Congratulations to our 2015 bride winner!
Melissa dos Santos Coetzee has been crowned the 2015 Bride of the Year winner.
![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2016/02/10BAGENBRIDEID1_37195.jpg)
Melissa was married to Brent Coetzee at The Hertford Country House, on August 8, last year.
The Advertiser had an opportunity to get to know the bride.
Q: Where and when did you meet your husband, Brent Coetzee?
A: I met Brent in 2009, at Emperors Palace, where he was working at the time.
Q: Was it love at first sight?
A: Yes, it was. When I first saw him – WOW – I couldn’t get him out of my mind. However, I was dating someone else at the time. Brent said that if he can’t have me, no one else can. He fought for me for four months.
Q: What attracted you to him and made you fall in love?
A: He was a real gentleman and treated me like a princess – he still does! And definitely, our first kiss made me fall in love.
Q: How and when did you get engaged?
A: Brent proposed to me in 2013 on our first night in Dubai, on the beach. This was a family holiday and everyone was in on it. I had no idea!
Q: What was your wedding like?
A: We loved how our venue looked during that time. Our theme was vintage, so there was a lot of lace and the colours were white and peachy pink. We had 125 close family and friends as guests. We, unfortunately, could not invite everyone. It was an unforgettable day and no regrets. I was a very calm bride on the day, as this is what I wanted and I couldn’t have been more sure about the man I was about to marry.
Q: What did you do on your honeymoon?
A: We went to Mauritius and did undersea walking and snorkelling, we hired a scooter to get us around, we went on a catamaran trip to Gabriel Island, and we ate and shopped a lot.
Q: What is your husband’s best characteristic?
A: His sense of humour and he never sees bad in people. He is down to Earth.
Q: What would a perfect date be like for the two of you?
A: Hmmm, nothing that costs a lot. We appreciate the small things.
Q: What’s your ”thing” you like doing together as a couple?
A: We do everything together. We enjoy going on a lot of spontaneous getaways, travelling, and trying different routes to our destinations, among others.
Q: What do the two of you do, respectively, to make each other feel special and loved?
A: By putting each other first, helping out around the house, running each other’s baths, I’ll cook and he’ll wash dishes, he’ll make me coffee and I’ll pour him cold drink, and surprise visits and date nights.
She wins the following:
*Framing to the value of R1 000 from Janbre Art and Professional Picture Framing.
* Free hair treatment with a haircut and blow wave, as well as a luxury manicure from the Cutting Edge Hair and Beauty Salon.
* Garden Shop voucher to the value of R1 000.
* R1 000 voucher from Mistry’s Pine Furniture.