A Wedding in the Family

In September of last year, my mom announced that she would be marrying her long-time boyfriend, Clive. Everyone on both sides knew that it would eventually happen, but that doesn't mean we're any less excited! My sister-from-another-mister Nats (who is, incidentally, Clive's daughter) and I are not only the two bridesmaids, but have been tasked with putting the whole shindig together. So for the last four months we have been diligently scouring Pinterest for inspiration and ideas to make this thing happen. You can check out the board here.

The couple have chosen a regal palette of deep red, black and champagne, and our brief was straightforward.

Keep it classy, keep it natural, keep it simple.

And that is just what we've done.

They've settled on a small wedding and a short outdoor ceremony, using nature as their decor. Because of their shared love of nature I decided to use birds as a theme running through all the stationery. Soft, romantic and slightly rustic. Programs printed on paper bags holding confetti could add a nice touch to the proceedings - I just have to convince my mom!

The reception, leading us into the evening, is a slightly more serious affair with it's rich colour and abundant candlelight. Table decor is kept simple with an emphasis on candles over flowers. Little touches tie the whole affair together - CD favours of the couple's soundtrack, good and hearty food, and, of course, a gorgeous red velvet wedding cake!

We've decided to go the DIY route for much of the wedding. I've designed the stationery and Nats will be helping me with the hard labour of printing and assembling invitations. We've enlisted the help of my aunt to set up the reception decor on the day, and we three ladies of the bridal party will be getting together the day before the wedding to make our bouquets and bond over cups of tea. It really is a family affair!

Still seven months to go, but anyone who has ever been involved in planning a wedding can tell you how time flies! I'll share a few snaps of the day to show you how it turned out, but until then this mood board can inspire you.

Peace and Love!

Wedding Album Proofs - Two Years Later!

It's been a bit of a while since I last posted, since around the discovery of fire, it seems!  But I have had the best reason.  This gorgeous little man has been keeping me busy for the last five months.

Ricky at 3 days, 3 months and 5 months

Something else that's been keeping me out of mischief is the design of our wedding album!  It's been nearly two years since hubby and I said our I Dos, and I've taken my sweet time finalising the design and layout of our album.  I, like every other bride out there, wanted it to be perfect, and I am finally happy with the outcome!  Originally I wanted to scrapbook our wedding album - I went that route with our honeymoon pics and had a ton of fun doing it, and it looks great!  But, when I started calculating the cost of photo printing and buying the necessary supplies, I realised that it was way more cost effective to get a photo book printed. Besides, it's a wedding album, it's got to look good!  A friend recommended the Picasso Photo Books software from QPhoto - it's free, it's easy and it's surprisingly inexpensive as far as albums go!  I chose a leatherette cover lay-flat photo book with extra pages and it clocked in under R1,000!  Bargain!

Alice in Kempton Park

This is just a short one today - something I've been meaning to share with you for the last few weeks! A bit of a photo entry, shall we say? As you may know (or not...have I even mentioned it?), we're busy working on the Matric Farewell Ball for Shangri-La Academy in Kempton Park, and a few weeks ago we had our decor mock-up! I'm quite excited about this event! Not only was I at school with a few of the teachers, but I was also taught by a number of them in primary school, so this event is close to my heart. I can't explain how excited I was when we got the job!

Their chosen theme is Alice in Wonderland - could a girl ask for any more creative freedom!?! I've had so much fun brainstorming ideas. Below is the inspiration board I came up with to set us on our path.

Sticky Things for Your Wedding!

Good morning, beautiful people!

It's a chilly day here in good ol' Jo'burg, by I've found something that is making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Wedding stickers!

I know when I was planning my wedding I was all about the finer details, so this is right up my alley, and I know I'm not the only one!

Sticky Things has a great range of stickers that can be easily customised to your wedding style and colour scheme, and they look great! They can be applied to just about any flat, untextured surface including vases, mirrors, candles, and even your dance floor and your shoes!! If you're a DIY bride like me, use them for your invitations and menus too, they're that versatile!

Getting In The Mood

So your man has popped The Question and your head is filled to bursting with ides for your Big Day - now what? You start looking through magazines, surfing the interwebs and asking advice of your friends... But what do you do once you've gathered everything together?

Why not make a mood board?