Every year, the Department of Home Affairs and Robben Island Museum work together to offer a yearly opportunity for couples to say ‘I do’ on Valentines Day on the island. Here’s how you can get in on the action.
On Valentines Day, the island is transformed into a stunning venue where couples can participate in a mass wedding. 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of this tradition, making this year very special. This Valentines Day, 20 couples will tie knot to honour the anniversary.
Couples chosen will take the ferry from the Nelson Mandela Gateway to the Robben Island Museum, and their ceremony will be held at the Robben Island Chapel. Following the exchanging of their vows, couples will head off to a wedding reception for lunch and thereafter go on a tour of the Museum. The area will also be an opportunity for the couples to take their wedding photos on the beach and to capture the iconic and other scenic areas on the island. The couples will return to Cape Town in the afternoon.
Couples wishing to participate may contact Wilhelmina Booysen on 021 468 4510 or [email protected] and Yolanda Mdutywana on 021 413 4226 or [email protected]. The last day to apply is February 5, 2020.
Elegant and regal, the kimono has been a long-standing tradition in Japanese culture. One of the most recognisable pieces of Japanese clothing, the kimono is traditionally worn for special occasions. And what’s more special than a wedding? The kimono has been given a modern twist as brides opt for avante garde gowns that blend tradition with contemporary edge.
Watabe Wedding, a Kyoto-based brand, has been at the forefront of this trend. Their collection, Shoen, features five strapless dresses made out of authentic, antique furisode kimonos. Each dress has its own name: The Tsurumomiji (“crane maple”), The Fujiageha (“wisteria and swallowtail butterfly”), The Ranbu (“orchid dance”), The Kanazuru (“gold crane”), and The Botangiku (“peony and chrysanthemum”).
From left to right: The Tsurumomiji, The Fujiageha, The Ranbu, The Kanazuru, The Botangiku. Credit: Facebook
The line is open for the public to rent on their website, and prices range from 50,000 yen (R6 519) to 150,000 yen (R19 559).
It definitely makes things esier when your parents and parents-in-law get along, but what if they’re a bit too close? Unfortunately, one couple learnt the bad side of this when they had to postpone their wedding after their parents ran off together.
A young couple from Gujarat, India had to postpone their wedding a month before their big day because the groom’s father and bride’s mother disappeared, and its seems they did so together. The father was reportedly last seen leaving his home in the Katargam area of Surat city, while the mother was last seen leaving her house in Navsari.
According to a relative, the father of the groom and mother of the bride once dated when they were younger. They believe that the pair must have rekindled their romance and eloped.
For all its faults and fears, social media gets one thing right: it brings us together. Yes, the internet is vast and scary but it can also be the site of true love and happiness. We’ve seen couples from different parts of the globe meet and fall in love all from behind a tiny phonescreen. It’s a truly modern world we live in, and Sandhya and Dylan’s love story exemplifies that.
Credit: Margaux Cronje Photography
Sandhya and Dylan’s worlds were brought together through online dating app Bumble. At the time, Sandhya was living in Australia but had come to South Africa to visit family. They met at the Fire and Ice bar in Melrose Arch for milkshakes and haven’t gone a day without speaking since. Living in different countries, Sandhya and Dylan agreed to remain friends but that didn’t last long.
“It was a spark like none I had previously experienced… it was a romance with a strong emotional and intellectual connection. We always felt like we were learning things from one another and it almost didn’t matter that we were physically apart.”
In August 2018, Sandhya and Dylan decided to close the gap when Sandhya moved to South Africa. It was a difficult decision: in Australia she was an ambitious career woman in a high-paced corporate field, one that was still in its infancy stages in South Africa. Meaningful advice from her mother, however, remedied her torn mind.
“If you miss out on your dream job, you’ll regret it for a couple of years… but if you miss out on your true love, you’ll regret it forever. Find your courage and go see.”
The move was worth it. The couple soon became engaged at Nambiti Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal whilst on a romantic private game drive at sunset.
“The ranger said Dylan had booked a romantic package that included private sunset drinks and photos in a romantic location. We hopped out and another ranger picked us up and drove us to a viewpoint overlooking the entire Nambiti reserve and valley. It was stunning… we could see elephants wandering below us and the Drakensburg mountain range in the distance… Our ranger started to take photos of us, and while I was busy posing, I turned around to find Dylan on one knee with a ring box in his hand!”
The engagement ring was in the shape of a Protea flower, so that Sandhya will always have a piece of Africa with her wherever they go next.
In December 2019, Sandhya and Dylan said ‘I do’ in a stunning ceremony fusing South African, Indian and Irish Catholic traditions, held at the Inanda Polo Club in Sandton.
With an an ‘enchanted garden’ feel, their decor was more focused on understated elegance over the traditional colourful Indian decor. Even the traditional Pandal, a canopy under which the ceremony is held, was draped in white chiffon fabric with rustic white flowers and greenery instead of the usual gold decor.
Credit: Margaux Cronje Photography
For their nuptials, Sandhya wore a beautiful bridal sari in burnt orange made from raw silk and embellished with gold thread, gifted to her from her aunt who had recently travelled to India. The sari even had to be draped by a professional dresser to ensure it was pleated correctly. She accessorised with ‘jimki’ earrings, a heavy choker and necklace, as well as a belt – all of which were gold with touches of cerise. Her hair was styled in a traditional South Indian plait decorated with jewels and lots of white flowers. She had a waist-length plait attached to her hair, and it was so heavy she has to take painkillers to offset the pain! Dylan impressed in a traditional cream military-style suit jacket and burgundy pants.
Credit: Margaux Cronje Photography
The wedding, however, did not go as smoothly as expected. First, the driver was late to pick Sandhya and her sister up due to a flat tire then when he did arrive, the car wouldn’t start! As the car was being fixed, Sandhya’s father called to say he had left the thali, a small golden necklace that the groom ties around the bride’s neck to conclude the wedding, at home. The tying of the thali is the most important and sacred part of a South Indian wedding, and without it there could be no wedding. Luckily the car was still stuck and Sandhya was able to get it.
In another crisis, Sandhya’s written vows, a tradition to honour Dylan’s Irish Catholic heritage, was literally gone with the wind.
“The priest announced “the bride and groom have written vows which they will read”, and I looked to my sister to pass them to me. She looked back at me wide-eyed and motioned to the very empty chair she was sitting on, before mouthing “the vows have flown away”. They unfortunately had to cut this part of the ceremony out, but everyone was able to laugh about it later.
Sandhya’s top advice for couples planning their wedding is to not sweat the small stuff, and that there is no need to break the bank. “At the end of it all, people come to your wedding to celebrate the love you have for each other, not to ogle the décor or to comment on the colour choice of your flowers. ”
Her final words of wisdom are “less stress, more champagne! If you are stressed, your guests will be stressed, and if you are worrying about things on your wedding day, your guests will also get that negative vibe. Have fun, drink some wine, dance a lot, and don’t get wound up about small things going wrong…Laugh it off and enjoy it! You’ll wake up the next day and it will seem like a dream.”
Credit: Margaux Cronje Photography
All images were amazingly captured by Margaux Cronje. You can view her website HERE.
Congratulations are in order for Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and Tim Tebow! The beautiful couple tied the knot in a stunning sunset ceremony in Franschhoek, South Africa.
Following an exciting few days of pre-wedding activities, Demi-Leigh and Tim finally said ‘I do’ at the La Paris Estate. According to PEOPLE, their ceremony lasted 30 minutes and was attended by 260 guests. The couple wrote their own vows.
Speaking to PEOPLE the night before the wedding, Tim said, “I want the vows to be perfect. I’m leaving in the traditional things like ’till death do us part,’ but I’m also adding some of my own things to it.”
Demi-Leigh wore a beautiful custom gown by Davids Bridal and Tim wore a tuxedo by Antar Levar.
The wedding blended South African and American wedding traditions, because their cultures are very important to the couple.
“We’re both very traditional,” Nel-Peters told PEOPLE. “We wanted to look back at the wedding and see that it was intimate, elegant, and traditional. We definitely wanted it to be something that we could look back on and know that nothing was dated. We want to remember this day for the rest of our lives.”
The day could not have come soon enough for this loved-up pair.
“I’ve been looking forward to three things,” said Tebow to PEOPLE. “The first moment I see her in her wedding dress, the first kiss, and the first dance together as man and wife. It’s such a special night.”
He continued, “I’ve been waiting my entire life for someone special, who I can spend the rest of my life with. I was waiting for the right person to come along. And now I’m marrying Demi. I can’t wait to see what our future holds. All of my dreams have come true. It was 100 percent worth the wait.”
Forget Western traditional white weddings. It’s no secret that Hindu weddings are a magical display of colour in celebration of love and union. This pair strayed from the Hindu tradition of bright red, however, to go with a soft pink and we absolutely adore it.
Amar Jandoo and Hiren Gondhia got married in Essex, UK, and their story is a fairytale.
“We met just over four years ago in a bar after seeing each other at the train station on our commute to work a number of times that same week,” Jandoo told Insider. “We got engaged in September 2018 in Cappadocia, Turkey, under hot air balloons,” she added.
“Given our wedding venue is in the middle of a deer park with lots of greenery, I wanted a subtle, pastel color that would stand out and complement the flowers and decor at the same time,” Jandoo said. “Both of our outfits were purchased from a boutique in Delhi, India, called Frontier Raas,” Jandoo said. Zohaib Ali Photography captured the stunning couple.
The pre-wedding festivities have been thriving this past week for former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and Tim Tebow. The couple gathered their closest friends and family for a weekend of celebrations in Cape Town.
Their weekend started with a ‘Welcome to Africa’ cocktail dinner in the winelands to introduce Tebow to South African culture. Nel-Peters wore a stunning white dress by Gert Johan-Coetzee featuring a criss-cross neckline and cut-out detail, while Tebow wore a blush-toned suit.
The following day, the couple held a stunning rehearsal dinner. The couple went for a sophisticated colour scheme, opting for rich purples, reds and black. Nel-Peters stunned in a strapless wine-coloured dress with beading by Anel Botha. The couple’s weekend events are all planned by celebrity planner Zavion Khotze.
We’ve been anticipating the wedding of our very own Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and American footballer Tim Tebow ever since they first announced their engagement over a year ago, and it finally looks like it’s time for them to walk down the aisle.
Both Nel-Peters and Tebow have shared Instagram posts that suggest their wedding is very close. Nel-Peters has been in South Africa for a week already and has been spending time with friends while staying at the Palace of the Lost City – Sun City Resort.
Tebow recently shared an image to Instagram asking his followers, “Where am I headed y’all? ??”, prompting people to speculate that the couple will be getting married in South Africa this weekend. Netwerk24 predicts that the wedding will take place in Stellenbosch.
Eldest Jo-bro Kevin Jonas and his wife Danielle have reached a massive milestone. The couple celebrated a decade of marriage at the end of 2019 and recently shared images from their anniversary party.
While their anniversary was back in December 19, 2019, Danielle recently took to Instagram to share images from their celebratory party that included an elaborate miniaturised version of their original wedding cake. Of course, their two daughters and the entire Jonas clan were also in attendance.
Back in December, Kevin shared a sweet message to honour his wife of 10 years. He wrote, “It is traditional for a husband to forget the anniversary of his marriage and how many years he’s been married. As you can tell today, that is not the case here. I remember the date we met may 23rd. The date we got engaged July 2nd, And of course the date we were married December 19th. I remember these not because I’m good with numbers. (I’m a musician, after all.) I remember them because they are the three most important days of my life. I guess not counting my birthday, since if I wasn’t born, I never would have met Dani. My wife of ten years. My best friend of twelve years. The love of my life.”
“I can not explain how amazing it is to look back on our journey together and to see how much we have grown together! You help me see my true potential in all things. You make me better, stronger, and show me what love is every day. So what I will say to my best friend, mother of my children, and forever love. This is just the beginning, we haven’t even started our journey and I can not wait for the next 10 and then the next. I love you to the moon and back.”
Danielle reciprocated with a loved-up post of her own.
“I’m finally sitting down after yesterday. It was a day full of so much love! Kevin Happy 10 YEAR Anniversary,” she captioned the image. “You’re the most incredible man, amazing husband and father. I have watched you mature in the best of ways. You are everything I wanted in a man. You work so hard, you are strong, wise and loving. We have faced so many challenges in life good and bad but through those times we got even closer. That’s how I know that our love will be forever. I still can’t believe that I can call you mine. So thank you for all you do and all you are. These ten years have been the most amazing adventure and I can honestly say I love you more know then I ever thought I could ever love someone and i’m going to continue to remind you of it in every way I can every chance I get. ? Love you ?
Former Protea cricketer Jacques Kallis and his wife Charlene are celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary. The couple also have a baby on the way, making this anniversary extra special.
To celebrate, Charlene shared a romantic video capturing their 2019 nuptials. She captioned the video, “I cannot believe that it’s been a year already…? I look back at this year and am in absolute awe of how strong our love has grown and now we are patiently awaiting the arrival of our biggest blessing yet when our family grows from 2 to 3. You are my Prince Charming, my Knight in Shining Armour, my pillar of strength, my best friend & confidant and soon-to-be the Best Daddy in the World! I am so excited for the next chapter in our book of love! Happy 1yr Anniversary my Love! I love you❤️”
