Jade & Craig
Wedding Party
Clare Belle Patrick
Maid of Honour
Clare and Jade met about eighteen years ago. Their earliest memory is of their friendship is of them playing on the swing under the big tree at Michael Oak Waldorf. Clare was happy that Jade wanted to share the swing (despite both being only children) and they laughed as they took turns pushing each other on it. That sums up their friendship: sharing stories about first kisses and heartbreaks, taking turns filming music videos to cringey songs and trying on different outfits. From playing with Bratz dolls in the sauna to having high tea at the Mount Nelson and acting like royals for a day, they are always finding new ways to have fun together. Over the years they managed to perfect sleepovers: bake something delicious, order pizza, watch a few chick flicks and stay up all night gossiping.
Bas De Vos
Best Man
Craig met Bas in grade nine when he was asked to show the new guy around school. On their first weekend together they made plans to do so many things: driving Craig's nitro car into the dunes, looking at Bas' animal collection, riding a bright yellow moped in the forest and more. Bas' mom told them that they will have plenty of time together and don't need to do it all in one weekend. Seeing as they've now been friends for over a decade, it seems she was right. When Bas was on his gap year in Laos, he was feeling a homesick and hadn't spoken to Craig in a while. He called and they had a great chat, and Bas felt like he was back home. Bas realised that moments like those remind you of who your real friends are. Even when life gets busy, these two always find time to make some new memories.
Brian Tompkins
Groomsman
A special kind of love exists between brothers. One of shared respect and trust. When Craig was a child he used to follow Brian around being an irritating younger brother. To him, he was merely admiring his every move. Craig has since followed in Brian's footsteps by becoming an industrial designer. Brian and Craig always enjoy their time together, whether it's flying model aeroplanes, tinkering in the workshop or taking a bike trip. They have had the same bikes for a few years, and recently Brian's was stolen. Shortly after that, Craig offered to let Brian take his bike! Brian was speechless, and very grateful to call him his brother.
Maia Veitch
Bridesmaid
Maia's and Taio's dad (James) and Jade's mom (Linda) took them on a hike with a group of their mutual friends to a beautiful waterfall. None of them would have believed how close they would become - bonus sisters! Jade used to make CDs for Maia -Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry. All the good stuff. One special memory Maia has is of all three of them and singing a Taylor Swift song at the top of their lungs as their dad drove them to a family holiday destination and he decided to speed up instead of slow down when he saw a bump in front of the car. They flew over it and the singing girls in the backseat bumped their heads on the roof, got the fright of their lives and then burst out laughing.
Nic Erasmus
Groomsman
Nic and Craig met at a water water polo practise in grade 8. When they were sixteen they went on a camping trip to the Wilderness. They had heard of a haunted house and they decided they definitely needed to check it out. So one night they took a walk down the road until they came across this house. There were no lights on and there were cobwebs on the porch. Before they got a chance to open the door, some rabid dogs looking for a midnight snack sent them running back to their campsite. Nic has kindly offered to be in charge of the music on the special day, so when you're getting your boogie on you can thank him.
Taio Veitch
Bridesmaid
Taio, Jade and Maia all met when their parents took them on a hike to a waterfall at Silvermine. Initially, there was some hesitation while they all considered the situation. When they got to their destination, they collected the foam from the bottom of the waterfall and had a good old foam fight. Jade and Taio used to love baking together, singing very loudly to Taylor Swift on road trips, cuddling with their cats and trying out new hairstyles. The two of them used to turn into contortionists every morning when Taio would French braid Catherine's hair in the car on the way to school. For years they bonded over their shared love of their beautiful kitty cats, Angel and Firefly, whom they loved dearly.
Megan Wylie
Bridesmaid
Jade met Megs at the hospital the day Brian was checked out after breaking his collarbone. That night, they all went to Chef Pons (Brian still in his hospital gown) and bonded over phad thai. While staying at the Breede River, Jade followed Megs off a 3m bridge jump into the river. Megan's first thought was that Jade would never trust her enough to jump. After about fifteen minutes of staring at the bottom, she just jumped. It felt like a lifetime before she finally surfaced, and this prompted Megs' second thought - I've killed Jade. She finally re-surfaced, gasping for air. They burst into laughter. Megs realised that Jade trusted her more than she had thought. She gained an appreciation for her that day and holds that trust dearly.
Sian Huyser
Bridesmaid
Jade met Sian when she and her husband, Onno, were visiting Jade's mom and bonus dad. Soon after that, Sian needed help with makeup for a wedding so Jade agreed to help. She thought that she was just going to be holding and cleaning makeup brushes but Sian threw her right in the deep end, asking her to do makeup for a few of the bridesmaids. Jade assisted her with some more makeup jobs and they soon became great friends. In the middle of lockdown when the delicious cake tasting started, Jade got the feeling that Sian and her husband might be in need of some chocolate and salted caramel cake. So she dropped some off and got her very first glimpse of her their beautiful baby girl. Even though Sian is now a very busy mum to the adorable Pippa and Olly, she always finds for Jade.