Shimmering Pastels Wedding at Waterkloof by Linda Fourie {Sieglinda & Kobus}

Today’s couple had one of those proposals that could have come straight out of a Hollywood movie, and one of those weddings that would be quite at home on the pages of a glossy magazine – I just LOVE the sparkle and the glitter mixed with soft pastel blush and some absolutely gorgeous soft florals from Sitting Pretty. In fact (and I swear I didn’t plan it this way) this wedding is kind of the perfect transition between our August and September ‘themes’, since it’s both glamorous and full of beautiful spring pastels! Hooray! I can’t not mention the bride’s absolutely amazing lace dress, which combined perfectly with her groom’s navy suit – don’t they just make the most stylish pair? Linda Fourie was on the scene to capture these lovely pictures of every smile and detail.Read More

Chic Navy & Gold Saronsberg Wine Estate Wedding by Piteira Photography {Chrizanda & JP}

Chic Navy & Gold Saronsberg Wine Estate Wedding by Piteira Photography | SouthBound Bride

You’ve probably gathered by now that I’m a huge fan of the photographic stylings of my friends Luis and Kerry of Piteira Photography. This dynamic duo, who split their time between Portugal and South Africa, not only take dreamy, work-of-art photos, but they’re also incredibly lovely. So I am always thrilled when South African brides take them up on their summer availability and book them for their wedding, like Chrizanda and JP did late last year. Even more so when the couple’s stylish navy and gold colour scheme was revealed, and there are even some pretty, modern geometric details. It’s all just TOO fabulous!Read More

Real Wedding at Nooitgedacht {Carol & Carl}

Time to meet another SouthBound bride and groom, and today’s stroke of candy pink gorgeousness comes to you courtesy of Carol and Carl, two South Africans who currently live in Copenhagen, Denmark. They share a love of nature and animals, especially their miniature wire-hair Grayhund, Puppy Choo. Carol’s a former lingerie designer who loves being creative and has a passion for fashion, so when it came to planning the big day from abroad, she put it in the hands of the equally creative Megan Fleitmann of Mr & Mrs In Love. I’ve been a huge fan of Megan’s stationery for a while, so I wasn’t surprised to see that she has a fabulous flair for event design too, and she gathered a really brilliant team of suppliers to make Carol and Carl’s dreams a reality. From the striped linens and soft pink and white florals to the hanging bottles of blooms, right down to the sweetest cake topped with a miniature version of Carol, Carl and Puppy Choo, it’s everything you could want from a garden wedding. Oh, and how much do I love the bride and bridesmaids’ statement necklaces? The fantastic Lauren Kriedemann was there to make it look even more luscious and lovely with from behind the camera.Read More

Wine Farm Engagement Shoot

Almost thirteen years I’ve been living overseas now (how the hell did that happen?). People at home often ask if I get homesick, and the truth is, mostly I don’t. Not that I don’t love my home country or miss my family, but I think mostly if you just don’t indulge it, it goes away. Although someone should have told that to me three months ago when I was on a solo road trip through Limpopo and Enya’s Exile came on the car stereo (ugly cry deluxe), or about five minutes after I finished watching Invictus. Seeing today’s engagement shoot was another one of those moments. Not only are Kara and Lance a truly lovely couple, but they recreated their engagement on Lance’s family farm, Anura (where our Real Life Bride, Cheryl, was also married). It brought rushing back to me the absolutely breathtaking, awe-demanding beauty of the Cape winelands, and what it was like to wake up there every day for my four years at university. It sort of made me hurt a little, right in my heart, the way you do when you see your first love again. But in a good way, I think. It’s a tribute to Vibe Photography that the pics are not only a glowing keepsake of Kara and Lance’s pre-wedding happiness, but a celebration of the countryside they love so well. Perfection. Enjoy. Now, ahem, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to play some Toto. (Oh, and speaking of Toto, how CUTE is their dog?)Read More

Real Wedding at Bon Cap {Marelize & Valerio}

You know how sometimes in life there’s a theme tune for a particular moment? Well, the theme from Love Boat is totally playing for me right now… “Loooove, exciting and new…” (didn’t you just LOVE Love Boat? My housemates and I used to watch reruns at lunchtime when we were at varsity. Shutup, I said REruns. I’m not that old.) Anyway, today’s adorable couple met on board a cruise ship they were both working on. How romantic is that? She’s an Afrikaans girl, he’s an Italian boy – and there they are meeting in the middle of the ocean. Not to mention that when I read their proposal story, I was so picturing the staircase scene in Titanic. Sigh. And romantic is exactly what their wedding was – Marelize decided to use black and white as her colours and black lace as her accent (I know some of you are planning to do the same, so you will love what she’s done here). And get this, her mom MADE her dress. How special is that? All the pictures were taken by Andre & Selma of Expressions Photography, and I think they’ve done a great job capturing the couple’s exuberance at joining their lives together, across two continents and three languages. Oh, and PS, I love that Marelize and her girls got ready at the Worcester Art Gallery – what an unusual backdrop!Read More

An Autumn Vineyard

Let the SBB loveliness begin! :) And I can’t think of a lovelier way to start, than with this GORGEOUS inspiration shoot, which has been sitting prettily on my laptop waiting for you. It’s also super appropriate for the season we’re in at the moment, and I hope will inspire some of you in love with wine farm weddings to consider an autumn date for your big day. I mean, just look how gorgeous it is, right? It’s also shot by two of my favourite photographers, Luis and Kerry of Piteira Photography. Kerry is a homegrown South African lass who met her husband Luis when they were working on board a cruise ship. They are the cutest. They’re based in Portugal for most of the year, but you can catch them during the summer months in Cape Town, so if you’re still on the hunt for a photographer, give them a call.Read More

Inspiration Board: Berries & Stripes

I’m just going to go ahead and say it: I LOVE today’s inspiration board. It started with the image top left, and has grown into a board I want to put on my party best and climb inside of. Because how can you not love the marriage of city sophistication and wine farm charm? Classic elements like swirly calligraphy invitations, white roses, chandeliers and a gleaming getaway car mix perfectly with softer country touches – hypericum berries, a wedding signpost, dining under the vines. Serve guests a choice of champagne or this swish gold take on mason jar cocktails during pre-dinner drinks, and wow everyone with a beautiful, sophisticated cake (from local caketress Roxanne Floquet). I love the way that the grey pinstripes bring everything together, and the palette of grey, black, white and gold with little pops of berry red smacks of sophistication. Of course, a swish bride deserves a swish dress, and I’m totally obsessed with this one! Like I say: I love all of it. Hope you do too!

Colours: Grey, black, white, gold and red

Top row (l-r): Red hypericum boutonniere (Andy Duback); wedding car with gifts (Jose Villa); wine bottle table numbers (Missy Cochran); grey striped ribbon bouquet wraps (Cari Photography)
Row 2: Calligraphy letterpress invitations; gold shoes (Jose Villa); wedding signpost (So Happi Together/Gabriel Ryan); gold mason jar with stripey straw; champagne with berries
Row 3: Bride & groom (Yvette Roman); rose bouquet with red hypericum berries (Stephanie Hunter Photography); cake with ribbon and crown details (Roxanne Floquet); vineyard chandelier tables (Jose Villa).

Inspiration Board: Pewter & Rose

Today’s board is another reader request – my favourite kind! Natasha emailed looking for help with her chosen palette of pewter with a rose or dusty pink. She’d had trouble finding an inspiration board using these colours that embodied the romantic elegance she was looking for from her wine farm wedding, with a touch of formality. I have to say, I LOVE these colours! Pink and grey are very hot right now, but there are many different shades of both colours to work with and pewter is absolutely gorgeous. I think the colours on their own embody the romantic (pink) combined with the more formal and elegant (pewter), which will really help to create the atmosphere Natasha wants.

There are some key foundations to the look I’ve built up here. One is the use of lots of white (since too much pewter could be a little dark), with soft, floaty textures and classic white stationery. A second is the use of calligraphy, which again adds that romantic but formal touch and ties everything else together beautifully. Use it on everything from fun fortune tellers (these make super cute orders of service or place settings) to a table of pretty escort cards to understated place settings (don’t you just love the pink ribbon?). Of course, bringing in the metallics is equally important, which I’ve done here on the wedding dress (I die for this Vera Wang, but a sparkly belt or even brooch detail on a dress would also work beautifully), in the pewter vase and in the bridesmaids’ dresses. Of course, you could just as easily go for soft pink dresses or even a combination of pink and dove grey, but I loved these formal, full-length pewter gowns. Combine with pink bouquets to get both colours across. And speaking of flowers, I adore the single oversized bloom trend and think it would be perfect for this wedding! It adds that little something quirky and different. However, if Natasha chooses to go more traditional, then roses, peonies and anemones are all possibilities, combined with other soft pink and white blooms.

Natasha also asked about favours, as she’s considering white fans for the ladies but is a bit stumped for the boys. One thing to bear in mind is that men tend to forget to take their favours home with them, so in my experience giving them something they can use on the night is ideal. I’ve suggested cigars to play into the elegant theme, but if you don’t want them all disappearing for a little while at some point, then scratchcards, alcohol minis or something edible also work well. Otherwise you could consider bottle openers (in line with the winelands setting), playing cards, or even mini hip flasks.

Hope you like your board, Natasha! And don’t forget, if you would like your own inspiration board, just drop me an email!

Colours: Dusky pink, white and pewter

Top row (l-r): Invitation; Vera Wang Dorothy dress via The Knotty Bride; cigar favour (Joanne Markland); getaway car (Jose Villa)
Row 2: Pewter jug; bridesmaids’ dresses (Kristin Vining); ribbon place setting (Nastassja Harvey); fortune teller; rose shoes
Row 3: Outdoor vineyard ceremony (Jose Villa); calligraphy escort cards; large single bloom bouquet (Imago Vita Photography); fan favour (Brett Buchanan); pink and pewter cushions (Jeremy Harwell).

Real Wedding at Webersburg {Jessica & David}

I now declare this week’s festival of gorgeous weddings… OPEN! (Just imagine me with a giant pair of scissors here.) (PS, where do you actually GET a giant pair of scissors? Because I totally want one.) I’ve been dying to show you Jess and David’s wedding for a little while now, because to me it encapsulates so many things I love about a Cape wedding. Beautiful weather, a spectacular winelands backdrop (the lovely Webersburg estate), soft pink florals, proteas, quirky personal touches. And of course a couple who are completely besotted with one another. It just radiates from them, doesn’t it? (Just wait until you see their video, which I’ll be posting as a bonus this afternoon.) Other things I love: Jess’s dress and that oversized flower in her hair that I am completely dying over, the map used as a seating/escort chart, the Rob Ryan-esque menu cards and other pretty stationery, the sparklers for the first dance… All so gosh darn puuurty. And all captured by the genius that is Annemari Ruthven! Enjoy…Read More

Real Wedding at MolenVliet {Nelle & DeWet}

Morning, lovelies! We’ve had quite a lot of rustic chic and country vintage weddings on the blog recently and, much as I love them, I thought it was time for something with a bit more glitz and old school elegance. Today’s couple also had a vintage inspiration, but in this case it was the glamour of art deco, and they chose the winelands splendour of MolenVliet for their venue. I’ve been dying to feature a MolenVliet wedding, as when I was in Cape Town in December everyone in the industry was raving about how lovely it is, and Nelle & De Wet’s wedding certainly doesn’t disappoint. Details I love: the pretty (mismatched) bridesmaids’ bouquets (a great idea if you choose to have your girls wearing the same colour), the subtle pops of turquoise blue against chocolate brown, the fun groomsmen’s socks and goodness me, that cake! There are lots of black and white pics in today’s selection, but it just seems appropriate for such a classically romantic wedding. And wow, the pictures. I’m always so happy to feature Monica Dart‘s work, because her images have so much life to them. It’s actually a challenge editing the selection! I think these might even be my favourite so far. I also loved how Monica captured Nelle and De Wet at a rural petrol station – so fun! It’s always great when couples can spice it up a bit in their creative shoot. Anyway, I could go on and on, but you want to see the pictures, right? Right. ENJOY!Read More