I honestly thought that all my stationery-loving heart had beat its fastest when I discovered letterpress, especially when we started seeing letterpress combined with hand drawn calligraphy fonts. Amazing. But the latest big trend in wedding invitations has taken it one step further. Foil, you guys. It is the gorgeous-est. And from a few beautiful collections last year to an absolute explosion of foil stamped goodness for 2013, this is one trend that is absolutely made for brides. It’s pretty, it’s tactile, it’s classic… and every time I see a new foiled invite I have the urge to run my fingers over it and go ‘ooh, shiny shiny!’. I’m a magpie, what can you do.Read More
Move over, kings and pincushions – there’s a new bridal protea in town! Okay, not new exactly, but this season blushing bride proteas (maybe the most perfectly named wedding flower ever) have really come into their own. This recent SBB wedding featured a ton of them, and I had quite a few queries about what the pretty blush blooms with the lacey edges were, so I thought it was time for a dedicated roundup. One of the things I love best about blushing bride protea flowers is that they’re native to SA and, while you can find them all over the world now, they are one of our very own. The story has it that they’re nicknamed blushing brides because men on their way to propose to their beloveds would wear one in their buttonhole, and everyone in town would know (hence the bride’s blushes) – true or not, it’s such a sweet story! I absolutely love them on their own, but combined with other flowers, fillers and even berries, they add a special something in terms of texture to any arrangement. With a combination of romantic folklore, South African pride and sheer gorgeousness, they are perfect for your wedding day. Here are some of my favourites from around the web. *This post contains affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.
Looking at wedding pictures from all over the planet, it’s clear that there are some super snazzy grooms out there. It seems like the general tendency has shifted from the bride as centrepoint and “queen bossy” to a more inclusive approach when it comes to the groom and what he wears. The room for bridezilla pushing her man to the background and giving him only the bare necessities has become quite small. I like that.
The man of the day is very much a central part of all the happenings at a wedding and should be dressed for the role. Whether it be a more casual, retro, alternative affair or a traditional, formal and sleek one, his attire should be carefully selected.
Goodness, but time is rushing by! It seems like just yesterday that the Pantone Spring 2013 colour report came out, and I’ve had so much fun working with the colours this year, including colour of the year, Emerald. But with the days finally starting to get longer on this side of the world comes the Fall report, and as before, the colours are bolder and brighter and perfect for a statement look. This time around they all really remind me of Morocco, and what I’m really looking forward to doing is pairing them with soft neutrals as well as each other, as they are here. So how might you go about using them? As usual, I’ve put together a selection of mini-boards to give you some ideas! Which is your fave?
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
A few weeks back, I gave my predictions for wedding trends in 2013, and today I’m exploring one of my favourite. Coloured wedding dresses have become a huge style crush for me, and it seems like just about every designer feels the same way. And why not? White dresses weren’t even a part of wedding tradition until Queen Victoria married in one in 1840, and they weren’t the norm until after the Second World War. Many brides simply wore their best dress, whatever the colour. So you shouldn’t feel obliged to wear a white gown, any more than you’re obliged to wear a veil. And as wedding dresses themselves move toward evening gown shapes and embellishments (and sometimes even actual evening gowns worn as wedding dresses), the field is wide open for you to wear something that really makes your heart sing. I think what I like most is that, unlike the coloured wedding dresses of the ’90s (which were mostly red and black and wrong all over), most of these combine soft whispers of colour with elegant flowing fabrics, resulting in all the romance of a white ballgown, but with a bit of extra zip. But it’s all very well to read this, and to see the dresses on the catwalk. What do coloured dresses really look like on real brides? Here’s a rainbow of loveliness to show you!Read More
*UPDATED FOR 2021* If you’re planning a summer wedding, a beach wedding or a tropical destination wedding, then sunglasses wedding favors are a great idea! They’re fun, they’re weather-appropriate, and they look great in photos! And best of all, they can be customized with your names, colours, wedding date, etc. There are loads of ways to display sunglasses wedding favours too, and some super cute sunglasses wedding favor signs that you can buy from Etsy. I thought it would be cute to round them up, and to have a little fun with it too. So, with huge apologies to Dr Seuss, here we go…!
*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.
Ten years ago, if I’d been writing this blog (if blogs even existed then, which they probably didn’t), I’d no doubt have been telling you ladies to style your (strapless, obvs) wedding dress with a simple pearl necklace or a diamond solitaire. Nothing too flashy, mind. And don’t get me wrong – diamonds and pearls are ALWAYS a good idea. But if it was me styling my wedding dress, I have to admit that I’d probably be looking in the direction of a trend that has grown and grown among brides – the statement necklace. A few years back, my dear friend Kath rocked this herself, wearing the most gorgeous chunky creation made from various brooches and heirlooms – it looked amazing. And since then, I’ve seen brides in any number of bold and lovely pieces. Every time I do, it gives me a little fashion thrill. Of course, I’m a fan of statement jewellery in general, and this trend isn’t for every bride, but if you’re willing to take a risk, you can turn even a plain gown into a bit of a showstopper. In fact, a plain gown is often a better bet for a bit of styling – you definitely need to have a bit of balance. The other piece of advice is to make sure that whatever you’re doing with your hair allows the necklace to be shown off properly – up is better but long hair down can work, though it’s definitely something to check when you do your hair trial. You can go for bling, layers of pearls – even colour. Here are my most inspiring web finds.Read More
You guys, I am doing such a happy dance as I post this feature today! It has been a long while coming, and I am thrilled to finally be able to share it with you. See, this isn’t just a beautiful shoot that someone sent me, I was actually there for this one. I saw it put together from scratch. I even helped make it happen a little. Not that it’s my shoot – ‘assisted’ is the key term here. All of this shimmery, wintery loveliness comes straight from the imagination of styling queen Louise Beukes of b.loved (how pretty must it be inside her mind?) as well as the lens of Liesl Cheney. It’s all about making your guests feel cozy while at the same time sweeping them up Narnia-style into a world of snowflakes and pinecones and sophisticated elegance. And now’s a good time for me to say how proud I am of everything Louise has achieved. A couple of years ago, she approached me as a SouthBound Bride herself, and told me she wanted to start a blog. I thought it was a great idea. Then she told me she wanted to be a stylist, and I thought that was an even better one. The result is not only daily eye candy on her fabulous blog, but a portfolio that is just busting at the seams with loveliness. This was one of her first shoots, so you can see she hit the ground running. Oh, and the reason we didn’t show it to you earlier? Only because it was too busy being featured in UK magazine You & Your Wedding.Read More
This post was going to be about a whole other cake trend, but when I asked myself what sort of cake I could see SouthBound brides really going for in the next year, one answer immediately sprang to mind: lace. I mean, we love lace, right? It’s a beautiful texture to add to a cake without having to go too bold – in fact it’s the perfect way to amp up a classic white cake. Not that you can’t do something more colourful, as you’ll see below – the base cake or the lace itself can be any number of colours. I think my absolute favourite look for lace wedding cakes is the blush/nude cake with a white lace overlay, since it reminds me of the illusion/portrait back trend we’re seeing in dresses so much at the moment – so gorgeous! I’ve gathered up my top 20 wedding cakes with lace details – which is your favourite?
