Bridesmaid's Blog
I’m getting married in the morning
Ding dong the bells are going to chime
Pull out the stopper
Let’s have a whopper
But get me to the church on time!
- My Fair Lady (Sarah-Jane and I watched this ad nauseum when we were much younger!)
As it turned out, Sarah-Jane and her bevy of bridesmaids didn’t get to the church on time - but just late enough to allow the bride her dramatic, fairytale entrance…
At 10am on a very bright Saturday morning, the bridesmaids arrived one by one at Sarah-Jane’s home, each to a squeal of “I can’t believe I’m getting married!” Amy arrived with black curls bouncing; Rose with an indestructible up-style; Julie with loose curls swept back; and myself with hair half-done and pinned atop my head, trailing make-up and high heels… The bride-to-be looked remarkably calm in a t-shirt and shorts – more beach bum than bride. But only for the time being!
(#1 thing I loved about this wedding: it started off in the intimacy of a home – what better place for a send-off?)
By 1pm the atmosphere was electric, as flowers were delivered, the photographer arrived, and a host of female friends and family rushed about collecting, carrying, and doing up hems and zips. The bridesmaids’ make-up was done and our pink dresses hung, ready, from the chandelier in Sarah-Jane’s living room. The place was alight with adorable flower girls, reaching on tiptoes for their dresses, and begging the ‘grown-up’ bridesmaids for a touch of lip gloss. For the past hour, Sarah-Jane had been propped up in a chair, being made up and ‘styled’ in her parents’ room, her lovely dress hanging between the open French doors, catching the early afternoon light.
At 1:45 a beautiful, graceful lady emerged in a cloud of white, clutching a bouquet of pink roses and white agapanthus – the flower of love - her hair curled vintage-style at her neck, her fairytale gown spread around her, and the floor-length veil covering her radiantly smiling face. Sarah-Jane made her elegant way across the lawn to the beribboned car, while the bridesmaids fanned out behind, lifting her veil in the light.
(#2 thing I loved about this wedding: seeing my lifelong friend so believably transformed into the fairytale self she had spent many childhood hours finding in the pages of magazines.)
2pm saw us racing through the streets, hooting, four bridesmaids in the back, clutching pink roses and singing along to a mix of Duffy and Mamma Mia (what else?). At 2:30pm we leapt out at our destination, straightened Sarah-Jane’s train, and entered the gates of the old stone Christ Church in Kenilworth, a flower girl clutching each hand. The young ring-bearer stood in front, dressed like Huck Finn and aching to lead the procession.
Our cue was a sudden hush in the church as the congregation stood to welcome the bride, and so the bridesmaids left a glowing Sarah-Jane behind as we walked (slowly) up the aisle to take our positions at the front. Then the bride wafted in (to the ethereal strains of Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major), on the arm of a very proud father, took the hand of her beloved - who looked super-handsome on the day, in tailored suit and pale yellow silk tie - and faced the minister. This moment is clearly etched into my memory; the rest of the ceremony was something of a whirl, punctuated by the rather tense - but humorous - silence following the invitation for any objections to the marriage, a dramatic kiss when the two were pronounced husband and wife, and a lot of joyful singing. And suddenly there were Sarah-Jane and Leon, looking every inch, every ounce, every smile, a happily married couple!
After the church tea (and much hugging and kissing of the bride and groom, and twirling by hyperactive flower girls), we set off for the reception at the wine estate in the country – a picturesque combination of vineyards and mountain, a wide dam, and a high-ceilinged farmhouse in the dappled shade of tall oak trees. After ‘powdering our noses’ (and helping Sarah-Jane to manage her voluminous skirts), we took a peek inside. The scene was magical: chairs and round tables were draped in white, with a hint of French country flair in the table decorations and flower arrangements. Fairy lights hung from the eaves, and hearts were suspended from white ribbons dangling from chandeliers.
(#3 thing I loved about this wedding: all the decorating was done by Sarah-Jane’s creative mum and friends, adding a very personal touch to the reception.)
For the first hour, guests waited patiently as the bridal party – newly-weds, bridesmaids and best men, flower girls and family - were photographed, (the bride and bridesmaids clutching white Chinese paper umbrellas, creating a real 1920s feel). We posed beside the dam and under the oak trees, then Sarah-Jane and Leon walked ahead to take advantage of the setting sun. Finally, at 6pm, they made their grand, married entrance at the reception to a round of applause, making their way hand in hand to their seats, like a king and queen.
The next two hours passed in a procession of speeches (including, of course, one remarkably well-delivered one by the doting Leon), a delicious starter and a filling main course - and a loony dance performed by the bride and bridesmaids. Oh yes - we did a little dance at SJ’s reception, something I had kept secret till then on account of the fact that it was a surprise for Leon! During Sarah-Jane’s ‘hen weekend’, the five of us cooked up a winning plan to perform to Mamma Mia’s “Honey Honey” – a dance extravaganza choreographed by Amy. And so we whipped off our heels, twirled our white Chinese umbrellas, walked up to the dance floor, and requested the company of Mr. Leon Venter. This was followed by much twirling, skirt-swishing and many blown kisses, and then a solo dance by Sarah-Jane and Leon – an altogether very pink, very girly effort, appropriately set to “Honey Honey, how you thrill me, aha! Honey Honey…” I have to say it was quite a hit, and we did feel a bit like the stars of an all-pink rock group!
(#4 thing I loved about this wedding: as one friend put it, “Sarah-Jane was a fun bride. Not the sit-in-the-corner-and-grin sort”!)
At about 10:30pm the serious dancing began, to a mix of all of Sarah-Jane’s favourites – ‘Brown-eyed Girl’, everything from ‘Grease’, everything from ‘Mamma Mia’ (of course), ‘Spirit of the Great Heart’ by Johnny Clegg - a traditional Anderson family favourite, always guaranteed to bring out the Leo in Sarah-Jane, who takes to the floor in a flurry of Zulu dance steps. And the music played on, late into the warm summer night…
(#5 thing I loved about this wedding: everyone was on the dance floor, from Sarah-Jane’s mum and dad, to friends, family and flower girls – it truly was a family-and-friends affair.)
The clock struck 12 (or rather, 12:30 – Sarah-Jane changed the rules and refused to be dragged from the dance floor), and the couple’s pumpkin chariot arrived, in the form of a much-decorated car. The guests assembled into a long train leading from the barn to the oaks, making an arch high enough for the couple to gallop through. Off they went into the starry night, hooting in response to the audience’s whoops and claps. (Comically, they then took the wrong turn-off further down the road, and so had to drive back and relive the sending off, much to the delight of the guests!)
_ _ _ _ _ _
Three days later, I get a phone call from Sarah-Jane – the new Mrs. Venter! – on the first leg of their honeymoon, a road trip up the Garden Route. “We’ve got a flat tyre!” she giggles, as if this were something to be jubilant about. In that instant, I realise how truly happy she is. She informs me that she’s just been tree-swinging, and I hear Leon’s infectious laugh in the background (probably from beneath the car), as she exclaims. I can hear that she is pink-cheeked and mischievous, ready for anything. “And now I’m going to ride an elephant!” she says. “I’m sorry…what?” I stammer. But Sarah-Jane is distracted and excited and I know her when she’s like that, so I let her go, off to ride her…elephant (?)
And so it is, reflecting on these last few months of fun and organisation, that in the end I hold one image in my head: Sarah-Jane, an exotic princess, riding on the back of a big, decorated grey beast, into the sunset with her beloved. Happy in love, in love with Leon, so ready to love this next great adventure and all that it holds.
Huge congratulations to both of you!
If you have any comments, feel free to email me: blogs@celebrationhouse.co.za
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