#OPW: Whirlwind romance a gift from God

A joyful church service serves as a reception and the bride’s tears for her late mother adds a bitter-sweet moment.

It was another beautiful wedding on OPW on Sunday night.

It seems host Thembisa Mdoda is the charm this season. There hasn’t been any real drama at any of the weddings apart from a few glitches that managed to get fixed eventually.

Last night’s couple, Babalwa and Chris, met through their church.

It is a rule in some churches to first get permission from the elders once you have found your perfect makoti.

The couple received the blessing from the church and moved to planning their perfect wedding.

They had been together for less than eight months before they decided to tie the knot.

Initially there were problems with the intercultural relationship - Chris is Venda and from a royal family and Babalwa is Xhosa - but after Chris’s brother married a Xhosa woman the family accepted the situation. They then did the proper procedure and Chris’s family wrote a letter to Babalwa’s family and the rest is history.

For Babalwa the wedding was bitter-sweet.

Her mother passed away and her aunt raised her. When she went for her dress fitting, it was an emotional moment as she wished her mother could see her for the first time in a wedding dress.

The bride’s flower order included the centre pieces, her bouquet, the bridesmaids’ flowers and the groomsmen’s pocket flowers. The cream and peach arrangements were accentuated by the green leaves that added a touch of spring.

The venue was on location, a beautiful garden wedding that didn’t need many extras.

The theme was mint with touches of cream and gold.

The bridesmaids’ dresses were shades of mint, cream and blue while the groomsmen all went for a light suit with lace up navy and gold ties and bow ties.

The groom settled for a creamy gold suit and instead of a bow tie or tie, he chose a navy cravat scarf.

There were two professional Step dancers who made the bridal party come alive with their dance moves.

The reception was held at a church service where there was a lot of dancing and energetic music, and of course money collection.

The décor guys went all out. They had a set up outside with gold and mint finishes and Tiffany chairs. Inside the hall waiting area was a photo booth with regal red chairs for guests to capture the moment ,and the hall itself was decorated with white drapery and green lights to set the mood for a fun-filled evening.

The Tshivenda dress code was beautiful and full of colours. The couple had two outfits made for the two day celebration. Day two was all about the bride being welcomed into the groom’s family.