It’s Friday, Friday…how happy are we it’s the weekend? And what will you be doing with yours? It’s been a bumper week on SouthBound Bride, and the fun won’t stop all day either, as I have some great content to share with you, starting with this awesome Grootbos wedding. I absolutely LOVE the unique decor – I haven’t seen bonsai centrepieces before, but they’re amazing! – the Zen colour scheme, the even more Zen ceremony, the beautiful bride’s bouquet and OMG VERA WANG DRESS. I die for Vera. And I’m also super excited to share the work of two of my new favourite photographers, Picture Me & U. They’re usually based in Gauteng, and I have some more loveliness from them to share with you soon – you’ll love their fun style!Read More
So. When I was about 15, my friend Marcelle threw a great big birthday party at an abandoned house on her family’s farm. There was drinking, and laughing, and Green Day’s Dookie on repeat, but what I remember most was that her high school friends were very much the cool kids from the cool school. I was so intimidated, I don’t think I spoke to anyone all night. Well, some weddings… some weddings are like hanging out at the cool table. Couples that seem so impossibly stylish, their wedding seems to come from a magazine. Today’s is one of those – Barbara and Michael (and their guests) could have been plucked from the pages of Vogue, as could their stunning, atmospheric photographs from dna photographers. But if you look beyond the über-stylish venue (love me that Grand), the to-die-for views of the Cape coast from Granger Bay, and Barbara’s incredible blush lace and corset dress, there’s a sweetness and carefree spirit at the heart of this wedding that perfectly reflects the Cape Town atmosphere. It’s city chic meets coastal class, and I for one could look at it all day. Ah, la dolce vita!Read More
So what happens when your uncle is one of the most famous and celebrated designers in South Africa and you’re planning your wedding? Well, you ask him to design you a dress, of course. This was the fortunate position today’s gorgeous bride was in, and not only is her Errol Arendz wedding dress stunning, but it shows off all her best features – she’s definitely putting the haute in haute couture! Beyond that, I also love that Laura and the dapper Bradley chose to have a classically elegant white wedding at Rhebokskloof, with a beautiful tent, touches of silver and glass and an extravagance of white roses. This is certainly a style that won’t date, and their images (gracefully shot by Veronique Norval) will no doubt still look as fresh in twenty years as they do today. Sigh. I do love a classic.Read More
You know, sometimes people in South Africa ask me why I bother living in London. The weather’s the first thing they comment on. The crowds of people. Living on top of one another. Long commutes. Everything being incredibly expensive. All true. But I think unless you’ve lived here, it’s hard to understand the quirky charm of this city, or the way that, being so big, it allows everyone to find their place and be exactly who they want to be. The unique way Londoners pull together in a crisis. The thrill of a sunny afternoon by the river. It’s very close to my heart and is also a special part of being South African for so many of my generation – at one point you couldn’t walk down a street in SW London without hearing a Saffa accent. And, of course, with the Olympics just gone and the Paralympics about to start, there’s no better time to celebrate this city. So it was a little bit of synchronicity when I heard from bride, Katherine (who I’d been lucky enough to meet at an event last year) – I loved the idea of her London theme, but I was really swept off my feet when I saw her beautiful pictures by Garyth Bevan and the incredible floor to ceiling backdrop of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. I can’t believe how it transformed the space – definitely one of my all-time favourite decor pieces! It was a very classy nod to my home city, which is where Katherine & Sam fell in love (and talking about synchronicity, they met at an Olympic-themed party!). In fact, the whole wedding at Steenberg Estate is full of class, with a subtle neutral palette, soft flowers and vintagey details. You’re going to love it. Oh! And if, like me, you’re not quite done celebrating lovely London, pop back this afternoon where I’ll be showcasing a London bridal shower theme…Read More
Holy moley me oh my – now if this isn’t an amazing wedding, I’ll eat my fascinator. Ever since the team behind the Grand Daddy Hotel (which I am still dying to stay at) opened a country version of their rooftop airstream trailer park in Elgin called Old Mac Daddy, I have been dying to feature a wedding there. (For those who don’t know, each of the trailers – already pretty rad on their own – is custom decorated to a theme by a local artist). I knew if I held out, the perfect wedding to show off this rustic, funky, informal venue would come along, and boy has it ever. I am so in love with Amé and Karel’s style – from their very cool stationery (how cute is the game-style invitation, not to mention their classy on-the-day farm look and adorable table names!) and quirky ideas, to their green and white flowers and laid back farm chic decor. And those bridesmaids’ dresses! Everything about this wedding is in synch – it’s so beautifully put together and well-thought-out. And, of course, I am also thrilled to be showcasing the work of the awesome Love Made Visible – their ability to see and capture the behind-the-scenes moments that really make up a day so much more than the decor or colour scheme ever could, always astounds me. Sit back, bliss out and enjoy.Read More
Hello friends! I have been dying to share today’s totally adorable Cabriéres wedding with you for ages. One, it is uniquely South African – it even has a Karoo farm theme! With little tin windmills on the tables. Like I say, ADORABLE, right? And not just for the sake of it, either – everything about the day was chosen to reflect the couple’s personalities and the history of their relationship. Which, as you know, is so my thing. And two, I love that you can see so much genuine love and emotion, not just from Scott and Lindi, but from their friends and family as well. Steven Booth, their awesome photographer for the day, even spoke about this in our emails, telling me how during the speeches especially, you could tell how this group of friends and family know each other and really ‘get’ each other, resulting in some very entertaining but also heartfelt speeches. What an awesome wedding to have been a part of.Read More
One of the things I love about SouthBound Bride being a destination wedding blog, is that I’m not limited to a particular aesthetic in the weddings I feature. Which suits me perfectly, since I have pretty eclectic tastes myself. I’ve featured beautiful vintage weddings, boho beachy celebrations, African-tastic bush scenes, city slickers, even themed weddings. I adore them all. Today’s wedding doesn’t fit into a particular mould – it’s set in the beautiful Cape countryside but has elements of classy city minimalism; it’s elegant and sophisticated, but with fun touches like fresh oyster shucking and a pimped up dessert table. And all of this within the most gorgeous white on white palette. It’s quintessentially Capetonian, and no surprise that it’s been so perfectly rendered, since it was co-ordinated by the awesome team at Wedding Concepts and photographed by Jan-Hendrik. I know you’re going to love it as much as I do!Read More
Coral, you guys. I have been preaching coral (along with my fellow wedding bloggers) for the last year, and I’ve seen it in inspiration boards and inspiration shoots and weddings on other people’s blogs. But today, coral is making a personal appearance here on SBB and let me tell you, get ready to do some Beatles-style shouting and crying, because it is everything I thought it would be and more. Of course, the colour scheme’s not the only reason I fell in love with Sarah and Peter’s beautiful Constantia Mist garden wedding (shot in glorious colour and detail by friends and SBB sponsors Andre and Selma of Expressions), but it’s the first one. Close behind were super sweet details like button badges, wooden tableware, divine stationery, sweet white folding chairs and paper pom poms. It’s like the posh version of a country picnic, and manages to be charming and sophisticated and a little bit retro all at the same time. It is LOVE. More like this one please, people. Make a blogger happy. ;)Read More
Wakey wakey, SouthBound Brides! I have a lovely wedding for you this morning, and it was a lovely morning for this wedding! A few weeks back, I ran a story about brunch weddings (only one of my most popular, so I guess this is an idea that’s gathering speed) and bride Kate contacted me to tell me about hers. She and her husband, Christian, decided on an autumn champagne brunch at La Colombe, Constantia Uitsig, so they could dash off on their honeymoon afterwards, and chose a neutral, slightly vintage palette. The gents wore morning suits and all the ladies at the wedding were asked to wear hats and fascinators (I just love this!). The result is classically beautiful wedding that really captures Cape Town’s autumnal charm (although lucky for Kate and Christian, they just missed the Cape Town rains!). Warren Williams was there to take the pictures, and as always has done an awesome job in capturing the spirit of the day – I love the fashion editorialey style of these shots. And here’s the even better news – come back in an hour and I’ll have a lovely bit of video from this wedding to show you too!Read More
We often use the word ‘inspiration’ on wedding blogs, but today’s bride and groom really are an inspiration. It’s not just the love story they share (and wait till you hear what the groom planned for the reception – it actually choked me up properly!), but the way that they succeeded in ensuring that their wedding would leave as little impact on the environment as possible. They made sure that nothing was unnecessary or in excess, and they used recycled or recyclable materials as much as they could. Which sounds terribly sparse, but in fact, the decor at this wedding is some of the prettiest I’ve seen. There are so many original touches, and then hearing where they come from and often, where they will be re-used, is really enough to make even the most extravagant bride think. So I hope that as you look through Annemari Ruthven‘s gorgeous pictures, that you will be inspired beyond the pretty, and maybe take something away for your own wedding as well.Read More
