When you think “wedding day”, you probably think big. Big excitement, big ceremony, and definitely big bank account.
This couple decided to switch things up, opting for a small, lower-than-usual budget wedding ceremony and saving their money for the honeymoon and a car instead.
Wongalethu and Honey Vakala said this is the best decision they have ever made. “My family had big plans, my mom invited all of her friends, colleagues and some of the community members and even booked the wedding venue. I had to stand up for my wife and show her that the man she is marrying has a backbone. I cancelled all the plans my mother had for my wedding day and she didn’t take it well,” Wongalethu told Drum.
It wasn’t all sunshine and roses, though. It also meant that they could not invite a number of people that they really wanted to share their day with, including marital counsellors, some relatives, colleagues and close friends. “We don’t have any regrets on how everything turned out however, we regret not inviting the people who we really wanted to be there,” he said.
They managed to save money through people in their community offering to make various contributions, which made the day extra special to them. “A friend of ours in Long street offered to tailor make our wedding attire which was such a blessing,” he added.
The couple got married on Heritage Day, September 24 in a small church in Motherwell, Port Elizabeth, where they are from. The wedding cost them R6 000 and they have no regrets.
They used the rest of their money to put a deposit on their brand-new car and went on a lovely island honeymoon in Thailand.
