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Where do I begin? Words can never do my tale justice, but I will try my best to give you a glimpse of how and where it all begun… and how I’m so fortunate to be sitting here sharing it all with you!

This is our story…

London – Our city of love

We met one chilly afternoon on a dirty sidewalk in London … it was destined to be the romance of our lives. It was here, far away from our home countries, that we found each other completely by chance. Being in the right place at the right time certainly applies to this love story. It was meant to be! Our meeting soon blossomed into a beautiful friendship that led to us falling head over heals. Over 5 (magical) years later we are on the other side of the world, living our dream and falling in love more and more, each day.

New beginnings in New Zealand

Four years ago I moved to New Zealand with Luke when our working holidays in the UK had sadly come to an end. It was a big step for us both and leaving behind my family in South Africa – on a more permanent basis - was always going to be tough. Immigration made it difficult for us at first, but we overcome every obstacle thrown our way and proved that this wasn’t just a passing fling. It was the real deal! In time our feet stopped itching and we got settled into the wonderful kiwi lifestyle and bought the family farm cottage which has now become our very own ‘home sweet home’.

Unforgettable Moment

Completely out of the blue my wish came true when Luke asked me to marry him on our 4 year anniversary, whilst overlooking the glowing city lights of Auckland . Being a very talented builder – and a complete romantic - he had thoughtfully carved a stunning timber ring out of our old rimu mantelpiece. This is so sentimental as it came from our house that we are currently renovating. Our worlds were turned upside down and Cloud 9 swooped us off our feet. We decided that there would have to be two weddings… one in both our countries. Some thought we were downright mad, and others wished they could be so lucky. And lucky, I was!

WEDDING NO. 1

Acacia Lodge Tala Game Reserve, Durban , South Africa

Saturday, 15 April 2006 @ 3pm

The Dream Wedding

We started planning our wedding straight away… and might I add, on the other side of the globe. Six months was all we had and the date was set in concrete: 15th of April 2006. My wonderful mother was a godsend and when it came to all the planning, sampling, viewing and approving, she was right there to give the thumbs up! It was always going to be an “African” wedding with a backdrop to match… Tala Private Game Reserve near Durban won us over and we fell for its breathtaking venues and overflowing experience in hosting weddings. Thank goodness for the internet! My dearly loved timber engagement ring was to be replaced by a unique white gold wedding ring that we designed ourselves. As a baby, I was given a 0.48 carat brilliant cut diamond by my uncle and after our engagement, my Gran also gave me 4 tiny diamonds to use in my wedding ring. A local jeweler back in South Africa supplied the white gold and created the ring as to our exact instructions from across the ocean. Luke’s white gold wedding band suited his personality and style perfectly, with its wide cut and classic design. He picked it from Michael Hill in Hawke’s Bay where he went back three times that day to look at it ‘one more time’. We knew it had to be the one!

Stress & Sleepless nights

The wedding dress: All brides will probably agree with me that this is quite possibly the most important part of the wedding. So, you can imagine my situation when my preordered (and prepaid) dress arrived from overseas a size too big, only weeks before our departure date. Many tears and fittings later, it fit like a glove! My mother-in-law patiently helped with finishing touches which ensured it was perfect! From that moment on, my dress never left my side and I made sure I knew exactly where it was at all times. (I must have looked like a pack donkey walking through the airport terminals on our way over to South Africa .) We had a stopover in Perth where we stayed with friends and it wasn’t until a few days before the wedding that Brooke frantically rang us to confess that my veil had been left behind… alert to all panic stations!!!!!! Luckily my sister-in-law, Kiri had to pass through Perth on her way over and safely delivered my precious veil in time for the big day.

The shirt we had picked for Luke ended up being too white next to my ivory wedding dress. He had his heart set on wearing it, but decided that it just wasn’t right. We had to run around the local mall in my hometown, trying to find something to match my gown. The shirt we eventually found had to be made smaller, and tailored to fit Luke as it was the only one left on the shelf. We were able to pick it up the day before the wedding. Cutting it fine, had a whole new meaning! But, it was worth it as Luke felt like a million dollars…

Creative Intimacy & Style

The theme of the wedding revolved around a rustic, warm feel with a unique touch as we designed and created the invites, table names and vows ourselves. Everyone commented that it was very special and very ‘us’. We had tiny paw prints on the girls name tags and kiwi prints on the men’s names tags to resemble both our two different cultures as one. The colours swirled around warm earthy tones and we decided to set the theme to “chocolate and ivory”. It worked beautifully and tied in with our outfits, the venue and the rich contrasts of the wild African bush. A group of friend and family helped us set up the venue the day before the wedding and turned out even better than we’d hoped. The mood was going to be set with all the candles and personal touches.

My youngest sister-in-law Megan, also a bridesmaid is a florist by trade and happily agreed to do our bouquets, buttonholes and corsage’s. We had brown feathers for the bridesmaids’ bouquet and ivory feathers for mine along with gorgeous ivory roses. It was exactly what I had imagined! Soft, feminine – plain, but different…

Dressed to kill

Our groomsmen all lived in different countries, which made shopping for their outfits quite a challenge. We had to get their measurements via email and hope for the best! We bought each pair of shoes in a bigger size, just incase… but, in the end it all fit perfectly and they looked fantastic.

My mother-in-law, a natural seamstress with years of experience, offered to make the bridesmaids’ dresses. The material we had fell in love with turned out to be near impossible to work with, but she turned this beautiful bit of material into three stunning strapless dresses. The best part was we had lots of help from the lovely women in our families who helped put in seams, sow on buttons and do the last minute finishing touches. Moms, aunties and granmma’s… Just loved the way a wedding brings everyone together!

Our little flowergirl, Jade who is also our godchild looked like a little angel. She was only 2 ½ years old at the time and looked gorgeous in her wee ivory dress that her granma had made along with the bridesmaids dresses. (Unfortunately, she fell ill with a tummy bug on the morning of the wedding and slept for most of the day)

African Touch

The tables were gorgeously decorated with ivory cloths, candles and napkins that were tastefully rolled to resemble the horns of an Antelope. Acacia, the venue of our choice had a traditional thatched roof with polished clay floors and authentic pottery and weaved bowls on display as wall features. We had our ceremony on the deck and the reception inside. We brought our own bronze chandeliers which we draped in ivy to add to the romantic candlelight setting. Rose petal confetti scattered on the red carpet, led out onto our ‘open air chapel’ – the deck overlooking the rhino’s waterhole. The arch, consisting of two big tree branches covered in ivy, worked as a giant frame for the picture perfect setting where we would become husband and wife.

The Ceremony

Our minister, an ex-Springbok Rugby Player and much loved family friend, had everyone in stitches thanks to his charming wit and amusing strong Afrikaans accent. The All Blacks jokes broke the ice and added to the relaxed and intimate feel of the ceremony. Having Afrikaans as my first language it was nice to be able to have part of the ceremony in both English and Afrikaans. We had three readings of which one was in Afrikaans and read out by my dad (previously translated it to Luke), and one by Luke’s mom and a close friend, Sue Darragh. The funny thing was that our priest must have been a bit nervous himself as he forgot about the readings and we had to quietly remind him at the end of the ceremony! It was very funny!

Mesmerising Music

Having an enormous passion for music, setting the right mood was very important to us. We had a song picked out for each and every moment… Luke chose Dave Dobbyn’s Slice of heaven for the boys’ strut down the isle, his mother proudly by his side. Enya’s Memory of Trees gave me chills down my spine as I clung to my proud dad’s arm. It had us all in tears (men included)! Whilst signing the register we had Moby’s ”Everloving” softly playing in the backround… my tummy was fluttering with butterflies! The music created a euphoric magic in the air and tingled a lot of emotions… It was truly beautiful.

Picture Perfect

Once the formality of the ceremony was over we sprinted through the soft rain to our wedding car… a safari truck, dressed up in white ribbon and a grass bouquet on the bonnet. Waiting for us was a basket of nibbles including biltong, droe wors (South African delicacies), nuts and of course, champagne! We managed to find a herd of Blue Wildebeest who curiously crept closer to see just what we were up to in the long grass. Being such a large park, we were at risk of not finding any animals, but luckily we found thee rhino peacefully grazing by the entrance gate. Very carefully we posed for photos with the rhinos in the distance while our game keeper kept a close watch. The weather took a turn for the worse, so we decided to cut our photo shoot short and go back to the venue to join our guests for the long awaited celebrations!

Traditional Entertainment

As a special surprise for our guests, we had local Zulu Dancers perform tribal dances in traditional outfits to the beat of their drums and whistles. Our videographer captured this all on tape so that we could enjoy it ourselves later on. Once we arrived they posed for a photo with us while singing a traditional zulu song “Shosholoza” at the top of their beautiful voices. We had shivers from head to toe!

The Reception

On arrival we were welcomed with a huge applause while Moby filled the air with glorious melodies. The fire was sizzling away behind us and it just added a personal feeling of instant comfort and intimacy. From the thatched roof beams inside the venue, they had three dried trees hanging upside down, serving as natural chandeliers twirled in fairy lights. A magnificent setting!

The three course meal was to die for with a mixture of African and traditional taste sensations. Something for everyone! Once we had the formalities of the speeches behind us, we were able to cut our delicious carrot cake and officially open the dance floor.

Happy Feet

Dj Sammy’s candlelight version of Heaven made me weak in the knees… one of the happiest moments in my life. We danced the night away… just as we’d planned. We were lucky enough to have friends and family from all corners of the globe with us on this day and we wanted to spend every moment enjoying it with them.

My mom had made a special request to that no Kiwi man was allowed to leave the wedding until she has seen the ‘Haka’ being performed live. So, when the kiwi men mysteriously disappeared for about ½ hour, we knew they were practicing their big performance. To our delight, they reappeared and performed the ‘Haka’ with such pride and energy that everyone broke out in a roaring applause… The South Africans especially enjoyed this first hand experience. My mom was very chuffed indeed!

Good Night

We waved the last guests goodbye before they locked the venue behind us. The last to leave! Our Landrover (Bush Limousine!) chauffeured us down the dusty road to our 5 star presidential honeymoon suite, compliments of Tala. There were candles and rose petals everywhere… they had even brought some of our wedding cake and dessert to the room as a midnight snack. In the morning we were served a gourmet breakfast out on the patio overlooking zebra grazing undisturbed only a few hundred meters away.

Picnic by the Pool

After packing our bags, we headed to the rock pools near the hippo hide to join family and close friends for an outdoor lunch BBQ by the poolside. Thorn trees umbrella-ing us from the afternoon sun, we lay on blankets reliving the night and sipped on chilled champagne while the smell of flame grilled steak & boerewors (SA sausage) filled the air. We could not have asked for a more perfect end to our magical weekend.

Honeymoon

Due to finances and lack of leave, we were not able to have a honeymoon. We made the most of it and spent our time with our family and overseas visitors. We both caught a horrendous tummy bug shortly after the wedding (same as our flower girl) which left us bed ridden for our first week of marriage… not quite how we’d imagined it, but it is rather funny in hindsight! We luckily managed to escape to the Drakensberg for a few nights to refuel and enjoy the novelty of being Mr & Mrs!!

Our wedding, was everything and so much more than what we’d hoped for. Every chance we get we look through our album and watch our DVD… with a box of tissues nearby! J  

What made it so special for us?

• Luke's mom offered me her veil and garter to use on the day, which was very special as it was the same veil that Kiri used at her wedding a few years earlier.

• My granma was very touched when we asked if we could use her little bride and groom we found in her display cabinet which they had on their wedding cake 50 odd years ago. It was very special!

• Luke’s granma offered us her little wedding shoes that she had on her wedding cake which we also used as it was a way for her to be present on the day.

• The pearls I wore on the day were given to me by my Ouma who passed away 6 years ago. I had the necklace made into earrings, a bracelet and a new floating necklace to think of her on the day. I had a pair of earrings made for each of my bridesmaids to keep and think of this special day.

• My parents paid for the venue and for the food which was a great help to us and very generous in this day and age. Weddings don’t come cheap! Luke’s parents also helped out by paying for all the alcohol. It certainly helped with our bulging budget!

• Friends and family traveled from far and wide to be there for us… the cost of travel made it impossible for a lot of people to attend, but those that could make it certainly made us feel very special and fortunate!

• It was the first time that our parents met face to face and the got on like a house on fire. It was also my opportunity to show them where my roots lie and why Africa is so close to my heart. They fell in love with the cultures and the beauty of my country!

WEDDING NO. 2

Camellia Garden , Hamilton Gardens , New Zealand

Saturday, 23 December 2006 @ 4pm

Another... Dream Wedding

This time we had 8 months to plan our promised Kiwi Wedding. The search for suitable venues was long and hard, specially to accommodate our budget after just getting back from South Africa and renovating our cottage. But, we were adamant that something will come along… months went by with no luck, but suddenly everything started to come together. The photographer, the venue, the cars… we had it all under control.

This time we had a small change in the bridal party as not everyone was able to be at both weddings. It worked out perfectly as we were able to include all our close friends into the weddings without having an oversized bridal party! My mother–in-law had to make another dress and we had to swap a few shirts around to accommodate all the guys, but it all worked out fine. Thanks to my sister-in-law we were also able to have the same bouquets again!

Theme and Style

We wanted this wedding to be more in touch with the feel of New Zealand … fresh, green and lush. Because we were wearing the same outfits, we weren’t able to incorporate that into our appearance, but instead did so with the choice of venue and invitations. My talented bridesmaid, Ally designed our gorgeous koru-style invitations for the renewal of our vows and we chose to have our wedding at the fabulous Hamilton Gardens . This time it was going to be more relaxed and informal with nibbles through out the night, punch and a cash bar available.

Kiwi Touch

We missed out on traditional wedding cars in South Africa , but made up for it 110% here in the Land of the Long White Cloud (and petrol heads!). We were lucky enough to have two identical 1965 Chevy Impalas for our special day. My family just loved seeing these gorgeous cars that are like hen’s teeth in South Africa . We traveled in style!

Something Different

Since we had done this all before, we decided that it would be quite special to arrive together … arm in arm, as husband and wife. It somehow created a more relaxed feeling for the whole bridal party and we were all just having a great time! Our parents were to walk in together, followed by the bridal party and then us. The boys arrived with the cars to pick us up and they left me speechless as they handsomely walked down the drive, suited up from head to toe. It was a surprise that Luke organized through Frank Casey. They looked dazzling… I couldn’t stop smiling! Luke looked so incredibly handsome and I had never seen him quite so dressed up before. It was hard to keep my hands to myself!

Jade was our flower girl again and now at age 3 she was loving every minute of being dressed up and waving around her “rose-wand” that her auntie made for her. Luckily she still fitted her dress, and looked gorgeous as ever. And this time, she was well enough to enjoy it all with us!

The Ceremony

Weather wise, our day turned out to be miserable and unpredictable. We had hail, rain, wind and humidity. But, the moment we arrived at the gardens the skies cleared and the sun came blazing down on us! My prayers were certainly answered. The Camellia Garden with its fairytale like setting, created the green and lush backdrop we had hoped for. We had the same music serenading us while we walked down the isle (rustic foot path in the garden). An icebreaker to remember occurred when Luke’s suit pants came undone just as we were about to start. His uncle came rushing to the rescue with a belt to keep it all under wraps. A few moments of intensity turned to relieved laughter - and even applause! All embarrassing moments aside, our ceremony could proceed… Our guests were standing on the large oval lawn to witness our short ceremony. The wonderful celebrant led the renewal of our vows with elegance and intimacy. Happy tears and smiles all around… Once we were declared “Mr & Mrs Matchett” for the second time, everyone cheered and we greeted our guests in the warm afternoon sun.

Fantastic Photography

The gardens were spectacular this time of the year. We had chosen the Italian Garden , the Indian Garden and the English Garden for our photo shoot. The champagne was flowing generously and we had a fabulous time with our photographer, Peter Kampenhout from Te Aroha. His creativity and passion for photography really rubbed off on us and we were having great fun posing and playing around. And best of all… not a single drop of rain for the entire time we were out there.

The Celebrations

The Garden Terrace Restaurant was exactly what we had pictured. Located in the Hamilton Gardens ’ grounds, it was walking distance from our ceremony and also nestled in a beautiful park-like setting next to a duck pond with lit up waterfalls at night. Their staff was absolutely lovely and accommodating in every way. We provided nibbles and punch to our guests, which was served throughout the night along with tea and coffee. Our brother in law, a chef of extreme talent, gifted us a wedding cake to die for. It consisted of a tower of truffles rolled in coconut, crushed nuts or cocoa… it certainly went down a treat and looked too good to eat! For a finishing touch he added roughly cracked coconuts filled with strawberries as decoration.

Both our wonderful fathers chose to do a small speech which was enjoyed by all and once the formalities were over it was time to open the dance floor, once again…

Polishing the floor

James Blunt’s ”High” signaled the first dance… it had me in goose bumps from head to toe. From there on, we basically didn’t leave the dance floor until it was time to call it a night. The idea was to have a huge celebration with our family and friends, and that is exactly what we did!

Special Moments

My family, who were out from South Africa for a 4 week long visit, was delighted to meet all the famous Matchetts and the friends they’ve only heard about. It was a very memorable night for us! It truly felt like we were all part of one big, happy family.

If anyone asked me: “would you do it all again”, I would say “YES! Anyday… I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I got to marry the love of my life twice.”

What made it so special for us?

• The second wedding wasn’t anywhere near as nerve wrecking or emotional as the first, but it just as memorable and special in its own way. We got to declare our love to each other a second time in front of a 120 smiling witnesses.

• This time, in turn my family had the opportunity to visit NZ and they met all our family and friends over here. They also fell in love with the kiwis and their great way of life…

• We were able to share this day with all the friends and family that missed out in South Africa . We count ourselves lucky to have had two weddings in 8 months, surrounded by wonderful family & friends… magic.

********************************************

After Thought

Finding love is something that might only come along once in a lifetime. It has to be celebrated, enjoyed, respected and treasured. These are the times and moments that life is made of… the ones that take your breath away.

Wedding Number 1

BRIDAL PARTY

Groomsmen

Righardt Kleinhans         (Brother-in-Law – based in South Africa )

Sam Darragh                 (Close friend – traveled from Ireland )

Chris Marks                   (Close friend – traveled from London )

Bridesmaids                

Janine Mostert               (Close Friend – traveled from New Zealand )

Kiri Blyton                      (Sister-in-Law – traveled from Australia )

Megan Matchett             (Sister-in-Law – traveled from New Zealand )

Priest

Darius Botha                 (Good family friend and former Springbok)

MC

Hermine Wilken             (Close family friend & calls herself my 2 nd mother)

Photographer Videographer

Paul Henman Colin Melville

Florist Cake

Megan Matchett Family friend (two layers of carrot cake)

Car Drivers Guests

Family friends 70

Wedding Number 2

BRIDAL PARTY

Groomsmen

Righardt Kleinhans         (Brother-in-Law – traveled from South Africa )

Scott Craig                    (Close friend)

Logan Annis                  (Close friend)

Bridesmaids                

Ally Lowery                   (Close friend)

Kiri Blyton                      (Sister-in-Law – traveled from Australia )

Megan Matchett             (Sister-in-Law – traveled from Ireland )

Celebrant

Carol Greenville              (Good family friend and Justice of the Peace)

MC

Craig Blyton                  (Brother-in-Law – traveled from Australia )

Cake

Ronan O’Malley             (Chef and Brother-in-Law)

Photographer

Peter Kampenhout

Florist

Megan Matchett

Car Drivers Guests

Scott Craig & Deon 120