Tag: shwe shwe

Local Colour Styled Shoot from the NEW Wedding Inspirations Magazine

by gaby

We’re kicking off a new week with a punch of colour – and more than a touch of homegrown style, which as you all know, is our FAVE. As it’s Heritage month, our friends at Wedding Inspirations magazine have commissioned a seriously wonderful ‘Local is Lovely’ issue, celebrating everything beautiful and South African, from indigenous florals to beadwork-inspired cakes. There’s so much to inspire you here, so do be sure to go out and grab yourself a copy. Today, we’re delighted to share this seriously gorgeous shoot from the September issue, a modern twist on traditional local motifs (shwe shwe, yay!), against the modern blank canvas of White Light. With decor and styling by Ribbon Creative Studio and photography by SBB Directory members Jack and Jane, you know you’re going to see something completely fresh and lovely, so let’s dive on in! (And PS, you’ll find all the info on how to get the look for yourself in the magazine.)Read More

Get the Look: Rose Quartz

by gaby

The best part of a styled shoot for brides and grooms (apart from basking in the sheer prettiness, of course!) is the wealth of fresh ideas that you can borrow to add an extra special touch to your own celebrations. As part of our Styled Shoot Competition showcase this week, we’re breaking down five of our favourite ideas from each shoot, as well as bringing you tips and advice for recreating the look from the talented team behind each entry. Next up, we’re taking a second look at the romantic Rose Quartz shoot by the very talented Yolande Snyders and Yellow Papaya. Read More

Rose Quartz by Yolande Snyders & Yellow Papaya

by gaby

Our final shoot of the competition takes rose quartz as inspiration, a precious stone that is both locally mined and perfectly symbolic for a wedding (it’s called the ‘love stone’ and represents unconditional love in all its forms). Combining this idea with gem-shaped hexagons is bang on trend, and I also love the combination of rose with indigo in the form of shwe shwe (and you know we LOVE shwe shwe!) – including a shwe shwe cake (eek, amazing). The fabulous team headed by Yellow Papaya and photographer Yolande Snyders put together an alternative take on a seated reception with a mimosa bar and cocktail snacks that are all adorable little mini versions of South African favourites. It’s bright, crisp and colourful – the perfect way to end off an amazing week!Read More

How to Create an Elegant Shweshwe Wedding by Piteira Photography & SouthBound Bride

by gaby

I am BEYOND excited to share today’s shoot! Not just because I think it’s so pretty, but because for me it’s another step in the direction I have dreamed SouthBound Bride would grow. See, I don’t just want SBB to be another wedding blog, another place of prettiness and support and inspiration (although it’s all of these). What has always made the blog different for me is that it is all about South African weddings. So, to me, it’s also important that SBB is a place that epitomises South African wedding style. What makes our weddings unique? What do they look like? How can I celebrate the designs and traditions that are close to our hearts? I still have work to do in many areas to adequately represent our diverse and beautiful country, but one thing I wanted was to celebrate what I think of as icons in SA style and design. I started dreaming of styled shoots that combined current international wedding trends, but had our very own homegrown twist. Today’s is the first of these for 2014, and the uniquely South African element we’re celebrating is shweshwe. Which I LOVE. And you guys, this is the year for shweshwe. It’s happening.Read More

Inspiration Board: Copper & Shweshwe

by gaby

I’m so excited to bring you today’s inspiration board, because it’s a preview of a mini-shoot I’ll be sharing with you tomorrow, a collaboration between myself and Piteira Photography (yay, can’t wait!). It features one of my absolute FAVOURITE prints, a truly South African design element (and one which is going to be really hitting its stride in 2014): shweshwe. For me, using this iconic South African fabric is the most gorgeous way to bring a homegrown twist to your wedding design, and still be right up to date with wedding trends internationally (prints, after all, are having their day in the sun). You can get shweshwe in quite a range of colours now, but the original indigo is the one I love most, and it’s a stylish and contemporary shade that combines beautifully with many other colours. I wanted to show how the pattern can be used in a really elegant way – for example, at a classic winelands venue – so I combined it with cool wedding white and a contemporary metallic, copper, for a bit of warmth. The colours look really graceful together, especially with the addition of white candles as a third key design element. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see where we ended up, but for today, I hope you love our inspiration!

Colours: Indigo, copper & white

Top row (l-r): Sash with shweshwe rosette {Julie Wilhite}; cake with high taper candles {White Loft Studio/Mayflour Cake + Confection}; table setting {}; long tables {Jose Villa}
Row 2: Shweshwe bowl; invitation suite; shweshwe fabric
Row 3: Blue bridesmaids {Caroline Tran/Kelly Oshiro}; copper tag escort cards {Mark Brooke Photography/JL Designs}; brass candlesticks; copper vase {Docuvitae/Kourtney James Perry}.