The Haunted Garden

Happy Halloween, folks! Every year round this time, I see a ton of Halloween inspiration, and it always makes me smile, because let’s be honest, the couples who are going to have a Halloween-themed wedding are few and far between (even if it would be fun, right?). But that doesn’t mean that you can’t create something elegantly eerie – something just a little bit creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky (just not altogether ookie, Addams family style!). And that’s what today’s shoot is – just a little bit dark, but super pretty as well. In fact, with soft blooms mixed with just the right amount of contrasting black, it’s the perfect inspiration – no matter what time of year you’re getting married. Carla of Mooi Photography and her team (including SBB florist faves Bright and Beautiful!) created this sweetly spooky shoot, and I’m super excited to share it with you this Hallow’s Eve!

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Opulent Monochrome Wedding Inspiration

When it comes to colour, you all know by now that I’m a little… fickle. I love bolds. I love pastels. I love pops. I love neutrals. And I love, love, love (with the part of my heart that is all Gucci and Chanel and gold jewellery and little black dresses) monochrome. As Coco herself said: “When I find a colour darker than black, I’ll wear it”! And when it comes to your wedding day, these days there’s no reason why you can’t rock a little black dress – or a lot of one. That’s what the model in today’s bold and beautiful styled shoot does, and what a dress! I absolutely adore this sexy, stylish gown from JVR Couture, and it’s the perfect centrepiece to a set-up that mixes opulence and simplicity. A strong, sophisticated palette of black, white and gold, with luxe touches like ruffles and chandeliers, and lush flowers, and gilded plates and pears. If you’re a glamorous bride, then this is very much going to be your vibe – what an awesome job by SBB Directory member Hello Love Photography!

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Inspiration Board: Blood Orange

Good morning, lovely friends! I’m back in Durbs after a really lovely week away. After spending time with a few old friends (and new babies!) I headed to Kruger Park on Thursday with my mom, one of her best friends, and her daughter (who was my absolute bestie growing up). They used to live across the road from us in Johannesburg, so I have literally known them both my whole life. What an awesome girls’ weekend, enjoying the quiet and beauty of the African bushveld (in my element!), spotting game (no cats this time sadly, but I was so happy and relieved to spot some rhino), and generally chilling out catching up. Of course, there’s lots to catch up on now (when is there not?) but it’s always lovely to see more of our beautiful country. Even if you do land up driving home in thunder, lightning and in rain. Speaking of that particular witch’s brew, with Halloween happening this week, I thought it would be fun to create a bit of a spooky All Hallows inspiration board. Of course, this is a super elegant, totally non-cheesy version of a Halloween wedding, with the colour scheme of orange and black the only real nod to the holiday. For the rest, it’s black tie elegance with pops of bright citrus, and a bit of a formal vintagey feel. Don’t you love it? Of course, the black Vera Wang dresses just take the cake – so, so beautiful. Happy Halloween folks!

Colours: Orange, black and white

Top row (l-r): Black Vera Wang wedding dress {Jose Villa/Joy Thigpen}; citrus centrepiece {Belathée Photography/McKenzie Powell Designs}; groom {Magnolia Pair/Meade Wenzel}; outdoor wedding {Wedding Artists Collective/Gloria Wong Design}; blood orange cake
Row 2: Bridesmaids with black lace back dresses {Amber Glanville}; place setting {Krista Mason/Calligraphy Katrina}; citrus garland; black shoes with bow
Row 3: Blood orange cocktail; black calligraphy place names {Andrea Nay}; opera glasses {Brandon Kidd Photography/Amorology}; Vera Wang dress; centrepiece {Honey of a Thousand Flowers}.

 

Inspiration Board: Modern Romantic

Another Monday, another inspiration board, and I have to say, I am more than a little in love with this one. I’ve had a lot of requests over the last year for blush and mint weddings, and when I came across this invitation suite from Hey Look I was BLOWN AWAY by how amazing this soft, romantic colour combination works with the modern graphic black and white. With just a touch of gold, of course. It immediately got me thinking of how I often hear brides saying they want something modern but also vintage, and I think maybe this board is a little of what they mean – a contemporary feel without being too stark, and a romantic dreamy backdrop without being too fluffy. The combination sort of reminds me of Audrey Hepburn, who managed to be cutting edge stylish and incredibly classic all at the same time. Beautiful!

PS Just a little reminder for anyone who has been trying to contact me, that I am currently on leave without access to emails. I will get back to you asap!

Colours: Blush, pastel green, graphic black and white with a touch of gold

Top row (l-r): Invitation suite {Michaela Egger/Hey Look}; shoes {Harwell Photography}; striped umbrella
Row 2: Bridesmaids {Alison Mayfield Photography Studio}; boutonnieres {Simply Bloom}; vintage wedding car {Jose Villa}; tassel garland
Row 3: Striped tent; lily bouquet {Jose Villa/Mindy Weiss}; striped tie back {Landon Jacob Productions/Parkside Wedding Studio}; macaroons; cake with chevron.

 

Hen Party Theme: Twilight

You didn’t think I’d let this week go by without something Twilight-related, did you? I have to admit, although a few years ago I never would have thought I’d be a fan, I can’t WAIT to go and see the latest film. A wedding! In a forest! Jacob with his shirt off! All my favourite things. I’m guessing lots of you will be feeling the same way, and although it may sound a bit cheesy, Twilight actually makes a great little theme for a bachelorette or hen party (assuming the bride is a fan, of course!). Here’s everything you need to know to make it Twi-umphant rather than Twi-hard, and turn your bestie into a bitten smitten kitten.

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Real Wedding at Kelvin Grove {Annerie & Murray}

It’s no secret how much I love the Cape countryside, with its breathtaking winelands and lush farms, and all the incredible wedding venues that take advantage of the rural settings and spectacular scenery. But I also get really excited when a wedding comes across my desk that taps into the vibrant heart of Cape Town instead. Anyone who’s spent any time there will know what an amazing city it is, and there’s so much largely untapped potential for vibey, modern weddings that your guests will really remember (and not have to shell out for accommodation either, bonus!). Case in point: Annerie & Murray’s GORGEOUS red and black number at Kelvin Grove. It’s clear from the first glance that this is a couple who are alive with vibrancy and passion and who brought that energy to their Big Day. My best bits: playing card ’boutonnieres’, streamers instead of confetti as they shared their first kiss, the clever vinyl and apple place settings, the groom’s suit and tie (and of course the bride’s lovely dress) and their couple shoot, which might be one of my favourites ever. It’s modern wedding perfection, and is brought to you through the fabulous photos of Wesley Vorster, who I’m thrilled to have on Cap Classique for the first time! Get ready to be wowed!Read More

Real Wedding at Le Manoir de Brendel {Angela & Gerrit}

Oh I am SO EXCITED! Today’s wedding is a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party!! Now I should admit, I’m a little partial to a bit of Alice in Wonderland because once upon a time I, myself, was Alice. Not in a went-down-a-rabbit-hole-and-hung-out-with-a-stoner-caterpillar sense, obviously. But when I was 12 my school put on the play, and I got to be Alice. Actually, I feel this is probably a good moment to apologise publicly to anyone who had to listen to me sing. Or act. Sorry folks! But whatever, I loved it. And the thing I remember loving THE MOST was that I got to play croquet with my own prop flamingo. (Cool, right?) So basically the second I spotted this wedding – flamingoes, playing cards, key necklace and all – I tweeted photographer Drikus Le Roux telling him I MUST feature it, and to my relief, he said yes. Cue me grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat. And I’m doing it again today. So… without further ado, let’s follow the King’s advice to the White Rabbit: Begin at the beginning, go on until you come to the end; then stop…

Lovely bride Angela sent over all the background on her Wonderland inspiration:
Gerrit and I are both originally from Johannesburg. We met in a nightclub there. He asked to take a photo with me, and the rest is history! We moved to Cape Town about two years ago and Gerrit proposed in February 2010. He planned a very romantic dinner for me at our home – we had a fondue and when he brought the dessert he asked me to close my eyes and when I opened them, before me was a pot of melted Lindt chocolate and a plate of sliced fruit. In the centre was the most beautiful ring! Then he asked me to marry him – it was very romantic :)

We are both huge Tim Burton fans and I have loved ‘Alice in Wonderland’ since I was a little girl, so after we went to see the Tim Burton ‘Alice in Wonderland’ movie we decided that we wanted to go with that theme for our wedding. This also helped us decide on the red, black and white colours for our wedding.

We went to have a look at a lot of venues but when we saw Le Manoir De Brendel we fell in love with the place and the giant chess board was a huge plus! We wanted an intimate wedding with all our important family and friends there. We also wanted something different as we ourselves are very unique in that way that we don’t want to go with what everyone else is doing, but to have something unique that would wow everyone, whether it be good or bad. We decided to have a morning wedding with a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party as our reception, where we served a lot of finger foods presented as a buffet and cakes as this would fit in better with our theme. We were so happy that we chose to have a casual wedding as opposed to a more formal one – it made us and our guests feel very relaxed.

I think our whole theme speaks for itself and to be honest a lot of people didn’t think that we would be able to pull it off and we did. With a lot of help and advice from our wedding planner and a lot of hard work it was a huge success! We supplied most of the decor, such as the flamingoes and stuffed hedgehogs, the place name cards and all the props for our photos. Laura (my maid of honour) helped me make feathered hearts.

Angela & Gerrit – you guys rock! Thank you for sharing your lovely and original day with us! And big thanks to Drikus Le Roux for sharing more of his fashion forward pictures – love them! You can see more on his blog here.

Service providers:

Venue & catering: Le Manoir de Brendel
Co-ordinator: Michele Steyn for Passionately Weddings
Photographer: Drikus Le Roux
Marriage officer: Dion Goldie from Capewed ([email protected])
Florist & decor: Elizabeth (flowers) and Michele (decor) of Passionately Weddings
‘Eat me’ cupcakes: Charly’s Bakery
Stationery: Invitations sent out via email and from wedding website
Bride’s dress: The Wedding Box, Kenilworth
Bridesmaids’ dresses: DiscountDressShop.com
Hair & makeup: Tamara Krijgsman ([email protected])

Inspiration Board: Snow White

I’ve been wanting to do this inspiration board ever since I saw the winning dessert table design in the European Sweet Table Contest by Belle Amour. Debs took a vintage fairytale approach, and with that forest wallpaper and the blood red, snow white and black as ebony colour scheme, it was simply stunning. I thought it would be a great starting point for a winter wedding. Obviously you want to avoid Disney cheese, but you can take design elements straight from the story – dozens of mirrors lining the walls, red apples at every place setting – just try to avoid the temptation to dress your seven bridesmaids up as dwarves! ;) Colette Dinnigan currently has a Snow White bridal collection, and this pretty dress has the perfect mix of drama and whimsy. Pile on the red lipstick, and you’re sure to be fairest of them all!

Colours: Red, white, black, grey.

Top row (l-r): Snow White dessert table; wedding dress; bride with ornate hairband
Row 2: Red shoes picture by Elizabeth Messina; ‘fairest of them all’ ring; red apple place setting; glass ring box; invitation
Row 3: Red apple picture by Love Made Visible; mirrors; baby’s breath; cranberry red bridesmaid’s dress.