We say ’potato’
A Free State spud farm was not just the venue for this young couple’s wedding — it’s also their new home, writes Sibongile Mafu
YES, music is the food of love. But so are fresh air and big skies and fields of root vegetables. Sandra Barry and Murray Thompson got the recipe exactly right when they exchanged their forevers in the middle of Murray’s Free State potato plaas near Christiana, in front of 130 of their closest.
The couple met at the University of Cape Town as engineering students and, during their fourth year, they began their now eight-year journey together.
The farm was not only the venue for their wedding but is also their new home. This was a big decision for the city slickers, but one they’re excited about.
They both lived in different countries and continents during their courtship, going from Germany — Murray in Bremen and Sandra in Munich — to the US, China and Europe. They’ve now decided to settle in the Free State.
The couple wanted to do something out of the ordinary for their wedding: so they hosted their own ceremony, conducting their own wedding vows.
This was something the bride admits was a risky move. “We had such fun getting to say personal vows, with a bridesmaid playing the cello as an entrance piece and another bridesmaid singing a hymn.”
Sister Althea was the maid of honour. It was an exercise in using the skills of friends and family.
It really was a family affair. Sandra’s mom initiated the meeting with KLûK CGDT designers, as the bride admitted her planning was not the best. Local designers Malcolm Klûk and Christiaan du Toit made the bride’s 1930s wedding dress come alive.
The couple were juggling a longdistance relationship with challenging careers — and if mom hadn’t stepped in, the wedding would have only happened in 2015.
The parents also conducted a handtying blessing — a Celtic tradition, which is the origin of the phrase “tying the knot” — and a lobola transaction to seal the wedding deal.
It was a personal ceremony, which they felt needed to include elements of South Africa’s rich cultural mix, so the couple were also very excited about the lobola exchange. “It was a way of including our parents in the ceremony,” Sandra says.
There was much laughter when the lobola cattle started bellowing when the bride walked down the aisle.
The best part of the day for Sandra? Holding her new hubby’s hand throughout.