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Updated Mar 06, 2025Exclusive: 'Virgin River' Star Kandyse McClure Is Married! Inside Her Intimate London Wedding
The actress and her husband hosted an after-party at one of their favorite date night spots: a local pub.
There has always been an invisible string between Kandyse McClure and her husband, Claureinne Swales. The actress, who appears in Netflix's Virgin River, first met Swales, a personal trainer, when they were teenagers growing up in Durban, South Africa. "We were a part of a large group of friends that all hung out together," McClure recalls in an interview with The Knot.
A fateful encounter 22 years later brought them back into each other's lives. McClure, who has also starred in Charmed, Battlestar Galactica and Carrie, was enjoying a post-filming vacation across Europe—but those plans never made it to fruition once she and Swales reconnected. "I canceled the rest of the trip and we spent ten days in London together," the Canadian native says.
Finally, the couple got married in front of 25 guests on September 29, 2024, in the exact place they came back into each other's lives. Following their vow swap at the iconic Old Marylebone Town Hall, they enjoyed an after-party at their favorite date night spot: a local pub. We have an exclusive first look inside Kandyse McClure's "simple and elegant" wedding here.
Kandyse McClure's Wedding Photos & Details
After FaceTiming every day for five months, McClure tells us, she and Swales reunited to spend Christmas with their families in South Africa. On his birthday, Swales insisted they take a walk on the beach near their Airbnb. He led the actress to a pier on Durban's North Beach—the exact location of their first date. "As the sun rose, he got down on one knee," McClure remembers, noting that a few locals witnessed the special moment. "There were two women on their morning walk that saw us and yelled out, 'Congratulations! Do you want us to take a picture for you?'"
FEATURED VIDEO FROM THE KNOT
Throughout their nearly two-year engagement, McClure and Swales shared the same toned-down vision for their wedding day. "We are unfussy, laid-back people," she explains. While they originally wanted a summer wedding, a last-minute change resulted in a complete switch of plans. "We wanted every detail to be really personal and meaningful to us, so we did everything ourselves," she says.
Because of McClure's busy filming schedule, Swales took the lead on scouting venues. They ultimately landed on his hometown: "Claureinne lives in London, so that was the easiest choice and made the most sense logistically for us. Although, I did have to go through a very rigorous visa process to get married there," she quips. "It was so much paperwork, but so worth it."
On September 29, 2024, 25 guests traveled to the Old Marylebone Town Hall, an iconic setting in Westminster that McClure says is "one of the most beautiful town halls in London." While the bride sourced a wedding dress well in advance, it didn't arrive in time. Instead, she quickly found an alternative from Evelie Bridal, a local salon in London. Calling the look "simple, elegant and timeless," McClure says, "It is guaranteed I will be wearing that dress again."
She styled her gown with a structured coat and a custom birdcage veil made by her close friend Adi Bertacchi, a third-generation hat maker from Tuscany and owner of Capelleria Bertacchi. She added a necklace and bracelet from her mother's collection, and her "something blue" was a pair of sleek pumps from Jennifer Chamandi. The groom, for his part, looked dapper in a classic Tuxedo from Reiss.
Similarly to her dress, the bride's bouquet also didn't arrive in time—but Swales came to the rescue by improvising at The Flower Stand in Chelsea moments before the ceremony began. "Claureinne had to run to the flower shop on the corner and get them to whip one up for me on his way to the town hall," she tells us.
With their loved ones gathered in the intimate Knightsbridge Room, McClure walked down the aisle alongside her mother while her cousin sang Stevie Wonder's "You and I." The couple exchanged vows prepared by the venue's ceremony planner, and raised their arms in celebration as they were pronounced husband and wife.
Immediately after the ceremony, the newlyweds were joined by their guests for a stroll through Regents Park. The group made their way to The Engineer Pub in Primrose Hill, which is one of the couple's favorite date night spots. "Pubs are a part of our story," McClure says of their laid-back reception venue. "This was the first place we went when we reconnected, and we kept it going every time I would come back to London."
Upon their arrival, the couple's loved ones enjoyed a charcuterie spread with British cheese and biscuits, fruit, champagne and gin cocktails—the bride's favorite. "We played a short montage of our relationship highlights while guests mingled before dinner," McClure says. A playlist of '90s R&B music played in the background, which the bride says was "the soundtrack of the early days of our relationship."
For dinner, they enjoyed lamb, scallops, cod, seafood linguine, seasonal salads, and steak—a must for the groom. The couple shared their first dance to Anita Baker's "Giving You the Best That I Got," which holds significant meaning in their love story: "Anita has been a part of our story for decades and reminds us of our early memories, our home, and the type of love we aspire to."
After, a mix of '80s and '90s classics, along with authentic South African amapiano tunes, set the tone for the rest of the evening. The couple sliced into a single-tier red velvet cake with buttercream and cream cheese frosting from Lola's Cupcakes, which the bride is particularly fond of. "Claureinne would buy me their cupcakes for my birthday each year and as treats on tough days," she says, "so they were a natural choice once we found out they make wedding cakes."
Now that their wedding day is over, the pair has their sights set on another, larger celebration with even more family in the future. "We plan to have a more traditional celebration in South Africa with our extended family where we can incorporate elements from Claureinne's Zulu heritage," she says. "Each of our wedding rings is inscribed with the word 'Sawubona.' In Zulu, it's used as a greeting, but it has a deeper meaning. It means, 'I see all of you and accept you just as you are.'"
Kandyse McClure's Wedding Vendors
Ceremony: Old Marylebone Town Hall; Reception Venue: The Engineer Pub; Photographer: Craig Addison Photography; Videographer: Paul Puccioni; Flowers: Flower Box, The Flower Stand; Bridal Salon: Evelie Bridal; Veil: Cappelleria Bertacchi; Shoes: Jennifer Chamandi; Groom's Suit: Reiss; Accessories: Premji Jewellers; Rings: Alonso Oyarzun; Invitations: Paperless Post; Wedding Cake: Lola's Cupcakes
