Accommodation: The Glorious Grande Roche Hotel

After months of anticipation and hard work, our Top 10 couples travelled from far and wide to join us in Paarl at an absolute gem in the Winelands, the Grande Roche Hotel. Known for its magnificent views of the mountains and vineyards as well as its grand historic buildings, The Grande Roche Hotel boasts beautiful gardens, dedicated staff and rooms that will make you swoon, all working seamlessly together to create the perfect place for a romantic getaway. Partnering with The Grande Roche Hotel was like a dream come true and we couldn’t be more thrilled that our finalists got to slumber in style and experience everything this historical monument turned 5-star hotel has to offer. With an absolute DREAM TEAM who will go above and beyond to ensure that your every need is taken care of and we can vouch for our finalists that throughout our stay at this luxury hotel, we felt like royalty!

Our Top 10 not only got to experience the STUNNING surrounds of The Grand Roche Hotel and check into their ultra luxurious rooms, but they also got the chance to open up the incredible prize hampers. Filled with only the best to spoil him and her, this was only the beginning of a fabulous and fantastic gala weekend celebrated in true SA Weddings style.

Fabulous Friday Night Dinner

After a little time for some R&R and allowing our guests to settle into their oh-so-fabulous accommodation, we all made our way up to L'Atrium at Grande Roche. Nestled right at the foot of the picturesque Paarl Rock Mountains, it was the ultimate venue for our Friday Night Dinner.

Our finalists and guests of honour got to experience some true VIP treatment – we don’t call the Friday Night Dinner LEGENDARY for nothing! Welcomed by a refreshing Inverroche Gin Cocktail, which thanks to Africa Infused, were just as gorgeous as they were delicious. Africa Infused managed to take our breath away with a show stopping gin bar that incorporated not only the classic Inverroche fynbos and their 3 signature gins, but also their creative and magical mobile gin bars!

Live Entertainment
You can’t get any better than sipping a delicious Inverroche gin cocktail while enjoying the groovy sounds of the talented Marimba Jam! These talented musicians had us wanting to move and groove the entire time they were performing. With the freedom to customize the performance based on your event and musical preferences, Marimba Jam will get you feeling that rhythm and we couldn’t think of a better way to set the tone for our Friday Night Dinner.

For a little something special we had the amazing Caricatures by Martinus join us to capture all of our finalists in their best cartoon selves! His incredible personalized caricatures of each couple gave us all the giggles as there is nothing funnier than seeing this master’s interpretations. He even managed to capture the SAWCY team in all their glory! Martinus is beyond talented and creates his caricatures in a matter of minutes, ensuring our Top 10 had one-of-a-kind mementos to take home with them.

Dining in style
NConcepts and Design took it to another level, creating a room that was as chic as it was cosy – the perfect combo for an intimate dinner! They created luxe lounge pockets for our guests to enjoy and get comfy and set the mood with creatively placed candles in complementing earthy hues. Oozing with elegance, the table settings took on a classic black and white design and cleverly combined different textures with metallic gold cutlery to finish off the look. NConcepts and Design always knows just how to create the perfect atmosphere through their design and décor.

Divine Dinner
As with the SA Weddings tradition, our very own Craig Ballantyne opening up the evening with a heartwarming speech. Sharing gratitude for all who could join us as well as some tried and tested advice for our newly wed couples on how to nurture their marriage and keep the love alive.

Tantalizing our tastebuds for the evening was Chef Kevin from The Grande Roche Hotel. Everything was prepared to utter perfection, from the mouthwatering mains to the scrumptious dessert, we all just could not get enough! Throughout dinner we got to enjoy some fabulous Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot Malbec from the prestigious Doolhof Wine Estate, which perfectly complemented the flavoursome food. Providing us with top class service were the incredible staff from JT Events, who really gave us that 1st class treatment the entire evening.

Welcoming the #SAWCOTY2022 MC

Making a big entrance, the charismatic Carl Wastie, the official MC for Couple of the Year 2022 joined us, getting to know each of the couples and also getting to experience that famous VIP treatment from The Grand Roche Hotel team.

From the delectable food and drinks to the chic décor and styling, every last detail was utter perfection. Ending off the evening with some after dinner delights, our finalists and guests of honour made their way to their cosy rooms for a well-deserved nights rest after our fabulously fantastic Friday Night Dinner.

Our entire evening was documented by a media team like no other - Duane Smith and Sage Media. They managed to exquisitely capture every single memorable moment with all the joy and fun but in the most unintrusive way. Now this is what we call a dream team!
Catch our the epic highlight reel from the Sage Media team to experience this fabulous evening in all its splendour!