Debashine Thangevelo
BRIDES are like proud mums. In the same way that mothers think theirs is the cutest kid ever, most brides think theirs is the best wedding. Of course, that sense of pride, intermingled with unashamed favouritism, can often dovetail into dramatically entertaining exploits for TV.
Such are the heightened sentiments bubbling under on Four Weddings, which is the first locally-commissioned series of a successful international format.
Think Come Dine with Me… but with a wedding, where everything from the dress to the venue, theme and food is rated.
Now every episode will have that one person who suffers from foot-in-mouth syndrome. Of course, they also make for welcome amusement.
If my interview with Pretty Ndlovu, one of the brides featured in episode one, is anything to go by, you are going to love to hate her.
As far as personalities go, she borders on sheer rudeness. It almost felt like she was doing Tonight a huge favour when we chatted as she pointed out her very demanding schedule as a make-up artist-turned-trainee director. Let’s hope her storytelling is a sight more endearing than her social etiquette.
Moving along, she competes with Jacqueline van Rooyen, Dinah Maliboho and Sharon Samuels in the first episode, which is titled Looks Can Be Deceiving.
Interestingly, she was entered into the reality show by colleagues she used to work with. They were privy to her wedding plans and thought that she would be perfect for the series.
She says: “It happened when they saw me buying a dress at Bride & Co.”
Asked if she was aware of what the show was about attracted the flippant response: “Yeah, I knew about it because I used to watch it.”
Given her foothold in the industry, she was then asked whether her wedding was a celebrity-studded affair: “The wedding was on April 11. Yes, I did (have celebrities there) ’cos I have friends in the industry. And I have family members in the industry, too.”
When pushed for further explanation, she clammed up. In fact, the only thing she’d share about her wedding was that “it was elegant, classy and very modern”. She also believes that “themes make it (weddings) clumsy”.
While she couldn’t for the life of her remember her own menu as “there was so much going on on her big day”, she did remember how awful the other bride’s weddings were.
She says: “I still believe mine was the best; even though they all said I had an advantage because I was the last bride. With Sharon’s wedding, everything she promised wasn’t there. And the draping was too much. Dinah’s wedding was a pure disaster. She invited the whole town of Villiers and slaughtered two cows. Oh God, the food was terrible. I ended up eating Jelly Tots. She also said there would be dessert, but there was none. I’d say the third bride and me were on par.”
What she did praise were Rapid Blue and how unobtrusive there were during the shoot: “As soon as the moment comes, you don’t remember other things. I knew I was gorgeous. My bridesmaids were pretty and my husband looked handsome. I can’t remember the food.”
Executive producer, Kee-Leen Irvine, offered more insight: “Viewers can expect a uniquely South African take on the format with brides from a range of backgrounds experiencing, sometimes for the first time, faiths and cultures very different to their own. From naked brides to biker brides, from Zulu brides to Tswana brides, from bitchy brides to chocolate- box brides, this series is bound to entertain and make you think twice as to whom you invite to your special day.”
As for how much cattiness is on offer, she shares: “All of the brides were ambitious and very eager to win the dream island honeymoon courtesy of Beachcomber Tours. But the local series is more in line with the American series– the brides are straightforward in their criticism and ready to tell it how it is. But the show is not as nasty or catty as some international versions.”
Giving us a hint of what to expect of the upcoming episodes, she teases: “There is a Xhosa-Swazi-Tswana-Sotho-fusion wedding, a forest wedding and a steam punk wedding.”
Oh, and there is a shopping mall wedding. Talk about love at first swipe, eh!
Four Weddings airs on Lifetime (DStv channel 131) on Fridays at 8.50pm.