OUR MAGICAL DAY

A romantic pink beach in New Zealand was the wedding venue for former Miss South Africa Suzette van der Merwe

- MARISA FOCKEMA

THEY wanted a wedding with a difference, something intimate and off the beaten track where they could just focus on each other. And although it took three flights and two days of travelling, that’s exactly the wedding Suzette van der Merwe and Mark Weston got.

Mere hours after touching down in New Zealand last month, the couple stood barefoot on a remote beach, exchanging vows with just two guests and a gathering of screeching gulls as their witnesses.

Dressed in a fuchsia pink creation by designer Gerrit Pienaar, Suzette (50) looked every bit as stunning as she did when she was crowned Miss South Africa in 1990 at the age of 21.

It was a fitting colour choice because the venue for their nuptials was Pink Beach at Kauri Cliffs resort, so-called because crushed shells cause the sand to shimmer in a delightful shade of pink.

The couple had been hoping for good weather and were disappointed that when they arrived it was overcast and drizzling.

“But later the sun came out, the wind died down and it turned into a perfect day,” Suzette says.

The ceremony took place on the beach under a wooden structure decorated with greenery, flowers and shells. After the pastor declared them man and wife, the couple exchanged rings designed by Jenna Clifford, a long-time friend of the bride, as the groom’s father, Wayne (78), and step-mother, Angela Jennings Weston (79) looked on.