It’s Monday and that means another week of inspiration here on SBB! YAY. We’re starting it off with some more secret garden-style loveliness, this time from Nelani Van Zyl and her clever team! Inspired by the lush gardens and secret enclosures of their venue, Bellingham Homstead, they pulled together not one but two mini celebrations in one shoot – a whimsical afternoon tea party that Alice herself would be proud of, and an elegant candlelit reception overflowing with pastel blooms. I can just imagine this translating into a real wedding – your guests would love the fun of their own little garden tea party, and then you can take some of that garden prettiness indoors for a classic dinner. This is vintage done oh-so-right! I also have to give a special mention of the blush and beautiful bridesmaid dresses by Jacoba Clothing (who you’ll also find it our directory) – a PERFECT complement to the model bride’s stunning lace Cindy Bam gown. And let’s not forget the groom either, because he’s rocking a floral bow tie, which is one of my favourite current trends (more about that later this week!) Let’s dip a toe into the pretty pool shall we?
My favourite type of engagement shoots are those that say something about the couple, and especially those where they get to just hang out together, doing what they love. That’s a perfect description of today’s shoot, since lovebirds Glen and Kelly share a love for teacups, so for their eshoot with Helena of YeahYeah Photography, they decided to have a tea party in a dusky forest, sharing a cake and reading some of their favourite books. Adorable! Kelly also happens to be a wedding planner, and she’s blogging about planning her own wedding over on her site, so be sure to check it out!Read More
Hello lovelies! I thought today we would finish off with some bridal shower inspiration, courtesy of the lovely Megan van Zyl. This one has all your favourites – a touch of vintage, proteas, and shabby chic decor, as well as a table full of delicious-looking desserts! Megan was contacted by the maid of honour responsible for all this prettiness, Simoné, who was coming out from Australia (along with a suitcase full of decor and handmade floral crowns), for her bestie Eugenie’s kitchen tea at the Magoebaskloof Hotel just outside Haenertsburg. She was delighted to capture the happy day!Read More
As a blogger, there have been a few times unfortunately where I’ve had to face the question of whether to blog in the face of unhappy events, whether home or abroad. This isn’t a news blog, but it can seem trivial to talk about weddings when there’s a major earthquake, or when my American readers are dealing with a national tragedy like what happened yesterday in Boston. I’m a runner, and my heart goes out to everyone who was injured or was there, and their friends and families. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a runner, it’s to carry on, even when things feel bad, when your legs are pounding and a part of your brain is telling you you’d be crazy not to stop. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned as someone who has also experienced loss of my own and through others, it’s that one of the very reasons that we have to hold tight to those shining moments of joy like the celebration of two people falling in love and promising a lifetime to one another, is because life isn’t always cupcakes and toile. So I’m blogging today. And frankly, there couldn’t be a wedding that is more full of life and love and promise and light than this one. Lynsay and Graham opted for a picnic wedding at the picturesque Little Stream in Constantia, and everything from the luminous bride and her boho bridesmaids to the high tea-style tables laden with food, the hanging teacups and acres of bunting, to the ice cream cart bringing smiles of delight to adults and kids alike is a gentle celebration of family and friends, nature and romance. Charlene Schreuder is a genius at capturing this sort of wedding, and she’s done so in her usual gorgeous style.Read More
Oh I am SO EXCITED! Today’s wedding is a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party!! Now I should admit, I’m a little partial to a bit of Alice in Wonderland because once upon a time I, myself, was Alice. Not in a went-down-a-rabbit-hole-and-hung-out-with-a-stoner-caterpillar sense, obviously. But when I was 12 my school put on the play, and I got to be Alice. Actually, I feel this is probably a good moment to apologise publicly to anyone who had to listen to me sing. Or act. Sorry folks! But whatever, I loved it. And the thing I remember loving THE MOST was that I got to play croquet with my own prop flamingo. (Cool, right?) So basically the second I spotted this wedding – flamingoes, playing cards, key necklace and all – I tweeted photographer Drikus Le Roux telling him I MUST feature it, and to my relief, he said yes. Cue me grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat. And I’m doing it again today. So… without further ado, let’s follow the King’s advice to the White Rabbit: Begin at the beginning, go on until you come to the end; then stop…
Lovely bride Angela sent over all the background on her Wonderland inspiration: Gerrit and I are both originally from Johannesburg. We met in a nightclub there. He asked to take a photo with me, and the rest is history! We moved to Cape Town about two years ago and Gerrit proposed in February 2010. He planned a very romantic dinner for me at our home – we had a fondue and when he brought the dessert he asked me to close my eyes and when I opened them, before me was a pot of melted Lindt chocolate and a plate of sliced fruit. In the centre was the most beautiful ring! Then he asked me to marry him – it was very romantic :)
We are both huge Tim Burton fans and I have loved ‘Alice in Wonderland’ since I was a little girl, so after we went to see the Tim Burton ‘Alice in Wonderland’ movie we decided that we wanted to go with that theme for our wedding. This also helped us decide on the red, black and white colours for our wedding.
We went to have a look at a lot of venues but when we saw Le Manoir De Brendel we fell in love with the place and the giant chess board was a huge plus! We wanted an intimate wedding with all our important family and friends there. We also wanted something different as we ourselves are very unique in that way that we don’t want to go with what everyone else is doing, but to have something unique that would wow everyone, whether it be good or bad. We decided to have a morning wedding with a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party as our reception, where we served a lot of finger foods presented as a buffet and cakes as this would fit in better with our theme. We were so happy that we chose to have a casual wedding as opposed to a more formal one – it made us and our guests feel very relaxed.
I think our whole theme speaks for itself and to be honest a lot of people didn’t think that we would be able to pull it off and we did. With a lot of help and advice from our wedding planner and a lot of hard work it was a huge success! We supplied most of the decor, such as the flamingoes and stuffed hedgehogs, the place name cards and all the props for our photos. Laura (my maid of honour) helped me make feathered hearts.
Angela & Gerrit – you guys rock! Thank you for sharing your lovely and original day with us! And big thanks to Drikus Le Roux for sharing more of his fashion forward pictures – love them! You can see more on his blog here.
