SouthBound Bride

Dec 8

Guest Blogger: Magnolia Rouge

I can’t believe it’s only a few months since I started chatting to the lovely Kate from Magnolia Rouge on Twitter – it feels like she’s an old friend! As well as having a seriously gorgeous blog, Kate’s a talented designer, and her company Ruby & Willow produces some of the most gorgeous stationery around. Even though she’s based in New Zealand, she’s worked with brides all over the world, including South Africa. I’m tickled pink that she’s agreed to share some of her lovely creations here – thank you Kate!

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Well hello there!! I’m delighted to be guest blogging on Gaby’s fabulous blog whilst she is back in South Africa catching up with friends and family in the sun. I’m Kate from Ruby & Willow (blog Magnolia Rouge) and I might just have a wee obsession with envelope liners these days… I gently steer all my clients towards them and hey they must love them too as a lot of them choose that option. And as a recipient who doesn’t want to open an envelope that’s full of pretty goodness! You can have a simple clean invite but add an envelope liner and it goes from ordinary to extraordinary! You can keep it classic and just use a simple bold colour, or one of my favourite looks is to use a contrasting pattern to the invitation for texture and variation or really have fun with it like this top one and personalise it to fit in with your invitation design. Below are a few of my favourites… which way would you go?

Dec 7

19 Comments

Guest Blog: Sewing-themed bridal shower from Luna and Chloe Weddings

You know how with some blogs you stop in and immediately know you’ve found a second home? Well, Luna and Chloe Weddings was one of those for me – I loved it from the first time I visited. Kristi has an amazing eye for detail, and a talent for seeing the potential for beauty in everyday objects. Her Homemade posts are a weekly highlight for me. So I can’t even tell you how excited I am that not only did Kristi agree to do a guest blog for me while I’m away, but she was kind enough to create this incredible bridal shower inspiration shoot, which I am absolutely dying over! I can’t think of a better way to kick off my series of guest blogs – thank you so much, Kristi!!
Read more

Dec 6

2 Comments

Inspiration Board: Lavender Honey

Yay, it’s finally here! The day of my flight home – 3 weeks of not thinking about work or the Tube or who’s going to win X Factor. Three weeks of sun, and friends, and my lovely friend Heidi’s wedding, and having Christmas with my family. I can’t WAIT.

But waaaait, you ask – what about us? Well, don’t you worry lovely readers, because December is set to be better than ever on Cap Classique. First up: for the next two weeks, while I’m gallivanting around Cape Town meeting some of the phenomenal people who have made the blog possible and then being a bridesmaid in Durban, several amazing friends have stepped in to look after you with a series of guest posts that will knock your socks off. No really, I am not only blown away that these talented folks even agreed to feature on the blog, but wait until you see what they’ve put together just for you! So, so awesome. You will not be disappointed! Please take some time to show them some love in the comments and make them feel at home. ;)

And guess what else is happening this week? Yep, the Cap Classique newsletter is finally launching! Yay! If you haven’t signed up yet, you still have a couple of days, but get in there quick before you miss out on any of the action.If you need an extra incentive, I’ll be giving away a little surprise something to one lucky subscriber. And if you need an extra EXTRA incentive, here’s a little sneak peek at some of the content…

See you on the flip side, folks!

PS If you missed it last week, you can win all your wedding stationery for free with Cap Classique and Seven Swans. All you have to do is head to the Seven Swans Facebook page and say which part of Anelle’s wedding inspiration you loved the most. Easy peasy, and what an amazing prize! Do it, do it now!

Dec 3

3 Comments

The Love List {3 Dec 2010}

Happy Friday, folks! Whew, I am having a crazy one, trying to get everything done at home and at work before I fly back to South Africa on my holibobs on Monday. I seriously, seriously, Can. Not. Wait. Despite the fact that I love London (especially with all the pretty snow we’ve had this week – talk about walking in a winter wonderland!) there’s nothing quite like knowing you’re about to head home to the big sky, the African sun, the smell of braaivleis and the sound of cicadas. It’s the simple pleasures that I miss the most, like being able to see the stars at night, or having sundowners and talking rubbish over a good glass of Cape chenin blanc with friends. Plus, this is the first time I’ll be having Christmas with my family in NINE years. I’m an only child, so that in itself is cause for serious excitement! So all in all, the mad rush now is totally worth it knowing I’ll be on that plane next week, and when the captain says: “For those of you returning to South Africa – welcome home”, you can bet I’ll be holding back a tear or two!

I’ll be back on Monday to tell you about all the things I have lined up for December, but until then, here’s the Love List.

Dec 1

9 Comments

Doily DIY Roundup

Clockwise from top left: Doily table seating chart; doily escort card; doily and burlap bunting; doily garland; doily menu; doily bunting with fairy lights; doily calligraphy place setting; doily invitation.

When I was a little girl, I loved paper doilies. I thought, as you do, that they were the absolute pinnacle of elegance. Faaancy. But I have to admit, in the craft stakes I thought they’d pretty much gone the same way as macaroni and egg boxes. How wrong I was. With vintage such a hot trend and the revival of all things lace, both on the catwalk and in wedding world, both paper and crochet doilies are seeing a massive revival, and I am loving it. There’s something so simply pretty about these paper goodies, and the best part of course is that they’re easily available and very budget friendly. Read more

Nov 30

3 Comments

Real Wedding at La Petite Dauphine {Diana & Ross}

There are some weddings that are so totally synchronous that when I’m putting the post together it feels more like an inspiration board than an actual wedding, and that’s what today’s is like for me. Seriously, it is flawless. The decor, the styling, even the weather seem to pull together into a cohesive whole that is just elegant, rustic perfection. Green and brown are two colours that work beautifully and bring so much depth to one another, especially when they reflect the lush spring gorgeousness of the Cape winelands. Details are cleverly chosen – clouds of baby’s breath and roses in copper pots and teacups, twig hearts, fruity water in glass bottles presented in an old wheelbarrow, wicker baskets for the ring bearers. And I love the whimsical little details, like Diana’s long veil and the embroidered bathrobes for her bridal party. In fact, there’s not a single thing I don’t love. Co-ordination of all this swoon-worthiness is down to Absolute Weddings, who are based in Cape Town, and the breathtaking images are from top photographer Christine Meintjes. Christine’s crisp style is perfectly matched to all that is light and bright, and her pictures in the blossoms are just inspired. *sigh* So grab a cup of coffee this Tuesday morning, and dive in!

Nov 29

6 Comments

Inspiration Board: On the First Day of Christmas…

Good morning, lovelies! Today’s the first day of my last week at work before heading back to South Africa for the holidays – I can’t WAIT!! The first couple of weeks will be a mad rush of Cape Town and wedding prep, but don’t you worry, because you’ll still be getting your daily dose of weddingness – just you wait and see what I have lined up! So excited! More about that soon, but first, here’s today’s inspiration. This last weekend I’ve been finishing off my Christmas shopping, so I’m feeling very festive and just amping to get tree decorating and biscuit baking. This week is the first time I’ll allow myself to start listening to Christmas carols, so I thought a first day of Christmas board would be appropriate, complete with partridges and pear trees. Hooray!

Colours: Green and grey

Top row (l-r): Partridge in a pear tree tapestry; calligraphy gift tags; bride; frosted pears
Row 2: Mistletoe ball; nest boutonniere; bird’s nest cake topper; Paloma’s Nest tree decoration; cupcake
Row 3: Pear invitation; bouquet; bride & groom; paper lanterns; pears with escort cards.

Nov 27

2 Comments

The Love List {27 Nov 2010}

Happy weekend! Hope you’re all having a good one, especially my American friends, who are celebrating the Thanksgiving holidays. And talking of celebrations, I wanted to post this today so that I had the opportunity to wish our very very special friend and real life bride Anelle an amazing, incredible, everything-you-dreamed-it-would-be wedding day!

Sadly, I suspect I’ll be spending most of this weekend wrapped up warm in bed with a nasty cold. On the upside, I get to do the last of my online Christmas shopping, and finish off the Cap Classique newsletter, which will be coming to your inboxes soon! Sign up now if you haven’t already!

Here are this week’s favourites from around the web:

Nov 26

4 Comments

Real Wedding at Straightway Head Hotel {Kedi & Alex}

So yesterday was Thanksgiving, and even though I’m not American, I found myself giving a lot of thanks. As in, THANKS to a certain South African broadband network who shall remain nameless, we couldn’t get the pictures through for yesterday’s real wedding. But THANKS to the hard work of the one and only Monica Dart (I am totally the president of her fan club today), it’s all here for you right now. And THANK goodness, because this is just the bestest way to end off your week (or start your week, or continue your week… it’s that sweet). As usual, I am in love with Monica’s photos, which seem to dance off the screen of their own free will. Combine that with a beautiful summery day, a haawt couple (seriously, how beautiful a bride is Kedi? – and she’s a doctor no less!), the prettiest of summer flowers against crisp damask tablecloths and a breezy garden setting, and I am pretty much smitten. So big THANKS to everyone involved for sharing! Read more

Nov 25

1 Comment

ThirtyFifty Wine Tastings

Today’s wedding will follow on later, but first… A couple of weeks ago I told you all about the hen party I threw for my friend Heidi, and how as part of the evening’s festivities we enjoyed a wine & chocolate tasting from ThirtyFifty (could you get more Sex and the City fabulesque?). A couple of you have already emailed me to find out more, so I thought it was about time I gave you some more info on this fab UK-based company.