The Sunday Mail
Zandile Zaza Ndlovu
NOTHING makes a wedding more special than great entertainment, a touch of class and the wild.
And who better to deliver such an eclectic mash-up of experiences than Zimbabwe Tourism Authority’s Events Manager Michelle Makanza, now Mrs Humbasha.
Anyone who has worked with Michelle will confess that she is meticulous and attentive to every detail.
Michelle, a former Miss Harare and runner-up in the 2007 Miss Tourism Zimbabwe, has seen to the successful hosting of the Sanganayi/Hlanganani Travel Expo, Miss Tourism Zimbabwe and The Harare International Carnival, to name just a few.
One would think that on her special day, Michelle would hire a wedding planner to manage her wedding. Well, think again.
As if out of the hit television programme “Our Perfect Wedding”, Michelle drafted her wish list, which was to have the perfect African themed cake, great African décor, perfect dress from her favourite local designers, delicious food and traditional dance ensemble Hwamanda. It was a mixture of heavy influences of Zimbabwean culture and tourism packages.
As a keen promoter of local arts, Michelle engaged the Hwamanda traditional dance ensemble to entertain her guests. Making a grand entrance to the drum beats of ZBC-TV’s Main News Jerusarema-Mbende theme beat Ngundu Ngundu, she and husband Takunda thrilled guests with amazing choreography during their unique entry.
Then there was the modern traditional cake with sea shell embellishments. Her décor saw earthy tones of gold, brown and ivory dominate the venue palate. African lanterns mixed with tree barks, seed pods and indigenous Zimbabwean flowers all added to the ambiance of the venue.
As for the wedding dress — she left nothing to chance. Michelle turned to young designer Coco Tapfuma, a young man whose humble beginnings from being a vendor, saw him evolve and design outfits for ZTA events. Through the use of chiffon and satin, diamanté crystals and white feathers, Michelle’s dress, which had a hood, made her “float” and look like a winter wonderland queen.
The intimate wedding saw close family, friends and colleagues from the ZTA come and celebrate her special day.
With lots of humour from MC Phil and Hazel Zisanhi as well as lots of dancing, the guests had a delightful evening.
Seems like Michelle eats, lives and breathes tourism as evidenced by her choices for the wedding.
Zandile Zaza Ndlovu is Broadcaster, Media & PR Strategist and can be contacted on [email protected], Twitter & Instagram @zazaliciousone
