The wedding that almost didn’t happen
Bride’s illness hampered couple’s plans
THIRESHNI Naidoo was overwhelmed when she walked down the aisle towards her fiancé — after a year of health problems, she and Mergan Naidoo had even considered cancelling their wedding.
The couple, both 28, had been introduced by mutual friends while studying at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Westville campus in 2004.
Thireshni said: “Last year was a very tough year for me as I had been ill and had to undergo surgery, which required a long recovery period.
“There was a time in November when we considered cancelling the wedding. My trip in December to India to do wedding shopping had to be postponed to February, just two months away from the big day.
“Everything, from the décor to the sound and flowers, was finalised only in the week of the wedding.”
The couple, who had been living together in Midrand, Johannesburg, decided to tie the knot in Durban’s Kendra Hall on April 26.
A beautiful red satin invitation, with the pair’s names printed in gold on the front, had inserts giving details of the wedding.
After an amazing time shopping in India with her mother, Thireshni settled on a bright red sari with gold cutwork and embossed stones. For Mergan, a buyer, she chose a simple white sherwani with red trim and a matching scarf to complement her sari.
On their wedding day, the couple chose to walk down the aisle separately, while their speeches to each other were played over the sound system. And for them, listening to their partner’s words became an enduring memory.
The colour theme was red and gold, with red roses in either large bowls or on crystal stands on each table.
After performing the rituals in the south-Indian ceremony, the couple signed the marriage registry, were pronounced husband and wife, and then the stage lit up with fireworks.
“We were thrilled that everything worked out perfectly,” said Thireshni, a project manager.
The 500 guests were treated to vegetable biryani and dhal followed by soji for dessert.
The five-tier wedding cake, decorated in gold piping, red roses and gold jewellery to match Thireshni’s sari, was then cut. Two of the five tiers were fake, and the other three had different flavours — fruit, chocolate and vanilla.
Mergan fed his new bride a piece of cake — but from one of the dummy tiers, “so my mouth was full of polystyrene,” Thireshni laughed. “It was hysterical. The guests probably thought the cake didn’t taste nice, because my face just fell.”
How he describes her: A loving, caring and friendly partner who always listens and understands me. She . . . always looks out for me.
How she describes him: An amazing and supportive partner who always gives me everything that I want and makes me extremely happy and proud. He has
stood by me through it all and I can never imagine life without him. What he thought when he saw her on their wedding
day: What an amazing, beautiful bride, who I couldn’t wait to call my wife. What she thought when she saw him on their
wedding day: It was very emotional for me. We had been through quite a rough year with my ill health.