Elegant ShweShwe Mountain Shadows Wedding by welovepictures {Anita & Ulrich}

Today’s bride is really, truly a SouthBound Bride, in so many senses of the word. Anita may not be from SA, but she has a deep bond with our country, and when she and her South African-bord husband tied the knot, they went above and beyond to include dozens of gorgeous South African elements in the mix, including loads of beautiful shweshwe. As a regular reader, Anita found all of her suppliers via SouthBound Bride, and having been in touch with her during the planning process, I loved her enthusiasm for every little detail. It’s worth reading her story and advice below to get a sense of just how much thought went into each aspect – right up to a stargazing lounge so guests could see the Southern Cross, sigh. The day was beautifully captured by the wonderful welovepictures.Read More

Charming Country Roodezand Wedding by welovepictures {Lee-Ann & Mark}

You could say this wedding had me at hello. Although actually, it was more like, it had me at ‘You & Me Kiddo’ because OMG how adorable is the ceremony signage that Lee-Ann and Mark chose for their charming country fete? This gorgeous wedding (photographed by the insanely talented welovepictures) took place in small-town Western Cape, with just a touch of vintagey French flair. I love the laid back feel of the day, and the way that whimsical elements (paper flowers, yay!) mix seamlessly with soft, romantic elements (how much do I heart those mint bridesmaid dresses?). As I write this, the adventurous couple are on a year-long round the world trip, but they found time (and internet access) amid the jetsetting to send us some of the behind-the-scenes info!Read More

Organic Elegance Babylonstoren Wedding by welovepictures {Janina & Léan}

It’s a happy day when we get to feature a wedding by welovepictures. This Cape Town duo never fail to deliver images that are fresh, personal and oh so gorgeous! Today they’ve worked their magic with a wedding that personifies the principle of simple elegance, enhancing but not competing with its beautiful natural setting (the organic gardens of Babylonstoren), and generally sitting as gently on the mind as a cool breeze on a summer’s day. I love love love Janina’s dress, the bridesmaids in white, the hanging café lights over the dancefloor and the general sense of wholesomeness and love that wraps around the happy couple as they promise to spend a lifetime together.Read More

Real Wedding at Strandkombuis {Ingrid & Pieter}

Ok, I have to tell you, I am in LOVE with this wedding. Like, properly. Full-blown, fill your mailbox with orange tictacs, build you a house of candles, stand outside your window with a boombox kind of love. You may even have seen it before, but I don’t care. It is the absolute definition of boho beach perfection and it’s filled with my favourite things. Floral crowns for the bride and bridesmaids, blackboards, proteas, flocks of origami birds, hanging bottle vases, lots of bright whites, sparkly lights and the cutest fringed beach umbrellas. Not to mention a fab venue (Strandkombuis), a beautiful couple who are completely gaga for one another and the most gorgeous, swoonworthy photographs from dream team welovepictures. I have stars in my eyes just looking at it all, and when I heard about the bride’s entrance music (Florence and the Machine’s Cosmic Love) I so choked up. (Take a moment, get out your iPod. It may be the best entrance ever.) Sit back and immerse yourself in the amazingness…Read More

Real Wedding at Delsma Farm {Anelle & Dirk’s SWAN WEDDING} Part 1

I once had a boyfriend who woke me up on my birthday with champagne for breakfast, a very generous Harrods voucher, and the promise of a day of shoe shopping. That was pretty exciting. I kind of feel the same today, because I’ve been anticipating this wedding (along with many of you) for so long! Today I can finally reveal in all its splendour the wedding of our real life bride, Anelle Mostert of Seven Swans, who kept us wrapped up in her planning process and inspiration for much of last year without ever giving away too many of her wedding secrets (you can read the full series here). When Anelle and I first came up with the idea of Real Life Bride (Swan Wedding), I had no idea just how much enthusiasm and effort she would put into her posts, or that she would become a dear friend. And you guys, she made THE. most. beautiful. bride. She and her handsome husband, Dirk, look like a pair of rockstars and I am just blown away by all of the amazing details as you’ll see from their pictures. And oh, the pictures. Not only is this one of my favourite weddings ever, not only am I thrilled to bring you the big reveal, but I also get to feature images from the absolutely incredible welovepictures (happy dance!). Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know Travis and Maike are big news in wedding photography (not just in South Africa) and they have knocked this one for a six. Seriously, I could go on and on, because their collective eye is just BEYOND… and more than that, sheer joy just shines out from their pictures. But I’m pretty sure they must be getting bored of hearing how amazing they are. It’s kind of a given at this point. So I’ll cut through the luvviness and just say wowthesepicsarestunning, and thank you so much Travis and Maike! Ok, here we go. (The post is in two parts with a FULL breakdown by Anelle, based loosely around the categories of her previous posts) so make sure to check back after lunch for LOTS more!

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