Posts from the ‘Real Life Bride’ Category

Apr 30

Real Wedding at Rawdons Country Hotel {Candice & Justin}

Well, it’s always a very special day when I get to share one of our real life bride’s weddings with you all. Because I don’t know about you, but I feel like these ladies become friends, and by the time I have read all about their inspirations and ideas and shared their excitement, I can’t WAIT to see how it all turned out and feel like I was there to raise a glass to their happiness. So it’s with great pleasure that I’m sharing the first of our 2013 RLBs’ weddings with you today – our lovely Marie Antoinette bride, Candice. I’ve loved reading her lyrical descriptions of the wedding she dreamed up, inspired by Versailles and Downton Abbey and even a little by The Hobbit. I sighed over her gorgeous themed rehearsal dinner and engagement shoot. And now I can finally show you Candice and Justin’s elegant, heartfelt wedding, photographed by an incredible team of US photographer Alicia Swedenborg with our very own Catherine Mac second shooting. Wow. It is AMAZING. And be sure to read Candice’s beautiful description of the big day, because if that doesn’t make you sigh, you don’t have a romantic bone in your body. So without further ado, here’s Candice… Read more

Mar 18

Real Life Bride #10: The Ceremony

With a little less than two weeks to go till the BIG DAY, I must admit the nerves are starting to creep in. I thought I had everything so well organised and prepared that I would come home and just RELAX. Well that was an interesting plan… The little details are keeping me quite busy, but I am enjoying every day. The weather has been amazing, people have been amazing and this country is just amazing in general. I have also been completely spoilt by two kitchen teas and a super-duper bachelorettes with the coolest personal touches. So I’m having a rad time! I can’t believe the wedding is next weekend – every time that thought pops into my head, my heart makes a little jump and my stomach whirls with excitement. And nerves. But that’s what the rescue remedy is for, right? Now getting back to those formalities…

Feb 25

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Real Life Bride #9: The Groom’s Look

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.

Feb 22

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Real Bridal Shower: Downton Abbey

Good morning, friends! Did you enjoy our Sparkle & Blush fest yesterday? Today we’re back to real life inspiration courtesy of one of our real life brides, the lovely Candice. You’ll remember Candice was our Marie Antoinette bride, and so far we’ve followed her through her whole planning process right up to her Versailles-themed rehearsal dinner (loved that!). Today we’re getting a peek at another pre-wedding event, the bridal shower, and one of the most adorable themes I’ve yet seen! Candice is a huge fan of Downton Abbey (aren’t we all?) – in fact, in her first email to me she joked that she avoided the sun in an attempt to acquire skin as pale as Lady Mary’s – so it was the perfect theme for her bridesmaids to pick, and much fun (I feel I should be saying ‘japes’ here) ensued! There are so many lovely ideas here – and I love that the gifts were so personal and creative. All images are from Louis John van Rooyen of {Moment}ography. Read more

Feb 4

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Marie Antoinette Rehearsal Dinner

So. I’ve written this introduction six times, and I keep going back and deleting the whole thing. Because, basically, I seem to have run out of words to tell you how thrilled I am with this feature. It’s a first – we’ve never done rehearsal dinners before – but it’s also completely unique AND it comes from one of our very own Real Life Brides. That’s right – Candice is a married woman, and she’s back to share a couple of pre-wedding events before we do the big reveal of the Big Day. For those of you who have followed along, Candice is our Marie Antoinette bride – she and fiancé Justin were in love with and inspired by everything to do with Versailles. They even found the perfect venue, Casa Labia in Cape Town, but unfortunately had to change plans when they realised it was too small for their party. Now, most people would just give it up, maybe go back for an anniversary, but not these two. Instead, they decided to kick off their wedding celebrations with a rehearsal dinner at the venue (read the whole story here). And they dressed up for it in custom made period costume. And they did a couple shoot beforehand. AND Candice wore an exquisite lace dress she bought from Etsy. AND they got Catherine Mac (whose photos make me covet every one of her weddings) to be there with her camera. You guys, it’s pretty much a wedding blogger’s dream, and this isn’t even the wedding! So sit back and enjoy every inspirational image – with more to come from Candice very soon. (Oh and psssst, you can see more of Catherine’s lovely pics over on her blog.) Read more

Jan 28

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Real Life Bride #8: The Bride’s Accessories

So peeps, to go with the dress I don’t yet have, I’ve only looked into the possibilities and gotten some ideas together, but in the accessory department things aren’t quite sorted yet either. With nine weeks to go I guess I need to get cracking on it! Looking at the various options one has these days, one can wear pretty much whatever one wants. Which I think is great – no more abiding by the rules and wearing something which doesn’t suit you just because it’s expected of you. But, I must add that I’m a believer in not gilding the lily. If the dress is going to be a statement item, the complementary parts have to be more subtle (the emphasis here is on the word complementary). If you’re opting for a big necklace or some other attention-drawing accessory, it’s important that the dress hasn’t got too much detail.

Jan 24

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The Honeymoon Diaries: Mauritius

Morning SouthBound Brides! Since I’m off on holiday this week, I have something a bit different for you guys today, as we’re talking honeymoons instead of weddings! It’s not often we get to catch up with our Real Life Brides after the wedding is over, but when I saw photographer Cheryl McEwan‘s pics of her Mauritian adventure, I just had to ask her for an update! Traditionally, of course, South African grooms choose the honeymoon destination as a surprise, so you might want to send this to yours for inspiration ;) Over to Cheryl, and sunny shores…

It’s really no secret that I have the worst case of the travel bug ever and for some reason that bug never really stops biting! I take great joy in planning any type of holiday, so when it came to planning our honeymoon this is my area of expertise and yes yes I know the groom traditionally is supposed to do this (and my groom got off VERY lightly in our case!) Read more

Jan 14

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Real Life Bride #7: The Dress

Ooooooh yes! It’s time to write about… drumroll tsshh… THE DRESS!!!! I’ve been waiting for this one to come round in sheer anticipation. Not quite sure why though, because I myself don’t yet know what my wedding dress is going to look like. Eek!

Because it’s being made in Cape Town, I won’t know until very shortly before the wedding. The bonus is that I get some extra time to decide, which is great, because my ideas have changed so much over the past few months. Who knows what I’ll end up wearing…

What I do know is that I’m not one for many layers and loads of lace. No petticoat. No tight bust in which I cannot breath. No scratchy fabric. No long trail. I’m a very practical person and therefore cannot afford to choose a dress which is going to be a hassle. That said, it still has to be gorgeous.

I love a dress which in essence is plain, but has small details which make it interesting. A splash of colour, an interesting neckline, different fabrics folding over one another. We’ll see what the future holds… While you wait, I leave you with these beautiful photies.

Jan 7

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Real Life Bride #6: The Photography

Whenever I chat to someone who’s been in a lengthy, happy marriage about their wedding day they get this little sparkle in their eyes and as they are taken back to that special day they reach for their wedding album. Then starts the trip down memory lane – the dress, the food, the “oh look how so-and-so looked back then”, the fond memories and small details….it’s all there in the pictures.

Dec 21

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Real Life Bride #5: Flowers & Decor

Flowers. Fleurs. Blumen. Flores. Blodau. Kukkia. Fiori. Blomme. It all comes down to the same thing: those little bits of fresh prettiness without which a party just won’t be complete. There is so much you can do to make your wedding beautiful, but the flowers play a central role. Place a glass pot with fresh flowers in any room and it just brightens up. The wonderful thing is that the possibilities are endless. Starting with the array of different flowers and colours to choose from, to how you present them, you can have whatever you want. Literally. It’s difficult not to get carried away.