Weatherman keeps hearing wedding bells
HUNKY CNN weather anchor Derek Van Dam is so enamoured with his South African love that he married her three times in two years.
It was only fitting that the most recent nuptials of the former eNCA weatherman and his wife, champion surfer and yoga fundi Tara Hossack, was held at their favourite wine farm, Boekenhoutskloof, in the Cape winelands.
Van Dam, who has a legion of local fans after a seven-year stint on South African TV, popped the question at the finish line of the Comrades Marathon in 2014, which they both ran, following a two-year courtship.
“Technically, this is our third . . . We got officially married in Cape Town in August 2014, but it was a small ceremony as I had just accepted my position at CNN and needed to make it over to America for my new job.”
The newlyweds spent four months
It was super-chilled, dancing under the stars
apart while Tara waited for her US visa to be granted.
“Then we had our reception in my home town of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in August last year . . . then our proper party in the winelands,” said Van Dam.
Although Boekenhoutskloof, in Franschhoek, is not a wedding venue, the owners made an exception for the couple, who invited about 80 of their closest family and friends.
The bride wore a flowing white gown, a crown of flowers and yellow pumps. “It was an outdoor picnic- style wedding . . . super-chilled, dancing under the stars to an epic DJ until about 2am.”
Their guests feasted on wood-fired pizza, beer and sparkling wine, and were entertained by life-sized Jenga (a building-block game), croquet and lawn darts.
While Atlanta has become their home, the couple have plans to return to South Africa, “the place we both are very passionate about. When the moment is right and the circumstances allow, we will relocate.”