Shevon Cupido and Carmelete Mentoor have been best friends for almost 30 years, and have supported each other each step of the way. Proving that she is a true ride-or-die friend, Shevon, along with their other lifelong friend Jolene Muller, threw her best friend Carmelete a surprise wedding.
Carmelete met her future fiancé Shawn at a party in 2006. They exchanged numbers and soon became official. In 2012, the pair became engaged at the Cape Company Gardens. However, due to financial reasons, Carmelete and Shawn struggled to set an official wedding date.
Shevon decided to step in and give her best friend a day she’ll never forget.
“They were planning on eventually having a small ceremony and getting a member of their church to marry them at their house, just the two of them. I knew that wasn’t what she really wanted in her heart so I knew I had to do something as every wedding deserves a celebration,” Shevon explains.
Sunflowers are the bride’s favourite flower, so Shevon decided to base the decor on this plant and everything fell in place.
Of course, planning a surprise wedding comes with even more difficulties than planning your own. Shevon experienced much stress, particularly over whether they would have enough finances to make the perfect day.
To keep the surprise alive, Shevon came up with a diversion.
“My plan was to take her and her now husband out on the Saturday as her 40th birthday was the Thursday before. This gave me an excuse to have them ready for the day and luckily they did not suspect anything until we reached the wedding destination, which was my in-laws home. Before entering the home, I then told them that they are actually there to celebrate their wedding day and was met with shocked but happy faces and lots of happy tears.”
Luckily the bridal couple was over the moon at this surprise.
“I was shocked and burst into tears when Shevon told us,” says Carmelete. “I then ended up crying the entire day with happiness and gratefulness. I just couldn’t believe that today is the day that I will be getting married. Finally.”
“My favourite part was seeing everyone that I keep close to my heart. My day was overwhelmed by love, happiness and most of all a thankful heart.”
All images taken by Tred Magill.
Featured image: supplied
