Lord of the ring
Movie trilogy sets romantic tone for nuptials
THE script of a church play in which homeopath Brenton Moonsamy played the husband and Mandy Pillay the wife became reality nine years later.
DATE NIGHT: The couple, both 28, met in September 2003 while attending the same church and Bible school. But they started talking only when they were asked to take part in the church play in October 2004.
SAY YES: Mandy, a reservations agent, was taken by surprise when Brenton asked her to marry him on April 2 2011. She never expected Brenton to propose because he was not the romantic type. He had invited both their families to dinner at the Elangeni Hotel. Just before leaving for dinner, he went down on one knee, beads of perspiration running down his face, and confessed his love. Brenton told Mandy she would make him the luckiest man in the world. A shocked Mandy, with a tear in her eye, said “yes”.
THE DATE: July 27 at the Elangeni Hotel. The theme for the wedding was medieval fantasy with inspiration from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. They looked for a venue that would complement their theme and allow them to bring their castle to reality.
THE INVITE: The front cover opened like castle doors into a courtyard with an “Old English”style font. The envelope had a castle print and a personalised seal.
FIT FOR A KING: Brenton’s tailormade suit was ice white with an embroidery of the Tree of Gondor from The Lord of the Rings on the front. Mandy wore a vintage-style lace gown with pearl detail. She wore a handmade circlet that was typical bridal headgear in medieval times.
CENTRE STAGE: At the entrance to the venue were knights with swords to welcome the guests. To create the mood, the room had castle drops, stone arches, flags, chandeliers and lots of candles. The colours were white, gunmetal silver, crimson and stone. Instead of a red carpet, there was a white carpet down the aisle. At each place setting was an apple with the guest’s name attached as a leaf. On the table was a newsletter for each guest that gave details of the couple’s “journey of love”, the retinue, programme and menu, among other things. There was also a wedding cartoon strip, adverts for all their suppliers and a special tribute with photos and poems to Mandy’s late dad and Brenton’s late mom.
In keeping with the theme, many guests dressed up as characters from the movie.
GIVE AND TAKE: Christian ceremony.
GUESTS: 220.
TASTY TREATS: Guests were served welcome drinks on arrival, followed by snacks that included samoosas, spring rolls and nuts. There was a starter of Thai butternut soup with parmesan shavings served with a selection of rustic breads. The main course buffet included salads, a selection of homemade breads and cocktail rolls, BBQ-glazed roast beef with horseradish cream sauce, lemon-buttered baked fish with fresh cream and a herbed garlic breadcrumb crust, saffron-scented basmati rice, vegetable biryani with lentils and fried potatoes served with a spicy savoury dhal, and butternut, creamed spinach and wild mushroom lasagna baked with parmesan and mozzarella.
The dessert selection featured crème caramel, chocolate mousse cake, strawberry cheesecake, hazelnut chocolate brownies, peppermint-crisp chocolate mousse, tropical fresh fruit salad with a passion fruit dressing and ice cream, and malva pudding served with custard and cream.
FIRST DANCE: Time after Time by Cyndi Lauper.
LET THEM EAT CAKE: The wedding cake resembled a castle with stairs leading down to a carriage.
MEMENTOS: The couple wanted guests to enjoy the special day with them and take away the memories, so they had a photo booth. Each guest took copies of photos along with a box of sweets.
HONEYMOON: Elangeni Hotel, Cabana Beach Resort in Umhlanga and Gold Reef Theme Park Hotel in Johannesburg.
EVER AFTER: North Beach, Durban.
TREASURED MEMORY: Both families were involved in the preparations and offered advice. Family and friends were extremely excited about the theme and offered a lot of support. The majority of the decisions were confirmed by the bride, with the assistance of her sister.