#EnzoaniRealBride: Vusiwe & Yanga

In Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Vusiwe (Vusi) and Yanga were married in a gorgeous, moving ceremony at The Plantation on the 12th of September, 2014. Love was in full abundance on their special day, with wonderful moments captured of them and their loved ones in celebration of their union. For their rustic spring wedding, Vusiwe found the perfect wedding dress in BT14-15 from the 2014 Beautiful Bridal collection. We spoke to Vusiwe to learn about her dress, her new husband, and her amazing nuptials.

Which bridal gown did you choose - and how did you know it was "The One?"

Vusiwe: "The dress I chose was an off-white, one-shoulder dress from the Enzoani Beautiful 2014 collection: BT14-15. After searching and trying on dresses for months, this dress was by far the best option for me. The off-white colour and the play on lace around the hip area was very flattering for my body shape. The shoulder piece just added more elegance to the dress as I was trying to steer away from the traditional 'boob tube' look so this dress gave me the exact look I'd been wanting!"

Tell us about your love story!

Vusiwe: "Yanga, or 'Bubu' (as we fondly call each other), and I first officially met on a hot April Saturday evening in 2010. He had come over to my place to see a friend of mine who was visiting me for the weekend. As he was just popping in to say hi to my friend and didn't know me, naturally this first meeting should have been a 'Hi, I'm Yanga and Bye". But off course, this is Yanga we are talking about! Anyone who knows him will attest to how friendly and witty he can be.

"He quickly made himself at home and started chatting me up about the movie I was watching, Deliver Us From Eva. Now this is my all-time favourite movie, as in, I know all the lines played by (Eva) Gabrielle Union in the movie word for word. As chemistry or rather, luck, at the time would have it, he too was a great fan of the movie, and so a “who knows the movie best” conversation was soon underway.

"Ohh…did I mention just how unattractive I looked? Tracksuits, slippers, no make-up, thank God for the weave; my hair looked decent at least! But definitely not a good look for a first meet-and-greet with your future husband!"

Sunday, April 2010

"Unbeknown to me, it turns out that we actually stayed in the same complex. So come Sunday evening, I’m enjoying a Sunday nap and a knock at the door wakes me up, and who else but Yanga would come see a girl dressed in pj’s and slippers and not be the least bit phased about it. With absolutely no warm reception from me, he welcomed himself in and made himself right at home. At this point I’m thinking, 'This man must be out of his mind, coming to chat me up looking like this.' But he quickly set the record straight and told me he was just there to watch the movie (Deliver Us From Eva) with me, nothing more, nothing less.

"As I said, this is MY favourite movie, so off course I can watch it over and over again, but with a stranger, a guy I barely knew? The inner Vusi started playing devil’s advocate in my mind and I realised, ‘Agg, how much harm would a man in pyjamas and slippers do?” So I decided to play good host and offered him something to drink, and clearly this was a movie night, so I popped some popcorn as well.

"For those who are not familiar with this movie, it starts off with a soundtrack which has since become one of our love tracks and speaks to the kind of love we have for each other. The track is by Chante Moore and Kenny Lettimore – 'You're All I Need to Get By.' And so we harmlessly sang along and as the movie got going, we found ourselves re-enacting all the lines of the movie and having a blast.

"As though living in the same block of flats for over a year and loving the same movie wasn’t enough, it turned out we both work in the CBD (Central Business District) and our buildings are right opposite each other! Coincidence? We much rather prefer calling it a “God Incident.” Being the gentleman he was, he offered to take me into work the next morning.

Monday, April 2010

"Getting ready for work this Monday morning was certainly unusual. I was up before the alarm could even go off, and pumping some Big Nuz tracks in the background, I got ready to be picked up. At the time, I was working at the CTICC (Cape Town International Convention Centre) where we wore uniforms. Now that obviously didn’t leave me with many outfit options, so I had to jazz it up with some heels which I hardly ever wore, put on some make-up and glam myself up. Looking rather sexy for a girl in uniform, I patiently waited for him, and right on time he knocked on the door.

"Butterflies and excitement consumed me (I know, I know, it was just lift to work on a Monday!), but man oh man, was I excited! Opened the door and I must say, the man cleaned up well. Dressed in just the right fitting pants, shirt and tie, he definitely looked 100 times smarter than he did with the pj’s. Off to work we drove, chatting away like we’d known each other for years. We got to town, said our goodbyes, exchanged email addresses, started chatting. I believe no real work was done in both our Nedbank and CTICC offices that day. From that day on, the Bubu’s were born, we were inseparable, and as the saying goes…the rest is history!"

What was your favourite wedding day memory? 

Vusiwe: "My nephew walking down the aisle with a board written 'Yanga here comes your bubu.' Walking down the aisle and seeing him trying incredibly hard to hold back the tears. Him kissing me on my shoulder right through the reception speeches."

What advice would you offer to other brides?

Vusiwe: "Enjoy the planning phase. As stressful as it is, embrace it, you only get to plan your dream wedding once (hopefully), so take the time to enjoy the meeting, fitting, shopping and all the drama that comes with it.

"But most importantly, on the big day, calm yourself down and tell yourself that whatever happens, good or bad, you will embrace it and laugh about it. Take a few minutes every once in a while to just take everything in, look around, make eye contact with your guests, get yourself completely engrossed in your day and the moment. This way, when you look back you can actually remember everything about your day. It goes by very quickly, so those “take it in” moments are crucial."  

Thank you, Vusiwe, for sharing your love story with us!

CREDITS

Photographer | DAVENE PRINSLOO

Videographer | SALVELIO MEYER

Enzoani Retailer | THE WEDDING BOUTIQUE

Decorator & Florist | LYNELY CUSENS, FLORAL CREATIONS

Bridesmaid Dresses Retailer | BLUSHING BRIDE