Posts tagged ‘gold’

Mar 11

Inspiration Board: Amber Glow

And we’re back with another lovely inspiration board, yay! This time, we’re exploring the warm end of the spectrum, in a board that combines red, yellow, peach and gold. Reader Emily made the request for her romantic summer wedding, and I absolutely love it, don’t you? It’s the kind of palette that often gets used for autumn weddings, which is great, but I think also works perfectly for an intimate outdoor summer feel as well. As always, I love the inclusion of organic colour through fruits, berries and flowers, and you can have a lot of fun adding glitz – maybe some spraypainted fruit pomegranate placecards, for example? I’ve really gone for gold with the bridesmaids, all in spangly dresses, as well as a gold stationery suite – love this combined with the magical fairy lights! One of my favourite summer touches is the alcoholic fruit jellies – a fun but sophisticated dessert option! Hope you like your board, Emily and good luck with the rest of your planning!

Colours: Peach, red, yellow & gold

Top row (l-r): Centrepiece {Charlotte Jenks Lewis Photography/Poppies & Posies}; gold sparkly shoes {Tamiz Photography/Belle Destination Weddings and Events}; glitter names {Arrow & Apple}; peach and white lanterns {Lisa Lefkowitz/Rebecca Reategui Weddings & Special Events}; twinkle lights {Emily Steffen Photography}
Row 2: Gold bridesmaids dresses {Tec Petaja/Bash, Please}; gold stationery {Jose Villa Photography/Kristeen LaBrot Events}; gold cake {My Sweet and Saucy/Ashley Rose Photography}; boho headpiece {Kym Ventola/Mignonne Handmade}
Row 3: Bouquet {Kari Crowe Photography/Kate Foley Designs}; table setting {Imagery Immaculate/Wedding Jeannie}; jelly shots {Martha Stewart}; couple {Meghan Christine/Primary Petals & The Vintage Table Co & Carly Williams Weddings & Events}; outdoor tables {Stephen Karlisch/Meredith Commender}.

Feb 25

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Inspiration Board: Sugarplum Fairy

Hello lovely friends – hope you all had a fabulous weekend. London was COLD, so I spent it wrapped up warm inside! Last Thursday I indulged myself in all things Sparkle & Blush, but today I’m moving on to a whole new pink and glitter inspiration board obsession. This one was created especially for reader Marielen, who is planning a spring wedding in Canada. She’s a fan of everything ballerina, and wanted something classic, modern and romantic, as well as warm and inviting, in pinks and golds. Well, pink and gold is one of my absolute favourite combos, and Marielen could just go for basic ballerina blush, pairing it with gold glitter (which is itself a lovely combo), but I really love the addition of a hot pink (this is also a great colour combo if you’re going to use graphic black and white as a base). It just adds that extra bit of warmth and brings the look bang up to date. Adding a bit of ballerina style is no problem – there are many gorgeous ballet-inspired dresses around at the moment, and I do love a bride in ballet slippers. Make sure bride (and maids) are in chic buns, and accessories with lots of tulle and ruffles and ribbon – both in the bridal party and at the reception. I love the use of roses here – they really are a classic – and especially the sweet escort cards and also a little rose bud at each place setting. Another lovely touch is the glittery ribbon for the bouquet. And speaking of ribbon, an idea I really love (that is a subtle but very pretty reference to the ballet stage) is to have a ribbon curtain for the aisle – how gorgeous does it look? It’s something you could do inside (against a blank wall) or out as pictured here, and will really make an impact! If possible, you can also re-use the curtain (now ungathered) behind the main table at the reception. I must say, I really love this look – hope you do too, Marielen!

Colours: Blush pink, candy pink, hot pink, gold glitter

Top row (l-r): Ballerina {Asian Bees}; rose escort cards {A Bryan Photo/Calder Clark Designs}; blush cocktails {Insight Creative/Carbine Avenue}; centrepiece {A Bryan Photo/Calder Clark Designs}; ballet shoes {Yan Photo/Honey of a Thousand Flowers}
Row 2: Gold cutlery; pink and gold invitation {Fine & Dandy Paperie}; pink and gold ribbons {Insight Creative/Carbine Avenue}; sparkly bouquet tie {Confetti Pop }; aisle {Edyta Szyszlo/lovely little details}
Row 3: Pink ombre cake {Edyta Szyszlo/lovely little details}; place setting with rosebud {Q Weddings/Suzanne Court Catering & Events}; bouquet {nbarrett photography/Lavender Joy Weddings}; pink flower boutonniere {Confetti Pop}; bride and groom {Rebekah Westover Photography/Attention 2 Detail Events}.

Feb 14

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Inspiration Board: My Funny Valentine

Hello friends! And a happy Valentine’s Day to you all – hope you have a wonderful, romantic day, whatever you choose to do. And don’t forget to take a moment to remember all the other people you love, since nobody says V Day has to be only about romantic love. (For me, I’m sending out a big hug to my mom and especially dad, who has sent me a card every Valentine’s Day of my life – love you guys! xx) Anyway, we have quite a bit of V Day goodness coming to you today, and I thought I would kick it off with this little inspiration board (last time I did this, a lovely bride actually based her wedding on it!). It had to be red and white, but instead of the classic red, I thought I would go for a colour combo that’s part of the current Pantone stable – poppy red together with linen. The bright red and off-white neutral work so beautifully together, and when you add a little glow from gold, it really comes together. So here it is, folks, my little valentine to you all…

Colours: Poppy red, linen, gold

Clockwise (from top left): Cocktails {Martha Stewart}; bride with red lips {Tasha Seccombe}; Valentine menu {Cynthia Warren}; glitter dress {Monique Lhullier}; gold heart shoes {welovepictures}; poppy bouquet {Sutherland Kovach}; nude bridesmaid dresses {Elizabeth Messina}; heart macarons.

Jan 17

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Winter Gold {Plus DIY details + special offer}

You guys, I am doing such a happy dance as I post this feature today! It has been a long while coming, and I am thrilled to finally be able to share it with you. See, this isn’t just a beautiful shoot that someone sent me, I was actually there for this one. I saw it put together from scratch. I even helped make it happen a little. Not that it’s my shoot – ‘assisted’ is the key term here. All of this shimmery, wintery loveliness comes straight from the imagination of styling queen Louise Beukes of b.loved (how pretty must it be inside her mind?) as well as the lens of Liesl Cheney. It’s all about making your guests feel cozy while at the same time sweeping them up Narnia-style into a world of snowflakes and pinecones and sophisticated elegance. And now’s a good time for me to say how proud I am of everything Louise has achieved. A couple of years ago, she approached me as a SouthBound Bride herself, and told me she wanted to start a blog. I thought it was a great idea. Then she told me she wanted to be a stylist, and I thought that was an even better one. The result is not only daily eye candy on her fabulous blog, but a portfolio that is just busting at the seams with loveliness. This was one of her first shoots, so you can see she hit the ground running. Oh, and the reason we didn’t show it to you earlier? Only because it was too busy being featured in UK magazine You & Your Wedding. Read more

Jan 7

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Inspiration Board: Carnevale

Good morning friends? How were your weekends? I had a really good one, doing more January planning and organising as well as catching up with Louise from b.loved and chatting about our big blog and business plans for 2013 – all very exciting! You’ll also get to kuier with her a bit later this week. But for now, it’s time for our Monday inspiration board. I wanted to start the year with something bold and new, and after telling you that copper was one of the year’s hot colours, I just had to get stuck in. I’ve decided to combine it with both teal and navy, and it’s rich, opulent and exciting – maybe even slightly mysterious. It reminded me a little of Venice (hence the name). I’d just love to see this one come to life!

Colours: Navy, teal and copper

Top row (l-r): Copper and teal dress; glitter giftwrap {Grey Likes Weddings/T&H Photography}; copper shoes {Desiree Dawn Events/Shea Christine}; sparkly top {Fiona Kelly/b.loved Weddings}; keys {Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge/Chelsea Nicole}
Row 2: Sweets; teal stationery suite {Sean Flanigan/Lilia DeGregory}; copper cake {Missy Photography/Merci New York}; ribbons {Grey Likes Weddings/T&H Photography}; gorgeous redhead bride
Row 3: Opulent bride {Fiona Kelly/b.loved Weddings}; navy bridesmaids; table settings; Venice.

Nov 5

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Inspiration Board: Tropical Coral & Mint

Hidey ho, neighbours. How was your weekend? Mine has been absolutely chokka with work, and a separate project I have on this November which has really been taking me back in time a bit to a year I spent teaching English in Milan… really wishing I could just jump on a plane and spend some time in my second favourite country again! Anyway, we’re transporting ourselves somewhere else completely today, to tropical Colombia, where lucky reader Clara will be getting married at a restaurant venue. She’s chosen mint/aqua, coral, gold, ivory and white, and I have to say, I don’t think she could have picked a more perfect palette. It’s just the right mix of tropical, modern and romantic. My first find was the stationery set below, which I am completely in love with, and which I think completely gets across the location and the colour scheme. I also love the idea of adding in some fun tropical touches, like coral bands on the napkins and this cute enamel statement octopus ring – maybe a fun accessory for the bridesmaids, in their coral sundresses. Clara also likes shabby chic and lace, and while it’s not always easy to mix this with tropical, I’d do it using pretty tea glasses with coral roses, a fringe garland (why not include lace in this?) and a ruffly dress. The flowers are also a lovely mix between classic and tropical, and I love the bold use of a flash of gold. For the tables, I’d keep things simple – maybe using a nice print (chevron or stripes always work well) in the mint or aqua shade, with gold cutlery and glassware (or just keeping to simple white tables with beautiful stationery accents at each setting for a more sober look). Clara also asked about using flowers for the church and the restaurant and I think she has a few options, depending on the size of the party. If it’s intimate, I’d use smaller arrangements in the church placed at different heights, and then re-use these along the table (even bridesmaids’ bouquets can be placed in vases and double up as reception flowers). Or, if you’re going for big statement pieces in the church, place these standing or on stands around the reception and keep table flowers more simple. Finally, you could keep things very simple in the church – maybe forsaking flowers completely and using lots of candles, for example, and save the flowers for the reception. There are no hard and fast rules – do whatever your budget and wedding size allow. Hope you like your board, Clara, and good luck with the rest of your planning!

Colours: Mint, coral, gold, ivory, white

Top row (l-r): Bride and groom {efeunodos/William Banea}; roses in tea glasses; fringe garland; tropical bouquet {José Villa}; palm print {Stella McCartney}
Row 2: Coral and mint beach wedding invitation suite {Boudreaux by Wednesday Custom Designs}; enamel octopus ring; watermelon margarita pops; cake {}
Row 3: Coral bridesmaids dresses; aqua chevron print table decor {Kate Headley}; coral napkin holder {Wedding Concepts/Annemari Ruthven}; aqua shoes {Karen Hill/Loli Events}

Oct 29

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Inspiration Board: Cleopatra’s Gold

Good morning, lovelies – did you have a fantastic weekend? Get up to any Halloween antics? Today’s board is one of my own inventions – sort of a mix between my recent Moroccan influences and a decadent art deco interpretation of Egyptian style. The colours – black, white and gold – are classic for an evening celebration of course, and paired with pretty luxe details like these beautiful bridesmaid dresses, gold-detailed glasses and those sandals, would make for a really lovely wedding. The bride’s makeup would be dramatic, and she’d wear a stunning mantilla – maybe with a flash of sequins on her dress and a henna tattoo. With so much going on with the table settings (love these print tablecloths, by the way, even if Kim Kardashian did use them), I’d keep the rest of the decor relatively simple – isn’t this tent-like draping a simple and lovely way to do things? The stationery would be a designer’s dream, and I’d combine several rich patterns in the three main colours. I would LOVE to see someone pull this off!

Colours: Gold, black & white

Top row (l-r): Bride in chair {P: Jose Villa}; bridesmaids {P: My Big Day Photos}; rings {P: Michelle Turner Photography; P: Leah Michelle}; glasses {P: Katie Neal Photo; D: Alchemy Fine Events and Invitations}; art deco mural
Row 2: Invitations; makeup {P: My Big Day Photos}; gold sandals {Elie Tahari}; gold beanbag; mantilla veil {P: Picotte Weddings; D: Wedding Nouveau}
Row 3: Table setting in gold, black and white {P: Katie Neal Photo; D: Alchemy Fine Events and Invitations}; henna tattoo {P: Picotte Weddings; D: Wedding Nouveau}; sequins {P: My Big Day Photos}; draped reception {P: Frenzel Photographers; C: Jesi Haack Weddings}.

Oct 15

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Inspiration Board: Coral & Glam

Tangerine may have been Pantone’s 2013 colour of the year, but if there’s a breakout shade for weddings this season, it’s coral. And boy, am I ever glad! Coral is such a warm shade, and so versatile – I can’t believe how many colours it works with beautifully! It’s also lovely reader Carrie’s favourite colour, so of course she’s chosen it for her summer wedding. And Carrie must be a girl after my own heart, because she also loves a bit of sparkle, and wants to put her bridesmaids in mismatched glittery dresses – how pretty is that? There are some lovely coral or blush and sequin dresses available at the moment, but for this board I’ve gone for one of my absolute favourite bridesmaid combos of recent times – these copper skirt and top sequin and lace mismatches are just amazing and they look so good with the coral and white bouquets! Add in beautiful copper heart Vivienne Westwood shoes, and some good as gold accents and you have the perfect amount of metallic. A good tip with coral is to use it in a sort of ombre way, with everything from a pale blush to the most powerful orange version of the colour, just the way that it is in this adorable stationery suite. Add a few special touches – homemade lemonade, a ruffly chair back, sparkly mason jars, and you have everything you need for coral and glam wedding wonderful. Hope you like your board, Carrie!

Colours: Coral, blush, white, copper & gold

Top row (l-r): Bridesmaids {P: Jarvie Digital Photography}; table layout {S: Envision Wedding Studio; P: AC Ellis Inc.}; pink lemonade {P: White Loft Studio}; blush ruffle chair back {S: Envision Wedding Studio; P: AC Ellis Inc.}
Row 2: Coral & gold stationery suite {P: Jean-Pierre Gary and Kiera Ormut-Fleishman}; coral macaroons; Vivienne Westwood shoes; fireplace ceremony {P: Justin Demutiis Photography; S: Olivier Events}
Row 3: Sparkle mason jars; lace sheath dress with keyhole back {P: Paul Johnson}; cake {Elizabeth Messina}; single bloom centrepiece {Martha Stewart}.

Jul 11

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FROM THE ARCHIVE Real Wedding at The View Boutique Hotel {Manilla & Mark}

Hello, lovelies. We had some minor technical gremlins today, but I have fought them off just for you and can’t wait to share this incredible Johannesburg wedding which I know will get your evening wedsite browsing off to an amazing start! It begins with a film-worthy romantic meeting, through a phenomenal, original, beautiful dress and a gaggle of elegant green-clad bridesmaids and dashing groomsmen, on to a sweet ceremony and a bright and breezy carnival-tastic reception, and ends on a packed dance floor. (As all the best weddings do.) And you guys, these photos by Rensche Mari will have you gasping. Seriously. This is the kind of wedding that makes me love what I do, so without further ado… Read more

Jul 9

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Inspiration Board: Gucci Green

Good morning friends! I felt like doing something a bit different today – a stylish city wedding inspired by the latest catwalk trends. I adore the idea of a rooftop wedding (not enough couples trying this in SA to my mind – just think of the views from the Grand Daddy in Cape Town, for example, or the bar at the Hyde Park Hotel in Johannesburg, and check out two of my favourite Cape Town weddings with city views here and here). This time I’ve looked to Gucci’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection and created a bold palette of emerald green, gold and black (with a touch of geometrical art deco) that would really blow your guests away in the style stakes. It’s so striking. And OMG check out this bride wearing a green Gucci dress – one of the most elegant alternatives to the traditional white dress I have seen. Perfect for swanning around a terrace with your new husband, greeting your guests and drinking Emerald Isle cocktails, no?

Colours: Emerald green, black, gold