A wedding with a difference.

Following on from my post about my daughter's Leavers Ball - I thought it would be about the right time to post about the weddings we host at Pamuzinda.

There are actually 2 properties here, and the following photos were taken at a wedding we hosted at Chengeta - the second property we have. In my recent post titled 'Scorpionzilla' (you can go back and see old posts by clicking on the titles at top right of this page) I pictured the marquee that we have, but there is also a vast open plain with a giant Fig tree growing in the middle of it, and this was the site of one of our recent weddings.

Both the ceremony and the reception were held under the spreading branches of the tree. We took comfortable chairs down, and the guests relaxed until a ripple ran through the crowd as the groom was spotted making his way to the ceremony from across the plain.

The Groom arrived in style, followed by his Best Man. This sure beats the living daylights out of arriving in a Rolls! Though maybe not quite as fast, certainly way more impressive . . . .

The bride then arrived riding solo across the plain carrying a bouquet of flowers. Her bridesmaid was waiting to receive her with hay bales for the dismount.

The one thing you are assured of at a wedding on the Chengeta plains is a set of wedding photos unlike any other. The sinking sun painting a riot of color and light across the African sky adds a grandeur that perfectly frames the bride, the groom. And we have extras with attitude . . .

So just how do you cater for a wedding in the middle of nowhere? Simple really, you make a kitchen by cleverly erecting a table, and then you just go for it:

And the results of this 'bush catering'? Well - judge for yourselves, but in my opinion the canapes were looking pretty snappy. Here are the mini vol au vents, the herbed scones and the bruschetta:

So what about our toilet facilities - being stuck out there in the middle of an African plain? Obviously we don't have water, and we are going to need ablutions at some stage, aren't we? Well, we got that covered . . .

Normally the toilet is a unisex one used by both men and women, because it is quite hard digging such a big hole for what we call a 'long-drop'. However at this wedding we had a guest in a wheelchair, so we created 2 toilets - with a nearby one as it is quite hard wheeling yourself across the sandy ground of the savanna. The whole arrangement is set a discreet distance away from the fig tree for privacy with a little 'runway' of fairy lights for when the sun disappears. When we leave, everything returns to the way it was before we arrived.

Here are our 'wedding ablutions' - and much thought has gone into the preparation of the facilities. We check the pit before the wedding for snakes, remove the spiders from the walls, (all part of the service, you see) and make sure there is an ample supply of rolls. Plus air freshener, because the ladies seem to expect it - even though the roof is open to the stars:

No little pig living in his house of grass could ever has been so well provided for!

Soooooo - if you have someone getting married, and they are looking for a very different wedding venue - look no further.

Have a great day.