Real Wedding #16: Local is Loveliest

We're always thrilled when we come across a local wedding - SA brides don't seem to share their weddings on-line as much as their international counterparts. (Change this - send us your wedding to feature on A Bride Inspired!) This gorgeous wedding of Ankia and Philip shows us again why local is loveliest!


Described by the bride as "the ultimate DIY wedding and if you do things yourself it makes the wedding very intimate and special. People know that you took the time and they appreciate it." We couldn't agree more!


The lovely photos speak for themselves and show lots of great ideas - we love the bright pink shoes, blackboard names on chairs, paper bunting (such a hot DIY trend this year) and the happiness in each photo.

Click here to read more from the bride herself via Cap Classique (photos by Joanne Markland).

Free Friday

Two words that are always good to hear: Free and Friday. Taken straight from our Around The World inspiration board, these save-the-dates are perfect for a destination wedding or one with a list of guests from the world over. Click here to download this free printable. Have a wonderful weekend brides-to-be!

Inspiration board #15: Around the world

The world is a bride's oyster! And whatever a wonderful thing to be inspired by. Think maps, postcards, and vintage travel items. This idea is perfect for a destination wedding as you can set the mood right from the word go with airmail save-the-dates or old fashioned postcards. It is also a clever way of combining the roots of a couple from two different countries as representative details can , for example, be brought in through the table numbers in the shape of maps with names of your favourite cities. For any couple that has plans to travel the world together - a globe makes a unique centre piece and will certainly be a conversation starter!

(Please click on board for larger image)

Top row from left: Airmail save the date from Ruffled; picture in Paris by Ivan Franchet;  Africa table number via June Bug Weddings
Row 2: Passport stationery by Inkbox Design; globe table settings and vinatge postcards via Green Wedding Shoes
Row 3: Passport stationery by Inkbox Design; Old fashioned suitcase via Victoria With Roses; photo of bride and groom in a vinatge store via Classic Bride 

Dresses to dream of

As we've said before, top dress designers provide fabulous inspiration for your own wedding dress. Vera Wang is synonymous with drop-dead gorgeous wedding gowns and we love her Spring and Fall 2010 collections.

"The 2010 Fall Bridal Collection celebrates the cinematic beauty, daring and drama of Cecil Beaton’s “My Fair Lady”. The “jeu” on black and white, the stylistic juxtapositions and the specificity of design and detail in the famous sequence from “Ascot” is an unforgettable moment in Fashion History that has long inspired designers from every era."

The Spring 2010 collection "celebrates a new sense of freedom and fragility. From delicate, ethereal layers to pale hand-painted tulles and silks, this collection embraces a youthful charm, femininity and romance. Ribbons, buttons, bows and blossoms add to the overall whimsy and lightness in an entirely modern take on wedding fantasy! Asymmetrical draping, random gathers and all sorts of scattered decorative touches add to the eccentricity and artistry of this collection."

Real Wedding 15: Garden fesitivties

This wedding took place in the bride's parents' garden, where the couple also got engaged. I love the idea of having a wedding at a family home because the venue immediately comes with personal touches and memories. The couple brought some wonderful ideas into the day - from the Polaroid save-the-dates, to native American medicine pouches for the favours, to a typewriter station for guests to write wishes. The chalk table seating boards worked particularly well and worked wonders with the outdoor atmosphere. The Italian-inspired dinner was served family style and included panzanella; grilled peach, arugula and prosciutto salad; pan-seared sole; chicken milanese; and gnocchi with peas and sage. How delicious!

Source: Snippet and Ink

Wedding Quotes made easy

Weddingquotes.co.za is such a handy website for brides. Finding quotes to get the best deal from the suppliers of your choice can be a real mission. This site does the legwork for you.

"The concept for this wedding directory, "weddingquotes.co.za", was born in 2008, when we realised that although planning our wedding was fun, it was also stressful, frustrating, tedious, time consuming and costly.

We had to call and email hundreds of wedding service providers, often not knowing what range of products they could offer. Without having their pricelists before calling or mailing them, we didn't even know if they could offer us anything within our budget.

This site is not just a wedding directory, it is a price-searching facility where you can get instant online quotations for all your wedding needs.

You can register on here for free and start searching for product information and prices, instantly!"

Even if you just need to compare your own quote with something to negotiate with your supplier, the information here may well be 'priceless'!
 

Ring-a-ling-ling

All engagement rings, like all engagement stories, are beautiful and romantic. I love to think of the man going to chose a ring to ask a woman to marry him. While we are all for tradition, these engagement and wedding rings featured on Refinery29 gives some alternative ideas on ways to sparkle up that finger!

For more information on prices and where to buy, click here.

Inspiration Board #15: Peaches and Cream

I love the romantic softness of peaches and cream, whether applied to makeup or stationery or flowers or decor. It is feminine and beautiful. think dahlias and roses, floaty fabric, pretty paper and you have a look that's as sweet as peaches and cream.

{Source: Tablesetting via Style Me Pretty, Peach Vera Wang Dress via Real Weddings, Bride and dressvia Once Wed, Chair with roses and cone via Elizabeth Anne Designs, Bouquet via Style Me Pretty,  Peach shoes via Heather Warasaka}

Handmade Heaven

While you may not be a bride inclined to bury herself in sticky tape, scissors and paper while magically crafting DIY master pieces, you may still want one-off, homemade elements to enhance your big day. Etsy, the online handmade and vintage market place, is the perfect place to hunt for such a thing. We love Humunuku's shop filled with beautiful things perfect for a wedding: hand made stationery, gift bags, bunting and labels.

Love Love Love Cards

Merci Beaucoup Gift Bags

Love Love Love Clothe Pouches

Merci Beaucoup Thank-You Cards

Vintage Animal Bunting

 

Merci Beaucoup Handle Gift Bags with Striped Ribbon

Real Wedding #15: Pretty in Pink

Although not our usual DIY love or reception details, a few things about this wedding caught my eye ... the gorgeous ruffle on the bride's dress, a very romantic proposal*, the look on the bride's face in the car, the bride's gumboots, the lovely misty rain photos, the old Peugot that took her to the church, and her sexy LBD for the reception. So pretty and romantic!

*"Early one morning Brett asked me to help him find a calf in the paddock, he drove to the top of the mountain behind our house and at the very top he surprised me, he had mowed a patch, set up a white picnic rug with Will you marry me written in roses, champagne and a stunning bunch of soft pink roses.  As the sun rose he then got down on one knee and asked if I would marry him and presented me with a ring he had secretly purchased two months earlier.”


{Source: Via Polka Dot Bride}