Confessions of a DIY Bride #3: Fabric Boutonnieres

Quite early on, we decided not to have a ‘strict’ colour scheme… quite simply, because we thought it would too difficult to co-ordinate exact colour match swatches from 10 000 miles away! (We were right.) So our colour palette ended up being pretty broad, and was inspired by the earthy tones of our venue, and the pastel shades of the Joules Hedy bridesmaids’ dresses I’d bought on a whim in the January sales. To tie the girls’ look in with groomsmen and the rest of the wedding party (dads, moms, grans and aunties) I crafted a set of fabric corsages, using Liberty print fabric, vintage pins and various buttons, which formed the base for the fresh lavender and rosemary sprigs we added on the day.Read More

Confessions of a DIY Bride #2: The Invitations

The invitations….that first tentative step into the deep-end of wedding planning, often happens before you know exactly what your (fully fabulous) Big Day vision looks like. Which, of course, makes picking the ‘right’ invitation even trickier!

SAVE THE DATES SAVED THE DAY!
We had the added stress of getting our invites out ASAP, as many of our guests needed to book flights, and organise annual leave. This is where the American tradition of a ‘Save the Date’ came in handy. With our date and venue set, and and inspired by the fact that most of our guests would be travelling from London to SA, we decided to base our Save the Dates on that London Underground staple – the Oyster card.

We tweaked the design (with apologies to TFL) and printed them straight onto magnetic paper (no really, it is a real thing – look here) at home on our shke-donky old inkjet printer, and mailed them out with the Christmas cards. This not only gave our cross-continental guests no excuse not to come, but also gave us breathing space to send out the invites closer to the day, once we had some idea of styles and themes.Read More

Real Wedding at Netherwood {Sam & Stew}

Okay, I am going to admit, I found this feature HARD. Not because it’s not lovely, oh no. But because picking through the pictures has never been harder. It’s not just that Sam – our brand new DIY Bride guest contributor – has an eye for detail second to none and the most incredible, original, personal, heart-warmingly wonderful ideas incorporated into her beautiful wedding, but that every one of photographer Jacki Bruniquel’s pics is so perfect that I wanted to use them all. Narrowing them down was like a Herculean task. So this is kind of a long post. But I don’t mind if you don’t mind, and I know you won’t mind scrolling through this absolutely gorgeous DIY celebration at Netherwood. And the best part? You’ll be able to recreate some of the awesome yourself, when Sam brings you her DIY tutorials. Isn’t that the best news? Yes it is.Read More

Confessions of a DIY Bride

:) I’ve been waiting for this day for a while, and I’m so excited to share this post with you! *waves ‘Yay’ flag*
A while back, I was contacted by a former bride living in London, who had planned and executed an awesome DIY wedding in South Africa. Sam wanted to share her insights into planning from abroad, as well as her DIY skills, and as soon as I had a look at her gorgeous wedding I knew not only that we would get on, but that she would be a brilliant contributor to SBB. And so the scheming began. The ultimate result is that I am delighted to tell you that Sam will be joining us here on SBB as our official DIY contributor! Welcome, Sam! She’ll start with DIYs from her own gorgeous wedding, and here’s the really fun part – we’ll be featuring her wedding next week! You guys, it’s such a good one, and the pics were taken by one of my faves, Jacki Bruniquel (a few sneaky peeks on this post, but you’ll have to wait until Tuesday for the rest!). In the meantime, here’s Sam to introduce herself and give some amazing general DIY wedding advice – show her some love in the comments!

**********************************************************

I have a confession to make: My name is Sam, and I was a DIY bride.

From the dress, to the cake, to the flowers, and every stitch and stamp of the reception decor, we sourced, made, crafted and arranged most of it ourselves… from 10 000 miles away.Read More

Real Wedding at Schoone Oordt {Harriett & Craig}

Needless to say, I love every wedding I feature here on SBB. You brides are so full of creativity and general awesomeness. But there are some where as I go through the pics I am just blown away by the level of detail, and today’s lovely intimate high tea wedding at Schoone Oordt is one of those. I mean, even the ice cubes are pretty. I love all the paper decorations, love the cupcake menu placecards, love the picnic blanket ‘guest book’, love the vintagey paper pinwheels, love the gift bags, love the individual cakes, love love love. I could go on, but I’d just be wasting time that you could be feasting your eye holes on the English country tea party goodness, photographed so beautifully by our friends at Real Simple Photography (who, PS, will be in London for a visit in August – drop Jacques an email if you’d like to book a consultation).Read More

Watercolour Wedding Details

Good morning wedding belles! We’ll have another fabulous South African wedding on the blog this afternoon, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some fresh inspiration. First there was the pastel trend, then ombre, so it shouldn’t really be a surprise that watercolour-style design has been one of the biggest trends to emerge in 2012. It’s everywhere, from gasp-inducingly beautiful invitations and other paper elements, to cakes, decor and even to bridesmaids dresses. It’s soft and romantic, and heart-stoppingly pretty. I know you’re going to love it.

Here’s a roundup of all my favourite watercolour details – look out in the credits for the DIYs and printables (in bold), as this is a look you can pull off on any budget!

WATERCOLOUR STATIONERY
Read More

Inspiration Board: Polka Promise

I’ve had lots of requests from real brides recently for pastel pink and green boards – clearly this is one colour combination that isn’t going anywhere! These two colours always give me such a good feeling – they’re so balanced, but at the same time so pretty and fresh. They’re ideal for a (spring or) summer wedding, which is just what real bride Jeani will be having. She wrote to tell me of the elements they’re considering: proteas and herbs, lace, DIY details. They also want to include polka dots as a motif, which I think is super cute! The key to using something like polka dots is not to go overboard, but to use them carefully and then echo them in shape or texture. So I’ve suggested some gorgeous DIY dot garlands (Jeani can use these hanging in the ceremony area, as a backdrop to the cake table or main table, draped from the ceiling – lots of options!). I’ve also suggested a polka dot cake (how sweet and subtle is this one?), pink paper polka straws, and even a dotty dress (look closely at the image bottom left). Then the circles are reflected in elements of the protea and rose bouquet, and the fun balloon accents in the ceremony area. Other fun DIYs that Jeani and her man can try are origami heart place settings, lace-wrapped votives and jars, a pretty lacy ring dish and ribbon-tied chair backs (use this on just the bride and groom’s chairs if you don’t want to spend a fortune on ribbon). Add a pretty sash to a wedding dress, and carry that fresh green into herbs under bell jars and inside found objects like this old fashioned filing drawer. There’s lots here to play with, and it all adds up to handmade summer sweetness! Hope you like it, Jeani!

Colour: Pastel pink, green, cream and beige

Top row (l-r): Dress with sash {Lisa Poggi}; origami heart DIY; lace-wrapped mason jar vases; paper dot garlands; herbs under glass {S: Paul Lowe & Paul Vitale; P: Alexandra Grablewski}
Row 2: Protea bouquet; balloon ceremony area {P: Simply Bloom Photography}; herbs in drawers {S: Paul Lowe & Paul Vitale; P: Alexandra Grablewski}; lace-wrapped votives
Row 3: Bride & groom; polka dot cake; DIY lace ring dish; paper polka dot straws; ribbon chair backs {P: Rebecca Wedding Photography}.

Real Wedding at Beloftebos {Shané & Francois}

Location, location, location. That’s what they say, right? Well, when it comes to weddings, I have to agree. It’s not that a spectacular venue is the ONLY way to have a memorable wedding, just that half the work is done for you. Best example: probably my secret favourite wedding of all time (head to 06:31 on the video to see what I mean). Yes, it’s from an Australian soap opera. Yes, it is cheese deluxe. But look at that VIEW. There’s not a single piece of decor, and yet that would be a dream wedding ceremony, in an unforgettable location. Anyway, location is one thing that today’s couple had on their side – Beloftebos, a farm venue with a forest roof so thick that it counts as a natural ‘church’ under South African law. Very cool. Even cooler is that Shané and Francois didn’t stop there – they created a handmade festival of awesome, including stunning bouquets, cute DIY rustic decor, and an amazing attention to detail (look, for example, at the ribbon on the flower girls’ feet, the button motif, the paint splashed glass bottles). Photies are by the fabulous Stephan Marais.Read More

5 Easy DIY Origami Wedding Ideas

5 Easy DIY Origami Wedding Ideas | SouthBound Bride

Hello, lovelies! It’s time for another roundup, and today I’m not only bringing you some detail candy, but also some fab DIYs to help you incorporate the origami trend into your wedding. I’m personally a big fan of wedding origami, and as both an easy DIY and one that’s flexible enough to look great in a number of different styles of weddings, I can see why it’s become more popular recently. Origami cranes are, of course, the big one when it comes to weddings (and they have special meaning – brides and grooms are supposed to fold 1,000 cranes for luck, since the patience and perseverance in folding all that paper is supposed to be a small taste of the qualities needed for a happy marriage). But recently I’ve seen some other lovely (and basic) origami details emerging as well, and I’ve rounded them up here. If you’d like to add a handmade touch to your day without going to DIY hell, if you feel like your tables need that little extra something, or you’re looking for cute escort cards or origami invitations, or or or… this may just be the post for you! Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

Read More

Free Printable Wedding Photo Thank You Cards

Free Printable Wedding Thank You Cards | SouthBound Bride

When the last guest has left and the tables have been cleared, there is of course only one thing left to do. Er, ok, two things (get yer mind out the gutter, will ya! ;) ). Thank you cards. Three little words to strike dread into the heart of any post-honeymoon bride. The fact is that while strictly speaking etiquette dictates that you have up to a year to send out those little notes, the sooner the better. Speaking from experience as a guest, they really are appreciated and necessary. But after all of those months of planning when all you want to do is relax into married life, they’re also a schlep. Well, here’s your solution. Not just one, but TWO different options of thank you cards from The Invitation Gallery – one classic and vintage and the other playful and modern. All you need to do is pick one, download and print it (or have it printed by your favourite print on demand service like PSPrint), attach one of your wedding pictures and get down to writing your personal notes. And there’s even an Afrikaans option for our Afrikaans brides and grooms! Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

Read More