Posts from the ‘Suppliers’ Category

May 17

Great Gatsby Bridesmaid Dresses

Image: Jonathan Wherrett via Vintage Now

Hello lovelies, are you all ready for your weekend? I have a rare personal post coming up today, but first, it’s time to look at another awesome bridesmaid dress trend and this is one I’ve been looking forward to highlighting for a while. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE The Great Gatsby. Ever since I read it, I’ve been a little bit obsessed with the roaring ’20s. I’m also a little bit obsessed with Baz Luhrmann – Strictly Ballroom is my ALL TIME favourite film, with Romeo + Juliet coming a close second (although, let’s not talk about Moulin Rouge or Australia, kay?). So as you can imagine, I am dying to see the film. And the timing is perfect, because fashion and wedding world have been jonesing for this for ages – 1920s keeps being a trend, and it keeps getting better, especially with all the gorgeous embellished dresses around at the moment. Seriously, could someone doing this please make me their bridesmaid? Because I so want an excuse to wear one of these beauties. Full disclosure: it’s not the most budget-friendly look (although I have identified some pocket-friendly options here), but it is mismatched (or even matched), glam, perfection. You don’t need to be having a vintage or Gatsby-themed wedding to pull it off either, but it will add a gorgeous touch of dapper flapper to your wedding style. Read more

May 9

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Glitter Bridesmaid Dresses

Image: Chelsey Boatwright Photography/Badgley Mischka via Grey Likes Wedding

Do I ever have some stories to tell about this last week y’all (can I get away with y’all? I want to). I had some plans to write a fun little post about our blogiversary, but life decided to teach me about best laid plans. So I scrapped that, and I have something else to share, soon, from the heart. For now though, it’s time for GLITTER. Because, to paraphrase Audrey Hepburn, glitter is ALWAYS a good idea. Or at least, a little glitter. And one of my absolute favourite places to see some sparkle in a wedding is on the bridesmaids. They feel fabulous (ask me – I wore a sequin gold dress to my 21st – so ahead of my time! – and felt like a Bond girl all night long). They look awesome in pictures. And you get that touch of glitter and glam without having to use it on your tables if you feel like it may be a bit too much. Plus, with sequins and metallics on trend in general, there’s no shortage of options in the shops. So today we’re rounding up SBB’s favourite shimmery bridesmaids, and as always, adding shopping options for those of you currently on a BM dress hunt. Go forth and shop. Or perhaps that should be, go forth and shine. Actually, DO BOTH. Read more

May 3

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A SouthBound Guide to Engagement Ring-speak

Straight off, I should tell you – jewellery is kind of one of my obsessions. As in, I feel naked without any, and there’s probably no gift you can give me – from a pretty costume piece that will fall apart after I’ve worn it for six months to something in a little blue box – that I’ll appreciate more. But one of the things I love most is how some pieces become iconic to their wearers. Take my mom. She decided against having an engagement ring, and instead got a statement gold wedding band – a chunky piece of 1970s gold that is so completely ‘her’ that I can’t imagine her without it. And that’s what your engagement/wedding ring should be – after all, it’s the one piece you are going to wear every day for the rest of your life. Which is probably why so many brides nowadays help to pick out their rings or have them custom made. But once you start looking, you’ll realise there’s a whole world of diamond engagement ring terminology that you and your fiance need to be aware of. Well, worry not, because SBB is here to help you, along with our friends at Chris Winspear Design Jewellers (based in Gauteng, but able to service clients throughout South Africa). A very welcome addition to our sponsorship team, Chris Winspear Design Jewellers has everything you need for your big day, from engagement and wedding bands (including a range of breathtaking coloured stones) to gifts for the wedding party such as cufflinks and charms. Today we’re showcasing just some of their lovely stock to illustrate our guide.

Apr 29

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Supplier Spotlight: Girl Meets Dress

Left to right: Haute Hippie sequin mini dress; Dina Bar El Polly dress; Maids to Measure lacey dress; Opening Ceremony lace back dress

So, as wedding people, there’s one thing we’re always in search of. The golden goose, the chupacabra (as that chick from the Millionaire Matchmaker might say). The bridesmaid dress so fabulous that not only will it make your wedding photos look awesome, and make your girls feel like a million dollars, but that they’ll WEAR AGAIN. Well, I’m just going to say this. It never happens. Now don’t get me wrong, because the times I have been bridesmaid, I’m happy to say that the brides did everything they could to choose something that was recyclable and that I would be happy in. At the most recent, we had the whole mismatched dress thing going on, and I loved mine, and I actually did plan on wearing it again. Then, the next year, I had weddings to go to as a guest, and when I tried on the dress I just felt too… bridesmaidey. It’s hard to explain, and maybe it has something to do with the pictures from every event we go to being all over Facebook nowadays, or maybe it’s just a time thing and this summer I’ll give the dress a second outing, but the fact is that no matter how well chosen, often they languish 27 Dresses style in the back of a cupboard and that’s just how it is. Read more

Apr 26

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Top Tips for Beach Weddings from Havaianas

Image: via Wedding Chicks

Flip flops, slip slops, jandals, thongs (seriously, Australia, that’s just wrong). I’m a fan. I pretty much live in flip flops all summer (I would do all winter if it didn’t mean a touch of frostbite) and ever since I discovered them a couple of years ago, Havaianas are so my fave. They are just the comfiest shoes ever, and as much as I love me a good pair of Louboutins, if I think of what I’d like to be wearing to a beach wedding, it’s Havaianas every time. They’re also what I’d like to be wearing at the end of the night on the dancefloor (and following a couple of bad experiences, they usually are). So I was super pleased when I found out that the good folks at Havaianas have a fun range of flops just for weddings. And even better, they’re sharing advice for beach weddings today as well! Planning a beach wedding is fun, but it does have challenges that other weddings do not. There’s a lot to think about to ensure everything goes off smoothly, so here are Havaianas’ top tips for the perfect beach wedding. Read more

Apr 12

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Veluz Reyes Ready to Wear

Afternoon brideys, time for some awesome inspiration for you all! It’s been a while since I did a wedding dress collection post, and there are so many beautiful gowns floating around out there at the moment. But if there’s one look that has absolutely entranced wedding world and racked up Pinterest pins and clicks in their thousands, it’s portrait or lace back wedding dresses. We did a whole post about it a while back, and one of the designers who I mentioned then has continued to rock my world. This is one thing I adore about the internet, because in a different age, I may never have heard of Veluz Reyes, who along with Claire Pettibone is pretty much the master of this wedding dress style for me. Veluz is already famous in her home country, the Philippines, but now she’s inspiring brides and wedding bloggers internationally. Up until recently, all of her dresses were bespoke creations for her lucky, lucky Veluz brides, but this year she launched her own Ready to Wear collection, and I just had to share it with you today! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t more than a little obsessed with the combination of frothy skirts, elegant lines, illusion detailing and, for some of the collection, the loveliest hint of peach/blush. I have a feeling that Veluz Reyes is one name that is just going to get bigger and bigger.

Sophia:

Apr 5

Supplier Spotlight: Crimson Edge

Happy Friday, lovelies! And just enough time before you head off to your weekends to introduce you to two awesome ladies and their shop full of fun gifts for brides and wedding parties. Sam and Lee-Ann are the ladies behind Crimson Edge, an awesome Cape Town events company. They noticed a gap in the South African market for fun, quirky, contemporary bridal and bachelorette gifts and launched their online shop. What an awesome idea – this is something that has really been missing in the local market. Read more

Mar 14

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Parant Parant Bridal Headpieces

Before this Thursday is out and I tuck into an evening martini, I thought it was time for another little snippet of bridal fashion inspiration – and this time, we’re letting things go to our heads. If by things, I mean super gorgeous bridal headpieces from Swedish designer Parant Parant. I’ve been meaning to share these inspiring little pieces of heaven with you for ages, and with everything going Gatsby this year, there’s never been a better time to go for a statement headpiece. I love that the Parant Parant pieces are romantic and feminine, but bold. They make for gorgeous pictures, so if you’re not brave enough to wear one all day, consider doing so just for the reception or even just for the photo session – I’ve seen brides do this before and it looks amazing. Plus it just gives you all the more reason to find an excuse to get dressed up and wear your headpiece again ;) Read more