Inspiration Board: Mulled Wine

It’s time for the last in our series of wine-inspired boards (previously we’ve featured Rosé, Merlot & Champagne). This time, instead of focusing on an actual wine, I’ve focused on a wine cocktail – namely the mulled wine that’s always such a lovely part of Christmas (at least in a cold climate!). I loved the way that the deep red (a nod to this year’s colour of the year, Marsala) mixes with nutty browns like cinnamon and citrus orange, just like it does in the drink. I actually think this would make a gorgeous rustic winter or autumn wedding ‘theme’ – you could include touches of citrus and cinnamon or star anise in bouquets and table arrangements, or as dried place setting decorations, and all the colours and textures work beautifully together. Plus the orange adds a lot of warmth and punch to the burgundy, and it’s an unusual pairing, so looks fresh and fun. So there you go. Is it just me, or could you do a glass of mulled wine right now? Mmmm.

Colours: Burgundy, orange, mocha & green

Top row (l-r): Mulled wine {Flourishing Foodie}; bouquet {Jose Villa/Moon Canyon Design}; ring in box {Lani Elias Fine Art Photography/Julie Doan}
Row 2: Bridesmaids {Photographs by Jenna Leigh}; place setting with cinnamon stick {Park Road Photography by Sarah Elle/Taylor Perkins of Alisa Lewis Event Design}; bouquet with oranges {Erba Floral Studio}
Row 3: Groom with braces {Lavender & Twine}; calligraphy invitations {A Fabulous Fete}; kumquat naked cake {Michael and Kate Photography/Evoke Event Design and Coordination}; bride {Ashley Rae Photography/Alexandra Grecco}

 

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Rustic Navy, Red & Yellow Wedding at The Cowshed by Laura Leigh {Leande & Martin}

I love that in weddings I feel like I learn something new every day. Today’s fun fact is that the yellow fynbos which is included so liberally and joyfully in Leande & Martin’s gorgeously rustic, elegant-with-a-touch-of-Karoo wedding is called Cape Everlasting – which let’s be honest, is kind of the most perfect name for a wedding flower, and my new favourite South African touch. It also happens to be the loveliest bright against a palette of navy and rust, one lovely detail amongst many – this really is the kind of wedding that every time you look at Laura Leigh‘s pictures, you notice something different. Fruits and greenery lining the aisle, red ribbon on the eucalyptus bouquets, shotgun shell boutonnieres… And combined with the fantastic backdrop of The Cowshed (including a herd of Nguni cattle), this is just about as picturesquely South African as a wedding can be.Read More

Inspiration Board: Greenhouse & Garnet

Time for some inspiration! As you may have heard last week, our theme for July is ‘Greenhouse’, so I’m letting myself be inspired by everything beautiful and botanical. I just LOVE the idea of a wedding in a greenhouse setting, and of course you’d want to include lots of lush greenery in that sort of setting, but there’s no reason why that shouldn’t mean a big pop of colour too. I love green and red together – they don’t need to look like Christmas either. Garnet is a gorgeous shade of red – just a berry breath away from this year’s colour of note, Marsala, and a super flattering shade for bridesmaids and flowers too. Doncha just love it?

Colours: Garnet red, emerald & white

Top row (l-r): Invitation suite {Visual Cravings/Laura & Co. Events/Rachel A. Clingen Wedding & Event Design/Paper & Poste}; bouquet {Lime Green Photography/Statice Couture}; greenhouse setting {Lane Dittoe/Greystone Mansion/Flower Wild}
Row 2: Table decor {Lani Elias/Ashley Nicole}; greenery & chandeliers {KT Merry}; red bridesmaid dresses {Azuree Wiitala/Elizabeth And James}
Row 3: Bride with flower crown {Floral Earth/Alise Taggart/Paula O’Hara} ; botanical gardens ceremony {The Wedding Artists Collective}; candles & ferns {Ryan Ray Photo/Signora e Mare/Sprout Flowers}

 

Inspiration Board: Gypsy Rose

So you guys, how are you enjoying boho month? I must admit, Candice and I have been having a ball putting these special features together and we have lots more for you over the next couple of weeks! Although I’m sure we’ll be all boho-ed out after that ;) For a while anyway! Today we have another boho inspiration board – this one inspired by a gypsy wedding and no, I don’t mean the big fat reality TV kind. Think antique caravans, mixed textures, berry shades – basically the old school run away with the gypsies style romance. Hope you like it!

Colours: Scarlet, moss green, aubergine, rose & grey

Top row (l-r): Gypsy caravan elopement {Elizabeth Messina/Merryl Brown Events/Flower Wild/Imagine Design + Jamie Nelson Construction/Maryvonne Laparliere/Galvin Painting}; mason chandelier {Mathieu Photography}; scarlet bouquet {Aneta Mak}
Row 2: Fruit/vegetable centrepiece {Claire Dobson Photography/A Savvy Event/Loop Flowers}; boho bride {Katie May}; caravan steps {Elizabeth Messina/Merryl Brown Events/Flower Wild/Imagine Design + Jamie Nelson Construction}
Row 3: Bridesmaids {The Nichols/Bryan Long Flowers & Events}; menu {Anushé Low/B.loved Wedding Styling & Design/Philippa Craddock/The Story House}; table garland {Claire Dobson Photography/A Savvy Event/Loop Flowers}

 

Inspiration Board: My City Valentine

Happy Valentine’s week, lovelies! I have some fantastic treats coming up for you in the next few days, but we’re kicking things off with an inspiration board that’s a fun urban twist on the traditional Valentine palette of pink and red. I personally love city weddings, especially those with a bit of an industrial twist or loft-style location, so this is right up my street! Think café lighting, elegant minimalist lettering, mini champagne bottle favours, textures like metal and distressed wood, and then add an array of soft, romantic blooms in the signature shades, and you’ve got this look all wrapped up. Of course, there’s no need to limit this inspiration to V-Day weddings either, because it would be chic at any time of the year.

Colours: Scarlet, brick, blush, rose pink & slate

Top row (l-r): LOVE letters {Landon Jacob Photography/Jove Meyer/2H Flowers}; centrepiece with proteas {Bellamint Photography/ Sunflower Creative}; bride & groom {ALLAN ZEPEDA/Lindsey Brunk }
Row 2: Champagne bottle minis {Leslee Mitchell}; hanging bulbs {Belathee Photography/Downey Street Events}; modern save the date {Little Red Press}; groom & groomsmen
Row 3: Bride {BHLDN}; industrial style escort card display {Archetype Studio Inc./Bourbon & Bloom Vintage Rentals}; bouquet {Melanie Bennett Photography/The Flower Farm/Valley House of Flowers}

 

Inspiration Board: Lace Tattoo

I wasn’t even sure you all would have an inspiration board this week, what with Eskom and Telkom conspiring to make my weekend extra frustrating but I have to say, I am loving this board! Lace is no newcomer to weddings, but at the moment I am absolutely loving the way that nude lace has been making an appearance, mimicking the look of intricate lace designs against skin, but also introducing a lovely warm, neutral blush to the equation. In fact, it’s a combination that would be pretty on its own, but to add some extra drama, I’ve added just the tiniest pop of deep purpley red, and I absolutely love the sophisticated mixture. With lace tablecloths and cakes (not to mention wedding dresses) very much on trend, this would be an easy – but very impressive – look to pull off perhaps with the addition of a touch of gold for extra evening glitz. I’m especially loving the nude lace wedding invitation from Wedding Paper Divas – don’t you agree?

Colours: Nude blush, white, scarlet

Top row (l-r): Invitation {Wedding Paper Divas}; blush lace dress {Jose Villa Photography}; table with lace runner {Matthew Moore/Weddings International}
Row 2: Bouquet {Danielle Capito Photography/Davia Lee Weddings & Events/Renae’s Bouquet}; bride with lace dress & headpiece {Twigs & Honey/Elizabeth Messina}; lace manicure
Row 3: Lace cake {Paula at ‘Sweet and Simple Cakes’}; hanging lace embroidery frames {Simply Kissed Photography}; dresses {Naomi Kenton/Katya Shehurina}

 

Inspiration Board: Sangria

Happy Monday, lovelies! Next week I’ll be bringing you news of the brand new Spring 2015 colours from Pantone, but first I wanted to give a little love to my favourite of the Fall 2014 colours. Sangria is the sort of plummy magenta that’s the perfect compromise between classic burgundy and on-trend berry shades. I absolutely love it. All kinds of mixes would work, but for today’s board, I’ve just decided to infuse this fab colour on its own into a bold and beautiful country inspiration board. It works beautifully for cold weather, but just add a soft pink and you’ll be set for spring too.

Colours: Pantone Sangria

Top row (l-r): Magenta dress {Pearl & Godiva/Corbin Gurkin/Maria Lluisa Rabell}; bouquet {Jesse Leake Photography/Brown Paper Design}; fig cake table {Landon Jacob Photography/Spencer Special Events}
Row 2: Stationery suite {KT Merry Photography/Three Little Words}; bride with flower crown {Blush Photography/Tinge}; dress & bouquet {Maree Wilkinson Photography/New Bohemian}
Row 3: Place setting {Brushfire Photography}; bride {Erich McVey}; bride with flower {Michelle Boyd Photography/Sweet Sunday Events }.

 

Stormers Wedding at Brenaissance by Agapé Studio {Stacey & Gio}

It’s not every day we get to feature a Springbok rugby player on these pages, so of course as a HUGE rugby fan myself I jumped at the opportunity when Charl Smith of Agapé Studio asked if I’d like to cover Gio Aplon‘s recent wedding! As many of you will know, Gio is a Stormer when he’s not in green and gold, and (whether by coincidence or design) his wedding to long-term sweetheart and fellow athlete Stacey was decorated in the vibrant blue and red of the Stormer’s logo. Stacey rocked not just one but two gorgeous gowns, and together with her handsome groom and seriously adorable daughter, Gia, made a picture perfect family as they celebrated this milestone together with 180 friends and family. You’ll see quite a few familiar faces from the rugby world among the guests, of course! And you can see even more from this happy day on Top Billing, where it will be featuring next month.Read More

Valentine Red Zuikerkop Lodge Wedding by Simone Franzel {Ilke & Willem}

Happy Valentine’s Day, my lovelies! I hope that whatever you get up to, whether it’s the grand gesture or something as simple as sharing cards and smiles, you have a wonderful day! Of course, for engaged couples, V-Day is often extra special (any excuse for lovey-dovey, right?), and we’ve been celebrating everything romantic on the blog all week (although in some ways, every week is Valentine’s week on a wedding blog!). Today of course we have some extra special posts planned. First of all, it just had to be a classic cherry red wedding. In fact, I knew Ilke & Willem’s wedding would be perfect for V-Day when I found it on the lovely Simone Franzel‘s blog – not just because of the colour scheme, but because this adorable couple used hearts as their motif. This isn’t like most red weddings though – I absolutely ADORE the clever and creative ways that Ilke brought her theme colour into her decor, from the natural reds of apples and cherries on the tables, red glasses at each place setting, and the gorgeous red lily bridal bouquet, to the bright print napkins that popped against the blue-grey tables. It just shows – there’s no such thing as a predictable colour scheme. So yay for Valentine red, and yay for this fabulous wedding!Read More

Something Red, Something Blue La Petite Dauphine Wedding by Jules Morgan {Ndoni & David}

Get ready for wedding greatness people, because this one is a game changer! I am pretty much obsessed with this incredible wedding from the dream team of Wedding Concepts and photographer Jules Morgan, at the amazing La Petite Dauphine. Ndoni and David (what a gorgeous couple!) dreamed of a day that allowed them to chill out with their favourite people, and was designed in their favourite colours, red and blue. As a colour combo, that can be a challenge, because two primary colours are pretty strong together, so Wedding Concepts had the stroke of genius of splitting the decor into a blue period (so Picasso) and a red one. And that wasn’t the only innovation, because they also decided to throw the usual wedding timetable to the wind, starting instead with a relaxed jazzy blue-themed luncheon, followed by a sunset ceremony and a dazzling red reception. And not only does that mean a whole lot of decor amazingness, but it meant two dresses for Ndoni – LOVE a bride in a blue dress, not to mention the fairytale white one. As I say, wedding greatness. Let it begin!Read More