Pigs and pastels – I never thought I’d be introducing a piggy themed wedding, I must admit! But what I love about Micky and Brandon’s unusual theme is that it’s part of their personal story (it relates to Brandon’s nickname), and was a way of making sure that the wedding was a representation of both their styles and personalities. And I’ll bet it got some fond laughs from those who know and love them best when they discovered it! Micky cleverly mixed the motif with her own love of vintage, and the result is a mixture of English garden and English pub, with lush pastel florals all over the tables and those cheeky piggies making their appearances on table napkins, menus, etc. And can we just take a second to talk about Micky’s illusion lace wedding dress? WOW. It’s a showstopper. Definitely not a look every bride could carry off, but it fits her like a glove, and she looks amazing! I also love how the dress adds an extra element of couture and sophistication to the overall look. Knot Just Pics were there to capture every lovely moment and every unique detail, beautifully.Read More
Take one dietician plus one software developer, add equal portions of family and friends and place in a pretty church and then a reception venue filled with handmade, personal decor. What reaction, as my Science teacher might have said, will you get? Well, a sweet, pretty wedding day of course! As you all will know by now, my favourite themes are those that say something about the couple, so when bride Deborah wrote to tell me about the scientific touches she and husband Michael added to their big day to reflect their love of science, I was intrigued. I especially loved the way they collected beakers and test tubes and used them for flowers and favours (the best use, if you ask me, but that’s only because I totally failed chemistry) and the cute equations they concocted for table numbers (Cute equations? Now there’s a phrase I never thought I’d write). Add in some protea and a mint/blush combo, and some pretty pics from Illuminate Photography, and it adds up to loveliness, squared. ;)Read More
Many many years ago, I happened to watch an old film on TV about two teenagers who fall in love and decide that to stay together, they have to follow the tradition of kissing under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. I think I’ve loved the city ever since, even though both times I’ve been there with a boyfriend have been less than successful. Meh. Third time lucky, eh? I must be the only one though, because Venice is always filled with lovers, and something about a place built entirely on water seems to make the air thick with romance and possibility. Which is probably why today’s groom decided to do the grand proposal gesture on the Grand Canal, getting down on one knee on the famous Rialto Bridge. What followed was a Venetian-themed wedding, with the gilt and colour of the Carnevale but none of the cheese. I think it’s the perfect example of how you can pull off a theme on a budget, by using good design basics like a lovely colour palette and a cohesive stationery suite, and I love how personal this particular theme is to the couple (I bet there’ll be some anniversaries spent in Venice too!) SBB friends Art Photo were there to capture all the loveliness on the day.Read More
Well, here’s a wedding unlike any I’ve seen before! From the moment Andre and Selma of Expressions Photography sent over a pic of Nicola and her bridesmaids, I was hooked. Nicola and Andre – varsity sweethearts – got engaged in India. So even though neither has Indian heritage, they decided to have an Indian-themed wedding. In the Cape winelands. With a rabbi (even though neither is Jewish either). It’s slightly barmy, but you know what, I love it. It’s so full of colour and light and fun. You look at their friends – dressed in saris or playing croquet or dancing Bollywood style – and it’s clear everyone’s having the best time and that this is one wedding that’s gone down in the record books. And you look at Nicola and Andre’s faces as they promise to spend their lives together, and it’s obvious that they are meant for each other. And that, my friends, is what a wedding’s all about.Read More
I am BEYOND excited to be featuring this wedding. Pretty much the same level of excited I was when it turned up in my inbox from the lovely Lisa at Talk Functions (do you want to feature a Tim Burton-themed wedding? Um, YES.) Thinking about it now, I probably should have featured it last week for Halloween, but the thing is that Halloween kind of doesn’t show up on my radar until my Facebook feed is full of babies wearing pumpkin costumes. Then again, I’m not actually sorry, because this isn’t a wedding that should be kept for a fancy dress holiday. This is a wedding that’s gorgeous any day of the year. Now I’m a Tim Burton fan, but it’s not every wedding stylist who can take a brief like this and make it super stylish. The key to what makes this work is that it has a classic colour scheme (green, black & white), lovely, clever stationery, and breathtaking florals, and the three work together seamlessly to create the perfect balance of creepy and beautiful. Anyone having any kind of theme for their wedding can learn from this one, about taking something meaningful and working with talented service providers to come up with something classy but fun. Bravo Lloyd, Lara and Lisa, and bravo likewise to the awesome Du Wayne, who took the pictures.Read More
Almost there folks – Friday tomorrow! I’m easing you into the second half of the week with a wedding that’s all kinds of pretty and sweet. Shot by our new friends Carolien + Ben at Riverside Castle near Pretoria, it’s got all those dreamy South African wedding elements: soft vintage pastels, protea bouquets, warm neutrals and a touch of lace. But I also absolutely love the tiny little bird details – the origami cranes made of book pages and the beautiful hand-drawn stationery. It’s just the right mix of whimsical and romantic, and I know that you will love it!Read More
Good morning, SouthBound Brides! We’re ending our run of real weddings for the week with a super fun vintagey circus-inspired affair in regal shades of purple. How fun is that? The couple – whose motto is to have fun – went all out with an elephant motif, custom stationery combining their family crests and oodles of cute details. I’ll bet their guests had the biggest smiles on their faces all night – as did the bride and groom, as you can clearly see in the beautiful pics by fab Joburg photographer Quentin Mills.Read More
If you caught my ‘Inspiration Board revisited’ post on Saturday, you’ll be as excited as I am to see Gina and Ben’s fabulous Moroccan-style wedding. I absolutely loved how Gina pulled everything together (and talk about handmade – this is what happens when a talented artist does DIY!) in a way that was a classy nod to all things North African, without being completely over-the-top or costume party. If you’re considering a theme for your wedding, you could really take a page out of her book. My absolute favourite detail is the tiles she used (and made!) as runners, with the same motif repeated on her invitations and cake. The white tiles look amazing under the silverware, and the pops of colour in the flowers and candles are just mesmerising. I also adore the colour scheme in general, and Gina’s striking mantilla veil (not to mention her dress – LOVE the texturing!). The venue (Fairhill Lodge) is quite classic, but with low tables, floating candles in the water feature and some hanging lanterns, it’s transformed into a Moroccan fantasyland. What a pleasure to feature it here today, and even more so since I’m sharing Bernard Bravenboer‘s bewitching photographs of Gina and Ben’s big day. Enjoy! Oh, and PS, if you have the same theme in mind, don’t forget to check out our feature on Moroccan-themed wedding details.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!
Hello, lovelies. We had some minor technical gremlins today, but I have fought them off just for you and can’t wait to share this incredible Johannesburg wedding which I know will get your evening wedsite browsing off to an amazing start! It begins with a film-worthy romantic meeting, through a phenomenal, original, beautiful dress and a gaggle of elegant green-clad bridesmaids and dashing groomsmen, on to a sweet ceremony and a bright and breezy carnival-tastic reception, and ends on a packed dance floor. (As all the best weddings do.) And you guys, these photos by Rensche Mari will have you gasping. Seriously. This is the kind of wedding that makes me love what I do, so without further ado…Read More
