Twenty-one years ago, Vicky and Morné Oliver had an unforgettable wedding day. Unfortunately, it was memorable for all the wrong reasons!
The young South Africans fell in love at work – Morné, a police officer, was returning to active duty after an absence and needed to fill in paperwork – luckily for him, Vicky was in charge in the office. And although she gave him a hard time that day, he was smitten. Before long, the pair were engaged and six months later, their big day was upon them.
But then it became a classic case of anything that could go wrong, did go wrong.
The list, which is an impressive 21 points long, includes a broken nose, an ill-fitting dress, a reception dinner decimated by ants and a near-empty church after the majority of guests were called into work due to an emergency at the police station.
“Welcome to cop life,” laughs Vicky (43). “It was just unbelievable that so many things could go wrong. It was all happening in 37°C weather, so my make-up wasn’t staying on either. We went ahead with the wedding, although I’d had an accident and needed to have an emergency nose job shortly before it. I have a swollen nose in all the photos!”
Fortunately for the Olivers, the bad luck wasn’t an omen of things to come – the couple have a loving, happy marriage, and welcomed their daughter Vimone (a unique combination made from her parents’ names), a year after the wedding.
Soon after Vimone’s birth, the family started a new life in New Zealand and settled into their new home. But the Christchurch couple say they always intended to do-over their big day.
“We always meant to, but something always came up and got in the way,” tells Vicky. “After we’d added it all up and found there were 21 things that went wrong, we thought we would have our second ceremony in our 21st year of marriage.”
The bride and groom were ably supported by More FM radio announcers Lana and Jase.
This time, luck was on their side. More FM’s Jason Gunn and Lana Searle were on the hunt for a deserving couple to win a wedding day do-over.
“When I heard about the competition, I said to Morné, ‘Look! It’s meant to be!’”
And so last week, the pair were re-married aboard a cruise ship in a ceremony officiated by Lana, followed by a laughter-filled reception with Jason, and now the pair are cruising around the Pacific on their honeymoon.
The couple are pleased to announce the big day went off without a hitch this time.
“I wish Jason and Lana had been there last time – it probably would have been stress-free!” laughs Vicky. “They are both so funny. Jason said, ‘Don’t worry if you fall, I’ll be right there to catch you.’ They fixed everything – if there had been a problem, I wouldn’t have even known about it!”
One of the great joys of their big day was being surrounded by so many close friends and family members, including having their daughter Vimone (19) there, tells Vicky.
“It was special getting to do it again with her present – even more special than the first time. This time, we wrote our own vows and they had so much more meaning, having spent all that time together.”
Both Vicky and Morné (43) choked back tears as the groom recited his vows, including, “You’re my best friend, I love you with all my heart, body and soul,” before saying how lucky he felt to be able to marry the love of his life not once, but twice in his lifetime.
“When I looked around at everyone, they were all in tears! It was a very special ceremony,” says Vicky. “Even better than I could have imagined.”
Morné and Vicky on their wedding day, December 17, 1994. The bride had a swollen nose and her wedding dress didn’t fit.
“So many of our friends and family here came to the ceremony – including my parents, which was so great – people from all over the country.
“Unfortunately, our family members in South Africa weren’t able to make it on such short notice, but we were so touched by how many people came – especially as we couldn’t say what was going on, but they needed to bring a driver’s licence or passport (to be allowed on the boat) and everyone just did it!”
As the day turned into evening, their guests disembarked – including a reluctant Jase and Lana – as the couple began the second honeymoon. But this time, the happy couple made sure they had a secret weapon.
On top of the chaos of their original wedding day, their honeymoon went pear-shaped on the first day when Vicky got very badly sunburned, leaving her cooped up inside, in pain, for the whole honeymoon.
“Don’t worry – we’ve packed lots of sunscreen this time around!” she laughs.
