Tag: tips and advice

Fresh Dessert Table Inspiration

by gaby

It’s been a while since I published this post, offering ten gorgeous inspirations for dessert tables and linking them up to SBB colour boards. And in that time, I’ve seen dessert tables evolve, from being highly stylised to maybe just a little bit more relaxed, from being almost entirely cake and candy-based, to having a larger variety of sweet treats, and of course to include dessert table alternatives like pies, cookies or even brunch. But one thing has remained the same – brides love ’em. And it’s no wonder – a candy buffet or dessert table offers a fun, interactive dessert experience for your guests AND it’s a piece of reception decor all on its own, which reinforces your theme or colours and can spark a lot of creativity. What guest doesn’t like seeing a little nook dedicated specifically to sugar, especially when it’s temptingly laid-out. So I thought it was about time I shared some of my new favourite dessert tables, and as before, linked them up with some of our very own inspiration boards to give you a sense of what sort of look and feel each table might suit.

BEAUTIFUL BLUSH

The addition of a floral arch turns a nice feature into a spectacular one – perfect for all you garden wedding and blush-loving brides out there! I’ve paired it with our perennially popular Kraft & Blush inspiration board.

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SouthBound Guide: How to Pin a Boutonnière

by gaby

Happy Friday, friends! You know, in my years as a wedding blogger, many’s the time I’ve come across pictures of a hapless groom waiting for his bride at the altar, boutonnière akimbo. Bless them. By the time we’re at the couple shoot, that lil’ bout has always been rearranged. Now, whether your groom’s buttonhole is up, down or sideways is the absolute least important thing going on during your wedding ceremony. But to help the guys out (and save you having to fix it later), here’s a quick and simple SBB guide to pinning the boutonnière. You’re welcome, gents! PS Did you know that the tradition for pin corsages (aka the ladies’ equivalent of a boutonniere) is to be worn on the opposite (wearer’s right) side and with the stem facing up?Read More

SouthBound Guide: How to Plan the Perfect Bridal Shower {Plus Printable Timeline}

by gaby

If you follow SBB on Facebook you may have seen that I was invited back this last Tuesday to chat to the lovely Yolanda Martens at OFM, a radio station based in Bloem, as part of her wedding planner series. This time, we were talking all about bridal showers, hen dos, kitchen teas, bachelorettes – whatever you want to call them, I shared lots of info and ideas. (You can hear the podcasts here.) To tie in with my interview, I thought this afternoon I would post the complete SBB guide to throwing a successful kitchen tea/bridal shower (that is, the more sedate day-time party!). If you scroll to the end, you’ll even find a very handy timeline and checklist that your Maid of Honour or bridesmaids can print out to help them in their planning, so don’t forget to pin it! I’ve thrown quite a few showers in my time (both bridal and baby), and organisation is the key to make it as stress-free for the planner as well as for the bride and guests as possible. It’s such a special gift to give one of your best friends – an afternoon with her favourite people, celebrating their relationships with her – but it doesn’t happen by magic. So here’s everything you need to know to organise an amazing kitchen tea.Read More

Planning Your Wedding With Pinterest

by gaby

Image: Judy Pak Photography via Style Me Pretty (from the Bridesmaids board on SBB’s Pinterest)

Happy Friday, friends! I’m writing to you from my sick bed, all struck down in the pribe of libe (as they’d say in Friends), so you’ll forgive me if today’s post is a little late! But I wanted to share with all of you (especially those with your newly minted Valentine proposals) how Pinterest can be a great little tool to use in your wedding planning, and give you a little tour of the SBB Pinterest page. Let’s go!

The truth is, you’ve probably already heard of Pinterest. You may have been using it already, to pin food or interiors – hell, you may even have been pinning wedding stuff long before the proposal. In just a couple of years, Pinterest has become part of our daily web lives, and the good news is that it really comes into its own when it comes to weddings. So you’ll definitely want to use it to its full capacity.Read More

Confessions of a DIY Bride #4: The Dress

by gaby

Hello lovelies! Sam’s back today with more on her DIY wedding adventure! And this is such a special post – I know I felt a bit choked up at the end!

DIY Bride Disclaimer: My ‘DIY Dress Project’ didn’t stretch to actually making my own dress, or getting a fabulous mom/aunt/granny to create the perfect Couture Gown, but I was lucky enough to be able to re-create a vintage heirloom into my own version of THE dress.

When I started my search for a not-too-extravagant but still pretty awesome, reasonably comfy wedding dress, I hoped the answer would be a vintage one. (I had visions of a puffy 1950s cocktail number). So, I trawled vintage fairs, shops and websites, and saw so many beautiful dresses and even more beautiful accessories, but generally felt a little overwhelmed at my lack of London vintage shopping knowledge and know-how.

Then I travelled to South Africa, and in between the mad rush to choose a venue and find a caterer, my mom, sister and I visited a few wedding boutiques, and I dutifully tried on the dresses. They were nice (some were even very very nice) but… they just weren’t quite right. Eventually, I decided I’d go back to London, find a plain, simple high street dress, and accessorise it with my grandmother’s wedding veil (cathedral length, 1940s Brussels lace). There was just one problem – no one could find it. Anywhere.

It was in the process of searching through yet another trunk, at the back of yet another cupboard, in the last few hours before I flew back to the UK, that I found the rumpled old plastic bag… Filled with an even more rumpled mess of delicately textured, oyster satin and few lonesome diamantes… It wasn’t my grandmother’s veil, but it was her wedding dress. The same one she wore in 1946 when she’d married my grandpa.Read More

Downloadable Worksheet: Venue Planning

by gaby

Source: Ine & Riaan’s Wedding at Clouds Estate (Photography: Lauren Kriedemann)

Hello friends! Aren’t you glad the first Friday of 2013 is almost done? I know I am, but this weekend I’ll be working away to bring you fantastic content for the coming week, and make some changes and tweaks behind the scenes. We’ll be returning to our normal blog schedule on Monday, so expect the usual set of inspiration boards, real weddings, couple shoots, styled shoots, etc. Can’t wait! First though, I have some practical help for those of you just starting on your planning journey.Read More

Guest Post: The Bridesmaid’s Duties

by gaby

Source: Joy & Dylan’s Simon’s Town Wedding (Photography: Nastassja Harvey)

Good morning, friends! It’s been a long and crazy week for me, including an amazing shoot with such a great team mid-week that I am dying to share with you (in the words of Barney Stinson… wait for it…) so I’m pretty glad it’s Friday. And what a fun Friday we have lined up for you, as it’s our unofficial Bridesmaid Day! We’re kicking things off with some comprehensive, down-to-earth advice from friend of the blog Theresa Lazarevic of Creation Events.. I love that Theresa not only has a great eye for decor that really benefits her brides and grooms, but she’s also a source of wedding wisdom and practical ideas. I like to think I’ve always been quite a switched-on bridesmaid, but I know many friends who have felt a bit lost in knowing their place in the planning and what they can do to help and support. Well, here’s everything they need to know. Be sure to make use of the sharing buttons at the end of the post to share these with your own bridesmaids and MOH! And don’t forget to pop back later for more bridesmaid inspiration from our sponsors.Read More

How to Choose a Venue

by gaby

Source: Mehtap & Paul’s Tintswalo Atlantic Wedding (Photography: Zarazoo)

Hey hey, it’s Friday! And it’s the best kind of day for me, as I’ll be heading over to Cambridge as you read this so I can attend my lovely friends Kerenza & Matt’s wedding. Yay! Not only do I love weddings, but Kez and Matt are the loveliest. Anyway, never fear, because not only do I have a lovely bonus inspiration board for you this afternoon, but this morning I’ll be leaving you in the very capable hands of my friend Theresa of Creation Events. Theresa is a full service wedding c0-ordinator based in Cape Town, and as one of our treasured SBB sponsors, I’ve been keeping a close eye on what she’s been doing this season. Recently, Theresa has been sharing her extensive expertise in planning on her own blog in a series of ‘how  to’ posts, and I’ve convinced her to share one of them exclusively with you here today. And it couldn’t be a more important one, since the venue is the cornerstone for any design you are going to put together, and probably the first thing you’ll book after saying ‘yes’. Over to you, Theresa!

PS You can download a free worksheet to help you follow Theresa’s advice in this post HERERead More

Changing Your Surname {Book Extract from The Irreverent A-Z Wedding Guide: South Africa}

by gaby

SURNAME

Changing your surname is, of course, a decision specific to the individual in question. You may love him with all your heart but becoming Mrs Bottom just isn’t going to happen. Or perhaps you are so excited about becoming Mrs Bottom – because you’re currently Ms Poo – that you’ve already started working on your new signature. The good news is there’s no time limit when changing your name, so if you’re not comfortable doing it just yet you don’t have to.

THE FIVE SURNAME OPTIONS
1. No change. You decide to remain Sandy Poo. No admin.
2. You take your husband’s name. You become Sandy Bottom. You need to change your name with all organisations. They will require photo ID and your marriage certificate to do this.
3. Hyphenate. Now you’re Sandy Poo-Bottom. Again, you need to tell all organisations you belong to, providing your ID and marriage certificate.
4. Adding husband’s name with no hyphen. Sandy Poo Bottom. As above.
5. Create a new name. Your husband agrees that Bottom just isn’t cutting it, for the sake of your unborn children. You create a new name together: Boo, say. In order to do this, you both need to go to a lawyer and have your name changed. Once that is done you need to change your name at all the organisations that you both belong to. Cue IDs, Home Affairs paperwork and marriage certificate. Hey, you’ve just organised a wedding; you can handle admin.Read More

Entrance Music

by gaby

I’ve been wanting to talk to you all about entrance music for some time, ever since I spent an evening discussing this with an engaged friend recently. iPhone and earphones were dragged out to prove my point. And now I’m going to prove it to you. Er, I hope.


{Image: Nielen Bottomley from Amy & James’ wedding}

Thing is, weddings are (to some degree) theatre. Not in the sense that they should be fake or melodramatic, but rather that they showcase real emotion in a way that translates to the guests. They’re a way of bringing other people into your relationship to feel what you feel for one another, if just for one day. And as an actor will tell you, a great theatrical production requires one thing: a great entrance. I actually learnt this lesson from my friend Nikki. When she married the lovely Brendon some years ago, they chose Nessun Dorma for her entrance. Nix wanted to walk in at that crucial moment when the music swelled and Pavarotti sang “Vincero! Vincero! Vincero!” And I’ll be honest, I thought it was a little dramatic, especially since it’s a long song and we had a very, very short aisle. Seriously okes, that aisle took five steps to walk up, no matter how much you dragged your feet. But I was her bridesmaid, so it was my job to say “Great idea!” and make it happen. So we worked out the exact moment when the other bridesmaid and I were to walk in so that Nikki got her moment. And it would have been brilliant. The song would have built, quietly, in the little church. Then suddenly, the doors would have flung open to the summer day outside, and we would have walked down the aisle, with Nix following as the music built to a crescendo.Read More