Bells and whispers
Fancy a little matrimonial bliss, but not the ridiculous fuss? Pieter & Taryn van Jaarsveld solved that problem with a surprise-party twist. By Thembalethu Zulu
‘WHY can’t we just be married?” blurted Pieter van Jaarsveld to his partner, Taryn, one day.
It’s not that simple. Or is it? After seven years of dating, and relentless pressure from friends and family, the couple decided to skip the fanfare of getting hitched — in the traditional manner, that is. Instead, they chose to treat their favourite people to a secret wedding. And so began the execution of their covert operation, code name: The Lunch.
“I’d say, I found some flowers for ‘the lunch’,” said Taryn.“We never mentioned the word ‘wedding’.”
The couple met at a mutual friend’s party. Taryn was compiling the playlist, so when the music changed unexpectedly, she descended on the culprit. Enter Pieter, who found Taryn’s “floaty and airy” demeanour interesting. “We’re both as stubborn as anything, which makes everything an irresistible challenge.”
To ensure that their family and friends made it to their big day, the couple created the ruse of a party, which was where their guests would meet for the first time. Between the two of them, Taryn and Pieter have six parents, and their biological and step-parents met for the first time at “the Lunch”.
After six weeks of planning, Taryn confided in her friend Jana, who became an impromptu maid-ofhonour as she helped with the bride’s preparations.
It was the minister, Nick Prinsloo, who announced to the guests what the occasion was really about. Surprised family and friends were then asked to form a circle on the grass, holding the roses they had been given on arrival. The circle provided “a safe spot”, which served as a special space for the happy couple to be married.
Shhh! Don’t tell anybody.
BY THE NUMBERS:
• 28: the number of guests • 38: bottles of wine, MCC and draught consumed • 90: minutes the bride took to get ready • 30: minutes the groom took to get ready • 83: days from “yes!” to “I do!”