he story of how a couple met is always what people ask and Mzansi Magic's "Our Perfect Wedding" is known to elicit laughter, tears, critique and sometimes just sheer confusion. This week's episode was no different.
Mbongiseni Mnyakeni,36, and Thando Mgcina, 30, who live in Lesley, Mpumalanga, met when Mgcina and a friend went to buy a few things at a nearby store. Mnyakeni was behind the counter and after Mgcina paid for her goods, he asked if she could sweep the store for him.
This is the part where you hear that record-scratching sound and everyone in the room goes: "Wait, what?"
Mnyakeni said he asked the question to challenge his future wife. She was worried about what he would do if she said no, so she did it. A few days later he asked her out but she had to take care of her mother who was ill at the time and needed Mgcina to care for her. At first, she agreed to date him for the unsettling reason that she was scared of him. (Mnyakeni, for his part, seemed shocked to hear this). But she soon realised he was a patient and loving person. They had two children and, tired of paying damages, he opted for lobola instead, which brought us to this week's episode.
What draws viewers to "Our Perfect Wedding" is its relatability. Before this, the only weddings we saw on screen were on "Top Billing". They were aspirational and only the rich and famous qualified. But "Our Perfect Wedding" is a show that puts ordinary South Africans on screen, and we can enjoy seeing ourselves in the people whose weddings we saw. Unlike the "Top Billing" style extravaganzas, weddings on "Our Perfect Wedding" feature imperfect people, with imperfect lives; their weddings may not be picture perfect, but they are what most us settle for, as close to perfect as circumstance will allow.
This week's episode was filled with joy and sadness. The bride's mother died in 2006 and each moment on the journey to the actual wedding was painful as she wondered how things would be if her mother was around. From seeing her white dress with her aunt, to receiving advice from her father and her uncles as she left the home and even when she said her wedding vows, tears streamed down her face.
Even with all her pain, Mgcina and her husband's wishlist was their gown and her dress, the décor and her bridesmaid dresses. We weren't crazy about the bridesmaid dresses but she looked like a princess in her sparkly gown and the salmon pink colour scheme was gorgeous. The groom said his suit, which was from Turkey, was white as a symbol of his pure love for his bride. Mgcina said she didn't know he would be wearing white.
The traditional outfits were beautiful, especially the authentic Ndebele traditional outfits worn by the bride after the cleansing ceremony were just amazing. The funniest moment of the wedding came when two women fought over the bouquet, which broke in half. They took it as a sign that they'll get married in the same year or on the same day.
Mcgina and Mnyakeni loved their wedding and said they had their "perfect, perfect, perfect wedding".