Radiant Orchid In the Vine Wedding by Cheryl McEwan {Kelly & Michael}

It’s funny how quickly some terms become part of your vocabulary in this industry – a few short months ago, radiant orchid was just a dramatic description of a flower for me, but now it’s the shorthand to a gorgeous, glowy purple, Pantone’s colour of the year, and all the lovely shades of pink and purple that complement it. And of course, radiant orchid wasn’t even a thing when today’s bride Kelly picked her colours, but it just shows that her style is equal parts classic and of-the-moment. I love how her basic wedding design is an elegant white on white, with pretty embelishments like candles and pearls. The use of colour is sparing, but it really makes it pop when it shows up! I also love that Kelly is a short-hair bride – I wish we saw more of this, as she looks every bit as gorgeous as her long-haired counterparts, and it’s clear that groom Michael thinks so too – he only has eyes for his lady! One of our favourite photographers, Cheryl McEwan Photography, was the couple’s choice to snap these romantic portraits of their big day.Read More

Real Wedding at Rockhaven {Emily & Bruce}

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