Asara Wedding by Talk Functions

Lindy and Zaid tied the knot on 17 December 2011 at the Stellenbosch Venue, Asara Wine Estate. Organising a wedding whilst living in the UK and getting married in South Africa, can be a very difficult task. That’s why Lindy and Zaid called in the help of Lisa from Talk Functions.

Living in the UK, what made you decide to get married in South Africa? We’ve been living in the UK for the past 4 years. Zaid (my husband) and I are originally from Cape Town and we just always knew we would get married in Cape Town. Most of our family are back home and the vineyard-wedding was something I knew I wanted and because there’s no other place that has the natural beauty Cape Town has.

What were the highlights of your wedding day? I think the entire day was a highlight, but if I have to choose a special moment; it would be the moment I was walking down the aisle - everyone looking at me with such big smiles on their faces. The emotions that you have at that moment are unexplainable. An overwhelming feeling of joy, happiness and love! I really had to control the tears at that moment. It’s a feeling a bride never forgets.

What made you choose your wedding venue? What was your venue short list? The venue (Asara) was Zaid’s first choice and my 2nd! We had a look at about 5-6 venues and MolenVliet was my 1st choice. We compared all the logistics and costs and Asara turned out to be the better option because of its natural outdoor beauty. We needed to do some work on the interior of the reception area, but as you cannot change the landscape, Asara was the better option in that respect.

Did anything unexpected happen? I can’t really think of anything in particular. I would probably say that Zaid was way more nervous than I was! The morning of the wedding, whilst getting ready, I was quite calm and collective whereas Zaid was the total opposite - which was quite surprising, as the roles in our daily lives are quite reversed. Other than that, there were minor things that only I as the bride would notice, but not everyone else. Also, Lisa, my wedding planner, had the day planned out to the very last detail! She was the biggest reason why I was so relaxed and her organisational skills are exceptional!

What was the “theme of your wedding day, and why? There was no particular theme to our wedding. My colours were gold, natural, champagne and yellow. I think this colour scheme was the classic, elegant look I was going for and the yellow was the wow factor. Like the minister said during the ceremony, the day was about Our Love, Our Friendship and Our Story. I would say THAT was our theme.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently? I probably would have had an entire weekend of celebrations if it were possible. It felt as if the day went by in a blink of an eye. All those months of planning and effort just goes by way too quickly and you find yourself trying so hard to savour every minute of that special day.

What every Bride should know: Enjoy the journey of the planning and not just the wedding day. You get so caught up in the planning that sometimes you forget the reason why you are getting married. Your wedding lasts one day, your marriage… a lifetime. I would suggest during the day, take about 5 minutes to be on your own and just take in all the emotions - it’s such an amazing feeling.

What every Groom should know: Always stay calm when the bride is stressing about making decisions during the planning process - be the voice of reason. Be hands on and share your opinions, but always bear in my mind what the bride would like as well. As for the day, the smile and happiness you see on your wife’s face makes all the planning worthwhile.

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