A woman waited many years to have the perfect wedding only to die hours before her celebration.
Nana Mkhize, 42, and her fiance, Fana Maphumulo, 43, of Durban, South Africa, were together for 24 years and they were engaged for 17 years.
The couple have four children together and they had been planning their wedding for many years.
However, Fana said that their wedding plans took so long because Mkhize wanted a huge wedding and they were saving up money for the special occasion.
However, the night before their wedding, Mkhize complained about feeling weak. She was taken to a hospital, where she was being treated.
Hundreds of guests arrived at the beautifully decorated wedding venue at Kloof Civic Centre to witness the couple’s long awaited big day on Saturday.
However, to everyone’s dismay, Mkhize’s health took a turn for the worse and she died. The devastated groom refused to cancel the wedding. Instead, he turned it into a celebration of her life.
Maphumulo, who was dressed for the wedding, asked a pastor to pray as he placed both of the wedding rings on his own finger as his commitment of love to his deceased bride.
The couple’s oldest daughter, Samkelisiwe Maphumulo, 23, said that her mother was very loving. “She made sure we never went to bed on empty stomachs. I still can’t believe she’s dead,” Samkelisiwe said.