Cape Town - A Bonteheuwel couple has taken a caterer to court after she ruined their wedding day.
Zandré, 28, and Charne Galant, 26, say the food served by Gouwah Ismail from Sweet Decadents was so bad, they were too embarrassed to serve it to guests.
The couple forked out R10 045 for platters and desserts and a further R3 000 for a three-tier wedding cake which they never received.
The pair, who got married on 29 December, say they learned about Gouwah on Facebook.
“She convinced us she’s a perfectionist. She showed us her work and it looked top class,” says Zandre.
However, Gouwah is min gespin and says instead of “trying to ruin her life”, the couple should be grateful that they had any food at all on their special day.
The couple had a cocktail wedding reception and ordered finger snacks for 100 guests.
“We paid her R10 045 for the platter and the desserts and R3 000 for the cake,” Zandré explains.
The platters were to contain miniature rotis, KFC wings, meat, kebabs, sticky ribs, chicken and beef pastries to the value of R7 995.
For desserts they were to have tarts, and various mini desserts which came to R2 050.
But Zandré says upon arrival at the venue, The Tea Garden in Ravensmead, they discovered half of the food never arrived.
“My friend told me, ‘my bru, daai vrou weet nie wat sy doen nie. Ek moet weer terug gaan vir die koek want dis nog nie klaar nie,” (my brother, that woman doesn't know what she's doing. I still have to go back for the cake because it has not been completed) he says.
“I went to the car and checked the food. It wasn’t even half of what we ordered or what we wanted and the way it looked! I tried calling Gouwah, but her phone was on voicemail.”
He says instead of delectable platters, they received “unappetising viennas wrapped in pastry, vaal (bland) samoosas, half burnt chicken and meatballs and hoenderboudjies (drumsticks)” in white plates covered in cling wrap.
Charné says they were deeply embarrassed.
“I had to face 100 guests telling them there’s no food. I had no wedding cake. She couldn’t face me or apologise for what she did,” the upset bride says.
“I have taken her to the small claims court and when we wanted to hand her the court papers, her boyfriend hid her in the room.
“She said she’s going to refund us but only paid us R900 back. She has blocked us and does not answer calls. We want our money.”
Gouwah on Monday admitted she ruined the couple’s wedding day but says it was due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
“I got someone to assist because of time, it was out of my control. I saw how the food looked when it went out. I decided to rather send it out and let the people have something rather than nothing,” she told the Daily Voice.
“The wedding cake was a bit late but then she cancelled it. I gave them R900 back for the wedding cake.
“We made arrangements and I said I’d pay R1 000 a month. Now she wants to take me to the small claims court.
“I understand I messed up their day, but why must she punish me and mess up my life?”