Edna + Reid by Jonny Scott - Together Journal

We wanted a very romantic, intimate setting for the wedding. I wanted other couples in the room to feel transported to a candle-lit wonderland straight out of Pinterest and I think we achieved that.

Edna ——I’m the CEO of skincare company Ed&I and I’ve also had a couple of reality TV appearances— firstly on Boss Babes and then on Celebrity Treasure Island. Reid is a Hirepool manager and we met in January last year when I answered a TradeMe ad to rent the downstairs apartment of his home. He became my landlord and then my boyfriend, and it wasn’t long before we both knew we’d found ‘the one’.

I still was not at all expecting his proposal, though! We’d made and cancelled plans to visit The Landing winery in Russell three times, so when we finally went there, I didn’t suspect there was anything unusual about the day — I hadn’t even had my nails done!

Once we were engaged, we didn’t want to wait around. We initially planned to marry on our one-year anniversary, April 30, the date of the housewarming party where I kissed Reid for the first time, but May 1 was the closest date we could make work. Then we realised that our first kiss actually happened at 2am, so May 1 was our real anniversary after all.

We wanted a very romantic, intimate setting for the wedding. I wanted other couples in the room to feel transported to a candle-lit wonderland straight out of Pinterest and I think we achieved that. The fire alarm went off during speeches, which initially stressed me out, but I took it as a great photo op with the fire trucks.

Everyone expected me to be in a super-tight, fitted, mermaid-style gown. However, this is the one day I could go big and dramatic. I teamed my Trish Peng custom gown with strappy Jimmy Choo sandals. The exposed body suit and dramatic leg was the centre of the design, and the detachable skirts took it from dramatic wedding gown to party dress. I also wanted to have pieces of the dress I could wear every anniversary. The bodysuit and mini is perfect for that.

I grew up in South Africa and one sad part of the day was that I couldn’t have my adopted mother at my wedding. She died when I was 17. My birth mother also wasn’t able to travel over from South Africa for the wedding. However, my father Morkel was there with my stepmum and that was gold. Dad and I both shed tears and shared a special little moment together when he saw me in my dress for the first time.

Reid and I met, fell in love, got engaged, planned an amazing wedding and married in just over a year. As Reid’s father told him, “when you know, you know”. Neither of us have ever felt more certain of anything. Reid’s wedding band is inscribed inside with the words “till death” and a tiny drawing of a bone. It’s a reference to the fact that we each got a tattoo of a bone after getting engaged. It symbolises our eternal love.