“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 Photos: © Piet Filmalter of Velamiyora 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