the best of two of our prettiest provinces. This is rustic handmade wedding design at its best, in creamy neutral colours, along with shades of soft pink and a touch of gold. 5 Talents Photography took these golden images, to commemorate Jean-Marie & Jacques special day!Read More
Oh, this wedding. I’m pretty sure there’s a picture dictionary somewhere with some of Moira West‘s gorgeous images from Joyle & JP’s big day illustrating ‘chic’, ‘elegant’, and ‘amazing’. First of all, there are flowers – tons of them. Huge swags and wreaths and garlands, so pretty they absolutely blow me away. (To see how the clever bride made these work double time on a budget, see below.) Then there’s Joyle’s dress, which OMG is absolutely breathtaking. As are the sparkly, embellished beauties that her bridesmaids wore. It’s such a beautiful take on classic glamour, and there are so many fab ideas to inspire other brides. So get ready to fall in love…Read More
Last week, an impressive little envelope landed in my postbox. The kind of paper you want to run your fingers over, with an old-school wax seal on the back. Inside was a thick letterpress invitation, an extra that today’s lovely bride Sandra shared with me ahead of our feature today. The dress code: strictly black tie – full length dresses for the ladies, tuxedos for the men, and white frocks and flower crowns for the little madams. That invitation really set the tone for Sandra and Murray’s chic wedding, introducing their guests to a world of ballroom formal and Out of Africa safari style that took place right on the couple’s farm in the Free State. I just adore everything about this look, from Sandra’s red-lipped mantilla-ed bridal style to the orchid laden tables, all with the most incredible bush backdrop (all captured beautifully by photographer Wil Punt). And today, we’re extending the invitation to you too. The pleasure of your company is requested… PS You can see Sandra and Murray’s awesome safari engagement shoot here.Read More
Today’s wedding is such a happy mix of some of my favourite trends. There’s a little bit of floral print (love those napkins) and pop of pink colour against a palette of neutrals in the flower choice (orchids, such an elegant bloom, and a personal choice for the bride). There’s a touch of sparkle (amazing bridesmaids dresses alert!), and a whisper of lace (ditto for the wedding dress!). There’s a bit of rustic, a hint of vintage, and of course a safari feel thanks to the Garden Route Game Lodge location. And even though it’s an eclectic mixture in some ways, it totally works. Like the wedding equivalent of ‘these are a few of my favourite things’. (That song’s going to be in your head for the rest of the day now, SORRY.) The lovely Luzanne and her hubby Jean pulled off a fabulous weekend fete, and photographer Nelis Engelbrecht, was there to capture every perfect moment.Read More
I’m always talking about how love stories are at the centre of the weddings we love most here on SBB, and today’s wedding just embodies that so perfectly. I dare you to read the story written by today’s bride, Esté, and not get a little choked up! And in fact, it’s that love and joy that are truly at the heart of today’s unusual wedding, which centres around a very special couple’s musical life together. You may recognise Esté and Lourens as the Bottomless Coffee Band – well known in Cape Town and now on their first national tour. For their own wedding day, they decided to book the quirky Festa at Kleinevalleij, and instead of competing with the decor and atmosphere at this fun venue, they went with it, resulting in a lounge-style wedding in cosy wintery colours that’s as beautiful as it is fun. My favourite moment, hands down, is when the two of them take the stage, doing what they do together with their favourite people. Just the looks on everyone’s faces… wow. This is why designing a wedding around who you are is the way to go. One of SBB’s favourite photographers, Andre of Vivid Blue, was on the scene, and he captured these incredible pictures of an incredible day.Read More
A PE wedding! Not many people know this about me since I haven’t lived there since I finished school, but I actually grew up in Port Elizabeth, so it’s always fun to see a Friendly City wedding on the SBB pages. Add to that a palette of deep purple and dusky pink, a smitten bride and groom, and a candy buffet, and you have all the ingredients for a really lovely wedding. One thing I absolutely loved about this one was the way that not only did bride Zaakiyah get to show off two gorgeous looks between her Muslim ceremony and reception (including a particularly spectacular lace dress), but her bridesmaids cleverly wore their convertible dresses in different styles to reflect the change in formality between the two occasions. It’s clever touches like that which are not just budget-friendly, but chic to boot. As for these sweet as honey images, they come courtesy of Davene Prinsloo, who was on-scene to capture every special moment.Read More
It’s a wonderful thing when we get to feature a wedding by Love Made Visible. This power couple not only have an eye for the gorgeous details that I love so much, but more importantly for the emotional details and little moments that really make a wedding day so heartwarming. I always get the feels looking at their documentary-style pics, and that was just the case when I came across Caroline and Luke’s softly rustic, travel-themed wedding. I especially love the way this wedding feels like a 1920s summer garden party, with peach-garbed bridesmaids (with just a touch of Gatsby sparkle), groomsmen in boaters, and the bride in an incredibly elegant Jenny Packham. A happy day for them, and now a happy day for us!Read More
One of the things I love most is when a bride incorporates a theme or motif that’s current, but gives it a fresh spin with a unique colour scheme. We’ve seen lots of botanical weddings in the last year (and oh, how I love them!) but usually they’re paired with a palette of neutrals or blush. Today’s couple instead decided to go for a palette of different shades of purple, from violet to magenta, which added a real punch to the theme! Especially when combined with pretty berry-coloured details from cocktails to one of the prettiest cakes I’ve seen, ever (both inside and out – scroll down to see what I mean!). One of my favourite touches is the way that Jessica and Sean used only indigenous flowers in their botanical seating chart and table numbers – a simple touch, but one that is proudly South African! Yvette Gilbert captured these dreamy pics of Jessica & Sean’s big day.Read More
Once upon a time I did a business trip to some incredibly random place up in the north of England, and stayed overnight at a B&B full of chintz and plastic flowers. The new owner picked me up from the station (yep, this town was so small there were no taxis) and on the way he told me he’d spent the whole of the last week learning how to make this soup that was the old B&B owner’s speciality. Vegetable soup made with chicken stock. So, alone in the dining room that night, I ordered the soup. It was good. And that is LITERALLY the best thing that ever happened to me on a business trip. Because as we all know, most of the time they kind of suck. But today’s bride and groom have a far, far better story – they went home with the beginnings of true love! Of course, their sweet ‘how we met’ story was just the first thing I fell in love with about Chloe & Keith’s wedding. Chloe, who just happens to be a talented florist herself, built her wedding inspiration from the flowers forward, resulting in the most beautiful, natural, rustic arrangements on long tables. Everything about it is pretty and breezy and laid back, like a cool sip of lemonade on a summer afternoon – just like Michelle Van Heerden‘s photographs of the big day. And here’s a fun fact – this wedding makes it a hat trick for Langkloof on the blog this week, since both yesterday’s wedding and styled shoot were set there too (pure coincidence, I promise!) – I just love how it demonstrates that a great venue can be the backdrop for a celebration that is truly you, no matter what your style!Read More
I’ve been a huge fan of Langkloof Roses, ever since I styled a shoot there a couple of years ago, and I can’t think of a more perfect place for a spring wedding, let alone one with mixed ice cream pastel shades (my favourite!). It’s the simple little touches that make Kayleigh and Brendon’s wedding so very charming – the ‘forever and always’ banner hanging over their chapel entrance, the petals in enamel buckets, the glimpses of gold along the wooden tables, the sparkler lined floor for the first dance (which by the way, has a hilarious story attached). And of course, those mixed pastel bridesmaid dresses that really draw the eye. All surrounded by fields of roses in the beautiful Cape winelands. One two three… SIGH. Coba Engelbrecht took the pics that are making our hearts flutter so!Read More
