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
Good morning my lovelies! Hope you had a brilliant weekend! Today’s board is all about a calm, serene, cool blue and a fizzy pop of vibrant red. I must say, I love this idea. Baby blue and bright red have been a popular combination for a while, but they’re usually associated with 50s diner style weddings, or Cath Kidston chintzes. I like the idea of it for a rustic farm or vineyard wedding, with beautiful blue tables and bushels of white flowers, and then every now and again, a powerful punch of red. After all, there’s something about red, isn’t there? A hint of red heels peeping out from under a lace dress, a bright red getaway car, or a scarlet bouquet in a bridesmaid’s arms. It’s sassy, and sassy is good. What do you think?
Are you ready… are you ready for love? Lordy, I’m clearly more than a little sleep deprived. I think I just quoted Elton John. Even so, it’s an appropriate question, since love is what you’ll find plenty of in today’s gorgeous real wedding. Love between the cute as anything bride and groom, love from their friends and family, and love-liness all over the place in their design and decor. You may remember me mentioning Keri and Andrew’s story last week, when I featured their engagement shoot (so cute) – after helping Keri out with an inspiration board I was dying to see how it all turned out and couldn’t wait to see Eileen Laubscher of Bright Girl‘s fantastic photos. Well, they were even better than I’d imagined – a rustic French-inspired palette with a handmade feel and very personal touches (LOVE those cow table plans!). Keri looked absolutely beautiful and natural, her groom seriously dapper, and I’m a sucker for her stylish mismatched navy bridesmaids’ look, especially in their fun shades! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Keri’s own blog, Midlands Musings – she’s a rising star in the SA blog scene, and you’ll soon be a fan ;)Read More
Happy Monday, folks – here’s to a super-productive week! Today we have a pretty, rustic red and white board, that would be just perfect for an autumn wedding. There’s a little touch of French bistro, and textures of wood, kraft, burlap and berry. So pretty! Red and white is a combo that I often see in real weddings, but it’s often used either in a more modern way or as a stark accent against a classic white wedding. But here it’s a gorgeous alternative to the pretty pastels or muted neutrals that you usually see for a rustic wedding. Lovely, isn’t it? Don’t be afraid to play with your ideas on colour a bit when planning your wedding – just because you have chosen a specific style doesn’t mean that you have to use the same palette as many others before you. Often just this little twist can make a look really fresh and interesting. My favourite touches here are the mannequin escort cards, the tin dessert menu, the gorgeous burlap runner with table number and the bridesmaids’ mismatched shoes. Which do you like best?
Good morning, lovelies! It’s a new day, a new week: what will you accomplish? I’m feeling super fired up myself, as this week we’re launching a little project that’s been developing off-camera for quite some time, and I can’t wait to share it with you! So look out for an announcement (especially my lovely photographer friends and followers!). Anyway, let’s move on to today’s wedding inspiration, which is a request from reader Natassja. She’s chosen nautical rustic as her theme, and I absolutely fell in love with the concept! Natassja is getting married at Swartvlei beach, and she’s using a classic nautical palette of blue, red and off white. The great thing about nautical style is that there are lots of rustic textures, and texture is what rustic styling is all about. Think lots of rope, net and real boating ephemera. I love the idea of the rope table numbers especially, and the rope wrapped vases (both easy and effective DIY projects). Use the same big textures as statement pieces at the ceremony, or knot a rope curtain at your makeshift altar. Keep stationery crisp, or incorporate the gorgeous watercolour motif that’s so popular at the moment. I especially like the semaphore motif, which has the couple’s monogram spelled out with flags! And just because we’re going nautical doesn’t mean I couldn’t include this year’s rustic wedding must-have: the naked cake! How gorgeous (and delicious!) is this red velvet creation? I absolutely love this look – hope you do too, Natassja!
Good morning, lovelies! Time for some gorgeous wedding inspiration. First and foremost, I have to mention Bonnie’s dress because OMG SERIOUSLY. I mean, it’s Jenny Packham, so this should be no surprise, but Bonnie wears that dress like she was born to do it. It is SPLENDID. And moving beyond that for a second, I am loving the understatedly colourful decor (navy and red, je t’aime), the stationery, the beautiful navy bridesmaids’ dresses, the groom’s boutonniere (both bride and groom are avid cyclists), Lindt chocolate and hangover kit favours, the stunning Roundhouse setting, the getaway car… I could go on and on. But all of this prettiness is made even prettier through the photographic stylings of Gavin Casey. We knew he was talented, but this wedding really blows me away – I love every single shot. So it’s pretty much the perfect wedding to start your morning. Enjoy. But come back later, because we have even more in store!Read More
I’ve had such a brilliant reaction to the inspiration board I posted last week, with rich shades of red, orange, yellow and copper, that I know you’re going to love today’s classic autumn wedding. In fact, autumn seems to be a bit of a thing here this week, but it’s such a beautiful season – I have only to look out of my office window at the tapestry of leaves all over our garden to be inspired. So I was delighted a while back when my lovely friend Nicola told me she was booking an autumn wedding and really embracing the season and the palette; I knew it would be gorgeous. Nix is another of my varsity girlies – she was my partner in crime back in the day (we even shared a 21st – it rocked, if I say so myself) and I’ve seen her grow from a farm girl from Estcourt into a switched-on sophisticate (albeit a fun and down-to-earth one), and this was one wedding I was devastated to miss. Especially since Nix married the loveliest man, and I wanted to be among the first to wish them the happiest of lives together. But instead, I get to do that here, and to relive their special day through Nix’s words, and KZN photographer David Rees’ pictures. I am so loving the colours in this wedding, especially since they work perfectly with the natural backdrop of the season. Who needs a summer wedding, right? I for one think Nix and Col are onto something.Read More
I often have brides asking me how to style an engagement shoot (look out for a post on this soon), and I really love featuring couples who have got it right. It seems like a fussy thing, but it often just brings the pictures together and provides a visual focus apart from your location, so I’d always really recommend it. Today’s couple, Brigid and Quintin have gone for a striking touch of red, and it runs like a ribbon through their relaxed pics by Dan Calderwood, bringing a lovely sense of continuity. Dan’s new to the Cape photography scene, and I just love the sense of fun he brought to his pictures of this sweet couple, in one of the most photogenic spots in the Cape, Kalk Bay. Enjoy!Read More
I have such a feast for the eyes to share with you today! When Vashnie of Bodhi Vision Photography sent over the pictures from today’s modern Indian wedding at The du Boirs in Hillcrest, Natal, it was like my inbox was having a party. This wedding is so full-to-the-brim of colour and life, I couldn’t wait to share it with you! Nicolene and Krishen took the traditions of their Hindu heritage and put their own, more modern spin on them, resulting in the kind of personal ceremony and reception that we love most here at SouthBound Bride. They opted for not just one colour scheme but two, using more traditional red, green and gold at the ceremony and surprising their guests with a rich peacock palette at their reception – what an amazing experience it must have been walking in and being greeted by the second vibrant look of the day! Other elements I love: their cake – how gorgeous is that cake? I don’t know how they made themselves cut into it! – and the patterned rose petals on the aisle. Fancy!Read More
It’s Inspiration Board Monday! And today it’s a reader request. I just love it when you ladies give me a creative challenge, so when I heard from bride Tanja about her vintage golf-themed wedding I couldn’t WAIT to get started! The wedding is set for autumn, so Tanja’s chosen a palette of red, green and dusky pink (which I think is perfect for this theme and time of year). Tanja’s fiance is crazy for golf and they both love old things, so they merged these loves together to create their theme of old world golf, and they’re hosting it at a golf resort as well. Tanja also wanted to include elements like lace and proteas, which grow wild in the area. I started off by looking at lots of golf-themed weddings, and wow, some of them are a liiiittle cheesy. So as with all themes, subtlety is key. My first recommendation is that Tanja and her fiance hire a great designer, because stationery would really tie everything together here. Ask them to use argyle in your colours as a motif throughout, and combine it with vintage golfing imagery or clip art (similar to the birthday invitation below) to create a sort of ‘brand’ for all the paper goods- this is a great way of making an unusual theme work cohesively. You can reflect the argyll in the gents’ attire (how cute are groomsmen in sweater vests?) or just their socks if you’d prefer them to wear suits. You can even give them tee boutonnieres! For the bridesmaids, you can’t go wrong with green dresses, but you could use red or pink instead (or even have each of them in a different colour). For the bride, I love this vintagey lace dress with a birdcage veil (red lipstick is a must!) and statement protea bouquet. Tanja can subtley extend the golfing theme using trays of wheatgrass with little golfing flags for escort cards, and either number her tables like golf holes, or name them after famous courses. But my favourite detail is the use of vintage trophies (golfing or otherwise) as vases throughout the table decor. This is a classy nod to the sport, without resorting to jars full of golfballs or similar! Tanja – I hope you like the board and good luck with your planning journey. I can’t WAIT to see how it turns out!
