Nothing sends us head over heels here at SBB HQ quite like a gorgeous wedding, beautifully photographed, and that’s just what we have in store for you today. This rustic-meets-classic affair in shades of clean white and duck egg blue (how much do we LOVE this colour?) from the fab Knot Just Pics team has us completely captivated, from the white VW Beatle wedding car, to the romantic arch and flower chandelier at the ceremony, and on to the delicate florals and soft stripes at the reception. Plus, don’t miss bride Lauren’s hilarious write-up on her big day! It’s no wonder with so much prettiness, and the couple’s sense of fun, that there’s such a happy atmosphere in these images.Read More
If you go down to the woods today… well, today you’ll find no teddybear’s picnic, but the big surprise you’re in for is a beautiful forest wedding from the fab Stella Sassen. Carien and Hannes perfectly combined the handmade look with an unusual palette (slate, mustard and white – love!) and an amazing rustic, forest venue for a perfectly pretty country wedding right in the middle of Gauteng. And I love Carien’s bridal style too, including a stunning portrait back dress (with very special meaning, dreamed up by the bride herself!). In fact, there are so many elements to love – paper flowers, succulents, buckets of proteas… And of course, those beautiful, serene trees. What a perfect place to promise your forevers.Read More
I’m always talking about how love stories are at the centre of the weddings we love most here on SBB, and today’s wedding just embodies that so perfectly. I dare you to read the story written by today’s bride, Esté, and not get a little choked up! And in fact, it’s that love and joy that are truly at the heart of today’s unusual wedding, which centres around a very special couple’s musical life together. You may recognise Esté and Lourens as the Bottomless Coffee Band – well known in Cape Town and now on their first national tour. For their own wedding day, they decided to book the quirky Festa at Kleinevalleij, and instead of competing with the decor and atmosphere at this fun venue, they went with it, resulting in a lounge-style wedding in cosy wintery colours that’s as beautiful as it is fun. My favourite moment, hands down, is when the two of them take the stage, doing what they do together with their favourite people. Just the looks on everyone’s faces… wow. This is why designing a wedding around who you are is the way to go. One of SBB’s favourite photographers, Andre of Vivid Blue, was on the scene, and he captured these incredible pictures of an incredible day.Read More
It’s a wonderful thing when we get to feature a wedding by Love Made Visible. This power couple not only have an eye for the gorgeous details that I love so much, but more importantly for the emotional details and little moments that really make a wedding day so heartwarming. I always get the feels looking at their documentary-style pics, and that was just the case when I came across Caroline and Luke’s softly rustic, travel-themed wedding. I especially love the way this wedding feels like a 1920s summer garden party, with peach-garbed bridesmaids (with just a touch of Gatsby sparkle), groomsmen in boaters, and the bride in an incredibly elegant Jenny Packham. A happy day for them, and now a happy day for us!Read More
What are your ingredients for a fabulous wedding? If I had to make a list, I think Shani & David would pretty much have checked every box. This adorable couple wanted a wedding that reflected their personalities and style, and allowed them to celebrate with family and friends over an extended wedding weekend. They managed both, and more besides. A riverside picnic after a forest ceremony, an open air reception with the most gorgeous rustic florals, including botanical-style arrangements and chandeliers, and a glitter filled pinata to open the dancefloor under the stars. And let’s just take a moment to mention Shani’s gorgeous (and unusual) wedding gown, the troop of sweet flowergirls and pageboys, and the bride’s organic cascade bouquet. Country wedding perfection, basically, delivered up in a chilled out, laid-back, sparkly and super happy style.Read More
One of the things I love most is when a bride incorporates a theme or motif that’s current, but gives it a fresh spin with a unique colour scheme. We’ve seen lots of botanical weddings in the last year (and oh, how I love them!) but usually they’re paired with a palette of neutrals or blush. Today’s couple instead decided to go for a palette of different shades of purple, from violet to magenta, which added a real punch to the theme! Especially when combined with pretty berry-coloured details from cocktails to one of the prettiest cakes I’ve seen, ever (both inside and out – scroll down to see what I mean!). One of my favourite touches is the way that Jessica and Sean used only indigenous flowers in their botanical seating chart and table numbers – a simple touch, but one that is proudly South African! Yvette Gilbert captured these dreamy pics of Jessica & Sean’s big day.Read More
Once upon a time I did a business trip to some incredibly random place up in the north of England, and stayed overnight at a B&B full of chintz and plastic flowers. The new owner picked me up from the station (yep, this town was so small there were no taxis) and on the way he told me he’d spent the whole of the last week learning how to make this soup that was the old B&B owner’s speciality. Vegetable soup made with chicken stock. So, alone in the dining room that night, I ordered the soup. It was good. And that is LITERALLY the best thing that ever happened to me on a business trip. Because as we all know, most of the time they kind of suck. But today’s bride and groom have a far, far better story – they went home with the beginnings of true love! Of course, their sweet ‘how we met’ story was just the first thing I fell in love with about Chloe & Keith’s wedding. Chloe, who just happens to be a talented florist herself, built her wedding inspiration from the flowers forward, resulting in the most beautiful, natural, rustic arrangements on long tables. Everything about it is pretty and breezy and laid back, like a cool sip of lemonade on a summer afternoon – just like Michelle Van Heerden‘s photographs of the big day. And here’s a fun fact – this wedding makes it a hat trick for Langkloof on the blog this week, since both yesterday’s wedding and styled shoot were set there too (pure coincidence, I promise!) – I just love how it demonstrates that a great venue can be the backdrop for a celebration that is truly you, no matter what your style!Read More
I’ve been a huge fan of Langkloof Roses, ever since I styled a shoot there a couple of years ago, and I can’t think of a more perfect place for a spring wedding, let alone one with mixed ice cream pastel shades (my favourite!). It’s the simple little touches that make Kayleigh and Brendon’s wedding so very charming – the ‘forever and always’ banner hanging over their chapel entrance, the petals in enamel buckets, the glimpses of gold along the wooden tables, the sparkler lined floor for the first dance (which by the way, has a hilarious story attached). And of course, those mixed pastel bridesmaid dresses that really draw the eye. All surrounded by fields of roses in the beautiful Cape winelands. One two three… SIGH. Coba Engelbrecht took the pics that are making our hearts flutter so!Read More
Just a couple of days ago, I was saying how grooms in non-black suits were a huge trend for 2015, and here to prove it is today’s handsome groom in a gorgeous watermelon pastel. It’s the perfect complement to a wedding that is as simple as it is beautiful, with summer pastel flowers and soft fabric banners fluttering in the wind. And let’s just take a moment to appreciate bride Rita’s look, which is the epitomy of simple sophistication. Her portraits by photographer Wrensch Lombard are just breathtaking, as are all the gorgeous pictures of Rita and Kirchual’s happy day. Enjoy!Read More
Hello lovelies! As I mentioned last week, I got to be on the other side of the wedding fence this weekend when I was a guest at two of my dear friends’ wedding in the Midlands. And as much as I love the prettiness here (and there was plenty of prettiness there too), it was also good to remind myself of all the emotion that goes into the day – I literally couldn’t stop the tears at one point, but they were definitely tears of joy! And joy is a huge hallmark of the wedding I’m sharing with you today – just like bride Lynne says her dress doesn’t take herself too seriously, I get the impression that neither do the bride and groom, and everything about their big day is a little bit playful. From gold spray-painted animals at each setting to a scuba themed cake, chilli boutonnieres and a hangover station (best favour idea ever!), it was a day full of fun. And with smiles so wide and weather so sunny, photographer Michelle van Heerden captured every moment beautifully.Read More
