Tag: Catherine Mac

Real Wedding at Vrede en Lust {Rienne & Johan}

by gaby

Get ready, friends. Some of you are about to have a new favourite wedding to inspire you. You’re definitely about to wear out your Pin It button, or fall in love with a whole new colour scheme. I know I have. But back to the beginning… Today’s wedding is the marriage of two winemakers, one from Australia and one from South Africa, who met in California (love it!). I’m honoured that Rienne chose her husband’s homeland (and mine) as the venue for their wedding because of the love Johan has for South Africa, and Vrede en Lust rewarded them with incredible views and a light, bright, contemporary classic appeal. Which their decor more than did justice to. Long hessian/burlap runners, coloured glassware, a base of purples, blues and neutrals accented with spectacular pops of green, orange and yellow. Wow. Giant balloons. Little coloured eggs as favours. Oh, the list goes on! The spectacular Catherine Mac did an amazing job as always capturing every detail, from Rienne’s drop dead gorgeous lace detail dress to the happiness radiating between bride and groom. As a sign at the reception said, this truly was “made with love”.Read More

Real Wedding at Rockhaven {Emily & Bruce}

by gaby

Something I love about my life, and the way that life has turned out for many of my friends, is that we’re all kind of… international. Every time I attend a wedding, there’s a mix of nationalities there, and many of my friends have married outside the South African circle or spent extended time living overseas. People live all over the place, and they move around. Sure, it makes it harder to see everyone (am I the only one who has total envy of the HIMYM crowd for being able to see their besties at McLaren’s all the time?), but it also makes occasions like weddings into reunions and introductions and mixers – a chance not only to spend quality time with wonderful people and re-live old memories, but to make new ones, and meet new people, and get a 360 degree view of a couple’s multi-faceted life. The world, vast and strange as it is, is really rather small. Today’s couple are evidence of that in more ways than one. Not only was their wedding very much an international affair, the small world part is that Bruce’s best man happens to be my cousin. Which is how Emily became a SouthBound Bride, and found her venue and suppliers. It feels a little like I’m celebrating with friends, and it’s especially wonderful to be showcasing the great work of some of my favourite suppliers – Theresa Lazarevic of Creation Events, who co-ordinated the whole wedding brilliantly, Catherine Mac who as usual outdid herself with the photos, and Rockhaven, always a picture perfect rustic venue. I could get into how lovely it all is, but Catherine’s pics and Theresa’s decor really do speak for themselves, so I’ll let you get to sighing over it all!Read More

Real Wedding at Molenvliet {Christelli & Heinrich}

by gaby

Another day, another BEAUTIFUL wedding! And while I’m always a fan of unique colour combos or fun themes, sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves that a classic white wedding will never go out of fashion. Today’s gorgeous nuptials, photographed to perfection (as always!) by Catherine Mac, are the ideal example. This wedding is elegant, it’s romantic – it’s the blank canvas on which a grand love story is written. Christelli and Heinrich make a stunning couple, and everything from her diamond solitaire engagement ring and ribbon tied bouquet to her sweeping lace gown whispers classic beauty. But there are also fun touches – the tables named after wines (so appropriate at Molenvliet, one of our premier vineyard venues) or the ice cream dessert, for example. So for all you classic brides (and lovers of romance everywhere), this one’s for you.Read More

Real Wedding at Rockhaven {Marené & Jaco}

by gaby

Who’d be a matchmaker, eh? For the most part, introducing two friends is a disaster. Sometimes it works but mostly it doesn’t, and there’s always the risk that your friend will feel that the person you choose for them shows how little you know them at all. It’s certainly never been my forté, but the hero of today’s wedding story is a guy who really did know a friend well enough to spot the woman of his dreams when he met her, and to introduce them. Impressive. And hey presto! Just a few years later, you have this beautiful wedding, complete with proteas and bicycles and general awesomeness. I love the chalkboard details (especially the place mats) and the printed words-as-decor runners, the soft pink bridesmaid dresses, and the bicycle boutonnieres. And I’m especially in love with Catherine Mac‘s beautiful pictures, which as always really capture the essence of the day and the couple in glorious colour!Read More

Real Wedding at South Hill {Ciska & Warren}

by gaby

I don’t know if all of you know this about me, but I’m half Italian. And although my dad mostly grew up in SA, my grandparents were full blood, full throttle Italian. My Nonna was also the most incredible cook, so early on I learnt to appreciate the beauty of  Mediterranean cooking – not just the taste, or the amazing ingredients, but the way Italians cook and eat. Everything is generous: the quantities, the portions (the calories!), the time spent eating (never ever rushed), the sense of sharing and abundance celebrated at every meal. It’s the best. So when I see that in a wedding, I am hooked. Then add that to sunny rustic florals and details (especially in love with the wooden block place settings), a glowing bride and groom who are clearly having the best time, a sunny day and a gorgeous setting and it’s an official swoonfest. So in love with Ciska and Warren’s South Hill luncheon wedding was I, that I shot off an email to photographer Catherine Mac begging her to let me feature it. And because she’s lovely, she said yes! What really struck me about this one was how Ciska wanted the food itself to be the key part of the decor and mood – just like a kitchen is the heart of the home, the meal really was the heart of this incredible wedding. (Oh, and this is also the first wedding I’ve featured that has a ‘first look’ – something I think I like more every time I see it. What do you think?)Read More