Posts from the ‘Decor’ Category

Jun 5

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Fresh Ideas for Travel Themed Weddings

So I’ve been doing this blog thing for over three years now, and although some posts and ideas disappear into the archives, some keep getting hits again and again. But lately, instead of just feeling pleased (thanks for the love!) I’ve been feeling a tiny bit embarrassed. I started wondering if the posts had got a little outdated. I’m happy to say that having read them again, I still think they’d be useful, but it also got me thinking about all the new ideas that have popped up in that time (and still do so). These trends would have died out by now if that hadn’t happened. And while I am the last person to tell you not to use something you love (if it resonates with you, I don’t care how many times you’ve seen it on Pinterest, do it), I thought it was about time I revisited the SBB archive and brought you some updated inspiration. So here I am! Wedding trends 2.0.

Today we’re looking at travel themed weddings – I find it quite funny that I called it a ‘mini-trend’ in my original post (still one of our Top 20 most read articles!) when clearly it’s a theme that has run and run – just recently a planner told me it’s by far her most requested theme. Some of that has to do with the vintage decor movement, but with so many couples either meeting abroad, coming from different places, or just enjoying travelling together, I can see why it’s so popular. And just like everyone’s journeys are personal experiences, you can make your travel themed wedding personal too. In the original post, I covered all the basic motifs: maps, luggage, airmail, postcards, etc. and there’s still lots there for you to start with, but here I’m going to be looking at recent ideas or looks or fresh twists that made me stop and take notice. Like those bridesmaids with vintage vanity cases above – love that! Although to be fair, they didn’t actually carry them down the aisle – maybe a bit much, I don’t know. Read more

Apr 17

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Coloured Glassware

Image source: We Love Pictures/Wedding Concepts via Style Me Pretty

Hello lovelies! Sorry today’s post is a bit late – I had the most random technical failure in the history of SBB, no kidding. My laptop charger died, which very quickly meant a dead laptop. Gah. Thank goodness for the SBB technical department (aka my incredibly helpful housemate Olly) who had a spare. ANYWAY, it’s Wednesday Trendsday (how is it the first time I’ve called it that?) and we’re taking a little break from our bridesmaid dress series to look at one of my very favourite decor trends. Coloured glass, you guys. It’s such a simple thing, but it seriously makes a table, which is no wonder that every stylist I know uses this whenever they can (in fact, I think I myself have done it somehow on all of my shoots!). I first fell in love with it at this wedding, and since then I have always noticed the subtle but very cohesive look it gives a table, and the way that it brings a colour palette to life in such an elegant way, not to mention the visual interest it adds. Now, I know what you’re thinking – fine for a shoot, too expensive for a 100 people right? Well, actually, no. For one thing, you can hire coloured glasses, sometimes for not much more than those you’d be hiring anyway. (Of course, if you’re having an intimate wedding, I’d go ahead and buy a set of glasses, which will always be a treasured addition to your diningware.) Or try buying a particular colour of glass at charity shops and car boot sales – you wouldn’t believe what treasure’s you’ll unearth, and if you have a vintage or boho vibe, then they don’t need to match. Another way to recreate the look is to use the glasses as vases instead of drinking glasses – that way you need fewer per table, and you could even buy cheap clear glasses at second hand shops and colour them with glass paint or dip them in gold paint (colour at the base of the glass only works just as well). Today’s pics focus on coloured wine glasses, but you can find many, many inspirational pics on Pinterest for coloured glassware in general. Read more

Feb 13

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Custom Wedding Dancefloors

Image: welovepictures/Kraak via 100 Layer Cake

Some trends are more obvious – they tie in to more general trends in fashion, interiors, etc. Others just seem to happen, and this is one of them. For the last while, I’ve been noticing more and more (particularly South African) brides and grooms taking their wedding decor and personalisation one step further by creating statement dancefloors, and you guys, I love it! I mean, it’s indulgent – there really is no NEED for this at your wedding – but it’s just so cool! And depending on how bold you go, it can make a real statement that defines the decor of the whole reception space. Like the couple above, who painted the Kleinevalleij floor with mint stripes to go along with their gorgeous graphic decor. Together with the giant wall sign, it makes an amazing statement. Read more

Jan 9

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Words as Wedding Decor

Cari Photography/The Aleit Group on SBB (left); Paige Lowe Photography/Sitting In A Tree via Green Wedding Shoes (centre); Tammy Horton Photography via Style Me Pretty (right)

Something that always amazes me about Pinterest – it being a visual medium – is that one of the most popular things people pin is quotes. Beautifully designed renderings of quotes, yes, but words. Pictures of words. It’s a little odd, right? But then, I get it. After all, I am, if nothing else, a words person. So here’s a quote for you, from Elie Wiesel: Words can sometimes, in moments of grace, attain the quality of deeds. I like that quote. Because it reminds me that even though actions are important, sometimes words can be every bit as good. Like how, if I’m sick, I just have to call my mom and hear her say “I’m so sorry you’re sick, my darling” to feel better – those words are like a hug. Or how words can be a slap in the face, or a handshake, or a pat on the back. Sometimes they wrap around you like a blanket, or sweep you up like a conga line. And sometimes, when the action is as big as giving your whole heart to someone, you need words to share that with the people you love. So they can feel it with you. Which is all a totally poetic way of saying that today’s post is about words. As decor. It’s one of my top 10 trend predictions for 2013, and I officially love it! Read more

Jan 3

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Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2013: Emerald

Well, I didn’t see this one coming. After two years of warm colours – honeysuckle pink and tangerine tango orange specifically – Pantone’s just named Emerald as its colour of the year. It’s dramatic, it’s rich, it’s formal, it’s a little bit old school… and it has totally grown on me. Seriously, when I thought about it, it totally made sense. In the last year I’ve seen a couple of emerald wedding dresses, and every time it has caught my attention. Then I featured this engagement shoot, with the most gorgeous green Gucci dress. And this graphic Gucci and gold inspiration board:

Dec 26

Favourite Reception Decor 2012

Hello friends! This week I am sharing my favourites from 2012 on SouthBound Bride – and believe me, it has been HARD to pick! But there were some posts that really stuck in my mind – over the next few days I’ll be sharing my favourite reception decor, favourite style moments and Top 10 details. They’re sure to give you lots of inspiration, and don’t forget to click through to see the full weddings in the archives!

First off, this magical autumn wedding from Vivid Blue combined soft flowers and berries, fairytale stationery and wooden woodland cutouts to spectacular effect – combined with a few fairylights of course!

Nov 28

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Twinkle Twinkle

I hate Christmas lights. Said no one, ever. Because seriously, who doesn’t love a good string o’ lights? I know I do. In fact, the first time I saw the tree at Rockefeller Centre in New York, I almost passed out with delight. And the second, and the third. (I liked that tree a LOT.) Admittedly, actually getting them wound around a tree I am less a fan of (cue: annual family tree argument) but once they’re up, twinkling away, there’s nothing quite like it. Maybe that’s why fairy lights/ twinkle lights/potato/potahtoe are always such an exciting component of wedding decor – maybe they remind us of things magical and childlike. Or maybe we all just like shiny stuff. Whatever the cause, it’s coming on Christmas, and I feel like looking at some sparklies, so today’s post is sheer fairy light indulgence. Some of these babies go big on quantity, but they’re also big on impact and romance. Lights transform an outdoor area into an intimate evening space, or warm up a winter wedding, or create an illusion of height, or just add that extra bit of wow. Hang them in strings, wind them around trees, hang them vertically from the ceiling. Create a wall of light, or a curtain, or a path. But whatever you do, take a few moments to drink them in – the hundred tiny stars shining just for you. Read more

Oct 24

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Big Letters

Here’s a random trend: oversized letters. I’ve been noticing these in weddings and events from the US to South Africa, and they really appeal to my sense of fun. And we’re not talking the kind of big letters you might buy in a decor shop that you and your hubby can hold sedately for your photos. No, when I say big, I mean giant. Letters almost as big as you are, bigger sometimes. Aren’t they AWESOME? Frankly, there’s no rhyme or reason to include these in your decor… but there’s no rhyme or reason not to. It will definitely make for amazing pics, and is something your guests will be talking about. And from what I’ve picked up in my search, they’re not even the end of the world difficult to DIY. You could go for your names, your initials, or even a word like ‘love’ or ‘celebrate’. Or why not get super creative and spell out something unusual? Either way, this is a trend that I L-O-V-E-love. Read more

Oct 3

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Trend Alert: Prints

Source: Jake McBride for Christian Oth via Style Me Pretty

Time for some afternoon inspiration! Last week I was thrilled to be asked by BrideTide (a brilliant hub for wedding news, as well as the keepers of the prestigious Top 100 Wedding Blogs list) to be one of 20 bloggers predicting the big wedding trends for 2013. What an honour to be in the company of some of my absolute favourite bloggers, and people I respect immensely. The list is still being updated, but you can find it here.

Trends are always hard to predict, since sometimes it feels like by the time you notice them, they’re almost over, but there was one that I feel absolutely sure will be a defining look for next year, and that’s prints (or ‘prints charming’, as the article so sweetly phrases it!). In some ways, this is a natural extension of some of the fabric trends we’ve already seen: damask, stripes, chevron, toile as well as the move towards painterly style and modern graphics, resulting in bolder or bespoke choices in linen, be they table runners or napkins. Of course, prints are also big news in fashion, and with mismatched bridesmaids being a much-loved look, it was only a matter of time until brides took the leap into dressing at least one of their girls in a print as well. Some brides have already managed to work a lovely layered print look, incorporating it into their stationery as well – this can work best for a shabby chic or country vibe – or adopting a single look which, again, is incorporated into their stationery or ‘branding’. I have to say, I’m a huge fan of the style in its many guises, particularly the way that a unique fabric on the tables or in the bridal party can really make your colours pop and bring everything together. And, while having all your maids in prints can look amazing, I think my favourite BM groupings are the ones that have a range of colours and textures, including at least one print and one sparkly dress. But that’s just me! I’ve put together a whole gallery of inspiration for you, so you can see that this look doesn’t have to be scary. Let’s start with whole groups of bridesmaids in matching prints… Read more

Aug 29

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Wedding Wreaths

Sources: Meg Perotti /The Stylish Soiree via Style Me Pretty (left); Paula O’Hara Photography/Laurens Norton via Southern Weddings (right)

It’s the ciiiiiiircle of liiiiife…. Okay okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic (and also? the last time you’ll hear me singing a song a) by Elton John and b) from a musical), but there’s no denying that a circle is an appropriate symbol at a wedding. It represents connectedness, eternity, the wedding rings. And when it’s made out of flowers – well, it’s just so gosh darn purdy. I’ve been noticing wreaths all over weddings for a while now, and every time I do they catch my attention, so today I thought we’d just bask a little in the eye candy. Read more