etsy - SouthBound Bride

Beautiful Pearl Wedding Dresses & Accessories

28 April, 2021 by gaby

Bridal Gown With Pearls by Dream and Dress

Pearls are nothing new to bridal style, but they’ve recently come back in a big way and are making a truly gorgeous fashion statement! Pearl wedding dresses have been all over the bridal runways, from delicate sheer gowns with pearl details to heavily beaded gowns studded with pearls and crystals. And it’s not just about wedding dresses with pearls. Pearl wedding accessories are also super hot right now. Bold pearl headbands, belts, boleros and capes, veils… you name it! What I love most about the pearl wedding dress trend is that it manages to be classic and chic as well as contemporary and cool – the perfect combination for a bride! If you love the look as much as I do, then read on for my pick of the best pearl wedding dresses and pearl bridal accessories from Etsy.

*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

15 Chic Black Wedding Dresses for Bold Brides

31 October, 2018 by gaby

Calypso Nightfall Black Tulle Bridal Gown by Mywony Bridal

*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive commission for any sales made.

Who says you have to wear white on your wedding day? With today being the spookiest day of the year, I’m taking the opportunity to showcase some seriously gorgeous black gowns that are sure to please an edgy or alternative bride. But even if Gothic isn’t your vibe, you might still want to consider a black gown. After all, the designer credited with bringing black to the bridal runway is none other than Queen Vera of Wang, and celebrities including Shenae Grimes, Ellen Pompeo, and Avril Lavigne have all rocked black wedding dresses on their big day. The key is to keep hair and makeup very soft and romantic, and choose gowns with beautiful textural detail, so the look is romantic and ethereal instead of harsh and Halloweeny. There are some absolutely BEAUTIFUL black (and other alt-coloured) gowns on Etsy, where I find designers are often both fashion-forward and accessible price-wise. I’ve rounded up 15 of the most gorgeous I could find!

20 Beautiful Mermaid Wedding Dresses

21 September, 2018 by gaby

BONITA Mermaid Wedding Dress by Ange Etoiles

If you’re looking to cut a sexy silhouette on your wedding day (or if you’ve always dreamed of looking like a Hollywood starlet), then look no further than the mermaid wedding dress. This slinky style hugs you in ALL the right places, beautifully enhancing curves, and making a very sophisticated statement! It’s super flattering for hourglass shaped brides and column shaped ladies (where it creates the illusion of sleek curves) – the only body type where it’s not really recommended is pears, where the style can emphasize rather than balance out full hips. But what actually IS a mermaid wedding dress style? A classic mermaid hugs the bust, waist and hips, before flaring out into a wider shape, just like a mermaid’s tail (and haven’t we all wanted to be an actual mermaid?). The flare itself can be slim or dramatic, providing lots of variation within the style. A similar silhouette is the trumpet wedding dress, which is often used interchangeably with the mermaid dress, but in fact a trumpet flares higher up (mid-thigh), while the mermaid usually starts to flare around the knee. The con to this is that a mermaid bridal gown can be a little constricting to sit in. The pro is that not only does it look amazing, but it’s great for shimmying around like a goddess on the dance floor! We’ve rounded up 20 mermaid dresses from Etsy – which is your fave?
Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

The 2019 Wedding Dress Trends Brides Need to Know

24 August, 2018 by gaby

So you’re shopping for your wedding dress! Exciting! And while you want something classic and beautiful, you also want to make sure you’re not wearing the same dress as every bride at every wedding you went to last year, but rather something fresh and fashionable. Lucky for you, the bridal runways are teeming with brilliant ideas at the moment – new takes on old silhouettes, exciting embellishments, and dreamy fabrics. We’ve looked into our crystal ball to predict the ten wedding dress trends that will be making a splash with brides in 2019. You will have already seen some of these gracing celeb weddings, and others on the bridal catwalks – we can’t wait to see them in our real weddings inbox! Which of these 2019 bridal trends speaks to you the most?
*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

20 Unique Handmade Wedding Gifts from Etsy

6 August, 2018 by gaby

Samantha Jackson on SouthBound Bride

I absolutely love the summer wedding season – getting dressed up, seeing lovely friends, celebrating gorgeous couples, wedding everything obviously – but one thing that I always find a bit stressful is finding the perfect gift. That’s probably because I usually go off-registry, though. I mean, I get that they’re useful, but I always want people to know I’ve actually taken the time to think about and choose the perfect gift for them, and not just ticked a box on a list. That’s why Etsy is such a brilliant resource for finding the perfect, cool, unique wedding gift. It’s full of beautiful handmade presents you would never have thought of otherwise, lovingly created – many personalised. Whatever your budget, you’re sure to find a creative wedding gift that suits the couple you’re buying for. In fact, you could get lost browsing there for HOURS, so to save you some time, I’ve picked out 20 of my personal favourite Etsy wedding gifts, all sold in the UK.
*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

20 Beautiful Keepsake Wedding Vow Books

30 July, 2018 by gaby

Personalized Vow Books by Dawn Naomi Calligraphy

So here’s a darling little wedding stationery trend I personally love: vow books. Personalised vows are for many modern couples a very meaningful part of their ceremony, and definitely something to remember and cherish. Vow booklets or journals serve the dual purpose of being a pretty way to keep your vows handy on the day (better than whipping out a crumpled piece of paper anyway!) and being a beautiful memento to refer back to over the years. I wish they’d existed when one of my closest friends got married – I helped her scribble down her vows on a scrap of paper and after the ceremony she asked for a copy and I had no idea where they were by then (something I felt bad about for a decade until she told me just the other day she’d had them all along, whew!) Some of our talented local South African stationers have caught on to the trend (I especially LOVE this set from Blooming Wonderful), but you’ll also find some really lovely options on Etsy. I’ve rounded up 20 faves!
*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

Lilac & Lavender Wedding Dresses

19 July, 2018 by gaby

Lace Wedding Dress by Luv-Luv

*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

It’s official: lilac is the new blush! With bold Ultra Violet being the colour of the year and the bridal runways featuring some beautiful lavender and lilac gowns in the last shows, purple is definitely having a moment right now. And while I’m not always the biggest fan of bright purple, I am LOVING the softer shades of the spectrum on brides right now! It’s like blush, but a little more grown up and sophisticated, and it reminds me of fields full of lavender in Provence, or soft purple pastel blooms. SO pretty. We’ve rounded up 20 of our fave lilac and lavender wedding dresses from Etsy to inspire you.

Embroidered Wedding Dresses

19 June, 2018 by gaby

Wildflower Gown by Natalie Wynn Bridal

*UPDATED FOR 2020* Embroidered wedding dresses are officially a thing! The runways at NY Bridal Week were full of them, with an especial leaning towards embroidered floral dresses. And I have to say, I personally love this look. It adds a special handmade element to any gown, as well as a touch of colour, and something unique. Perfect for a bold bride who wants something a little different, or a boho bride who loves a bit of a folksy feel. Etsy has also reported a surge in search for the term ‘embroidered bridalwear‘ too, and in researching this trend, I found it was one of the best places to source gorgeous embroidered dresses. So of course I had to round up my faves. And if you love the look but want something more traditional for yourself, I’ve included a roundup for embroidered bridesmaid dresses at the end too!

Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

How to Steal Harry & Meghan’s Royal Wedding Style

20 May, 2018 by gaby

All royal wedding images issued by The Royal Family via Facebook & Instagram

It’s official! Harry and Meghan (aka the Duke and Duchess of Sussex) are married! And with a guest list that meshed Hollywood royalty with actual royalty, the Royal Wedding 2018 is certain to go down as the wedding of the year. I’ve seen lots of mixed opinions about Meghan Markle’s wedding dress and big day style in general but I personally LOVED it – I think the gown was incredibly chic and looked stunnning on her, and that she accessorised it to perfection. I have a feeling it’ll go down as being just as iconic as the gown Princess Catherine wore a few years ago, and I have no doubt that many brides-to-be will be influenced by Meghan’s minimalist elegance, both at the wedding ceremony itself, and at the evening reception, where she wore a halter neck gown and aquamarine cocktail ring. Want to get a bit of Markle sparkle for your big day? Or get your groom kitted out like Harry (minus the military uniform, unless he’s actual in the forces, obvs)? We’ve got you covered! From jewellery to dresses to a classic black tux, here are ten ways you can steal a bit of Harry and Meghan’s wedding style for yourself. *Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

15 Meghan Markle Style Three Stone Engagement Rings

11 May, 2018 by gaby

Round Brilliant Three Stone Diamond Engagement Ring by MS Jewelers

With just over a week until the Royal Wedding, speculation is running wild as to Meghan Markle’s wedding dress. But before the big debut, there’s one element of her wedding style you can steal: her three stone engagement ring. This classic, trinity engagement ring setting, with the three stones said to symbolise ‘yesterday, today, and tomorrow’, has been given a revival by Meghan and Harry’s engagement ring choice, and is now one of 2018’s hottest engagement ring trends. So of course, I just had to go and search Etsy for the prettiest three stone rings I could find, in a range of metals, diamond shapes, and price points. One thing’s for sure – all of them will leave you feeling a little more regal! *Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.