A dear friend of mine recently got married in the countryside just outside Johannesburg. It was a beautiful, sunny South African day. The bride was breathtaking and the groom so very proud.
Melanie was never in any doubt about the theme she wanted. French lace, pink and pearls - elegant, timeless and utterly romantic. The great thing about a traditional theme is that there is no shortage of material out there for you to get ideas from. Take this cake, for example, that I made a few months ago on a Maisie Fantaisie cake decorating course. It matches the theme to a T!
The invites were perfectly designed by another dear friend of mine from Red Koki Designs, Amy Portman (hello@redkoki.co.za). Amy is a classic "it's in the detail" ambassador, with a keen sense of style and the heart of a hopeless romantic. It clearly shows in her work.
Although I did not have a big part in the design of this wedding, one thing I can take credit for is finding the guest book. How gorgeous is this creation by Evgenia Petzer?! Evgenia is a friend of my stepmother's. She lovingly hand makes these books according to your exact needs, and I must say they are impeccable. Find her on evgeniapetzer.blogspot.com.
The same week of this wedding I discovered these crocheted flowers at my Gran's house. She made them! They are too sweet and would have worked perfectly with this theme as boutonnieres for the wedding party or even as favours pinned onto escort cards for your female guests. She can make them in all colours and sizes so e-mail me for order details if you love them as much as I do.
Traditional themes become traditional for a reason, and the romance of French lace and pearls is no exception. When you have a strong theme with a clear direction you can find inspiration anywhere. Keep your eyes open and don't be afraid to turn to your friends for a little help.
And if your friends are not that helpful, you can always rely on mine.
And the absolute cherry on top for me was my dear friends from London, that's you and Drew, attend this monumental (for me)| event in the countryside under the typical South African sun!
ReplyDeleteI definitely took a lot of inspiration from my friends (yourself, Amy Portman, Cher Murphy), and some gorgeous weddings I've attended, but some ideas were bourne from childhood, i.e. did not my groom in black, I definitely wanted to say my own vows and I wanted to sing. One idea that wasn't realised was that I didn't get to say a speech :) The colour white to be predominent has always been a dream of mine, and many were afraid that the entire venue would lack lustre without more colour, but I had to remain true to my heart: Just a tiny hint of pink in the roses, and grey lace on the tables to break it.
The cake pop idea was from my sister Lauren, and I loved that they served as place names as well as decor and especially as I hadn't seen them used at a wedding before. A stunning lady in Pretoria made them for me, Sarie Wilson.
Overall for myself and my new hubby, we wanted the theme to be love and family. We are very happy with everything and the staff at Toadbury were amazing! We felt like royalty when we stayed there that evening and had a scrumptious full english and continental breakfast the next day.
I love your blog Adel and the ideas it gives us and I trust it will help many brides find inspiration in the future.
The guest book was such a unique and sentimental gift! Thank you!
Mel
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