We’re working behind the scenes for a little while to finish off the new site for relaunch. Thanks for your patience! In the meantime, there’s lots of goodness in the archive, so enjoy browsing to your heart’s content. You can see our top ten posts here.

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Images: Watters; Southern Weddings; BHLDN

1. Colour on wedding dresses
This is one of those trends that has finally jumped the catwalk to start showing up in real weddings, and I believe we’ll see many more brides with a splash of colour on their dresses to match their colour schemes. For most brides, this means a coloured (or black) sash or belt or even a coloured veil (although for winter brides, cardigans are another way to bring colour in). Another option is a coloured dress – blush pink has become a popular alternative to white, or even silver or grey. Designers are creating black dresses more and more, but as beautiful as they are, I don’t see many brides getting on board.

Images: Cheryl McEwan; OK! Magazine

2. Hair up/hair down
After a year of braids, the two big hair trends we’ll be seeing a lot of this year for brides are ballerina buns and loose hair down. Ballet has been a growing trend in weddings in general, affecting silhouettes and shoes, but I think the biggest legacy will be gorgeous Hepburn-esque buns. High up or at the nape of the neck, they’re a beautiful, elegant choice. On the other end of the scale, I’m seeing a lot of brides choose to go natural, with a lustrous blow-dried version of their daily style. Just gorgeous!

Images: Riekert Cloete

3. Veils
Just a year ago, one of my friends got married. In the run up, we’d always spoken about her wearing a flower in her hair – a veil wasn’t even on the cards. Then we went for her final dress fitting and the shop owner put a mid-length veil on her. And OMG waterworks. And I immediately changed my view on veils being a bit old fashioned. I guess a lot of brides have felt the same way, or maybe it was Kates Middleton and Moss that refreshed our view of the veil. Either way, there’s a definite movement back towards them for 2012.

Image: Christine Meintjes

4. Bijoux weddings
So it’s a recession. Sucks to be us! But instead of resulting in scaled back affairs, today’s brides and grooms don’t want to compromise on luxury or quality for their big day. So instead, many are organised small but perfectly-formed weddings (as Louise of b.loved would call them), with top notch styling but a much smaller guest list. It’s difficult to narrow down the guest list, but it does mean that you and your fiance are forced to really think about the people that matter in your lives. Besides, I find that most potential guests are very understanding about being left off the list when there are only a few people invited. I wonder if this means that South African brides will adopt the practice so common here in the UK of having a second tier of guests arrive after dinner for the evening session. Honestly? I hope not. As much as I understand the thought (and finance!) behind it, this is something that has never sat comfortably with me.

Image via Style Me Pretty

5. Flowergirls
Last year I said that the Royal Wedding would have a lasting effect on weddings for the future, and while it wasn’t through horse drawn carriages, tiaras and monograms, that certainly has proved true in more subtle ways. One of these is the return of flower girls. Once a relic of the ’80s, I’m seeing stylish little ladies popping up in more and more weddings now. Great news for little girls, and great news for brides who want to include younger members of their friends and family in their big day. I’m not seeing a corresponding trend for page boys, but who knows, it could happen.

6. Orange
Yep, I said it. Orange. And don’t get me wrong – I don’t think you all are going to orange it up en masse, but there’s no doubt that this is a colour we’ll be seeing a lot more of this year. The folks at Pantone clearly agree, since they’ve just made Tangerine Tango their colour of the year. The funny thing about orange is that, even though it’s so powerful, it actually combines beautifully with a lot of other colours and (especially in judicious doses) can add warmth and depth to your colour palette. Coral has already made inroads, and with pincushion proteas a big flower trend, I think we’ll be seeing more brides introducing versions of orange into their plans.

Once Upon a Time inspiration board (credits here)

7. Sparkle and metallics
Last year I mentioned metallics as a growing trend, but I had no idea just how big they would be. Seems we’re all just a bunch of magpies! The great thing about bling is that a little goes a very long way. Be it a metallic cake, a sparkly belt, a sequinned bolero, or glittery table decorations, glitz goes with just about any style of wedding and we’ll see lots of it in the year to come.

Image: Nastassja Harvey

8. 1920s-1930s vintage
It’s no secret that vintage is here to stay for a while, but recently there’s been a bit of a shift from Victorian-style/shabby chic vintage to designs that come from the art deco and art nouveau periods. We’ve seen quite a few Gatsby-esque weddings in 2011 and with dress designers producing a wide range of dresses that would make Daisy Buchanan proud, this trend is set to grow and grow in 2012. See here for some ’20s inspiration, and here for a Boardwalk Empire styled hen party if you like this look.

Image: Catherine Mac

9. First looks
This is a photography trend that has been growing in the US for a while, and I’m starting to see it in South Africa more and more as well. For those who aren’t clear, a first look is when the couple have their main photography session before the ceremony. Although that means they’ll see each other before the bride walks down the aisle, the photographer is still able to capture on film that magic moment where they first see one another (hence: first look). Logistically, this can make a LOT of sense (especially if you can’t afford to have your photographer for the whole day) and, although I know a lot of you won’t want to lose out on the moment as you walk down the aisle (or mess with the ‘don’t see each other before the wedding’ superstition), brides who have done this have told me that the benefit was an incredible, intimate moment and none of the excitement lost for the ceremony. Up to you, but we’ll definitely see more of this in the next year I reckon.

Image: Sunday Suppers

10. Food stations
Dessert alternatives are nothing new – last year saw a move away from cakes toward cheese, pies, you name it! Candy and dessert or bars are also popular (and a great way to bring extra colour and visual interest to the reception) and will continue to be so. But I think we’ll also see more brides and grooms getting creative with the concept. Think cheese tables instead of cheese cakes, with a wide range of breads, chutneys and fruit. Or food stations, with items options ranging around a central food type or theme for starters, desserts – even drinks. Breakfast buffet tables or omelette bars. Burger bars. Cocktail stations. Ice cream stations with a range of toppings and other delicious additions. Popcorn bars. Soup stations. Hot chocolate bars. You name it, pretty much. I’m really looking forward to seeing how couples adapt this to personalise their weddings and share their favourite foods and drinks with their guests.

On another note, Cap Classique will be quiet for a little while as I finish off the new site for relaunch. Thanks for your patience! If you’d like to know as soon as the new site goes live, sign up for our newsletter right here. See you soon!

Hello friends! When I saw that today was ‘eight maids a milking’ I knew there was only one image I needed to share. This comes from a gorgeous shoot put together by the Pretty Blog girls a little while back, using soft neutral colours and lots of white and based on the theme ‘milk and honey’. It makes a great theme for a table, doesn’t it? But the one image that really stood out in my mind was this one, of flowers standing in milk. So sweet!

(I can just imagine this at a wedding like Helen and Julian‘s on a dairy farm, where they even toasted their guests with milk instead of champagne!)

Head over to The Pretty Blog to see the rest of the shoot, and download some lovely printables.

It’s a funny thing about life, that you never know which days, which emails, which knocks on the door will bring someone new into your life. A couple of months after I started this little blog, I got an email from a new stationer who said she’d stumbled across Cap Classique and loved it, and would like us to work together. She also happened to mention that she was getting married. That gave me an idea, and I asked this stationer if she would consider writing a regular column, as our very first Real Life Bride. And so our partnership was born. The bride to be was, of course, Anelle of Seven Swans, who not only wrote a fabulous series of posts about what turned out to be a drop-dead gorgeous wedding, but has been a contributor in other ways, not to mention a friend. She’s even the designer of our new branding, so I’ve got to work with her as a client (and what a pleasure that is!). And what started out small has grown and grown, and she’s now a real presence in the Cape wedding industry. She’s designed for couples all over the world, and inspired many more as a DIY contributor on The Pretty Blog. So for Seven Swans a Swimming day, what else could I possibly do but showcase some more of her lovely and most recent designs? Enjoy!

Never would I have thought that eggs would have been a wedding (or generally pretty) detail I’d be able to bring you, but in the last few months I’ve seen some seriously egg-celent (boom boom) nuggets of egg-related creativity and with the sixth day of Christmas being six geese a-layin’, I have the perfect opportunity!

Word egg DIY
from Poppytalk via Beyond Beyond

First, how much do I LOVE this adorable message in an egg? Almost too pretty to crack open! I’m trying to think of an excuse to make one of these, but they’d be an adorable DIY to ask your best friends to be your bridesmaids, Save the Dates, escort cards or even as placeholders or favours on the big day. If making one per guest is too much (and let’s be honest, it may not be practical), think about making one for each table, and you could put something fun on the inside, like a trivia question for the guests to answer, or something about themselves to share (favourite place they’ve travelled, etc.).

Book page bird’s nest with glitter egg DIY
by Domestifluff

I love using printed pages from old books or newspapers in wedding details, and these would make absolutely darling place holders or escort cards, wouldn’t they? It’s the perfect combination of glitz and literary love – so me!

DIY Party Egg Game
by Oh Happy Day! 

This image has to be one of my favourites from 2011. I don’t know why, but I find the idea of a pretty egg filled with glitter thrilling, like Christmas has come all at once! The idea behind this is a fun Easter game, where most of the eggs are filled with edible confetti and one with glitter. Friends crack them over one another’s heads and the one with the glitter egg wins a prize. That’s fun, but not sure it’s something you’ll want to bring to your wedding, I’ll admit. And maybe there’s no practical way of having glitter filled eggs at a Big Day. I don’t even care. It makes me happy to share it.

Tiffany’s.

Because I can.

Clockwise from top left: 1: Paloma’s Venezia Stella Ring; 2: Paloma’s Calife Ring; 3: Jean Schlumberger Sixteen Stone Ring; 4: Tiffany Garden Cobblestone Band Ring; 5: Fancy Deep Orangy Pink Diamond Ring (a snip at £310,000!) (but isn’t it PURDY?)

Which will be on your Christmas list? I want ALL OF THEM!

Today was a challenge. Four calling birds. Blackbirds apparently. I thought about a blackbird themed wedding but… well, you know. Dun work, does it? And you know what, frankly, there are a lot of birds in this Twelve Days of Christmas song. “What have I got myself into?” I thought. Then my clever housemate had a suggestion. “Focus on the calling,” she said. “Talk about music.” Ah, music! Now there’s an idea I can get behind. Especially since I’ve been wanting to talk to you all about entrance music for some time, ever since I spent an evening discussing this with an engaged friend recently. iPhone and earphones were dragged out to prove my point. And now I’m going to prove it to you. Er, I hope.

{Image: Nielen Bottomley from Amy & James’ wedding}

Thing is, weddings are (to some degree) theatre. Not in the sense that they should be fake or melodramatic, but rather that they showcase real emotion in a way that translates to the guests. They’re a way of bringing other people into your relationship to feel what you feel for one another, if just for one day. And as an actor will tell you, a great theatrical production requires one thing: a great entrance. I actually learnt this lesson from my friend Nikki. When she married the lovely Brendon some years ago, they chose Nessun Dorma for her entrance. Nix wanted to walk in at that crucial moment when the music swelled and Pavarotti sang “Vincero! Vincero! Vincero!” And I’ll be honest, I thought it was a little dramatic, especially since it’s a long song and we had a very, very short aisle. Seriously okes, that aisle took five steps to walk up, no matter how much you dragged your feet. But I was her bridesmaid, so it was my job to say “Great idea!” and make it happen. So we worked out the exact moment when the other bridesmaid and I were to walk in so that Nikki got her moment. And it would have been brilliant. The song would have built, quietly, in the little church. Then suddenly, the doors would have flung open to the summer day outside, and we would have walked down the aisle, with Nix following as the music built to a crescendo.

Except that some numpty at the venue opened the door on the first note. So there Tracy and I stood, with Nix off to the side pissing herself laughing because we just had to stand there at the entrance until the right moment. At first, people stood up, took a few pictures. Wondered why we weren’t moving. We smiled, but after an embarrassing while stopped making eye contact. Tracy was all “let’s just go!” and I was all “no, we can’t” under our breath. Man, it was AW-KWARD deluxe. Nowhere to go, and when would Luciano just hurry up and sing his way to victory already?

And then a funny thing happened. Our note finally came, we straightened up, turned the smiles on and walked our five steps down the aisle. We turned. And with the sunlight behind her, Nikki stepped into the church on her brother’s arm. She was glowing. Brendon was beaming. And our hearts rose and burst with Pavarotti’s wonderful voice. It was a MOMENT.

Of course, Nix isn’t the only bride to get this. Right here on Cap Classique is one of my favourite entrances in a beautiful wedding I featured right here. (This is the one that got the iPhone out.) Ingrid and Pieter were married on the beach at Strandkombuis on a beautiful summer day. They chose Florence & the Machine’s Cosmic Love as their processional and now, whenever I hear the song, I imagine it floating out over the dunes as Ingrid slowly makes her way to her delighted bridegroom. Go on, listen to the song while you look at their pictures. Goosebumps.

So, while there’s nothing wrong with a bit of ‘Here comes the bride’, take a moment to really think about your entrance. You’re going to be feeling the world of emotion, whatever the soundtrack. But adding that soundtrack can really enhance the experience for your guests and is yet another way to stamp your personality on your wedding.

Here are a few alternatives to the usual. What songs are you considering?

Grand entrances

• Viva La Vida – Coldplay
• Nessun Dorma – Luciano Pavarotti
• O Mio Bambino Caro – Maria Callas

Romance

• Moon River – Henry Mancini
• The Luckiest – Ben Folds
• Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley/Vitamin String Quartet

Fun & upbeat

• All you need is love – The Beatles
• Oh happy day! – The Edwin Hawkins Singers/Ladysmith Black Mambazo
• I do, I do, I do, I do – ABBA

Boho weddings

• You and I – Ingrid Michaelson
• Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes
• Your Love Gets Sweeter – Finley Quaye

I have been super excited about this day of Christmas, because Three French Hens is just TOO good of an excuse to share a Parisian Chanel-themed hen party with my readers! I think this makes an absolutely gorgeous, glamorous (and totally do-able) theme, especially if your bride-to-be is a sparkly Sex and the City type, or if you’re looking for a really grown up party theme. In fact, it works just as well as a birthday party theme, or even just a girly night out (who needs a reason, right?).

Source: Heavenly Blooms/In the Now/Jasmine Star via Style Me Pretty

Colours: Black, white and pale pink

Source: Heavenly Blooms/In the Now/Jasmine Star via Style Me Pretty

Dress: As Coco herself would say, it has to be classy and fabulous! Coco Chanel is supposed to have invented the Little Black Dress, and there’s really nothing more simple or lovely to ask the girls to wear – everybody has one! Either put your bride in black and white, white only or pink, or you could even find something couture-esque and fabulous to make her feel really special. Don’t forget fun details like headbands, fascinators and brooches – all of which can double as favours. You could even ask every girl to bring one item of lovely (vintage?) costume jewellery as a gift to build up a collection for the bride. Just make sure to keep it simple and elegant, in keeping with the design ethic of Chanel.

Sources (clockwise from top left): 1: Lucia Paul Design/West Park Photo via HWTM; 2: via Wedding by Color; 3: via Weddingbee; 4: See Jane Design; 5: Wedding Paper Divas

Invitations: I’ve managed to find some lovely ideas, above. If you’re doing these yourself, stick to black and white, and play on Chanel branding – it has such an iconic look that it will immediately convey the look and feel of your party. Try cutting out invites in the shape of Chanel No. 5 bottles, or basing your invitation on the packaging for No. 5. I really like what this bride‘s friends did in turning the first letter of her name (K) into a version of the Chanel logo – very cute!

Sources: Line 1, Line 2 (left), Line 3 all Heavenly Blooms/In the Now/Jasmine Star via Style Me Pretty; Line 4: The Special Day/Jan Garcia via HTWM

Venue & Decor: This is definitely something you could do at home, but for best effect, create a lovely little chic space in the garden or in a clutter-free room indoors. Another option is to rent a light, clean and stylish room in a swish hotel or restaurant – any number in London or Cape Town will fit the bill! Lay the table for a gorgeous sit down luncheon, using black, white and pink for linens, fresh flowers and paper details. I love the idea of hanging wreaths, and having lovely lace runners or napkins tied with Parisian black and white striped grosgrain ribbon. This is about the girliest decor you’ll ever pull off, so have fun with it!

Sources: Clockwise from top left: 1 & 5: Heavenly Blooms/In the Now/Jasmine Star via Style Me Pretty; 2: See Jane Design; 3 & 4: Lucia Paul Design/West Park Photo via HWTM

Food & drink: You can really go to town with this, depending on your budget and venue. I’ve suggested a luncheon, and if you do this, consider a spread of gorgeous French food for the ladies to sample. Serve with pink lemonade and pink champagne (love the serving ideas above!). Dessert should of course be a highlight in true French tradition, and there’s nothing sweeter than macaroons, especially if you can make or buy a macaroon tower like the one above. J’adore! If you’re hosting a drinks party only and don’t want to serve much food, a lovely idea is to have a pink, black and white sweets buffet, which is much easier to put together than you might imagine. Simply assemble a collection of lovely glass jars and vases and fill with liquorice, meringues, marshmallows and any other pink or white sweets you can find (jellybabies are great for visual effect, and taste pretty good with champagne surprisingly!). You could even dream up a signature cocktail (pink, of course) – be sure to serve it with stripy pink and grey paper straws for the ladies to drink from.

Source: Heavenly Blooms/In the Now/Jasmine Star via Style Me Pretty

Activities: Drinking champagne and being fabulous not enough for you? If you’d like an activity to amuse your guests look no further than a perfume making station – I’ve actually done this, and it is way fun. Although when I did it, it was pretty comprehensive and took HOURS, which sort of lost the girls’ focus after a while (fortunately we were on a weekend rather than an evening hen do). Bear that in mind and ask whoever you book to keep it short and sweet. The great thing is that the perfume every girl makes doubles up as a favour to take home, and you could even prepare sweet little labels ([Bride's name] No. 1, 2, 3, etc.?) so that it’s an extra special keepsake. In London, try Homemade London, who can bring a perfume workshop to you and also offer Chanel-theme-friendly options like lingerie making or fascinator crafting. Fun! In South Africa, try Perfume Power.

Source: Lucia Paul Design/West Park Photo via HWTM

Real Hen Parties:

• SO MUCH inspiration from this Jasmine-Star photographed affair via Style Me Pretty
• via Hostess with the Mostess and also this Gossip Girl-themed affair
• via Christa Kimble
• via See Jane Design

“Two turtle doves”, says the song. Two doves equals two birds, equals a chance for me to share the work of a wedding supplier that I really love with you today. Win. If you’re in the US or UK you’ve probably already heard of twobirds, and even if you haven’t I guarantee you’ve sighed over their pretty and iconic bridesmaid dresses. I think it’s high time South African brides found out about these lovelies.

Here’s what makes twobirds special. They’re not just gorgeous dresses that come in four lengths and an array of colours (19 altogether), but you can tie the dresses in up to fifteen different ways. The fabric is very flattering, and there are only two sizes so they don’t require tons of fittings (or for your maids to even be in the same place) and there are options for a range of different body types. I am three times a bridesmaid and believe me, your girls will thank you for making them feel like a million bucks.

Sources (clockwise from top left): 1: Jess Shields Photography via Rock ‘n Roll Bride; 2: Bliss Wedding Studio via Style Me Pretty; 3: Haring Photography via Style Me Pretty; 4: Photogen Inc. via Style Me Pretty

Many people choose to put their maids in the same colour but with different dress variations – and it does look pretty indeed…

Sources (clockwise from top): 1: Michelle M. Waite via Green Wedding Shoes; 2: JPC Event Group via Style Me Pretty; 3: Jennifer Eileen via Destination Inspirations

But I think my favourite idea is the mix and match of different colours and styles. Even though each dress has its own personality, the fact that they’re all the same fabric and overall style lends a coherency to the look. What’s not to love?

Sources (l-r): 1: Picotte Weddings via Style Me Pretty; 2: Jessica Claire

The wedding cake, that delectable little something to perfectly finish off a lovely wedding that captivates your guests taste buds, has to be an important decision in the wedding planning process!

Well our wedding cake is somewhat of a special cake, as you see one of my extremely talented bridesmaids is turning into multi-tasker extraordinaire and not only being part of my gorgeous entourage, but she will be creating mini wedding cake heaven in the form of beautiful and out of this world tasty tiered cupcakes!

Karen or as we like to call her ‘Lady K’ is a super talented baker (when she isn’t busy working her day job),whose cupcakes are simply amazing. So when she found out we were engaged and planning our big day, she very kindly offered to create our wedding cake! How amazing to have people we care about be part of our wedding in this way.

Cotton & Crumbs via Enchanted Dream Weddings

So to go along with our vintage/shabby chic-themed wedding we are thinking of having something along the lines of the cupcake above with bits of pretty lace adorning the yumminess that lies within! Don’t you just love the little flags with ‘I do’ – simple yet pretty! This tier of cupcakes will be the centrepiece of my sweet table creation, which I am hoping my guests will enjoy as the night goes on.

I will leave you with the below photos of some of ‘Lady K’s’ cupcakes that I have had the pleasure of photographing and of course eating So looking forward to these delicious cupcake creations!!

Photos by Cheryl McEwan