Category: Vineyard Weddings

Real Wedding at Grand Dedale {Christina & Marc}

by gaby

Real wedding time! And boy, am I excited to share this one. It’s so beautiful, with a perfect blend of elegance and rustic goodness, it’s like one of my favourite inspiration boards come to life. And come to life it did, with smiles and infectious laughter, gorgeous flowers and a bevvy of mini bridesmaids. This is the kind of wedding that really shows off what our winelands are about, and why they’re such a sought-after wedding destination, year after year. Plus, the bride (whose nickname is Bubbles – you can’t NOT like someone with such a cute name) is a total rockstar – for her hen night she dressed up as a SuperWife and paraglided off Lion’s Head! Kind of appropriate though, since she was marrying a stuntman. But back to the wedding, in all its loveliness. Desmond and Toni of dna photographers were there to capture every special moment, every drop of sunshine, and a spectacular ‘first kiss’!Read More

Real Wedding at Nooitgedacht {Bridget & Quinton}

by gaby

What’s the expression – ‘we plan and God laughs’? Well, that was certainly true for me this week, when I had a full week of goodness planned for you that got halted by some dodgy code that crept into my beloved little site and shut things down for a bit while I sorted it all out (that’s me: owner, editor, office manager and tech support! ;) ). Anyway, I’m trying to be philosophical about it all, and so we’ll just have to wait until next week for me to share our lovely real life bride’s wedding with you, and I’m sure it’ll be all the more awesome for the wait. For this morning though, we have a gorgeous wedding from Abigail K. It was just a couple of weeks ago that I rounded up ice cream pastel bridesmaid dresses, and now here the look is in all its lovely glory – really, I think this might be one of my absolute favourite wedding styles. It’s so soft and pretty, and works beautifully with country vintage touches like proteas, lace and antique books. But I think what really makes Bridget and Quinton’s wedding stand out for me is the way that they used the space available to them at Nooitgedacht, employing the beautiful drive as a ceremony area, with colourful bunting and lamps strung high across the trees, lending everything a celebratory, festival vibe. So pretty! I also love the bridesmaids’ single king protea blooms, tied with pretty ribbon and looking so lovely against their dresses. It all wraps up to be incredibly pretty and colourful in quite a classic way. Enjoy. (Oh, and psst, be sure to stop by this afternoon for some great advice on planning a beach wedding!)Read More

Real Wedding at Tanglewood {Maria & Gerrit}

by gaby

Serendipity. It’s the loveliest of words, isn’t it? Happy accidents. And with some couples, it really seems to fit, so it was no surprise to me that when I read Maria’s story of her beautiful wedding it was a word that she used herself. See, Gerrit and Maria have a serendipitous beginning – both religious, they decided to ready themselves for a lasting relationship with a marriage course at their church, and it was there that they found each other. They share a surname – another happy accident – and you can see from the love and happiness surrounding them on their wedding day that that’s just one of many things that they share. And goodness me, how much am I in love with Maria’s incredible grey silk dress and floor-length mantilla combo? Wow. Not to mention the really fresh styling of their decor, in bold green, navy and pink with an adorable cartoon stationery touch. My favourite part is the ficus trees they’ve used as centrepieces – such a unique touch, but one that is part of their story, as all the best wedding day details are. This is really a wedding to pore over and fall properly in love with, and that’s in no small part down to the stunning images from Cari Photography – love, love, love!Read More

Real Wedding at Molenvliet {Christelli & Heinrich}

by gaby

Another day, another BEAUTIFUL wedding! And while I’m always a fan of unique colour combos or fun themes, sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves that a classic white wedding will never go out of fashion. Today’s gorgeous nuptials, photographed to perfection (as always!) by Catherine Mac, are the ideal example. This wedding is elegant, it’s romantic – it’s the blank canvas on which a grand love story is written. Christelli and Heinrich make a stunning couple, and everything from her diamond solitaire engagement ring and ribbon tied bouquet to her sweeping lace gown whispers classic beauty. But there are also fun touches – the tables named after wines (so appropriate at Molenvliet, one of our premier vineyard venues) or the ice cream dessert, for example. So for all you classic brides (and lovers of romance everywhere), this one’s for you.Read More

Real Wedding at the Santé Winelands Hotel {Annemarie & Rhys}

by gaby

Afternoon, lovelies! What a busy week it has been, but there’s still time to share this wonderful wedding that I’ve been so looking forward to bringing to SBB’s pages. Annemarie might be one of my favourite brides – she has been such a star in getting me her story and favourite pics from her wedding. But not just that – I adore her taste. For one thing, she wore one of the most spectacular (pink) dresses I’ve yet seen (with a gorgeous lace top for the ceremony) and accessorised it with an exquisite statement necklace that, get this, she designed and made herself. What makes this detail extra special is that this was the beginning of a new journey for Rhys and Annemarie, who now own their own jewellery shop in Franschhoek. Talk about a personal detail! I also just love her floral design, and the inclusion of white candy Easter eggs on the tables to celebrate the season in a subtle and incredibly pretty way. It’s an absolute treat, not least because of the amazing pictures by SBB fave Vivid Blue Photography. Sigh. I do love weddings.Read More

Real Winelands Wedding {Lizaan & Michael}

by gaby

Home is where the heart is, they say, and as a South African who’s been living abroad for many years I can tell you that’s certainly true. So I always love seeing South Africans who have chosen to make their lives elsewhere coming home for their wedding (as most of us do) – not just because our world class wedding industry makes it possible to have an amazing wedding for less than where they live usually, but because it reaffirms that bond with home, and brings visitors who fall in love with our beautiful country for the first time. Bride Lizaan is one of our most talented exports – the daughter of a Springbok rugby player and South African hurdle champion who represented SA as a pro tennis player. Groom Michael is also a talented sportsman, a PE boy who played rugby for the Italian national Sevens team. Together, they have made their lives in Australia, but came home for their wedding. And you guys, what a wedding it was. I am just going to Mosby it upfront and declare that I LOVE IT. The lovely rustic winelands setting (Ernie Else winery, which isn’t normally available for weddings), the slightly boho bridal party, the outdoor tables under the trees in the sunshine… Not to mention Maree Louw of Natural Light‘s magical photos, which capture all the golden ambience of a Cape summer afternoon. As I say, LOVE IT.Read More

Real Wedding at Webersburg {Leandrie & Raubie}

by gaby

Hello dear friends – sorry you missed out on your real wedding fix yesterday! I have a little holiday planned for next week, so I’m on double duty making sure everything’s ready to keep things pretty around here. Anyway, today’s wedding from Cheryl McEwan – as full of little details as it is – is definitely one to keep you entertained. Leandrie and Raubie were married at the magnificent Webersburg, with pops of green against a neutral palette, and lots of fun touches. My favourite is definitely the milkshakes with stripy green straws – adorableness! I also really love that Cheryl’s made sure not just to photograph these details as they stood on the day, but to get the bridal party interacting with them – it’s a nice editorial way of bringing those little touches to the forefront and making sure your pictures tell the story not only of your day, but of all the effort you put into the details, which I know is important to a lot of you! So here we go… enjoy!Read More

Real Wedding at Molenvliet {Sarah & Liam}

by gaby

Good morning SouthBound Brides! It’s our first real wedding of the year, and I can’t think of a more auspicious start than one captured by South African photography legend Christine Meintjes. A wedding from Christine is always a treat, but with a breathtaking Cape venue (the lovely MolenVliet), the most delicate pastel details and special touches like a canopy of flowers for the ceremony, white vases inside tall glass ones on the tables (love this) and dreamy bridesmaids’ dresses, this is extra special. Not to mention a to-die-for bit of hair accessorising on the lovely bride. It’s the perfect way to kick off what is set to be a year of real wedding awesomeness, and I for one, cannot wait!Read More

Real Wedding at South Hill {Estie & Francois}

by gaby

A few months ago, as you may recall, I opened up our Real Life Bride feature to our readers. I was hoping to hear from one or two of you, but instead, within days, my inbox was full. The BEST kind of emails – mails full of passion and excitement and plans and inspirations. I felt like I could picture each and every one of those weddings, and even though I could only pick one (okay, I picked three), I knew it wasn’t the last I wanted to hear of the others. One of my favourites was a submission from self-confessed “huge SouthBound Bride follower” Estie, whose big day was too soon for the series, but who described in detail the French-inspired fantasy wedding she and her fiance had dreamed up (with a bit of help from SBB!). She described a spring wedding, romantic and glamorous in Parisian shades of mauve, pewter, black & white, with a water feature and a transparent marquee full of twinkling lights reflecting the stars above. It sounded… well, dreamy is the only word I can come up with (even if it makes me sound like I should be at a sock-hop). Anyway, fast forward to a few weeks ago when talented Cape photographer Adene told me about her latest wedding, which she described as A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. And amazing it was. It also turned out to be Estie’s, and I’m thrilled to be sharing it with you today! (Oh, and PS: THAT CAKE!)Read More

Real Wedding at La Vierge {Jo & Tim}

by gaby

Oh my heart is so full, blogging these pictures! You all may remember that when I relaunched the blog this May I was on an extended stint in South Africa, where I attended no less than four weddings, and this was the first. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to share it with you all today! Jo is a dear friend of mine from varsity, who for a few years moved herself out to Canada. Now, I like Canadians, but I’m pretty glad that they didn’t manage to steal Jo away from us, because she’s not only one of my favourite people, but she’s now putting her considerable talents to work doing awesome things for education in South Africa. One souvenir she did manage to bring home from oot north is the lovely Tim. You know how sometimes when you meet a friend’s boyfriend and you’re just like, oh okay, this makes sense? Well, that’s Tim and Jo. He settled into our group of friends like he’d always been part of it, he made Jo super happy, and we were absolutely thrilled when the two of them (eventually!) decided to make it official, not least because it gave all of us the excuse to reunite in Hermanus for the first time in forever. Our group flew in from as far as Singapore and Sydney and rented three adjoining houses for three days. It was the BEST time. And we weren’t the only ones who trekked to be there – with so many people coming from all over the world, there was an awesome sense of celebration all weekend and a chance to make new memories as well as rehash the old ones.Read More