We sat down with winners, Magcino and Siya Gule to chat about their Bride of the Year experience!
We caught up with the stunning couple who were crowned winners of SA Weddings Bride of the Year 2017.
The SA Weddings content team took a trip to JHB and were so excited to meet up with Magcino and Siya Gule, the winners of Bride of the Year 2017.
We were so excited to catch up with this stunning couple and hear how life has been post winning the crown and all their fantastic prizes, which included a 7 night stay in the Seychelles courtesy of Giltedge Ocean Islands, Constance Ephelia and Seychelles Tourism Board!
My sister actually recommended that I enter the competition. I was initially sceptical that I wouldn't get very far, especially since I could see that there were so many lovely brides who had entered and were ranking high. But when I found out about all the exciting prizes, I thought it was worth taking the chance and rallying up support from family and friends.
I was absolutely thrilled! I was so proud to have made it to the top 12, and I knew my husband and my supporters were proud of me too and rooting for me all the way. When they announced that the date of the event was going to be 02 June, I was even more excited about the event because it was on the same day as my birthday.
My perspective was to have fun and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience.
Siya and I flew into Cape Town from Johannesburg. I already felt very nostalgic when we were carrying our attire through the airport and onto the plane. Many people could see that we had a wedding dress and were wishing us well as we passed by.
The SA Weddings team were waiting for us with such excitement at arrivals - we then met the other couples before getting into our transfer bus. We all started to get to know each other, where we were from, when we got married etc, and in no time group selfies were being taken.
The hotel we stayed at was absolutely beautiful (Vrede en Lust) - I have never been to the vineyard before. The gifts on our beds were such a treat - we loved the his and hers gift boxes. The gifts were a combination of special (Champagne) and practical (Ina Paamans) gifts. I loved how the SA Weddings team did a great job at surprising us along the weekend - it added such a WOW factor.
The Friday night dinner was lovely and I enjoyed how the SA Weddings team took this as an opportunity to share the history of SA Weddings and to get to know us as couples.
I had to pinch myself in the morning - I couldn't believe I had woken up on my birthday, at a beautiful wine estate in Cape Town and having the honour of wearing my wedding dress again with my husband at the glamorous SA Weddings Bride of the Year competition! I felt like the luckiest woman in the world! I played my favourite song in the morning and from then on I was just on cloud 9 the whole day.
The highlights were the grooms wine tasting, our photoshoot in the infinity dresses, I loved getting my nails done by Foxbox and it was also awesome meeting Graeme Richards the MC who I had watched on TV from a young age. Despite this being such an elaborate event, the SA Weddings team were so relaxed and professional; they created a wonderful atmosphere throughout because they had every last detail under control.
The show was super glamorous. The venue was spectacular, the food and wine were flowing. My sisters came to support me, and it was so wonderful feeling their energy and the positive energy from the audience.
Both the grooms and the brides had bonded quite a bit, so it felt like the competition had brought us together and we wanted to remain in touch. We all wished each other lifelong and happy marriages.
Winning was an enormous highlight for me. After all the preparation and excitement, it was such an honour to be chosen as the winning bride. But I would also add, that we all were treated so well throughout the competition that we realised that being in the top 12 was an exceptional honour.
Wow! We are so excited and overwhelmed with this amazing prize! Thank you to all the sponsors.
We'll be redeeming our 7 night stay in the Seychelles for our anniversary next year (May 2019).
I would advise them to consistently stay in the top 4 list of brides for their month, to stand a good chance of winning. Keep asking for those votes, because each one does count.
Then if they are a finalist, I would say have fun and enjoy the time you spend re-living the best parts of the wedding experience with the love of your life. The new friends and memories are something to share with your grandchildren one day.
At Giltedge Ocean Islands, we create life-changing experiences for discerning travellers looking for an authentic island getaway.
