A JOY TO SERVE THIS BRIDE AND GROOM

 
If clients are easy Seanokeng Makgala and the man who married her. Martin were the most easiest and calm clients I have ever served.They placed their orders, brought their wedding entourage all the way from Rusternburg in the Northwest for measurements and paid alltheir deposits in time.

When I met Seanokeng I was already expecting our first child with my husband Paul. I was not yet showing cos it was in the early days. Seanokeng or Seya as she lets people call her first ordered a dress for her lobola negotiations (this is when the groom's family and bride's family meet and discuss money for the daughter's hand in marriage. Well she had since promised to send me a picture of herself in the dress for my portfolio. When she came for her dress I was now showing. i thought she would panick as I had so much work ahead of me and her wedding was going to be in my last trimester. She did not. Intead she was happy and supportive.

Bride's Dress and Bridegroom's shirt and pants

Fas-forward.....Seanokeng and Martin wanted an African print fabric for their traditional wedding attires for themselves and their entourage. We agreed on three-quater pants for the three groomsmen and long ones for the groom and all in the same print. The four bridesmaids chose differny peplum two-piece otfits (skirt and top) in the print similar to the groomsmen's pants. The bride's dress was a differen colour and patern.

Maid of Honour's Peplum Skirt plus Peplum Top and Bridegrooms Two piece

Bridesmaids in Traditional Graments

I also had to design and make the bridesmaids' first dresses which were turquiose in colour. Seanokeng had already chosen the patterm and we all agreed on it until a month or 3 weeks before the wedding. She also broght two of her flowergirls for me to make dresses for them. A 4 years old and a 6 yeras old girl. The mission of Seya's order was finding the perfect turquoise fabric for her bridesmaids and a different shade or fabric for the little girls. 

Bridesmaids

Seya's wedding was my last wedding order for 2013. I was exhausted from the last two weddings which were one after the other and I was now very pregnant. For the first time ever in my 23 years of designbing for clients I got an assistant. This young man was really God-sent because he came daily on time and left at the same time daily, I managed to complete 15 garments which I made of 27 pieces (skirts, tops, belts, etc)

Flowergirls

The ladies came for their firts and only fittings coming all the way from the NorthWest. Everyone was happy.I was working overtime even after my assistant left but this time i didn't have to work until 12pm. Seya never called me and panicked instead she was calm and told me she will come when I am done. Fortunateli on the last day, which was the day before the wedding, she needed where she can do her hair and nails. How blessed was this that my friend Florina (Flawless Flo) is a mobile/self-employed hair and nail technician who lives in my neighbourhood. So while Florina was doing Seya's hair and nails I got to be done. This gave me ample time to do the last touches on the garments. Never did I get a call from Seanokeng asking me how far was I with completing.

The Bridal Party

Despite them loosing R3500 worth of shoes, getting their garments on the last day and the bride's wedding gown last the young couple never blew off steam. Seanokeng even gave me he beautiful bracelet watch. The day of the wedding day dawned and the couple was very beautiful, Their wedding was perfectly done,

Here Comes The Bride in Nubian Queen Wedding gown

Thank you Seanokeng an Martin and thank you for sending me the photos as and when you could, God bless you two and your family.

A BEGINNING AND AN END… A WEEK I WILL NOT FORGET

One of my youngest friends Lerato Kwanaite was getting married to Boitumelo Letsoalo on the 10^th of November 2013. We have both anticipated this day since she also got engaged around the same time as I did early 2012 but I got married in March already. She was such a great help as she went and put a woman’s touch in my wedding venue’s décor since décor was done by my husband and his groomsmen and brothers.

Lerato had requested me to design dresses for her bridesmaids, groomsmen, her traditional dress and husband’s traditional outfit.  We went searching for the fabrics and identified the right ones which I bought in September/October. The fabric was lilac Dutchess satin for the first bridesmaids’ dresses, a yellow and pick stretch taffeta for their traditional dresses, lemon for hers and white Irish linen for her husband’s traditional suit. I no longer had to do the groomsmen’s outfits due to some changes.

I had a glitch during the sewing of the garments. My Bernina overlocker machine ceased and I can never work without an overlocker. By God’s grace I found a seller in Randburg. Unfortunately for me that was a day wasted as I had to spend the whole day learning the Empisal overlocker. The machine is not bad for the lower price it costs in comparison to my ceased one.

I had another challenge with designing the first dress which continued to be a challenge to the last day. Then on the Monday before the big day my beloved granny passed away in her sleep. It was sad that I could not go sit with my family during the week as I had to work daily from 7am till 12 midnight daily. This job load was unforeseen as much of the work was from the first dresses. Every bridesmaid had to sit in for alteration and completion of their dresses. I had to stay up working and only got to close my eyes for 40 minutes when I slept at 04:40am – 05:00am.

I woke up and ironed the dresses and went to deliver them at Lerato’s house. I helped them with the dresses and then went to get the traditional dresses from home. When I went back to her house they were all dressed and leaving for the church. What a breath-taking moment with everyone looking so beautiful. No one can ever look more beautiful than the bride. She was beautiful.

My eyes were filled with tears; tears of joy that a beautiful young God-loving girl became a woman and was getting married to a God-fearing man. I also had tears of sorrow because I had to go bury my granny and could not attend my friend’s wedding.   I managed to go in the late afternoon with my husband to see the bridal couple. The wedding reception was over but people were having their meals and hubby and I managed to get a couple of pictures of the couple and bridesmaids. I got the traditional wedding pictures via a Cellphone social media from one of her bridesmaids as it was the next day in Limpompo.

Faith Nthoba and Lerato Letsoalo

Paul Nthoba(my husband) and the groom, Boitumelo Letsoalo

The pictures below were sent via a cellphone since the weddin was in Tzaneen.

Against all odds, with my state known to close friends, lack of sleep, broken machine and my grandmother’s passing I managed to complete the work not by my own strength but God’s strength.