Contemporary Casual Wedding at The Dairy Shed by Vivid Blue

When the planning talents of Kraak are woven together with the irresistable gorgeousness of Vivid Blue’s photography, you can be sure that a stunner of a soiree is about to be served up to you on a platter! This chilled out gem of a wedding takes place at one of our all-time favourite venues, The Dairy Shed, and harnesses its rustic beauty for an al fresco celebration that showed the large contingent of overseas guests that we South Africans know how to throw a party. Think gourmet braai, gumboot dancers, and a jazzy African band to keep everyone on the dancefloor all night long. Zoe and Clinton are such a fun couple, and I love how this wedding combines all kinds of pretty (including a breathtaking Janita Toerien dress, sparkly pink bridesmaid gowns, and some showstopping florals) with their super fun, super laid-back vibe, to make a whole that it utterly, uniquely theirs.

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Floral Romance Wedding at The Oyster Box Hotel by Vivid Blue Photography {Kerry & Marinus}

Isn’t it an amazing thing how a smell can instantly take you back to a time and place, or remind you of a person or a feeling? Someone just has to spritz Issy Miyake in my direction and I’m instantly 20 again, getting ready for a night out at Stellenbosch (if only I still looked 20, but that’s another story!). Today’s bride not only filled her elegant reception with enough beautiful flowers that they’d give off the scent of a small garden, but gave each of her female guests perfume to spray, so the whole room was filled with a delicious scent that none of them would ever forget. I love the romance of that, and romance is exactly what Kerry and Marinus’ wedding delivered, from Kerry’s spectacular lace dress, to the Oyster Box location, to the soft pink lighting that infused the scented reception. And all of it was captured to absolute perfection by SBB fave, Vivid Blue Photography. Oh, and PS – flash mob proposal! Wow. :)Read More

Bold Monochrome Couture Wedding at Molenvliet by Vivid Blue {Natalie & Johan}

When I say I don’t know where to start with this wedding, it isn’t just an expression. Coming up with a title that adequately describes – or even hints – at the amazingness that is this wedding was impossible, but couture comes close, not just because one of the installations (that’s right, there’s more than one installation, and they are all BREATHTAKINGly cool) was inspired by Milan Fashion Week, but because everything, including the dress, is a true original – a work of love and a work of art. Be prepared to be wowed. The always-brilliant Vivid Blue took these gorgeous pictures to share with us today.Read More

Musical Winter Wedding at Festa by Vivid Blue {Esté & Lourens}

I’m always talking about how love stories are at the centre of the weddings we love most here on SBB, and today’s wedding just embodies that so perfectly. I dare you to read the story written by today’s bride, Esté, and not get a little choked up! And in fact, it’s that love and joy that are truly at the heart of today’s unusual wedding, which centres around a very special couple’s musical life together. You may recognise Esté and Lourens as the Bottomless Coffee Band – well known in Cape Town and now on their first national tour. For their own wedding day, they decided to book the quirky Festa at Kleinevalleij, and instead of competing with the decor and atmosphere at this fun venue, they went with it, resulting in a lounge-style wedding in cosy wintery colours that’s as beautiful as it is fun. My favourite moment, hands down, is when the two of them take the stage, doing what they do together with their favourite people. Just the looks on everyone’s faces… wow. This is why designing a wedding around who you are is the way to go. One of SBB’s favourite photographers, Andre of Vivid Blue, was on the scene, and he captured these incredible pictures of an incredible day.Read More

La Belle Maroc

Oh hello, beautiful! I have such a lovely styled shoot to share with you all this morning, inspired by the colours and romance of Morocco. I’m a big fan of Moroccan-style decor (see our full feature on Moroccan wedding style here) – it’s such a great theme for bringing colour and texture to your wedding design but in a sophisticated, cosmopolitan way and Moroccan decor is also relatively easy to get hold of. So of course I was thrilled when the team from TopVendor Wedding Awards got in touch to share this gorgeous boho styled shoot. TWA was created to recognise the talented service providers in the growing South African wedding industry, and today’s shoot features some of our favourites, including awesome photographer Vivid Blue and decor and planning specialists Flamboijant. I’m more than a little obsessed with the bougainvillaea bouquet – how pretty is that? – as well as the other beautiful flowers including pincushion proteas and the pancake wedding cake. And how stunning are the models’ boho styles created by the awesome Corlé Barnard? There’s so much creativity in this industry and in this country – thanks so much for promoting it and for sharing this today, TWA ladies!Read More

Real Wedding at Kleinevalleij {Anlika & Philip}

I have such a special wedding for you today – I am absolutely head over heels in love with it! I just adore when brides decide to flex their creative muscles and come up with details and ideas that are personal twists on things they might have seen at other weddings – it really adds that ‘ooh factor’. Well, today’s gorgeous bride outdid herself – there are so many clever ideas here. Lasercut proteas (LOVE!) in between real proteas and other florals (themselves a twist on the traditional, with fruit and veg included), writing in the signature palette of navy and olive green used as part of the clean, contemporary decor, a salt motif (SO original!), and more. Kleinevalleij is the perfect backdrop – a blank canvas where Philip and Anlika could paint their own picture, and paint it they did, with clean, sophisticated styling that still manages to be warm and welcoming. Lucky for us, Anlika’s sent on loads of advice, so be sure to read to the end of the post so you can learn from the pro! The beautiful pictures are by our friend and sponsor, Andre of Vivid Blue.Read More

Real Wedding at Hawksmoor House {Alet & Jacques}

Oh my word, you guys, I am knackered. I’m sitting here on my couch yawning away, even after a good night’s sleep after our Editorial Wedding workshop. That’s what you get for pulling together a workshop in a month, right? But it was so fantastic – such a pleasure to spend the day talking weddings and blogs and magazines with a group of lovely people and talented photographers, not to mention the most gaaawjus styled shoot set up by Louise of b.loved. It’s pretty terrifying to try something brand new, but it couldn’t have gone better. Anyway, so I am getting back into the swing of the blog schedule with the most beautiful wedding, captured to perfection by Vivid Blue Photography. Wow, this bride must be one of the most stunning I have ever featured, and Hawksmoor is such an amazingly striking venue – with her dashing groom and classy, colourful decor it all looks like something out of Vogue or Vanity Fair. Not to mention Alet’s protea bouquet, which I am totally dying over! I’m pretty sure my brain’s still not working well enough to give you a better description, so I’ll let the pictures speak louder than words!Read More

Real Wedding at the Santé Winelands Hotel {Annemarie & Rhys}

Afternoon, lovelies! What a busy week it has been, but there’s still time to share this wonderful wedding that I’ve been so looking forward to bringing to SBB’s pages. Annemarie might be one of my favourite brides – she has been such a star in getting me her story and favourite pics from her wedding. But not just that – I adore her taste. For one thing, she wore one of the most spectacular (pink) dresses I’ve yet seen (with a gorgeous lace top for the ceremony) and accessorised it with an exquisite statement necklace that, get this, she designed and made herself. What makes this detail extra special is that this was the beginning of a new journey for Rhys and Annemarie, who now own their own jewellery shop in Franschhoek. Talk about a personal detail! I also just love her floral design, and the inclusion of white candy Easter eggs on the tables to celebrate the season in a subtle and incredibly pretty way. It’s an absolute treat, not least because of the amazing pictures by SBB fave Vivid Blue Photography. Sigh. I do love weddings.Read More

Real Wedding at Langverwagt {Elmarie & Jacques}

OMG I am in LOVE with this wedding. Seriously. It’s one of those that got my heart racing with excitement the minute I laid eyes on it! We’re talking beyond gorgeous rustic styling (I just love the dusky palette used), twinkly fairylights, burlap runners, a stunning venue in Langverwagt. Plus, some really original details, like the wooden animals that the bride and groom made for each table instead of using a number (and used as cake toppers as well) and the beautiful stationery. The flowers, the boutonnieres, the groomsmen’s styling. Oh, I could go on forever… The gorgeous photographs were taken by Andre van Niekerk of Vivid Blue, and I just couldn’t make myself cut them down too much, so you have a bumper post today!Read More