Happy St. Valentine’s Day, and what better day to announce a very happy wedding which took place yesterday. Below is a photo of the gogos, some dressed traditionally, some in their finest clothes, singing and dancing in honour of the bride.

Several mkhulus (grandfathers) were along, and they were ‘getting’ down’ with the music:

Last year our volunteer administrator, Rev. Ginny Uren-Viner very sadly and suddenly lost her husband. We felt her grief as she was torn apart. She went to England to be with family for a month and deal with her loss. Then a few months back she wrote to say, “I’ve been knocked silly by a new relationship, can you believe it?” When Ken and I arrived two weeks ago we had dinner with Ginny & Glen and Rev. Lawrence & Joy Burton. Glen is a lovely man, so well suited to Ginny on many levels, and is also involved in community activities. I’m just so very, very happy for her, for both of them! Meet Mr. Glen and Rev.(Mrs.) Ginny Cormack:

Doesn’t she look utterly radiant? Doesn’t he look like the Prince who’s found his Cinderella? It was a lovely service in small historical St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Sabie (designed in 1920 by architect Sir Herbert Baker). The service was lovingly officiated by Rev. Lawrence Burton who, with his wife Joy, are very supportive of Sitabogogo with their time and energies.

Joy and Rev. Lawrence Burton

At the reception hall five of the gogos had been cooking since the morning, and a bus was organized for all the gogos to join the other guests at four o’clock.

It was a sumptuous feast, and the speeches were poignant, telling, and entertaining. The mix of Western and African music had as many as room would allow on their feet, cutting loose on the dance floor, and the rest clapping and singing along. Those of you who know me personally know how I love to dance, but I learned something new about Ginny – she does too. When the first ’60s rock & roll tune was played Ken & I started to jive and Ginny cut in with, “Excuse me Susan, I need someone who can jive”. I stood with Glen, snapped photos and gave him unasked for advice –  that they take dance lessons together soon as Ken & I did when we first married. A great party!

Ginny and Ken - "All Shook Up"

A few nights earlier there had been a shower for Ginny hosted by her sister, Jill, who was over from England. A shower here, I learned, is called a Kitchen Tea, though it was not held in a kitchen but in the lovely Wild Fig Tree restaurant. And perhaps if we had drunk tea rather than the wine that we did, we wouldn’t have had so much good silly fun.

Ginny and Susan at the Kitchen Tea

Rather than buying gifts, we all contributed towards certificates of pampering at a spa for Ginny. Oh, and by the way, there were no wedding gifts. Instead, people were asked to buy vouchers at the local grocery store for the Fill-a-Bag program. These are bags filled with non-perishables for R108 (about $15) for distribution to the disadvantaged. Great idea!