Maryke and I have a funny history: back in my days as a bartender at Aandklas, I had personally waited on her table for her 18th birthday (this included me sneaking her into the kitchen, after it was closed, to steal ice cream). Then, she became a waitress at Dros, which was the first place I had ever worked, and then she had started dating Albert van Tonder, a manager at Dros, whom I had worked under too. So, when Albert popped the question, it was just fitting that she had chosen us to do their wedding photos. Unfortunately though, theirs had not been a wedding I had been able to work on personally, and I've forever regretted that. Therefore, this month, when Bride-of-the-Month entered a Wild Card stage, I simply jumped at the chance to give it to these two. Since their wedding, their little family had become a son richer and seeing what fantastic parents and what a fantastic couple, my old friends had turned out to be, just filled me with absolute joy. Seeing such happiness, even years after they had said their "I do's" is a sight I will never grow tired of and that's what makes this contest so special to me.
- Markus Gericke
Photography: www.bolandweddings.co.za
Photographer: Natasha Louw