Almost every girl dreams about their wedding. When the day finally arrives, all your dreams come true. We meet three lovely brides as they tell us about their special day.
Ashley Beth Duggan
VENUE
Haycroft. It was the first one I visited, and I was stunned. It is so magnificently beautiful, and the staff and their service are truly second to none. I have always wanted to get married in either a chapel or a forest, and the significant part about Haycroft is that they have both! I couldn’t decide, so I let the weather decide for me. A sunny day meant the forest and rain meant the chapel. Lucky for me, it was a sunny day, and I got married in the most beautiful forest ever.
THEME
I didn’t have a theme. The only thing I decided was that I wanted it to be “magical”, so I wanted a lot of flowers, twinkly lights and candles. I am obsessed with pink, so we went with light pink, lilac, and cream flowers.
PLANNING THE WEDDING
To be honest, I would like to think that am an organised person… but when it comes to my mom, I am nowhere near her. She took the wedding by force and planned it super efficiently. I was so laid-back and chilled. I didn’t allow myself to get stressed because I wanted to enjoy the process. Even on the day, I did not care if anything went wrong. The main thing was that I was marrying the love of my life, and nothing could take that away from me. It was a perfect day.
I am so grateful for all our service providers. Our flower lady, Sarah Stewart, literally became our reception planner. We told her what we wanted, and she sorted it out, from the flowers to the decor and everything in between. Then for the caterers, we chose our menu. They liaised with Haycroft on the day, and it was ticked off and done. We gave the DJ (KZN Wedding DJ) the itinerary and songs that we liked, and that was that. Haycroft coordinated the whole day without a single hiccup. We had one Zoom meeting with the photographers, Conway, and that was it.
For the cake by Taryn Smith, we chose the flavours and sent her a picture, and it was delivered on the day. Steph Smith did my makeup, and my hair was done by Mbola Makeup. They were fab and fun to deal with. Steph calmed my nerves because she was so funny. I can’t forget the lovely violinist, Tara Blake, who played me down the aisle.
ADVICE FOR BRIDES-TO-BE
Stop stressing and focus on the fact that you are going to say ‘I do’ to the love of your life. That is the main thing. Enjoy every moment because it is gone in a flash.
FAVOURITE MOMENT
I probably have about a million. But after the photos, my husband and I sat in a room on our own to catch our breaths. We just drank champagne and caught up for about 10 minutes. It was a beautiful moment, just the two of us.
Ashley’s photos: Conway Photo & Film SA
Adhira Bisaal Singh
VENUE
We chose The Boathouse in Ballito because of its sea views and garden setting.
THEME
We had different themes for each of our four-day wedding celebrations. The peacock theme was represented on my wedding day. From peacock embroidery on my traditional wedding outfit (lehenga) to the decor and wedding favour boxes, we incorporated various forms of peacocks. Peacocks hold great significance in Hinduism, and I wanted to highlight their goodness, purity and meaning at our wedding ceremony.
PLANNING THE WEDDING
It all started a year in advance. I used a wedding planner to organise all my ideas. It also helped to have my mom, who is part of the entertainment industry and a pioneer in pageantry, help plan and coordinate our wedding functions so perfectly.
ONE CHALLENGE YOU FACED
One of the greatest challenges we faced was when Shiv’s custom-made wedding outfit turned out to be a disaster, and I had to change my wedding outfit three months before our wedding. I was very grateful that I soon found the outfit of my dreams and a matching outfit for Shiv. Being in Gauteng and planning the wedding in KZN was stressful, as many of our service providers were based in KZN.
ADVICE FOR BRIDES-TO-BE
Do not let anyone take this moment away from you. Your wedding day is one of the most magical days of your life, and you deserve to have it be the day of your dreams. Everything does come together in the most perfect way. I also advise brides to choose service providers they are comfortable with and who can all work together. It makes your wedding day come together effortlessly. I had a fantastic team of service providers who did make each and every day a dream come true.
FAVOURITE MOMENT
When my hubby tied my sacred necklace, known as a mangalsutra, for me and applied sindoor to the middle parting of my hair. Since I was a little girl, I have been obsessed with Bollywood movies, and seeing how beautiful a married Indian woman looks with these symbols of being married made me anticipate my wedding day with absolute excitement. After these rituals were performed, I felt an indescribable sense of happiness and fulfillment.
SOMETHING YOU WISH YOU KNEW BEFORE THE BIG DAY
I wish I had known how quickly the day goes by. Before I knew it, the wedding ceremony was over, and I was ready for bed. I wish it had lasted longer.
Adhira’s photos: Kapture Studios
Khabonina Nkwelo
VENUE
Our traditional wedding was something we did later as a celebration, like a vow renewal. We had our Christian wedding in 2017. Our traditional wedding was at Dan’s Country Lodge. This is a beautiful venue closest to our homestead which was easily accessible to us and our guests. There weren’t any other contenders as the part of the Eastern Cape we call home is somewhat secluded.
THEME
Our theme was modern traditional, which is fitting with the times we live in. My husband and I are living modern lifestyles while still expressing our traditions and heritage.
PLANNING THE WEDDING
There was a lot of guidance from our elders. The event involved a lot of cultural fusion as I am Swati and my husband is Xhosa. A lot of thought has to go into showcasing the best while being consciously respectful of the areas where our cultures differ.
ONE CHALLENGE YOU FACED
At your traditional wedding, you, as a bride, bring with you everything that makes a house a home. This includes furniture and gifts for your in-laws. It was a challenge transporting all the goods to the Eastern Cape, a six-hour drive away. We wanted everything to arrive safely and not damaged and did our best to bubble-wrap everything!
ADVICE FOR BRIDES-TO-BE
Get married to someone whose homestead isn’t far away (I’m joking!). When you truly love someone, any challenge you face together is worth it.
FAVOURITE MOMENT
My favourite moment was the cultural expression through song and dance. It was an awesome experience to be reminded of the beauty of our heritage, which is something that doesn’t come up in our everyday, modern lives.
SOMETHING YOU WISH YOU KNEW BEFORE THE BIG DAY
Wedding favours are really not a big deal – just have fun! The experience is more memorable than the “souvenir” most people will soon lose.
Khabonina’s photos: Werner Bentz PhotographyÂ
