Rooted: Earthy South African Wedding Inspiration

You all know I am a FOOL for editorials that take their inspiration from our beautiful, unique country, South Africa. So you can imagine how excited I have been to share this bold, earthy shoot from a local creative team headed up by Elri Pollard of Because Life Photography, and Impressionant Events. The palette is all burnt sienna and concrete, copper, aloe and bright strelizia orange. And the details are wild and fashion forward, but at the same time super rustic and grounded. I especially love the use of texture – leather, concrete, wood, and sand – as well as the incorporation of some very South African menu items!

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Proudly South African Wedding at The Emkhathini by Judith Belle

One of my fave things about running SBB is that, even though I love all the beautiful, elegant, ethereal, fine art style weddings and shoots that cross my desk, every now and again, something bright and bold and proudly, uniquely South African lands in my inbox and announces its presence like the happy toot of a vuvuzela. And I LOVE it. Today’s wedding is one of these fabulous, colourful creatures, a celebration of everything Jozi and South Africa, full of fun and romance. Bride and groom Samantha and Richard met in Johannesburg, and since it formed such a vital part of their story, they decided to opt for an urban celebration that was pure modern Joburg, from the rooftop ceremony venue with the city skyline on display to the African print bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen’s accessories, to florals like proteas and strelizias, right on down to the food (from the couple’s favourite Melville restaurant). It’s fierce and fun, and totally awesome. Judith BelleĀ captured these images of the big day.

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How to Create an Elegant Shweshwe Wedding by Piteira Photography & SouthBound Bride

I am BEYOND excited to share today’s shoot! Not just because I think it’s so pretty, but because for me it’s another step in the direction I have dreamed SouthBound Bride would grow. See, I don’t just want SBB to be another wedding blog, another place of prettiness and support and inspiration (although it’s all of these). What has always made the blog different for me is that it is all about South African weddings. So, to me, it’s also important that SBB is a place that epitomises South African wedding style. What makes our weddings unique? What do they look like? How can I celebrate the designs and traditions that are close to our hearts? I still have work to do in many areas to adequately represent our diverse and beautiful country, but one thing I wanted was to celebrate what I think of as icons in SA style and design. I started dreaming of styled shoots that combined current international wedding trends, but had our very own homegrown twist. Today’s is the first of these for 2014, and the uniquely South African element we’re celebrating is shweshwe. Which I LOVE. And you guys, this is the year for shweshwe. It’s happening.Read More