Tongabezi has a definite soft spot for island weddings.
Co-founder of Tongabezi, Benjamin Parker, was married on Sindabezi Island in a beautiful ceremony where the bride arrived in a bougainvillea-strewn boat and the groom arrived in a canoe with a fish he had caught on the way.
So, the Tongabezi team were especially excited when two gorgeous guests (let’s call them Aurora and Philip) contacted them with a request for a last-minute, elopement-style wedding on a sandbank right next door to Sindabezi. Both bride and groom had been married before but this didn’t stop them dreaming of the perfect destination wedding along the Zambezi riverbanks between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Aurora and Philip arrived and immediately turned down an upgrade to our premium room, instead preferring to stay as close to the water as possible in one of the five River Cottages. They did, however, enjoy their complimentary couples massage. The couple were then floated out to the island by boat, with only the Tongabezi team as witnesses and guests. Everything went perfectly; Miyaze had thrown herself into the role of wedding planner and our guides built the sweeping flower arch by hand.
Pastor Mike officiated, and since he is also the Tongabezi Trust School’s music teacher, the Tongabezi choir sounded especially angelic as they sang joyful songs of marriage, love, and happiness around the wedding ceremony. Aurora cried once but for the rest of the day, it was impossible to wipe the smiles from the bride or groom’s faces. Philip and Aurora then had a romantic picnic lunch on the island, completed with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. They even brought pieces of their wedding cake back for the staff as a thank you for everything the Tongabezi team had done to make their day “absolutely perfect”.
Contact Sindabezi Island/Tongabezi
Web. www.tongabezi.com
Email. reservations@tongabezi.com
Tel. +260 213 327450
