Tag: Cape weddings

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 Little Stream {Lynsay & Graham}

by gaby

As a blogger, there have been a few times unfortunately where I’ve had to face the question of whether to blog in the face of unhappy events, whether home or abroad. This isn’t a news blog, but it can seem trivial to talk about weddings when there’s a major earthquake, or when my American readers are dealing with a national tragedy like what happened yesterday in Boston. I’m a runner, and my heart goes out to everyone who was injured or was there, and their friends and families. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a runner, it’s to carry on, even when things feel bad, when your legs are pounding and a part of your brain is telling you you’d be crazy not to stop. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned as someone who has also experienced loss of my own and through others, it’s that one of the very reasons that we have to hold tight to those shining moments of joy like the celebration of two people falling in love and promising a lifetime to one another, is because life isn’t always cupcakes and toile. So I’m blogging today. And frankly, there couldn’t be a wedding that is more full of life and love and promise and light than this one. Lynsay and Graham opted for a picnic wedding at the picturesque Little Stream in Constantia, and everything from the luminous bride and her boho bridesmaids to the high tea-style tables laden with food, the hanging teacups and acres of bunting, to the ice cream cart bringing smiles of delight to adults and kids alike is a gentle celebration of family and friends, nature and romance. Charlene Schreuder is a genius at capturing this sort of wedding, and she’s done so in her usual gorgeous style.Read More

Real Wedding at Kelvin Grove {Deborah & Michael}

by gaby

Take one dietician plus one software developer, add equal portions of family and friends and place in a pretty church and then a reception venue filled with handmade, personal decor. What reaction, as my Science teacher might have said, will you get? Well, a sweet, pretty wedding day of course! As you all will know by now, my favourite themes are those that say something about the couple, so when bride Deborah wrote to tell me about the scientific touches she and husband Michael added to their big day to reflect their love of science, I was intrigued. I especially loved the way they collected beakers and test tubes and used them for flowers and favours (the best use, if you ask me, but that’s only because I totally failed chemistry) and the cute equations they concocted for table numbers (Cute equations? Now there’s a phrase I never thought I’d write). Add in some protea and a mint/blush combo, and some pretty pics from Illuminate Photography, and it adds up to loveliness, squared. ;)Read More

Real Wedding at Lourensford {Hestelle & Niel}

by gaby

Oh my word, you guys. THIS WEDDING. I’m just going to do a Ted Mosby upfront here (for anyone who watches HIMYM) and say that I’m in love with it. Have been from minute one that I laid eyes on it, and once you click through to see the pictures (and you HAVE to see the pictures, by the dear Celesté Prince from Aglow Photography) you will be too. It is quite possibly one of the sweetest and most romantic (not to mention stand-out) wedding designs I have ever featured – full of blush paper peonies set against light-strewn branches (so magical), the most gorgeous wedding dress (and a very stylish bride and groom) and a fabric bouquet that will steal your heart. Niel and Hestelle wanted a soft and sophisticated look, with a fairytale touch, and that’s exactly what I think they achieved. It’s beautiful – so beautiful, in fact, that it’s not only being featured on SBB today, but on my lovely friend Louise of b.loved‘s blog as well (head over there to read Hestelle’s full story of her big day). So what are you waiting for? Dive in.Read More

Real Wedding at Die Opstal {Ilze & Louren}

by gaby

Good morning, SouthBound Brides, did you have a good long weekend? I took a couple of days off for the first time in AGES – although, by “took off” I just mean from the blog, not from work sadly. But sometimes it’s good to give yourself some time off, and I’m back refreshed and renewed for a week of sheer loveliness! Yay. Anyway, speaking of sheer loveliness, today’s wedding is just full of softness and sweetness and stealable details. For example, one of the first that caught my eye when photographer Nadine Aucamp sent over Ilze & Louren’s lovely wedding was the doilies placed delicately under every plate – such a simple way of bringing shabby chic styling to the table, but so effective! I also loved the collection of ceramic vases of all different shapes and sizes that Ilze put together – such a sweet twist on the milk glass and silverware collections we’ve seen a lot of recently. And I love the bird-on-a-wire table listings! As I said, sheer loveliness.Read More

Real Wedding at 401 Rozendal {Lisa & Michael}

by gaby

You guys, I am SO EXCITED about this wedding. The minute I saw it on our friend Carmen Visser‘s blog, I mailed asking if we could feature it – our first traditional Zulu wedding. Lisa and Michael are based in New York, but for their wedding, Lisa wanted to celebrate her Zulu heritage back in South Africa. I absolutely adore her traditional wedding style and protea bouquet and flower arrangements, as well as the way that venue 401 Rosendal was decorated in stylish African chic to suit the occasion. What a special day for Lisa and her family, and for all the guests who came over from the US for a truly memorable occasion. We’re so lucky to have such a rich and diverse cultural heritage in South Africa, and for me as a South African wedding blogger, it’s a pleasure to be able to showcase that in its variety. So here we go – get ready for colour and exuberance and meaning and so much fun.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 Garden Wedding {Lindsay & Gareth}

by gaby

Hello my lovelies! Today’s wedding is a breath of fresh air, or more like a summer breeze on a perfect afternoon (Gaby looks out of the window at a winter London garden and despairs). Lindsay and Gareth wanted an unpretentious wedding focused on their nearest and dearest, so they set aside the usual hunt for a venue and married in an uncle’s garden with a woodfire oven churning out fresh pizza and a live blues band and jukebox. Sounds like heaven, no? If ever a wedding captured the lazy, hazy spirit of summer (as well as the theme of ‘eat, drink and be married’), then this is it, and although we’re usually all about the details, I couldn’t help but delight in Kelland Photography‘s captures of this spirit among the guests as well. Which is just one more SouthBound wedding that goes to prove that doing your wedding your way – whatever that means to you – is also the best way.Read More