Distance no obstacle for this couple
It was a tale of two cities and many miles before they got it together
A MATCHMAKING sister and Facebook ended in the fairytale wedding of accountant Eddy Shaik Mohamed, 35, and chartered accountant Preshnie Pillay, 28. DATE NIGHT: In 2011, Preshnie met Eddy through his sister, Nancy Shaik Mohamed. “I worked as an internal auditor and was auditing Nancy’s department,” Preshnie said. “One evening, while working late, his sister and I got chatting. She found out I was single and then spoke about her brother who lived in Hermanus, in the Western Cape. She showed me a picture of him and I thought he looked cute. She suggested I give him a call . . . [but] I suggested he send me a friend request on Facebook if he wanted to chat. I received a friend request from Eddy and we started communicating on Facebook. He would send me messages in the morning, but I would respond only in the evenings due to bad reception at the place I worked.”
The chats fizzled out for about a month, until Preshnie sent him a birthday message on Facebook. The couple met for the first time on June 9 2011 during one of Preshnie’s business trips to Cape Town. She believes she must have made a good impression on Eddy, because he wanted to see her in Durban the following week. “We both made a real connection with each other. We had so much in common, but at the same time were also very different from each other,” she said. SAY YES: To maintain the longdistance relationship, the couple took turns visiting each other.
During a weekend in Hermanus on January 28 last year, Eddy surprised Preshnie with a weekend away to Arniston — a town that has beaches with white sand and turquoise water — and arranged for a picnic basket from the hotel. “It was a beautiful sunny day,” said Preshnie, but “due to the wind we were forced to have the picnic on the balcony of the hotel we were staying at. As we were chatting, Eddy went into the room while I carried on snacking. He returned and went down on his knee with a ring in his hand.
“He had called my dad prior to that without my knowledge and asked permission to marry me. I had mentioned some time ago that I thought it was romantic when guys actually did chat to the father before proposing.” THE DATE: March 16. The church ceremony was at St Paul’s Lutheran Church followed by a reception at the Elangeni hotel in Durban. THE INVITE: A lilac card with a simple embossed silver design. FIT FOR A KING: Eddy wore a black tuxedo-style suit and a white shirt. Preshnie felt like a princess in a long white dress with fitted bodice and intricate crystal work. CENTRE STAGE: The room was decked out in purple and silver. Purple floral arrangements and candles on the tables created a romantic atmosphere. Candles and simple bouquets were also used on the main table, which was draped in fairy lights. GIVE AND TAKE: Christian ceremony.
GUESTS: 250. TASTY TREATS: After the church ceremony, while the wedding photographs were being taken, guests were served tea, coffee, juices, samoosas, cupcakes and sandwiches. At the reception, the buffet included beef medallions, tandoori chicken, vegetable lasagne, baked vegetables, lamb curry, a selection of breads and a salad bar. Dessert was crème brûlée, carrot cake and strawberry cheesecake. LET THEM EAT CAKE: A threetier cake covered in white fondant icing with intricate detailing, silver accents and purple flowers to bring in some colour. One layer was vanilla with strawberry butter-cream icing and another was of mocha with vanillaflavoured butter-cream icing. MEMENTOS: Compact mirrors covered in beautiful fabric in a variety of colours for the women and Bible key rings for the men. Each person also received nougat bars and handmade sweets. HONEYMOON: A night at the Elangeni hotel and two nights at the luxury La Residence in Franschhoek. EVER AFTER: Onrusrivier, near Hermanus. TREASURED MEMORY: Preshnie did all the legwork, because Eddy was in Hermanus — although they consulted before making final decisions. Meetings with service providers were arranged when Eddy visited Durban.
“A family friend, who owns an events coordination business, helped to coordinate the reception,” said Preshnie. A professional helped with the décor at the church and the reception.