Local couple Michelle Roodt and Klaven van Wyk tied the knot on September 8.
Michelle and Klaven have been together for eight years.
“We met in 2015 when his dog got out and pulled my dog through the gate, before that incident I saw him BMXing in the street,” recalled Michelle.
Klaven proposed in front of a crowd of hundreds earlier this year while they were enjoying a cruise.
Michelle mentioned that one of her fondest memories of them together would be their outdoor activities like spending time at the botanical garden, going hiking, and their holidays in Durban and Clarens.
Chatting about her wedding and all the planning that goes into it, Michelle stated that it took them about five months to plan their wedding.
“The planning had its ups and downs, there are a lot of things that need to be taken into consideration and the costs can add up very quickly,” she remarked, “one thing that I would have done differently was getting married on the boat after we got engaged – someone offered to marry us right there at 11pm.”
She added that although she thought about getting married right then and there, it definitely doesn’t take away from their wedding here with friends and family.
“In times of stress with wedding planning, I often thought how easy that would have been,” she chuckled, “the wedding planning isn’t all that bad, it’s bittersweet practicing your first dance barefoot the week of the wedding and coming to realise that you are doing this for the two of you and no one else.”
Although the couple got married with their close friends and family joining the celebrations, the wedding wasn’t all that traditional.
“We tried to keep things very small and stuck to a budget as we are going away for a mini-moon and the money that we would have spent on a big wedding will be saved to use on a big honeymoon in Europe,” elaborated Michelle, “we are also going to play a quiz at our wedding which I don’t think is that traditional.”
She went on to explain that for their wedding they ‘wanted something outdoors and not too extravagant’.
“We are both down-to-earth people. When it came to my dress I wanted something elegant, but not too fancy – I wanted a dress that I would feel comfortable in and be able to move in. When it came to the food we just wanted it to taste nice and be able to accommodate everyone who might have different dietary requirements. We also decided on a small one-tier wedding cake with cupcakes.”
Michelle pondered and gave the following advice to newly engaged couples; “Enjoy the moments of being engaged, it goes by quickly before all the planning starts. Get ready for a lot of people congratulating you but also giving their opinions, whether it be good or bad. Just enjoy all of the small moments.”
