“Absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows
out the candle and blows up the bonfire.” – Francois de la Rouchefoucauld
kaylan hamel and Allen bartlett met on the 7th of november
2012, when she was sent to Zambia, near the little village of
mumbwa for an exploration geologist consulting job with her
company. she hailed from Cape town and he from victoria
falls. kaylan was one of only two women in the camp where
Allen was a drilling supervisor and they worked closely
together every day. she recalls Allen plucking up the courage
to talk to her one evening, and from there their conversations
flowed easily, and what began as a crush on a ‘blue-eyed boy,’
blossomed into love.
Allen invited kaylan to visit him over new year’s and so she
made plans to travel to victoria falls. they left the site near
mumbwa on the 22nd of december and stopped in lusaka
to go Christmas shopping. he surprised her by taking her
to a jeweller and encouraged her to select her five favourite
rings, then he chose his favourite from those five to buy for
her. she knew then that he planned on proposing to her
during her visit to victoria falls, she just didn’t know how or
when it would happen.
on the 30th of december, Allen took kaylan to dinner at
safari lodge, where they shared an intimate dinner for
two, set up high above the lodge overlooking the watering
hole, with a lightning storm over the distant hills. there he
proposed to her, his words forever written on her heart, as
precious as the memento of the specially printed menus
that she still keeps.
Kaylan and Allen lONg DIsTaNcE lOvE
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54 I South AfricA DEluxE I ShoppIng & lIfEStylE
when it came to choosing the venue for their wedding, the
couple wanted somewhere special where they could bring
their families together, his travelling from Zimbabwe and
hers mostly from Cape town. they wanted an outdoor
wedding and a luxurious destination in which to share
this special occasion with their loved ones. the choice for
them was a simple one, sun City, in fact they didn’t look
anywhere else.
kaylan is grateful for the professional wedding coordinator
from the sun City events management team, khani
mohlaba, who ensured the weekend was a success from
start to finish. Allen chose the dark grey and purple wedding
theme, and their floral arrangements complemented it
beautifully, with the king protea and smaller protea varietals
taking centre stage, as her family has a protea farm in the
Cape. the proteas were paired beautifully with a variety of
lilies, including stargazer lilies.
kaylan and her bridesmaids dressed in a private room at
the palace, while Allen and the groomsmen dressed at the
Cabanas. she looked exquisite in an arctic white floor-length
gown with a sweetheart neckline and sweeping, delicate
pearl and crystal accents across her back and shoulders.
wedding I 55
Dress: Anel BothaBridesmaid’s dresses: GeliqueSuits: EurosuitHair and make-up: Dyllan MoraisPhotographer: Piet Filmalter of VelamiyoraPhotographic Assistant: Ilana Swanepoel of VelamiyoraWedding Planning: Sun City Events ManagementDJ: Lloyd Baldwin
kaylan’s gown was designed by the talented Anel botha,
who drew on the inspiration offered to her by the bride. her
bridesmaids were striking in individually-styled amethyst
gowns from gelique. In keeping with their wishes for an
outdoor wedding, the couple were married in the gorgeous
gardens at the palace’s wind Chime Chapel. kaylan’s
wedding bands were handmade by kai schmidt and were
crafted to fit her special and unique Richard evans of
Zambia engagement ring.
while the bridal party took photographs, the guests relaxed
with pre-dinner drinks at the elephant Courtyard, after
which they followed a pathway of lanterns to the valley of
waves where their dinner reception was held under the
stars with the sounds of the waves lapping the shore in
the background. the couple’s wedding cake was designed
by Cakes by seilaz, and the puzzle pieces on top were a
personal tribute to each other as they call each other their
puzzle piece.
kaylan reflects that as they danced the night away on
the sandy beach, surrounded by their close friends and
family, that all the dreams she had for her wedding day
had been fulfilled, most of all because she said “I do” to
her dream man.
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bespoke design. superior craftsmanship.
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Deluxe SA Jenna Clifford.pdf 1 2/11/14 3:25 PM
56 I South AfricA DEluxE I ShoppIng & lIfEStylE
