Nocwaka + Sima

Wedding date: 4.9.2021
Dress: Petula by Jo Malin

How did you and Sima meet?

We were both at work. He was trying to sell me some telecomm product. Which I politely declined. He came back later to ask for my contact details, I gave him a business card. Exactly a week later, he sent a WhatsApp message. As the cliche says, the rest is history.

Tell me about your proposal story?

It was on a Thursday evening, he asked me if I wanted to go out for a drink at the Athletic club, I agreed.

Since it was a casual date, I didn’t bother dressing up. When I arrived at the meet up place, I was a little surprised that he had reserved a table. He barely does that. I shrugged it off.

We sat a secluded, cosy spot. there was jazz music playing. He was so nervous, he went to the toilet twice in 30 minutes , I found it weird but still brushed it off.

When the band took a break, he suggested we go to the balcony for some air. On coming back, he made sure he walked behind me. When we got back, there were rose petals and candles all over the place. I turned around to ask if we came back to the right table. Only to find him down on one knee and cameras flashing all over. He is a man of many words but on that day, he barely could put a sentence together. I said YES!

His friends came in with champagne and we had a lovely celebration.

What was most important to you when planning your wedding?

Our wedding was planned in a short time span. Being the perfectionist that I am, I wanted all our service providers to run with our vision and create the most perfect day. So what mostly mattered was that we got people who understood us and what type of occasion/day we wanted to create. We also looked for packaged deals, to save time.

Family inclusion was very important as they say, it’s the family’s wedding and our marriage.

Sticking to the budget whilst getting value for money also really mattered.

We are very laid back people and we knew how stressful wedding planning could be so we wanted as minimal stress as possible and were very intentional about it.

How did you feel when you first stepped into your wedding dress?

I had tried on a few dresses and had a rough idea of what I wanted. At Jo’s boutique (Sheer Bride), I tried on a few unique pieces that were in line with what I had in mind but none of them captured my heart. Jo suggested I try something outside of what I’d described to her. Oh, I fell in love. I knew the moment I stepped in the dress that it was the one. It complimented my body very well and it put a smile on my face. I felt like a princess.

What did you love most about it?

It put a smile on my face. It complimented my body very well, I loved its unique flowiness. The detail on it was absolutely stunning. Looking for a dress, I knew I didn’t want the traditional white color and the dress was exactly what I wanted without knowing it.

Where was your wedding and who was your photographer? Why did you choose them?

It was at Welgelee estate. At some point were stuck between 2 choices. We went with Welgelee because they had more value for money and had nice accommodating packages.

Bling Bling photography. My fiance at the time knew the photographer and had worked with him before and seen his work. They did our engagement shoot too. So it was an easy choice.

Describe the essence of your wedding day, and what you experienced?

It was beautiful. It was a very intimate wedding with our closest friends and family, which meant it easily translated to a fun, joyous day.

We had a few glitches here and there as any wedding day but ultimately it was perfect. It’s funny how time flew by so quickly, we didn’t want the day to end.

It was so precious to share the first day of our forever with our family and friends.

Do you have any words of wisdom for newly engaged couples planning their wedding?

Have a vision board, it helps you marry your ideas as a couple. Moreover it tells your service providers what you want in a clear picture.

It’s only one day, don’t break the bank you still have a lifetime together.

Get a wedding planner if you can afford one, it saves you a lot of headaches.

Have fun in the process!