Esther’s dream wedding was a wedding in a grand castle, in a large ballroom with lots of lighting and flowers. Her guests gently swaying and twirling to the soft music emanating from the walls of the ballroom. And to complete the picture she’d be wearing a lovely Cinderella-type/ball gown with a long train. Well, for her real wedding she got something close – a garden wedding at the Marula Manor, Karen.
For her bridal team she decided to go with coral, while the junior bridesmaids adorned champagne. She was fortunate to get those particular shades from her vendor Blooms and Drapes Events, and she bought all the choral material that they had! “I decided to settle for subtle and happy colours that will blend” explains Esther. “My bridal team were so excited and I could see them standing together, their colours blending well. They looked like they just walked out of a magazine… Beautiful!”
10 months is how long it took them before they could finally decide on their colour scheme. They even attended two Samantha’s Bridal Weddings Fairs to get ideas. In the end they decided to go with a fairy-tale-themed wedding of coral and champagne colours with accents of navy blue, and baby’s breath as the main flowers.
“At the ceremony area were cascading white drapes, over garden chairs and the arbor. The reception was an elegant statement of a mixture of gold and white chiavari chairs by Lily of the Valley, with champagne table overlays, baby’s breath flowers all under hexagon tents. I like the idea that we were not going to drape them, that’s what I really like about the Hex tents. I was very happy with the outcome,” Esther describes.They [vendors] exceeded my expectations. I was really blown away” Eric admits.
“I decided on this [theme] because as a little girl I pictured my wedding with white flowers. Coral and champagne blend well together and navy blue is Eric’s favorite color,” Esther explains Marula Manor where their ceremony and reception took place offered enough room for creativity with its vast manicured ground and angelic flowers on the patio.
Esther Shwashwa, a marketer and Eric Chachi met in December 2005 at a mutual friend’s birthday party. “We clicked after maybe talking for two or three hours. I gave her my watch as a way of making sure I see her again” quips Eric. Sleek as he was, he needn’t be as Esther had already set her heart on him: “Immediately he walked in, he had this crazy Santa hat and I was impressed. He just took over the room; he was himself. I told one of my friends, that guy is going to marry me,” recounts Esther
In December 29, 2012 the time was ripe with their friends and family alike eagerly anticipating a decent proposal. Eric decided to throw a party for his friends, who he had let in on is his little secret. Of course Esther was invited, and over a game of monopoly Eric pretended to have dropped a monopoly piece under the table. He asked Esther to help him retrieve it. She obliged and went under, and by the time she came up Eric had assumed his position on bended knee, as he flashed the engagement ring on her face with the proposal ‘Will you Marry Me’. “Her legs gave way” Eric laughs explaining, “that’s when I gave her the ring; she was completely caught off-guard!”
A shaken Esther finally recovered and said yes, although she was more concerned over the state of her un-manicured nails. “I hadn’t done my nails… but I wouldn’t change anything how it happened!” she quips back
Soon after they had to set a wedding date. They had to compromise on a date since Eric wanted a wedding at the end of the year while, Esther favored a wedding at the beginning of the year. Their middle ground hence became August 2014.
What drew Esther to Eric she says is his “zest for life, his caring, kind and loving nature”
Venue: Marula manor
Photography: Wedding Affair photography
Decor: Blooms and drapes events
