Hello lovelies! This afternoon I thought I would share (finally) some feedback from the 2012 readers’ survey. First of all, a HUGE thank you to all of you who participated – I really appreciate your time and effort! Relaunching the blog in May was scary, and it has been so amazing not just to see the numbers grow but to hear from you what the site means to you as well. Your responses really do make a difference – they show myself (and my sponsors) how to help you, where things could be improved, and what to do more of. So again, THANK YOU. Right, here we go!
Wedding at Cascade Country Manor {Emma & Steve}
Recently I’ve been featuring a number of fabulous alternative or more intimate venues, and today I have another. Cascade Manor is situated in lovely Paarl, and as well as having 900 olive trees on the property, features a beautiful waterfall – what a setting! Today’s bride and groom came from Tanzania for their big day, and together with planner Barry Geyer, created a look that was sumptuous and elegant, but still had bright pops of colour to keep up the visual interest. Moira West took the absolutely gorgeous photos, and didn’t Emma and Steve rock every one of them? With him in his slick suit and she in her romantic dress and hot pink shoes, it was difficult to narrow them down. But narrow I did, and here they are for your viewing pleasure!Read More
Twinkle Twinkle
I hate Christmas lights. Said no one, ever. Because seriously, who doesn’t love a good string o’ lights? I know I do. In fact, the first time I saw the tree at Rockefeller Centre in New York, I almost passed out with delight. And the second, and the third. (I liked that tree a LOT.) Admittedly, actually getting them wound around a tree I am less a fan of (cue: annual family tree argument) but once they’re up, twinkling away, there’s nothing quite like it. Maybe that’s why fairy lights/ twinkle lights/potato/potahtoe are always such an exciting component of wedding decor – maybe they remind us of things magical and childlike. Or maybe we all just like shiny stuff. Whatever the cause, it’s coming on Christmas, and I feel like looking at some sparklies, so today’s post is sheer fairy light indulgence. Some of these babies go big on quantity, but they’re also big on impact and romance. Lights transform an outdoor area into an intimate evening space, or warm up a winter wedding, or create an illusion of height, or just add that extra bit of wow. Hang them in strings, wind them around trees, hang them vertically from the ceiling. Create a wall of light, or a curtain, or a path. But whatever you do, take a few moments to drink them in – the hundred tiny stars shining just for you.Read More
Real Wedding at the Market Restaurant {Debra & Mike}
I ♥ Durban. I’m just saying. I’m not from there, but I’ve always felt like I kiiinda am, and not just because I say hull-ton and not hill-ton. When I was little, my grandparents lived in Umdloti, and so from then right up until university I spent large chunks of my summer holidays there. Oh, and then my parents moved there, so it’s where I fly home to. Anyway, what it adds up to is a huge soft spot for the Durbs. And what all you Cape Town and Joburg people may not have cottoned onto yet, is that the cool quotient of Durban has been on the rise. Not just a surf town, my friends. I am seriously seeing some of the most gorgeous weddings and suppliers coming out of KZN, and I am especially loving the sort of handmade hipster take on South African style showcased by dapper brides and grooms like Debra and Mike, today’s happy couple. Think: fresh proteas mixed with carved ones, bunting in the church, fairy lights in a restaurant courtyard, balloons and photos in MINI TOWN. In case the caps didn’t alert you, I am especially excited about that last part. Mini towns are the best thing, ever. (Can you get married in one? If you can, I might have to.) Anyway, I can’t imagine a better couple to capture this amount of awesome better than Dylan and Emma-Jane of Lad and Lass Photography (formerly Hello Harbour), whose work I have been dying to feature for a while. I just love their fun style, and I know you will too. Enjoy!Read More
DIY ‘Wolfpack’ Wedding Programs
A few weeks ago, I introduced you to reader Claudine, who showed us how to put together a whisky bar, as she did for her wedding. Today Claudine is back with a second post sharing one of her DIY projects – what she charmingly calls a ‘wolfpack’ program. Anyone who’s ever been stuck in a church waiting waiting waiting for the bride to arrive will know that it’s about ten minutes of smiling excitedly, looking around and waving at old friends, five minutes of shuffling and glancing at the door, and then sheer boredom until the big arrival. Which, depending on how punctual you are, could be anything from five minutes to an hour (and yes, I have been there, and in a freezing church nogal). I’m not encouraging bride’s prerogative-style lateness, but if you want to make sure your guests are entertained, this program is a great way to handle that, plus it doubles as a fan in case of hot weather. It includes the wolfpack – introductions to the wedding party – and a fun wordsearch. And it’s been a huge hit among other brides already. So here we go! Thanks Claudine! (PS All images are by Laura Versveld, and you can also see the whole of Richard and Claudine’s wedding on Lovilee.)Read More
Real Wedding at Villa St. James {Charlene & Andre}
Time for our first real wedding of the week, and this is a real treat. As much as big weddings can be super fun, I’m also a huge fan of the small wedding – a really intimate celebration where you get to bring out fantastic details on a lesser scale (perfect for a budget, and for destination brides and grooms). The Cape is an ideal location – not just for our wonderful weather, but because we have a wealth of stylish venues perfect for this kind of wedding. So that’s one reason I love Charlene and Andre’s wedding, which was held at the picturesque Villa St. James in False Bay, a former home of Jan Smuts with an incredible sea view. The other is that the wedding brings together two SBB favourite service providers for decor and photography in My Pretty Vintage and Joe Dreyer. Angie of MPV has put together such a charming, country vintage look (how cute is that whimsical ‘altar’?) and Joe has captured not just these lovely details, but the grandeur of the setting as only he can. It’s the perfect way to kick off your Tuesday!Read More
First Look {Sponsor Showcase}
Get ready, because I’m about to quote a Katherine Heigl film. I know. Sorry. But when I was putting together this month’s gorgeous Sponsor Showcase full of ‘first look’ moments, I kept remembering what she says in 27 Dresses: “You know how the bride makes her entrance and everybody turns to look at her? That’s when I look at the groom. Cause his face says it all you know? The pure love there.” And it’s true, isn’t it? You only have to look at either the bride or the groom as she makes that walk up the aisle to see pure emotion written all over their faces – definitely one of my favourite moments in any wedding. It’s also one of the hardest to photograph – impossible (unless there’s a second shooter) to get an angle on both bride and groom, and difficult to capture without being intrusive. I think that’s why I’m a fan of the ‘first look’ photoshoot, where the bride and groom share this private moment ahead of the ceremony (and the pics are always amazing). Fortunately, the photographer sponsors here on SBB are a talented lot, and they’ve once again opened their albums to share some absolutely beautiful, inspiring images that show off their different styles. If you’re still looking for a photographer for your big day, be sure to click through from the photos or links to see more of their work, and they could soon be snapping your own first look moment!
Inspiration Board: An Autumn Romance
Good morning friends! Sorry for a bit of a disruption last week, but everything should be sorted now for a brand new week packed full of inspiration – just wait until you see some of the loveliness I have lined up for you. Starting with today’s inspiration board, which is a request from reader Jessica, who’s planning a cold weather wedding in a little church in the country with a palette of soft purples. Jessica isn’t a fan of roses and wants simple flowers, and actually this works really well with a purple colour scheme, since there are so many pretty purple flowers in a range of rustic hues. A sprig of lavender at each place setting is fragrant and easy to do, and why not mix and match bouquets for a more relaxed look? Cut out leaf shapes from purple card and string on branches for a fun autumn escort card idea, and bag a cute colour co-ordinated cardigan. Then just add gorgeous stationery and lots of fairy lights, and you have all the makings of a romantic autumn wedding. Good luck with the rest of your planning Jessica – hope you like your board!
Colours: Shades of purple, taupe and mocha
Top row (l-r): Bride; Shimmer wedding invitation {Minted}; bouquet {Elizabeth Messina/Lisa Gorjestani}; chapel {Mario Testino for Vogue}
Row 2: Buds; bridesmaids {Sylvie Gil Photography/Kristi Amoroso}; leaf escort cards {What Shanni Saw}
Row 3: Cork heart; bride in cardigan {Kim & Niki, Photographers}; blackberry swizzle sticks {The Nichols Photography/The Nouveau Romantics}; fairy lights {Feather + Stone/The Little White Wedding Company}
Pick Your Favourite Inspiration Board for 2012
You know, friends, when I started this blog I was already a big fan of wedding blogs, and one of my absolute favourite things was inspiration boards. I didn’t start making them to compete with other bloggers who’d already mastered the form, but because of how much fun I had making them, and that has continued to be the case. Lucky for me, you guys seem to like them too. ;) It was a huge dream of mine to one day see one of my boards turned into an inspiration shoot, but before that day came, I got another amazing opportunity. Last year I teamed up with a new company called The Invitation Gallery to produce the SBB Collection – I loved that they represent several talented South African designers, allowing brides and grooms who couldn’t necessarily afford bespoke designs to still have access to gorgeous, contemporary designs beautifully printed on high quality paper. Each of the Invitation Gallery designers picked one of my boards and used it as a starting point for their collection, and I can’t tell you how exciting it was for me seeing them for the first time (and the second, and the third…).
Since then, I’ve been working with the collection on a series of inspiration shoots, and they have been just as lovely in the ‘flesh’ (in the paper?) as they were onscreen. You may have seen one of them in the current My Wedding Day magazine in SA (and you’ll be seeing more of it soon, as well as the others). I like to think there’s something in the SBB Collection for everyone – from beach weddings to rustic weddings, from classic to whimsical, and in all shades from aqua to purple to peach to blue.
But we like to keep things current, don’t we? So we thought it was about time that we updated the collection with a new design, and we’re asking you – my lovely readers – for your help. In a few weeks’ time, we’ll be asking one of the Invitation Gallery designers to create a collection based on your favourite inspiration board from 2012 and I’ll be working with that collection in a brand new shoot next year.
Here’s how it works: just head over to the SBB Facebook page and click on the album 2012 Inspiration Boards (or go there directly). Go through the boards and ‘like’ the ones you, well, like. The board with the biggest number of likes at the end of the year will go on to inspire the latest in the SBB Collection. It’s that simple. :) I can’t wait to see which one you pick!
It’s a Beautiful Day
It’s Wednesday, and although I have a kickass wedding to share with you later, I am starting the day with an incredible couple shoot. With pictures so lovely that I get actual goosebumps every time I look at them, such is their loveliness. Durban photographer Fiona Clair is fast becoming a fave of mine, and she has outdone herself with this couple shoot taken of Tessa and Wayne after their wedding day, with their BEYOND adorable family. (Seriously, I would consider having children if you could guarantee they’d turn out as cute as these three boys.) They have a special story, and everything in this shoot is just perfect – the light, the backdrop, that special glow – for a celebration of their new life together. I also love that this was Tessa’s response to some disappointment with her actual wedding photos, because for one reason or another, sometimes that happens. It must be difficult, but if this shoot proves anything, it’s that your big day doesn’t have to be the only day you can rock a photoshoot (or a big white dress). And there’s no question Tessa and Wayne will treasure these pics in the years to come – congrats to all of you!Read More