Bankers fly in from the UK for a Durban wedding
Bankers fly in from UK for a Durban family celebration
HENERINI Mudely had butterflies in her stomach when she spotted Mitesh Soni on their wedding day, the same feeling she had when they first met 14 years before.
She said he looked amazing in a white sherwani with deep-red decorative work and Swarovski crystals along the shoulders and middle of the coat.
The couple, both, 31, met at the University of Cape Town during their first year of study in actuarial science.
“I liked Henerini and my friend liked Henerini’s friend, so we introduced ourselves to each other.
“We became good friends. In our final year of study our friendship developed into a relationship.
“In 2006, I moved to Johannesburg and was later transferred to London. We continued our long-distance relationship until Henerini joined me in the UK 18 months later,” he said.
The pair, who are investment bankers, usually went on holiday during the northern hemisphere summer. In July 2012, Mitesh decided on Santorini, Greece, because “it is an amazingly romantic destination which Henerini had always wanted to visit”.
On the final day of their holiday, Mitesh proposed at sunset on the balcony of their suite on the edge of the caldera overlooking the Aegean Sea — a view for which the island is famous.
To escape the British cold, the couple opted for a South African summer wedding and settled for Kendra Hall in Durban on February 16.
Henerini, with the help of a wedding planner and both their mothers, took charge of the planning.
About 350 guests received an ivory-coloured invitation — decorated with an intricate golden flower border and a gold Ganesha motif on front — to witness the Gujerati ceremony.
Different coloured inserts gave details of the prewedding festivities.
Seven days prior to the wedding the couple flew to Durban. After final meetings, it was time for the festivities to begin — loads of fun and dancing were lined up.
“The build-up was a mixture of nervous excitement and valuable time spent with family and friends,” said Mitesh.
“The days flew past because we were kept busy with planning as well as various small prayers.
Henerini looked resplendent in a cream and red lengha with a teal veil. Her blouse and skirt were adorned with Swarovski crystals.
After a photo shoot the couple made their way to the venue, which was decked in white with lightgreen accents.
All-white table settings and lime green napkins, green and white rose centrepieces and a rose at each setting to reflect the recent Valentine’s Day complemented the theme.
Each guest received an organza bag filled with Indian sweets.
During the ceremony, the guests were served samoosas, chilli bites and patha rolls, followed by a main course of pea and potato curry, red bean curry, rice, roti, pickles and salad. For those with a sweet tooth, soji, jelebi, gulab jamun and burfee were served.
Before heading back to the UK, the newlyweds went on honeymoon to the Seychelles.
How he describes her: She is beautiful, loving, kind-
hearted and goes out of her way for those closest to her.
How she describes him: Handsome, loving and caring, and most certainly a true gentleman. He has an infectious, bubbly personality that makes him even more lovable. What she thought when she saw him on the
wedding day: I thought he was immaculately dressed and looked amazing. I felt the butterflies in my stomach all over again, like I did the very first day I met him.
I truly felt proud and blessed to be marrying not only the one I love, but my best friend. What he thought when he saw her on the wedding day: She looked absolutely gorgeous with a wonderful smile the whole day.
I felt a mixture of pride and happiness that she managed to put together such a wonderful set of events and looked so beautiful at each of them.